चमकम्  Camakam

Camakam makes tears roll down the eyes due to its wonderful formation producing rhythmic waves. Camakam follows Śri Rudram recitation. There are repetition of च ca after each word and hence it is called Camakam. It is also called vasordhārā, which involves continuous flow of ghee (clarified butter) into the yajñā fire, by reciting Camakam non-stop. Camakam is a prayer seeking riches and mental strength. There are 11 anuvāka-s and each word is followed by “च मे ca me, where ca means and/also; and me means me (I). It is important to note that all the prayers are only for the benefit of the individual concerned. From the ritualistic point of view, unless saṅkalapa is taken, benefits of these mantras will not accrue to others. However, benefits of listening to Camakam will always be there for others.

Anuvāka 1

ॐ अग्नाविष्णु सजोषसेमा वर्धन्तु वां गिरः। द्युम्नैर्वाजेभिरा गतम्॥

om agnāviṣṇu sajoṣasemā vardhantu vāṁ giraḥ | dyumnairvājebhirā gatam ||

O Agni and Viṣṇu! Please remain with us with your Grace. Let these mantras make both of you happy. Please bless us with wealth, food, etc.

च मे ca me is left out in the following anuvāka-s, which is to be added at the end of each word. For example the first mantra is वाजश्च मे vājaśca me (वाजः च मे vājaḥ ca me). Meaning of vājaḥ only is given. This is applicable to all the mantras of entire anuvāka-s.

वाज vāja – food; प्रसव prasava – mind to give food to others; or permission to eat food; प्रयति prayati – purity of intention; प्रसिति prasiti – inclination;

(Now let us understand how these words are joined together. वाचश्व मे प्रवसश्च मे प्रयतिश्च मे प्रसितिश्च मे vācaśva me pravasaśca me prayatiśca me prasitiśca me)

धीति dhīti – thought; क्रतु kratu – determination; स्वर svara – speech; श्लोक śloka – fame; श्राव śrāva – listening; श्रुती śrutī – revelation; ज्योति jyoti – light; suva – heaven; प्राण prāṇa – vital air prāṇa; अपान apāna – downward breath; व्यान vyāna – distributing breath; असु asu – vital breaths/life force; चित्तं cittaṁ - consciousness; आधितं ādhitaṁ - learning; वाक् vāk – speech; मनस् manas – mind; चक्षु cakṣu – eyes; श्रोत्रं śrotraṁ - ears; दक्ष dakṣa – intellectual faculties; बलं balaṁ - strength; ओजस् ojas - bodily strength, vigour, energy; सह saha – overpowering enemies; आयु āyu – life, longevity; जरा jarā – aging; आत्म  ātma – the soul within तनु tanu – gross body; शर्म śarma – happiness; वर्म varma – defensive armour; अङ्गानि aṅgāni – body parts; अस्थानि asthāni – bones; परूम्षि parūmṣi – joints in hands; शरीराणि śarīrāṇi – other parts of the body or subtle bodies.

Notes: Prayer in the first anuvāka:

Please give me good food, mind to share my food with others, purity of my intentions, positive inclination, good thought, strong determination, good speech, good fame, good listening capacity, knowledge to understand sacred revelations, good light, take me to heaven after my death, good vital energies, pure consciousness, good learning capacity, good speech, positive mind, good eyes, ears and other intellectual faculties, capacity to win over my enemies (both internal and external), long, disease-free life, graceful ageing (without ailments), pure soul (to realize the Self within), good and handsome physical body, happiness, armours required to protect me from my enemies, good body parts (without affecting them with disease), strong bones and joints and protect other parts of my body.

Anuvāka 2

ज्यैष्ठ्यं - jyaiṣṭhyaṁ - pre-eminence; आधिपत्यं ādhipatyaṁ - over lordship; मन्यु manyu – legitimate anger; भाम bhāma – anger; अम ama – violence, strength; अम्भ ambha – celestial water; जेमा jemā – ability to win; महिमा mahimā – greatness; वरिमा varimā – space or breadth; प्रथिमा prathimā – width or greatness; वर्ष्मा varṣmā – auspicious appearance or children and grandchildren; द्राघुया drāghuyā – stretching or posterity; वृद्धं vṛddhaṁ - augmentation (of wealth, food, progeny); वृद्धि vṛddhi – growing, welfare; सत्यं satyaṁ - truth; श्रद्धा śraddhā – faith; जगत् jagat – world comprising of sentient and insentient; धनं dhanaṁ - wealth; वश vaśa – power, control; त्विषि tviṣi – energy; क्रीडा krīḍā – sport; मोद moda – delight; जातं jātaṁ - appeared; जनिष्यमाणं janiṣyamāṇaṁ - children to be born; सूक्तं sūktaṁ - wise saying or song praise; सुकृतं sukṛtaṁ - auspicious deeds; वित्तं vittaṁ - acquired wealth; वेद्यं vedyaṁ - wealth to be acquired; भूतं bhūtaṁ - existing or occurred (relating to past); भविष्यत् bhaviṣyat – future; सुगं sugaṁ - auspicious goals; सुपथं supathaṁ - virtuous path; ऋद्धम् ṛddham – abundance; ऋद्धि ṛddhi – all-round prosperity; क्लृप्तं klṛptaṁ - ability to carry out duties; क्लृप्ति klṛpti – capacity; मति mati – having resolved; सुमति sumati – right thinking.

