Kama has also been called Aatmaang (आत्मांग ).
आत्मांग (Aatmaang)=आत्मा (Aatmaa or Soul) +अङ्ग (Anga or Organ) [आत्मा एव अङ्गः यस्य स आत्माङ्गः] Meaning – that which is the organ of soul. Now another meaning of Aatmaa in sanskrit is also Soorya (Sun). With this new meaning of Aatmaa –
आत्मा (soul) = सूर्य (sun) | अङ्ग (organ) = सूर्यरश्मि (rays emanating from sun)| Sun is static (Achar) while its rays move (char), the rays of sun are Aatmaang. Sun (suryamandal) is body of fire. Rays are its organs/ constituents / parts. Rays are given birth by Sun and stay in Sun. Therefore Kama resides in every ‘body’ and it emanates from every ‘body’ and also gets absorbed in the same body. The causal reason (kaaraka) for ‘body’ is Sun.
In lager perspective – Sun rise (sooryodaya) = Rising of Kama (kaamodaya) | Sunset (sooryaasta) = Setting of Kama (kaamaasta) | Sunrise = birth | Sunset = death| Birth = Experience (darshan) / Movement (gocharatva) | Death = Ceasing of Experience (adardshana) / Ceasing of movement (agocharatva). In the same way the kama keeps getting manifested and unmanifest but it is never destroyed. In dead body has kama because in this dead body lives a prana vayu whose name is dhananjaya.
Kama is also called Unmaada (उन्माद )|
For those who understand sanskrit ( मद् हर्षग्लेपयोः + णिच् – मादयति, हर्षित करना (To give joy), आनन्द देना (to Give pleasure), सुख मे डुबोना (to drown in comfort) + अच् = माद – आनन्द (bliss), हर्ष (joy), सुख (comfort), रस (pleasure), नशा (intoxication), घमण्ड (pride), अहंकार (ego), बल (strength or force) | अथवा (Or) मद् +घञ = माद | मद् माद्यति – नशे मे होना (getting intoxicated) , पागल होना (going insane or crazy), आनन्द मनाना (celebrate the bliss), उल्लसित होना (feeling elated), प्रसन्न होना (to be happy), हष्ट होना (to be nourished) + अच् = मद – नशा (intoxication), मस्ती (lightheartedness), खुशी (happiness), पागलपन (madness)| + स्वार्थे अण = माद् | उत् +माद = उन्माद – आनन्द की चरम अवस्था (bliss, orgasm), खुशी की पराकाष्ठा (climax of happiness), नशे में चूर (not in senses due to intoxication), पागल होना (going mad), सुध-बुध खोकर पड़े रहना या जुट जाना (getting fixed in any thought or engaging in any act without caring for anything else), रति* की अदम्य इच्छा (Intense desire for getting pleasure, joy from opposite sex’s company) , सम्भोग की उत्कट लालसा (untamable desire to copulate for sexual pleasure)|
(*रति का अर्थ १. किसी काम, चीज, बात या व्यक्ति में रत होने की अवस्था या भाव। २. उक्त अवस्था में मिलनेवाला आनंद या होनेवाली तृप्ति। ३. विशेषतः मैथुन आदि में होनेवाली तृप्ति या मिलनेवाला आनंद। साहित्य में इसे श्रृंगार रस का स्थायी भाव माना गया है। ४. मैथुन। संभोग। ५. प्रीति। प्रेम। ६. छवि। शोभा। ७. सौभाग्य। ८. गुप्त-भेद। रहस्य। ९. कामदेव की पत्नी का नाम।)
Unmaada (उन्माद ) is such a state in which an individual loses discrimination of – profit-loss, moral-immoral, good-bad, auspicious-inauspicious, virtue-sin. There’s a definite (it may be high or low) tone of violence in this state. In this state one is ready to fulfill one’s desire at any cost and accomplishes his fulfillment through use of force (बलात्कार). I bow down to kama that manifests in the form of unmaada.
Kama is also called Pratham (प्रथम). Kama comes first then after this everything else. The mantra in this context is as below –
कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तत मनसो रेतः प्रथमं यदासीत् |
स काम कामेन बृहता सयोनी रायस्पोषं यजमानाय घेहि || – अथर्व 19/52/1
तदग्रे कामः = तद् अग्रे कामः = तद् कामः अग्रे = व्यापक काम सर्वप्रथम है | तन् विस्तारे तनोति – तनुते + क्विप् = तद् , नस्य दः | जो अपने को सर्वत्र वर्तमान रखता है , व्यापक है , वह तद् = सर्वव्यापी है | काम सर्वत्रहै | इसलिये काम को तद् कहा गया है | तद् = ब्रह्म | काम एव तद् | तद् एव कामः |
Kama (काम) by etymologically has been called Tad (तद्). Tad means ever pervading and therefore it also means Bhrahm (ब्रह्म), the primal cause that has expanded itself to become universe and individualised consciousness (jeeva). Therefore Kama is Brahmn.
