Kmadeva

Kmadeva is the Hindu god of love. His other names include

Ananga (incorporeal), Kandarpa (God of amour), Manmatha
(Churner of hearts), Manosij (He Who Arises from the Mind),
Madana (Intoxicating), Ratiknta (Lord of the seasons) etc.
Kmadeva is represented as a young and handsome winged man
who wields a bow and arrows. His bow is made of sugarcane
with honeybees on it and his arrows are decorated with five
kinds of fragrant flowers. Its string is made of a chain of
honeybees.
His companions are a cuckoo, a parrot, hummingbees, the
season of spring and the gentle breeze. All of these are symbols
of spring season.
According to the Shiva purnam, Kmadeva is a son (actually a
creation) of Brahma, creator of the universe. According to other
sources including the Skanda purnam, Kmadeva is a brother
of Prasuti; they are both the children of Shatarupa, a creation of
Brahm. All sources concur on the fact that Kmadeva is wed to
Rat, a daughter of Prasuti and Daksha (another son/creation of
Brahm). According to some beliefs, Kmadeva was also once
reincarnated as Pradyumna, the son of Krishna and Rukmin.
Legends
Perhaps the best-known legend concerning Kmadeva pertains
to his annihilation and subsequent resurrection at the hands of
Shiva. As related in the Kumrasmbhavam, Kandarpa
(Kmadeva) resolved to aid the maiden Prvat in gaining the

favour of Shiva. Kandarpa shot his arrows of desire at Shiva in

order to disrupt the latter's meditation and help Prvati gain the
attention of the lord. The ploy backfired badly; Shiva was
momentarily distracted but immediately realised what had
happened. He was enraged, opened his dreadful third eye, and
annihilated Kandarpa with a single fiery glance. Kandarpa's
body was instantly reduced to ashes. The calamity was more
than merely personal, since with the annihilation of Kma
(desire), the world became barren and unregenerative.
Eventually, the marriage of Shiva and Prvat nevertheless came
to be held. Later, at the behest of the gods and upon the
intercession made by Parvati in favour of Kmadeva's lamenting
wife Rati, Shiva resurrected him to life, thus ensuring the
procreative continuity of the world. Shiva resurrected Kandarpa,
but only as a mental image, representing the true emotional and
mental state of love rather than physical lust. Holi, the Indian
festival of colours, and especially the bonfire traditionally lit on
that day, are believed by some to commeration this legend.