Kamadeva

Apr 20, 2026 - 16:10
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Kamadeva

fixed 24 kamadevas instead of earlier text

← Previous revision Revision as of 10:39, 20 April 2026
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== In Jainism ==
== In Jainism ==
{{Main|Salakapurusa}}
{{Main|Salakapurusa}}
In Jain universal history, '''Kāmadeva''' does not refer to a single god. Rather, it is a title applied to '''twenty-four exceptionally handsome and illustrious men''' in the present descending half-cycle of time (''avasarpiṇī''). Jain sources distinguish these Kāmadevas from the 63 ''[[Salakapurusa|śalākāpuruṣas]]'', although three of them—'''Śāntinātha''', '''Kunthunātha''', and '''Aranātha'''—are also counted among the 24 Tirthankaras.{{cite book |title=Tiloyapaṇṇattī |trans-title=Description of the Three Worlds |language=Prakrit |publisher=Jain Sanskriti Sanrakshak Sangh |location=Solapur |quote=Jain cosmographical and universal-historical text listing the Kāmadevas of the present avasarpiṇī }}{{cite book |last=Upadhye |first=A. N. |title=Mahāpurāṇa of Puṣpadanta |publisher=Bharatiya Jnanpith |location=Varanasi |year=1974 |quote=Jain universal-history tradition recognizes 24 Kāmadevas}}
In [[Jainism]], Kamadeva is a title for the 12 most physically perfect men born in a half-cycle of time. Unlike the single deity in Hinduism, these are 12 distinct human beings who appear across different eras. These attributes were first described in the [[Jain Agamas|Upāṅga Āgamas]] (c. 4th century BCE) and later codified in the 12th-century ''Bṛhat-saṁgrahaṇī'' by Chandrasuri.{{cite book |last=Long |first=Jeffery D. |title=Historical Dictionary of Jainism |year=2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0810857780 |page=153}}


⚫
The 24 Kāmadevas of the current ''avasarpiṇī'' are:
Jain chronology is notable for grouping four Kamadevas within the era of the 22nd Tirthankara, [[Neminatha]], who was a contemporary and cousin of the 9th Vasudeva, [[Krishna]].{{cite book |last=Jaini |first=Padmanabh S. |title=The Jaina Path of Purification |year=1998 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-8120815780 |pages=305-306}}
# '''[[Bahubali]]''' – son of the 1st Tirthankara [[Rishabhanatha|Ādinātha]]; famed for renunciation after conquering Bharata.
# '''Prajāpati''' – counted in Jain universal-history lists as an early Kāmadeva of this era.
# '''Śrīdhara''' – remembered in Kāmadeva lists as one of the exceptionally beautiful heroic men of early Jain universal history.
# '''Darśanabhadra'''
# '''Prasenacandra'''
# '''Candravarṇa'''
# '''Agniyukta'''
# '''Sanatkumāra''' – a famous universal monarch-like hero celebrated in Jain literature for extraordinary beauty.
# '''Vatsarāja'''
# '''Kanakaprabha'''
# '''Meghaprabha'''
# '''[[Shantinatha|Śāntinātha]]''' – 16th Tirthankara; also counted among the Kāmadevas.
# '''[[Kunthunatha|Kunthunātha]]''' – 17th Tirthankara; also counted among the Kāmadevas.
# '''[[Aranatha|Aranātha]]''' – 18th Tirthankara; also counted among the Kāmadevas.
# '''Vijayarāja'''
# '''Śrīcandra'''
# '''Nalarāja''' – generally identified with the famous King Nala of Jain retellings.
# '''Hanumān''' – the Jain Hanumān of the Rāmāyaṇa tradition; counted among the Kāmadevas though not among the 63 ''[[Salakapurusa|śalākāpuruṣas]]''.
# '''Balirāja''' – identified with the celebrated king Bali in Jain universal-history tradition.
# '''Vasudeva''' – listed as a Kāmadeva; not to be confused with the class of the nine Vāsudevas.
# '''[[Pradyumna]]''' – son of [[Krishna]] in Jain retellings of the Harivaṃśa cycle.
# '''Nāgakumāra''' – hero of the Jain ''Nāgakumāra Carita'' tradition.
# '''Jīvandhara''' – celebrated hero of the ''Jīvandhara Carita'' cycle in later Jain literature.
# '''[[Jambuswami|Jambūsvāmī]]''' – the last [[Kevali]] (omniscient) disciple in Jain tradition, revered in both sectarian traditions.


⚫
The 12 Kamadevas of the current era (''Avasarpini'') are:
# '''[[Bahubali]]''' (Contemporary of 1st Tirthankara)
# '''Prajapati''' (Contemporary of 2nd Tirthankara)
# '''Sridhara''' (Contemporary of 9th Tirthankara)
# '''Darshana-bhadra''' (Contemporary of 11th Tirthankara)
# '''Megha-vahan''' (Contemporary of 20th Tirthankara)
# '''Nikumbha''' (Contemporary of 21st Tirthankara)
# '''Suvidhi''' (Contemporary of 21st Tirthankara)
# '''[[Pradyumna]]''' (Contemporary of 22nd Tirthankara; son of Krishna)
# '''[[Shamba]]''' (Contemporary of 22nd Tirthankara; son of Krishna)
# '''Aniruddha''' (Contemporary of 22nd Tirthankara; grandson of Krishna)
# '''Suprabha''' (Contemporary of 22nd Tirthankara)
# '''Varadatta''' (Contemporary of 24th Tirthankara; disciple of [[Mahavira]])


==In English literature==
==In English literature==
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