Kamokarsheet Japam

काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भव: ||

महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम् ||

kāma eṣha krodha eṣha rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ

mahāśhano mahā-pāpmā viddhyenam iha vairiṇam

- Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 3, Verse 37

It is lust alone, which is born of contact with the mode of passion, and later transformed into anger. Know this as the sinful, all-devouring enemy in the world.

The Vedas use the word kām, or lust, not only for sexual desires but also to include all desires for material enjoyment based on the bodily concept of the self. Thus, lust shows itself in many ways—the urge for money, physical cravings, craving for prestige, the drive for power, etc. This lust is only a perverted reflection of love for God, which is the inherent nature of every living being. When the soul associates with the material energy in the form of the body, its divine love for God is transformed into lust, in association with the mode of passion. Since divine love is the highest power of God, its perversion in the material realm, which is lust, is also the most powerful force in worldly activities.

Shree Krishna identifies this “lust” for worldly enjoyment as the cause of sin, as the malignant allure sitting within us. The mode of passion deludes the soul into believing that worldly objects will give satisfaction, and so one creates desires for acquiring them. When desire is satisfied, it gives birth to greed; when it is not satisfied, it gives rise to anger. One commits sins under the influence of all three—lust, greed, and anger. Greed is nothing but intensified desire, while anger is frustrated desire. Hence, Shree Krishna labels lust, or desire, as the root of all evil.

कामोऽकार्षीत् मन्युरकार्षीत् मन्त्रः (Kamokarsheet Manyurakarsheet Mantra)

कामोऽकार्षीन्नमो नमः। कामोऽकार्षीत्काम करोति नाहं करोमि कामः कर्ता नाहं कर्ता कामः कारयिता नाहं कारयिता एष ते काम कामाय स्वाहाः।

kāmo'kārṣīnnamo namaḥ| kāmo'kārṣītkāma karoti nāhaṁ karomi kāmaḥ kartā nāhaṁ kartā kāmaḥ kārayitā nāhaṁ kārayitā eṣa te kāma kāmāya svāhāḥ|

Salutations to the gods. Desire performed the act. Desire did the act. Desire is doing the act, not I. O Desire, fascinating in form, let this oblations be offered to thee, Hail

मन्युरकार्षीन्नमो नमः। मन्युरकार्षीन्मन्युः करोति नाहम् करोमि मन्युः कर्तानाहं कर्ता मन्युः कारयिता नाहं कारयिता एष ते मन्यो मन्यवे स्वाहाः।

manyurakārṣīnnamo namaḥ | manyurakārṣīnmanyuḥ karoti nāham karomi manyuḥ kartā
nāhaṁ kartā manyuḥ kārayitā nāhaṁ kārayitā eṣa te manyo manyave svāhāḥ|

Salutations to the gods. Anger performed the act. Desire did the act. Anger is doing the act, not I. O anger, let this oblation be offered to thee.

The mantra कामोकार्षीत् मन्युरकार्षीत् नमो नमः from Mahanarayana Upanishad, chanted every day once during the oblations to Sandhya three times a day. On the upakarma (except for Sama Veda) day, this mantra is repeated 1008 times as expiation by way of confession that many of our acts are instigated by desire and anger over which we have little control most of the time, and, therefore we are trying to propitiate them so that they will get out of our way.

Once when Sri Seshadri Swamigal, as a small boy was doing intense japam in Kancheepuram, few learned scholars passing by asked him what is he doing? Swamigal replied that he is doing kamokarsheet japam to get rid of his karma and insisted they also do it for salvation.



Courtesy:
http://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/3/verse/37
http://sanskritdocuments.org/

Also read: Sins and their results in Dharma Sastra : Karma Vipaka