Our third Aim is Kama. Kama is pleasure. Kama is anything that brings you pleasure. It can be a love of cars, intimacy or hanging out with others, laughter, a kind experience or anything else that makes you smile. Of the four Purusharthas, kama is the one most easily brought out of balance. Too much of anything can lead to self-sabotage, causing addiction, greed or simply overindulgence. Kama must be used for the greater good of self and others, and to logically support dharma.
Since we are here to become one with the universe, or with a power greater than ourselves, we know our life’s true purpose. Yet, it’s never about the destination, and always about the journey. As we sail through our own personal journeys, we find many opportunities for kama, or pleasure. There will be times we go overboard and overindulge, and (hopefully most) times that we handle ourselves with grace and dignity. Through it all, you cannot live a fulfilled life without kama.
There are so many different tiers of kama. Kama could mean something as simple as a piece of chocolate cake. It could be watching a beautiful sunset. It could be a walk on the beach. It could be a night of passion and sex. To find kama, we have to delve deeply within ourselves and find out what we are passionate about. Honestly and shamelessly ask yourself where you derive pleasure and what you look forward to. You will begin to put together your kama. You will start to align your kama with your dharma and indulge in that which supports your overall life purpose, and not takes away.
Can you think of ways that your Kama might get out of balance? Have you noted a specific overindulgence that has effected your dharma? Would love to hear some experiences y’all have had.
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