anya kāma

 Anya‑kāma means “loving another” or “desiring someone/something else.”

Core meaning

The compound anyakāma (अन्यकाम) is a bahuvrīhi adjective meaning:

• “feeling love for another”

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• “having desire after another or something else”

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It is formed from:

• anya — “other”

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• kāma — “desire, longing, love”

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So the literal sense is “one whose desire is toward another.”

Grammatical notes

• It is an adjective used for masculine, feminine, and neuter forms (‑maḥ, ‑mā, ‑mam).

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• It appears in classical literature, e.g., Rāmāyaṇa 5.13.68, where it means “loving another.”

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Distinction from anyatkāma

A related form appears in the results:

• anyatkāma (अन्यत्काम) — “desirous of something else”

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  • This form is noted as textually doubtful by some lexicographers because Pāṇini does not list it among compounds where anya retains d of the neuter stem.

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In practice:

• anyakāma → usually “loving another person” or “desiring someone else.”
• anyatkāma → “desiring something else,” more abstract.

Components in context

• anya (अन्य) means “other, different.”

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• kāma (काम) broadly means “desire, wish, longing, pleasure, love.”

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Thus anya‑kāma expresses a shift of affection or desire away from the expected object toward “another.”

Summary

If you encountered anya kāma in a Sanskrit text, the most accurate translation is:

• “desiring another,” “loving another,” “having affection for someone else,” or
• in a broader sense, “desiring something else.”