Last updated: December 21, 2023
What Does
Parakamya Mean?
Parakamya is a Sanskrit term that means “willfulness,” “irresistible will” and “freedom of will.” It comes from the words parama, meaning “highest” or “absolute,” and kamya, meaning “wish,” “will,” “desire” and “longing for.”
In the context of yoga and Indian philosophy, it is one of the principal siddhis (unusual skills or abilities) mentioned in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Parakamya is the power to attain whatever one wishes. It is sometimes described as keenness of the senses and the mind.
Yogapedia Explains Parakamya
The siddhis are also the powers that kundalini awakens during the practice of Kundalini yoga. These siddhis, including parakamya, are developed through many years of devoted yoga practice, particularly the eightfold path of Ashtanga yoga.
In addition to parakamya, the other main siddhi powers are:
- Anima – shrinking one's body to the size of an atom
- Laghima – making one's body weightless
- Mahima – increasing the size of the body
- Garima – making one's body physically heavy
- Prapti – obtaining the ability to travel anywhere and everywhere
- Vastiva – controlling one's own and others' minds, as well as animals and objects
- Istiva – attaining lordship
In Hindu mythology, these siddhis are the eight primary powers that Hanuman acquired that gave him god-like powers.
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