sakama bhakti | सकाम भक्ति
sakama bhakti (Devanagari: सकाम भक्ति ISO15919: sakāma bhakti) is devotion to God which is inspired with the desire to attain material pleasures. This type of bhakti is called rajasi or tamasi bhakti.
This bhakti is performed for one's own happiness.
A few examples of this type of devotion is
- Kubja who wanted sensual pleasure from Shri Krishna
- Draupadi who wanted Shri Krishna to save her honor
- Gajraj who wanted Supreme Lord to save his life
- Dhruv who worshipped God to attain the kingdom.
Those who do sakama bhakti first please The Lord with their devotion. So, first they became bhakt later they asked for some material thing. God is divine Kalpataru. So He fulfilled their wishes because He is pleased with their devotion.
This type of bhakti is not condemned in the scriptures still it is not venerated.
Please note: There are some who are not yet God-realized and don't do devotion to God. Their act of asking for material boons is not bhakti. They don't fall in the category of sakama bhakt. They are only selfish or sakama. They only get what they are destined to get in this life. God does not fulfil their material desires.
Also written as sakam bhakti
LEARN MORE
REFERENCE
Bhakti Shatak - Hundred Gems of Devotion - an in-depth analysis