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काम
kāma
Desire, pleasure, sensual fulfilment. The third purushartha. The Kamasutra is its classic treatise. Also: Kamadeva, the god of love.
काम; इच्छा; तृतीय पुरुषार्थ।
Hindu thought is built from a vocabulary of carefully-distinguished terms. Words like kama are not loose translations — each has a precise scriptural genealogy, a specific role in ritual or philosophy, and often a counterpart that completes its meaning. Many of the major Hindu darśanas (Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Vedānta, Mīmāṃsā, Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika) refined their vocabulary over centuries; the same Sanskrit term can carry different shades in different schools.
Kama sits within a cluster of related concepts — purushartha, artha, kamadeva, kamasutra. Reading these together gives you the actual texture of the idea, rather than treating it as an isolated definition. Each Sanskrit term in this glossary is cross-linked to the others it presupposes.
Where useful we cite the primary scriptural source — the Upaniṣad, sūtra, or smṛti passage where the term is given its classical sense — alongside trusted modern dictionaries (Monier-Williams, V.S. Apte, Sanskrit Heritage). For practical questions about usage in pūjā or daily life, ask a paṇḍita in your tradition.
The four aims of human life: Dharma (right conduct), Artha (wealth), Kama (pleasure), Moksha (liberation). All four are legitimate; moksha is paramount.
Worldly wealth, prosperity, and material well-being. The second purushartha. Kautilya's Arthashastra is the classic treatise on its pursuit.
Non-dualism; Adi Shankara's school. Brahman alone is real, the world is mithya, the jiva is ultimately Brahman. Key texts: Brahma Sutras, Upanishads, Gita with Shankara's bhashyas.
Bliss; the third element of sat-chit-ananda. The natural condition of the Self when free of vrittis. Taittiriya Upanishad has the 'Anandamimansa' enumeration of bliss-degrees.
'Inner controller'; the indwelling Lord. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.7 (the Antaryami Brahmana) describes the Self as the inner controller of all beings — known and unknowable.
Inference. Five-step Nyaya syllogism: pratijna (proposition), hetu (reason), udaharana (example), upanaya (application), nigamana (conclusion).
Worldly wealth, prosperity, and material well-being. The second purushartha. Kautilya's Arthashastra is the classic treatise on its pursuit.
'There-is-ist'; one who accepts the authority of the Vedas. The six orthodox darshanas (Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, Vedanta) are astika. Buddhism and Jainism are nastika.
The Self; the eternal, conscious, unchanging essence of the individual; identical with Brahman in Advaita Vedanta. Distinguished from the body-mind complex (anatman in Buddhism).
Ignorance; specifically, the foundational ignorance that misidentifies Atman with body-mind. The root cause of bondage in Vedanta and Yoga.
Awaiting paṇḍita verification before final publication. If you spot an inaccuracy in the Sanskrit, IAST, or interpretation, please write to us.