But in Rati’s feminineness, body-colour – yellow, as against Kamadeva’s pink, a more rounded face and the kind of wears and ornaments, the anatomy and the iconographic features – pattern of eyes and eye-brows, type of nose, lips, ears, rounded chin and even the hair-style, and the style of necks of the two figures are broadly identical. Except in the style of embellishing them, the crowns of both, Kamadeva and Rati, with their conical apexes, are similar. Kamadeva is putting on his ears the ring-type circular ornament, while Rati has, in addition to such ring ornaments, also the bells-like floral pendants attached to them. Rati is wearing on her wrists a wide range of multi-coloured bangles, while Kamadeva has on his wrist an ornament, inlaid with stones and colourfully enameled, having the look of a warrior’s wrist-armour. Widely different are the styles of their costumes, the kind of textiles, printing patterns, type of dyes and the styles of wearing them. Rati is putting on an upper sewn garment, a blouse-type wear; however, for emphasising her feminineness and Kamadeva’s passion for her the artists, the known Madhubani painters Vidyadevi and Dhirendra, have painted her breasts uncovered and prominently exposed, and love-god’s hand placed on them.
In Indian mythology Kamadeva had his descent direct from Brahma, the Creator. He was the son of Dharma, one of Brahma’s three sons. Dharma was born of his right breast. Exceptionally beautiful, vigorous and youthful Rati was one of the daughters of Daksha married to Kama on Brahma’s advice. The Kalika Purana has a different account of the emergence of Kama. As it has it, Brahma first created ten Prajapatis and then a woman by the name of Sandhya. Her paramount beauty infatuated both Brahma and Prajapatis. When passion for her was breeding in all minds, from Brahma’s, emerged a handsome youth with a bow and arrows of flowers. He was Kamadeva. He prayed Brahma to assign him his role whereupon Brahma commanded him for charging the minds of all living beings with his arrows of passion and love.
In the course of creational process Brahma realised that the act of creation could not be accomplished unless there was self generating ‘Maithuni-srashti’ – creation by sexual intercourse, and its means could be no other than Shiva. He hence commanded Kama to incite sexual desire in Shiva’s detached mind and goad him to marry, unite in love and become the fountain-head of creation. As commanded, Kama went where Shiva was engaged in penance and shot at him his arrows of flowers. Several texts have a different legend in regard to it. Becoming invincible by Brahma’s boon, the demon Taraka invaded Indra’s abode and evicted him and all gods from there. Gods learnt from Brahma that a Shiva’s son alone could eliminate Taraka. After the death of Sati, his consort, Shiva, desperate in her love, had decided never to marry. Besides that all gods prayed Shiva to marry Indra asked Kama to fill Shiva’s mind with passion. With his arrows of love Kama reached Shiva and shot all his five arrows at him. Though Shiva’s mind was filled with passion, annoyed with Kama for disrupting his penance, in wrath he opened his third eye and the fire that emitted from it burnt Kama. Later, on Rati’s prayer Shiva revived Kama but with the condition that he shall exist without a body in the minds of all living beings.
This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.
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