Ancient traditions of Hinduism. God Kama as a symbol of love and carnal passion

The Hindu god Kama is the embodiment of love and sexual attraction. Long since he was considered one of the most important inhabitants of the Indian pantheon, since he was responsible for the continuation of the family. Therefore, it is not surprising that many sacred rituals and legends are associated with it, which we will talk about.

The Birth of God

The God of Kama is the fruit of the love of two great celestials of India. So, his father was Vishnu himself - a god who keeps order and harmony in the world. As for Kama's mother, she became Lakshmi, the heavenly princess, personifying beauty, abundance and wealth.

Given this genealogy, it is not surprising that the god Kama became one of the most powerful avatars in Hindu mythology. With its greatness, only a few deities could be compared, which were also the descendants of the higher celestials of India.

The essence of Kama

Kama is the god of love in Hinduism. He personifies everything that is connected with this feeling, and also carries in itself the wisdom of bodily pleasures. Perhaps for a Russian, such a worldview will seem a bit vulgar, but it should be understood that for Hindus sex is one of the most important components of a happy marriage. They have long believed that both partners should do everything possible to satisfy each other's bodily needs.

Therefore, it should not be surprising that mythology ascribes to Kame the sexual education that he used to train his followers. Also, those who wanted to acquire posterity quickly appealed to God's help. After all, who, if not he, is able to help in this matter.

Kama - the god of love, armed with an onion

Since ancient times, the god Kama has been portrayed as a beautiful young man armed with a bow. For many researchers, this fact seems very strange, since it suggests a similarity to the Greek Cupid. True, to date, there is no evidence that one of the cultures took over from another the image of the god of love.

In addition, there are a number of features that are unique to the Hindu godless. So, the god Kama is armed with a bow made of sugar cane. In this case the role of bowstrings is performed by honey bees, symbolizing the sweetness of love. In addition to the bow, the god Kama held in his hand a fluttering banner. It depicts Makara - an animal-chimera, possessing features of a crocodile and a dolphin.

Also, according to myths, in the quiver of God there are always five arrows, with the tips of which are the inflorescences of different colors. For example, the flower of the Ashoka tree was born with love, and the mango aroused a burning passion. In such an unusual way, Hindus tried to explain that each person's love experiences are manifested in different ways.

The mount of the god Kama

Particular attention is to be paid to the mount of the god, or, as it is also called, the Wahan. Kama had such a beast as a huge parrot, whose growth was little less than the rider himself. More importantly, the bird was always depicted with a red beak and green plumage, because there were good reasons for that.

So, the red beak was a symbol of bright emotions, passionate love and determination. Green feathers, on the contrary, spoke of peace, harmony and prosperity. Together these two colors personified a happy marriage, built on genuine feelings and promising family well-being.

Family ties

According to the conventional wisdom, the god Kama was married to the goddess of Rati's love passion. It was she who accompanied her husband throughout his heavenly life. However, there are several myths about the fact that the second wife of Kama was the goddess of Purei's pure love. In general, this is not unusual, since for Hindus polygamy - this is quite common practice.

It is much more difficult to understand the hereditary line of this deity. So, he had a daughter, Trishna, who personified spiritual thirst or a passion for life. In addition, some sources report that Kama had either a son or a younger brother named Krodha (a god who incited anger in the hearts of people).

The Rebirth of the God of Kama

The force of Kama's arrows operated both on people and on celestials. And then one day the goddess Parvati came to him, asking him to fall in love with Shiva. He was her most powerful passion, but he did not reciprocate, for throughout many centuries he had given himself only to yogic practices.

Without thinking twice, Kama agreed to help Parvati. He crept up to the meditating god and hit his heart with an arrow. At the same time, Shiva fell in love with a beautiful maiden, but, enraged by Kama's insolent behavior, incinerated it with one glance only. Seeing what had happened, Parvati was horrified, because she was the culprit of what was happening.

So she fell to her knees and began to ask tearfully to resurrect the god of love. Her companion was joined also by Rati, who came here after hearing about a great grief. The wrath of Shiva was quickly replaced by pity for the girls, and he returned the life of the murdered Kama.

Rites and Traditions

In old India, there were many temples dedicated to the god of love. At the same time, they performed not only a spiritual, but also an enlightening role. So, inexperienced young men and girls here were taught the wisdom of love, so that they could use them in family life.

Also, Kama's blessings were asked at the wedding ceremonies and during the conception of the child. Because of this, many rituals and prayers appeared that could attract the attention of the deity. Some of them are still used in the life of the Hindus, thereby glorifying the deeds of the god Kama.