Why is Kamadeva considered a demigod although kama is one of the six anarthas?
From Vaibhava Sharma: For the other anarthas, we do not have any demigods, they why only for kama?
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Transcript
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That’s why he is known as the Siddhanta Acharya. Thank you. Question from Vaibhav Sharma Prabhu.
Why is Kamdev considered to be a demigod when Kam is one of the Anarthas and there are no demigods for other Anarthas, like there is no Krodhadev for Krodh? Answer. Among all the Anarthas, Kama is special in the sense that Kama is also essential for the perpetuation of various species through reproduction. So there is no absolute necessity in this world for envy or anger.
All these can also be dovetailed in Krishna’s service, but God has made this world in a purna way, in a self-sustaining way by which he does not have to intervene directly or personally to ensure the continuation of the various species. A man and a woman unite and the next generation is born thereby. So that’s why sex and lust are important principles to continue the generations in the material world.
And that’s why Krishna himself actually talks about this positively in two places. Once in Bhagavad Gita 7th chapter when he talks about dharma viruddha bhuteshmi kamausmi dharadarshiva that I am sex life that is not contrary to religious principles. And then again he talks about it in the 10th chapter prajanas chasmi kandarpaha.
He says that I am among the various forms of kandarpa, kamadeva. I am the kandarpa that leads to the begetting of children, prajanas. So in this way especially sex life leads to the begetting of children then that is not at all contrary to religious principles.
And this whole principle by which man and woman get attracted to each other and then the various species continue through various generations that is activated through kamadeva. So therefore actually speaking as devotees we have a balanced understanding of sex. The materialistic people the karmis think that sex is the source of unending enjoyment it is the very essence and purpose of existence.
And the jnanis go to the other extreme and think that sex is the greatest abomination of the human race and that sex is the source of all illusion and bondage and sex has to be absolutely given up entirely. So the bhaktas have a more balanced understanding where we understand that the male female attraction which is actuated through kamadeva plays an important role at a material level in continuing the various generations of various species and at a spiritual level in ensuring that devotees can beget devotionally minded children or rather they can get devotionally minded souls into this world by uniting in proper consciousness. So this is a balanced understanding where sex is seen for its utility and is valued for that but without being unduly glamorized or without letting oneself get obsessed by it which is certainly undesirable.
So beyond that we understand that the male female attraction is also there in the spiritual world. This is a conception that the jnanis don’t have because they think that the spiritual realm is just the non-differentiated brahmajyoti but we as devotees understand that there is a spiritual realm which is filled with variety and reciprocity and there the divine couple also perform their pastimes. So although there is a transcendental version of karma over there who stimulates the pastime of Radha and Krishna there he is actually a servant of Krishna and whenever Krishna wants the desire for pastimes is awakened in them.
But as we know Mohanthera is a place in Vrindavan where Kamadeva was defeated by Krishna because Kamadeva kept shooting his arrows and he couldn’t attract Krishna. So the various devatas are not necessary in the spiritual realm but if for a particular illa they can play a particular role then their presence is invoked over there. So in this way karma because it’s performing an important function in the material world is considered to be a god.
His name is Cupid or Kamadeva or Badan.