For those who understand sanskrit समवर्तत = सम् +अवर्तत = सम्यग् रूपेण प्रादुर्भूतः | पूर्णता के साथ प्रकट हुआ (Appeared in fullness) | पूर्णता उसी मे होती है, जो व्यापक हो (fullness is a quality associated with that only which is ever pervading) | काम व्यापक है ( Kama is ever pervading) | इस लिये काम के आविर्भाव वा प्राकट्य को समवर्तन् कहा गया है (Therefore manifestation or appearance of Kama has been called samavartan)| वृत् – वरणे वृत्यते, चुनना (to choose), पसंद करना (to like) | वृत् भासार्थः भाषार्थो व वर्तयति – ते , चमकना (shine), बोलना (speak), प्रकट करना (to manifest or appear) | वृत् वर्तते होना (to be), रहना (to stay), चरना (to walk) | वृत् + लङ्ग् आत्मने (प्रथम पुरुष एक वचन ) = अवर्तत – प्रकट किया (manifested), उत्पन्न किया (created), जनवाया (revealed), दिखलाया (shown), बतलाया (told) | सम् + अवर्तत = समवर्तत – अपना प्राकट्य स्वयं किया (created itself ) , स्वयंभू (the one who gets created by itself without any cause) हुआ |
For those who understand sanskrit यद् रेतः प्रथमम् = सर्वनियन्ता (controller of all), रेत – सर्वत्र फैला हुआ (extended everywhere in space) , व्यापक हुआ (to be ever pervading)| यम् उपरमे यच्छति – नियन्त्रित करना (to control), वश मे करना (to subordinate), दमन करना (to suppress) | प्रदान करना (to bestow), अर्पण करना (to offer), देना (to give) + क्विप् = यद् मस्य दः | नियन्ता (controller), शासक (ruler), प्रदाता (bestower|
यज् देवपूजन संगतिकरण दानेषु यजति – त्यागना (to relinquish), देना (to give), पूजा करना (to worship), संयोग करना (to combine), मिलना (to meet)| + क्विप् = यद्, जस्य दः | त्याग करना (to give away), दान (donate), पूजा (worship), सम्मान (honour), संयोग (combination), सम्मेलनकर्ता (organiser of meeting)|
यत् निकारोपस्कारयोः यातयति – ते दुःख देना (to give unhappiness), मारना (to beat), कष्ट देना (to give pain), मना करना (to prohibit) , रोकना (to stop)| यत् उद्योगे यतते उद्योग करना (to put effort)| + क्विप् = यद् , तस्य दः | दमनकर्ता (suppressor), मारक (killer), नाशक (destroyer), पीडक (pain or pressure giver), अवरोधक (obstructor), उद्योगी (full of efforts), अध्यवसायी (assiduous)|
री स्रवते रीयते, झरना (fall), चूना (to ooze), टपकना (drip), नीचे गिरना (to fall down), रिसना (to seep) | री गतिरेषणयो: रिणाति – रिणीते जाना (to go), बहना (to flow) |चोट पहुचाना (to strike or hurt), क्षति करना (to decay). मारना (to beat), कष्ट देना (to inflict pain) | + असुन् = रेतस् – वीर्य (semen, essence, saubstance with potentiality or force), जो नीचे गिरता व चूता है (that which flows down and drips) | प्रकाश जो सूर्य से भूमि पर झरता व गिरता है (the light that falls from sun on earth) |
रा दाने दीप्तौ च राति , देना (to give) , चमकना (to shine) + इतस् = रेतस् – दान (donation/gift), धन (asset) , प्राण (life force) | रश्मि (ray) , प्रभा (glow/morning) , प्रकाश (light), लोक (plane of existence) |
रेतस् + सु = रेतः | वीर्य (semen – extract, essence), प्रकाश (light) , प्राण (life force) |
प्रथ् विस्तारे प्रथते, प्रथयति-ते विस्तार करना (to expand), फैलाना (to spread), व्यापक होना (to become boundaryless) , प्रकट करना ( to manifest) | विख्यात होना (to get recognized), यश फैलना (get glorified) + अमच् = प्रथम (first) – सबसे पहला (foremost) | आकाश (space – the 5th Element) | मुख्य (main), प्रमुख (leader), प्रधान (head), अनुपम (beyond comparison) | प्राचीन (ancient), प्राथमिक (elementary) , प्राक्कालीन (belonging to the beginning of time), पुराण (scripture, old) | व्यापक (everpervading), यत्र तत्र सर्वत्र वर्तमान (present everywhere)|
इस प्रकार यद् रेतः : प्रथमतः का अर्थ हुआ – काम तत्त्व सर्वनियन्ता है, स्वयम्भू है , देदीप्यमान प्रकट है , अपरोक्ष है , सर्वोपरि है , प्रमुख है , व्यापक है , ब्रह्म है , परमसत्ता है |
Therefore meaning of this shloka so far is – Kama is controller of all, its birth is without a cause behind it, its clearly visible, it is experiential, it is above all, it is the main element, it is everpervadig, it is the original cause and supreme being – the substratum, chaitanyam!
More about this shloka (verse) 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 paramahamsa 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 this 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! 