Priti (), also known as Karnotpala, is a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

goddess. She is one of the two consorts of the god of love,

Kamadeva Kamadeva (, ), also known as Kama, Manmatha, and Madana is the Deva (Hinduism), Hindu god of Eroticism, erotic love, carnal desire, attraction, pleasure and beauty, as well as the personification of the concept of ''kāma''. He is depicted as a ...

, along with

Rati Rati (, ) is the Hinduism, Hindu Devi, goddess of List of love and lust deities, love, carnal desire, lust, passion, and sexual pleasure. Usually described as the daughter of ''Prajapati'' Daksha, Rati is the female counterpart, the chief consor ...

. Priti is regarded to represent affectionate love, while her co-wife, Rati, represents sensual pleasure. In other interpretations, Priti is regarded to be merely an epithet of Rati.

Legend

According to legend, Priti joined her father in taking up austere practices to propitiate

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

, in the hope that she may find a suitable husband despite the fact that she was beyond her prime. Thus propitiated, the goddess appeared before Priti and prescribed her a ritual that would restore her youth and allow her to gain a husband. As Priti performed the ritual, Parvati encouraged Kamadeva to meet the newly youthful Priti, causing him to fall in love with her. When Kamadeva proposes marriage, Priti asks him to seek her father's consent. Priti weds Kamadeva to become his second consort. She is also described to be an aspect of Vishnu's divine feminine energy. Priti accompanies her consort, Kamadeva, in his quest to disturb the penance of the deity

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, in order to cause him to fall in love with Parvati. The ''

Garuda Purana The Sanskrit text ''Garuda Purana'' () is one of 18 Mahapurana (Hinduism), Mahapuranas in Hinduism. The ''Garuda Purana'' was likely composed in the first millennium CE, with significant expansions and revisions occurring over several centuries ...

'' prescribes the worship of Priti alongside Kamadeva and Rati.

References

{{reflist Hindu goddesses Love and lust goddesses