Kama is the highest element. Human life is driven by Kama. In every action and emotion Kama is the undercurrent. Life is impossible without kama. Elevating the qualities and transcendence of kama is altogether different story. The region of Kama extends from bhoga (sense enjoyment) – lipsa (deep longing or desiring) to Yoga – Veepsaa (expansion or permeation). In Vedas Kama has been called agni (fire).. The mantra is as under –
यो देवो विश्वाद् यमु काममाहुः
यं दातारं प्रतिगृहन्तमाहुः |
यो धीरः शक्रः परिभू अदाभ्यः
तेभ्यो अग्निभ्यो हुतमस्तु एतत् || (अथर्व 3/21/4)
यः देवः विश्व-आद् = That deity which keeps consuming (eating) all (everything)
यम् उ कामम् आहुः = That in full certainty is known as kama
यं दातारं प्रतिगृहन्तमाहुः = That entity is what engages in ‘giving’ and ‘receiving’
यः धीरः शक्रः परिभू अदाभ्यः = That who is patient, powerful and all pervading, the one what can not be won over and is immortal. अदाभ्यः – The one which can not be ignored or condemned and that which is insuppressible.
शक्रः – The who is able, capable, has power; is valiant and has forbearance = इन्द्र
तेभ्यः अग्निभ्यः हुतम् अस्तु एतत् = I offer aahuti (offering in fire) of my discourse in that fire of kama. In vedas the words agni (fire) and kama (the power of desiring.. not essentially sexual) has been interchangeably used.
Agni (fire) is an entity that burns. Kama also has that quality. The power to burn also lies in Surya (Sun) and therefore mandala (region) of surya is abode of kama. Surya is kama in it. Surya is kaami (the one who has kama). There is a story that Surya coupulated with Kunti (mother of Pandavas of Mahabharata) while she was a kanya (As per scriptures ‘kanya’ is a damsel in the age band where she should not be engaged with sexually but Surya did so. The guidelines of Scriptures are for humans not for Devas!) Without caring for the rules Surya Deva put his seed in the womb of Kunti and Karna (कर्ण ) was born. ( कृ हिंसायाम् कृणाति + नक् = कर्ण ) कर्ण – A violent and valiant warrior.
Agni (अग्नि) has been called shakra (शक्र), It is the name of Indra (इन्द्र). By this we can deduce that devas are potently kaamuka (desirous of everything including sexual desire). Kunti has 6 sons, all born of Devas. From Surya – Karna, from Dharma – Yudhishthir, from Vayu – Bheema, from Indra – Arjuna, from Naasatya – Nakula and from Dasra – Sahdeva. Amazing! Isn’t it? When Devas are upto this then what to say of Humans. Humans supercede Devas both in Bhoga and Yoga. My salutations to all Kami Individuals!
In the same mantra above Kama has been called vishwaada (विश्वाद् = the one which eats everyone or everything). Agni and Kama are the two sides of the same coin. The inner Agni (fire) is Kama and outer Kama is Fire. Till the time body has Agni (Fire, heat) kama pervails. As soon as the fire (warmth) goes from body the kama is gone and vice versa. As soon as kama intensifies in the body – the body gets heated (warmer). The agni burns the body, log of woods and such materials but the kama burns mana, buddhi and ahamkara. Man thinks that he is enjoying the bhogas (objects of pleasures) but in reality the bhogas consume (take in) the man. Bhogas stay as they are but the body becomes weak and fragile thus incapable of enjoying them. Bhogas then leave the body.. what is the capacity of human to leave the bhogas?
There are four type of creatures – Andaja, Pindaja, Udbhidja, Swedaja [अण्डज, पिण्डज (जरायुज), उद्भिद्ज, स्वेदज] and they all are under the control of kama. This srishti (The world and the activities of this world) in motion due to kama. Therefore Kama himself is Parameshwara. There is this shloka in the epic Mahabharata (Shanti Parva) –
यतः सर्वे प्रसूयन्ते ह्यनङ्गात्माङ्गदेहिनः |
उन्मादः सर्वभूतानां तस्मै कामात्मने नमः ||
यतः सर्वे प्रसूयन्ते – From which everything is born.
हि अनङ्ग् – आत्माङ्ग् – देहिनः – The one who without any doubt or hinderance does not have his own body but essentially uses body of every creature(s)/species as his own.
उन्मादः सर्वभूतानां – The one who lives as unmaada (blind but intense desiring, intoxication, pride, frenzy, highest pleasure etc.) in every creature.
तस्मै कामात्मने नमः – I bow down to that kaamatma param (ultimate) purusha (being).
Kama has been called ananga (अनङ्ग् ). Ananga means – Motionless, or formless, the one which does not move. This is surprising that an entity which does not move keeps this cosmos in play. In fact this is true. Word Anga (अंग) has been constructed by using two words i.e. Anga (अङ्ग) and Gatau (गतौ). Hands, feet, mouth and even inner organs etc. have movement therefore these are anga. The one through which an action (or activity) is performed is called anga. Therefore the one from which no action is performed is called ananga [अन् (नञ) + अङ्ग = अनङ्ग् ]. The activity happens through something having form. In our world whatever is perceivable can be treated as the cause of an activity. So if something is beyond perception it will have to be treated as ‘inactive’ or ineffective (exactly the same logic has been applied to reject the existence of God as the creator of this cosmos). That inactive (imperceivable) entity or tattva is Kama. It is cause or trigger of activity. The element (entity) that causes activity is called ananga and the one through which (means) the activity is performed is called anga. The ‘activity’ (क्रिया) flows through the ‘means’ (करण) but ‘root cause/ trigger’ (प्रेरक) or the reason for the activity is the real ‘doer’ (कर्ता). Kama is the all pervading tattva. Any tattva that is all pervading can not be perceived to be moving. The one who is present everywhere need not travel (move) to reach some place because that is available at all places. Like Akasha like kama. Akasha is inside and also outside in the same way kama is present inside every object and outside all the time. The one which has anga (organ or means of activity, or with a form) can not be all pervading. Only ananga can be all pervading. I bow down to that ananga!
More about Kama in the next article..
Shivoham!
-Acharya Agyaatadarshan Anand Nath
It is my honour to place above the literal translation of understanding given by Veda-Guru paramhamsa Shri ‘Aatharvan’ Ji Maharaj. The permission to translate his works in English was given by Guruvar in 2016 itself.. but due to my various engagements it could not begin earlier. This Chaitra Navaratri of 2019 I have finally taken up the himalayan task of translating his works in English language as per his wish so that non-hindi people and even westerners can taste the divine nectar of his profound understanding of Vedas. I must say that all the substance and great teachings in this text are of His and in this translation if there are any mistakes those have to be mine. In reverence I humbly bow down to divinity in Gurudev for his personal guidance.
Its all about you! 