Paribhāṣā

Kāmya-karma

காம்ய கர்மம்

Also known as: kāmya-karma, kamya karma, kamyakarma, desire-driven rituals, optional religious acts

Meaning

Optional religious acts performed to fulfill a specific desire — distinct from obligatory duties and from prohibited acts.

Detailed Explanation

Three Classes of Action

Mīmāṃsā and Vedānta classify ritual action into three types: nitya-karma (obligatory daily acts), naimittika-karma (occasional acts triggered by events), and kāmya-karma (optional desire-driven acts performed to attain a specific result — wealth, progeny, heaven, etc.).

Status for the Aspirant

Kāmya-karmas are not intrinsically prohibited, but for a mumukṣu or prapanna they are to be given up — not because they are wrong, but because they generate karma-phala (fruits of action) that bind the soul to continued rebirth. A true seeker transitions from kāmya-karma to performing all action as an offering to Bhagavān.

Sāttvika-tyāga

Both Rāmānuja and Vedānta Deśika discuss the renunciation of kāmya-karma as part of sāttvika-tyāga — relinquishing both the fruits and the sense of doership in action. This is distinct from abandoning the act itself; obligatory actions continue as duty, while kāmya-motivated additions are dropped.

Related Terms