Notes: Prayer in the second anuvāka:

Please give me high status, highest position, anger that is legitimate, anger that is arising out of helplessness (to give vent to one’s feelings), strength, sufficient good water for our living and cultivation, ability to win over my enemies and the deeds I undertake, greatness and importance in the society, large buildings, good looking children and grandchildren, good lineage, increase in my assets, comforts, ability to uphold truth, buildings and animals (or vehicles), enormous wealth, ability to exercise control over my assets and servants, sufficient energy for healthy living, to play sports, make me happy, children that are yet to be born should be good looking and intelligent, to say wise things, all my actions should be auspicious (this is because one should not become arrogant because of his wealth and bounties), good maintenance of acquired and existing wealth, auspiciousness of the assets that I am going to acquire, auspicious goals{to serve humanity through five yajña-s referred in smṛti-s are known as pañca mahā yajña-s.  They are Deva yajña (appeasing gods and goddesses), brahma yajña (the knower of Vedas), pitṛ yajña (for ancestors), bhūta yajna (animals, etc) and nara or atithi yajña (nara means man and atithi means guest}, make me follow only virtuous path (while acquitting wealth, etc), abundance in everything, all-round prosperity, ability, capacity and mind to carry out my duties in perfect and truthful manner, right thinking (no crooked thinking or attaining wealth through illegal means).  

Anuvāka 3

शं śaṁ - happiness; मय maya – bliss (or happiness in the world after death); प्रियं priyaṁ - delight; अनुकाम anukāma – according to one’s delight/pleasure; काम kāma – desire, pleasure, enjoyment; सौमनस saumanasa – agreeable to the feelings, kindness; भद्रं bhadraṁ - auspiciousness, fortunate; श्रेयस् śreyas – more excellent or distinguished; वस्य vasya – habitation; यशस् yaśas – splendour; भग bhaga - amorous pleasure; द्रविणं draviṇaṁ - movable assets (such as vehicles); यन्ता yantā – restraint (through spiritual masters); धर्ता dhartā – nurturing; क्षेम kṣema – secured and comfortable; धृति dhṛti – courageousness; विश्वं viśvaṁ - good to all by having noble qualities; महत् mahat – greatness; सम्वित् samvid knowledge about rights and wrongs as per Scriptures and knowledge about Vedas; ज्ञात्रं jñātraṁ - intellectual faculty; सू sū – creation; प्रसू  prasū – to set in motion or begetting children; सीरं sīraṁ - ploughing; लय laya – agricultural implement; ऋतं ṛtaṁ - Divine law; अमृतं amṛtaṁ - free from serious ailments (for which no treatment is available) ; अयक्ष्मं ayakṣmaṁ - not falling sick frequently; अनामय anāmaya – free from routine diseases (for which treatment is available); जीवातु jīvātu – medicines for curing diseases; दीर्घायुत्वम् dīrghāyutvam – long life; अनमित्रं anamitraṁ - freedom from enemies; अभयं abhayaṁ - freedom from fear; सुगं sugaṁ - successful course; शयनं śayanaṁ - good sleep; सूषा sūṣā – auspicious morning; सुदिनं sudinaṁ - auspicious day.

Notes: Prayer in the third anuvāka:

Please give me happiness (in material life) and bliss (in spiritual life). It can also be said give me happiness in this world and the next world (heaven). Give me delight, pleasure and enjoyment. I want to be kind to others. Make my living as the most auspicious and fortunate one. Give me good habitation, Give me pleasure in marital life, good movable and immovable assets. Teach me restraint through learned spiritual masters. Securely nurture me with all comforts. Give me courage and noble qualities; knowledge about rights and wrongs (as per Scriptural dictums); knowledge about Vedas and Vedānta; intellectual ability to know and understand things; knowledge about creation (of the universe). Give me good children. Give me best agricultural implements. Make me to follow Divine Law. Make me free from diseases and ailments and give me best medicines to cure my ailments and diseases.  Give me long, disease and ailment free life. Make me free from enemies (both internal and external) and fear. Bless me to follow a highly successful path for all my endeavours. Give me good sleep and beautiful morning and make every day an auspicious day.