Kama: the desire to love

Kama refers to a god of love in Hindu mythology and the word “Kama” that used in Indian literature means a desire, especially related to sexual desire. According to the mythology, he was not created by anyone but was born by himself in the water of the primordial universe. The first thing he did as soon as he was created was the ‘desire’ and ‘the power to realize the desire’. He was responsible for these two things(desire and the power to realize the desire) that motivate the creation and he became a higher creator than Brahma.  Kama is the husband of Rita, the goddess of pleasure, and he governs love and the desire to love as the master of heavenly women. However, by the time of the Hindu period, Kama was weakened in the creative aspect and emphasized in the aspects of sexual desire and love.

At the end of the Act 1, the king says, “The truth is, I can’t get Sakuntala out of my head”. It indicates that the king falls in love with Sakuntala. I would say the king’s feeling of love is related to Kama.