Category:Akama Devotees of God
Theme Analysis
In the science of bhakti-yoga, the purity of one's motivation determines the quality of one's spiritual advancement. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that an akāma devotee is someone who is entirely free from material desires. However, because the soul is eternally active, desire itself cannot be extinguished; rather, in the akāma state, the Kama spirit (the drive for personal satisfaction) is entirely transformed into the desire to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because an akāma devotee has no personal demands, they are uniquely peaceful and situated in their constitutional position as an eternal servant of God.
Śrīla Prabhupāda categorizes humanity based on their desires. The karmīs, who want all material perfections, are called sarva-kāma. The jñānīs, who want relief from material existence through merging, are mokṣa-kāma. Even among devotees, there are those known as sakāma—like the demigods—who approach the Supreme Lord specifically to ask for material opulence or relief from danger. Regardless of one's category, Śrīla Prabhupāda advises that everyone should worship the Supreme Lord. Kṛṣṇa is so incredibly merciful that when a sakāma devotee sincerely worships Him, the Lord purifies their heart and naturally transforms them into an akāma devotee.
The defining characteristic of an akāma devotee is their unshakeable tolerance and unconditional love. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that when an akāma devotee faces intense suffering or danger, they never disturb the Lord to ask for material relief. Instead, they humbly accept the hardship as a consequence of their own past impious activities, remaining entirely satisfied simply by serving Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet.
The ultimate examples of the akāma spirit are found in the highest Vedic histories. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights Arjuna, who reached the perfect akāma stage when he agreed to fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, sacrificing his own personal satisfaction entirely to satisfy the order of the Lord. Above all, the gopīs of Vrajabhūmi represent the zenith of this desireless love, exhibiting superb feelings and serving the Lord without expecting absolutely any return. This spontaneous, unmotivated love is the ultimate goal of all spiritual practice.
- Defining Akama: Being akāma does not mean having zero desires; it means having no material demands for personal sense gratification, desiring only to serve God.
- Categories of Desire: Humanity is divided into sarva-kāma (materialists), mokṣa-kāma (liberationists), sakāma (motivated devotees), and akāma (pure devotees).
- Unconditional Surrender: Unlike sakāma devotees who seek relief during danger, akāma devotees never disturb the Lord, humbly accepting all suffering as their own karma.
- The Supreme Examples: Arjuna's willingness to fight for Kṛṣṇa, and the gopīs' unconditional love in Vrajabhūmi, perfectly exemplify the exalted akāma spirit.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Akāma Devotees of God - The Perfection of Pure Desire.
Pages in category "Akama Devotees of God"
The following 24 pages are in this category, out of 24 total.
A
- A devotee is akama, there is no kama. He has no personal desires. His desire is only to remain eternal servant of God. That's all. That is his position. That is not desire. That is his actual position
- A devotee is called akama, free of desire, and a nondevotee is called sarva-kama, or desirous of everything. On the seventh day, the demon Vrkasura decided that he should cut off his head and offer it to satisfy Lord Siva
E
- Even if an akama devotee is suffering, he thinks this is due to his past impious activities and agrees to suffer the consequences. He never disturbs the Lord
- Even if he has some desires, one engaged in the service of the Lord is never frustrated. Those engaged in His service are called sakama and akama
- Everyone, whether an akama or sakama or moksa-kama, should worship the Lord with great expedience. This implies that bhakti-yoga may be perfectly administered without any mixture of karma and jnana
I
- If a person wants to return home, back to Godhead, or wants to become a pure devotee (akama), 1) he is recommended to take to the path of devotional service and hear and chant of Lord Visnu or of His devotee
- It is recommended that the devotees (akama), the karmis (sarva-kama) and the jnanis, who desire to be liberated (moksa-kama), should all worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead to acquire their desired goals of life
K
- Kama spirit, or the desire for one's own satisfaction, is fully exhibited in the material world, whereas the spirit of akamah is fully exhibited in the spiritual world
- Krsna is so merciful that He turns a sakama-bhakta into an akama-bhakta. A pure devotee, an akama-bhakta, who has no material motives, is satisfied simply to serve the lotus feet of the Lord
T
- The devotees are divided into three categories - akama (desireless), moksa-kama (desiring liberation) and sarva-kama (desiring material perfection)
- The difference between sakama and akama devotees is that when sakama devotees, like the demigods, fall into difficulty, they approach the SPG for relief, whereas akama devotees, even in the greatest danger, never disturb the Lord for material benefits
- There are three classes of men. Akama, without kama, without any desire, that is devotees. And sarva-kama means the karmis, and moksa-kama - the jnanis. So whatever you may be, you can engage yourself in devotional service
- There are two kinds of devotees, known as sakama and akama. Pure devotees are akama, whereas devotees in the upper planetary systems, such as the demigods, are called sakama because they still want to enjoy material opulence
- There are various classes of men. One class is called akamis, referring to those who have no material desire. Desire must exist, either material or spiritual
- Those devotees who have no material desires for sense gratification but serve the Supreme Lord out of spontaneous love for Him are called akama
- Those who approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead with desires for material enjoyment are called sakama, and those devotees who have no material desires for sense gratification but serve the Supreme Lord out of spontaneous love are called akama