JNANA YOGA

Yoga is the union with the spirit, or divine essence. It is the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the Ultimate Consciousness.

Yoga is nothing but concentration of mind and mediation of consciousness, says Swami Krishnananda. He says that the whole being of a person, the whole of his mind, intellect, feeling and spirit has to be channelised towards this supreme goal of Yoga.

Jnāna or knowledge is to perceive the Truth or Reality by the application of intellect based on detachment and abnegation of the senses. It entails the ability to discriminate between the real and the unreal. In order to comprehend the apparent and unseen elements of Reality or Truth, the intellect engages in a dialectic of introspection, speculation, hypotheses, logical claims, and reasoning.

Jnāna, or knowledge, refers to the consciousness of the Atman (inner self or spirit). The Great Sayings, or "Mahavakyas," of the Upanishadas aphoristically say that Truth is Knowledge and Brahman (Supreme Being or Reality) is one and infinity, which have significant significance as pointers to Reality.  Reality is ‘Prajnanam Brahma," or Consciousness is Brahman. The Mahavakyas state succinctly, "Reality is one, and knowledge is to comprehend it."

1. Outline

Swami Sivananda emphasises four basic paths to God-realisation. Karma Yoga (path of selfless service), Bhakti Yoga (path of exclusive devotion), Raja Yoga (path of self-restraint or self-surrender), and Jnāna Yoga (path of wisdom) are the four pathways.  These paths are sanctioned by the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. It outlines specific methods for executing its spiritual precepts and applying the science of spirituality in our daily lives, also known as Yoga.

Jnāna Yoga progresses through the paths of forbearance, introspection, solitude, mind control, and detachment. Attachment is in the cycle of birth and death, but detachment is away from this cycle and into the realm of liberation, salvation, or emancipation. The Srimad Bhagavad Gita emphatically proclaims that knowledge is the monarch of sciences and the most profound of all secrets. It purifies those who hear it. It is directly realisable, in accordance with dharma (order or righteousness), easy to practice, and everlasting in effect. Accordingly, it says that

rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ pavitram idam uttamam

pratyakṣhāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam

 It is the purest and the topmost and because it gives direct perception of the self by realisation it is the perfection of all religion and everlastingly joyful to perform.

 It outlines the essence of Jnāna Yoga by putting emphasis on renunciation of all forms of attachments to keep the mind away from all forms of vasanas (subtle desires), for attainment of Jnāna Yoga.

tyaktvā karma-phalāsaṅgaṁ nitya-tṛipto nirāśhrayaḥ

karmaṇyabhipravṛitto ’pi naiva kiñchit karoti saḥ

The Bhagavad Gita says that such people, having given up attachment to the fruits of their actions, are always satisfied and not dependent on external things. Despite engaging in activities, they do not do anything at all.

2. Elements

Jnāna Yoga is to "Be your own Self," tersely says Swami Vivekananda. It is to realise the Truth. The "Truth" is the "Real." The "Real" is the "Truth." The "Truth" comes from the "Real," and the "Real" from the "Truth." Swami Vivekananda says that "The real is one. It is the mind that makes it appear as many. When we perceive the diversity, the unity has gone; and as soon as we perceive the unity, the diversity has vanished. The reality of existence is without manifestation. We cannot conceive it because we should have to conceive through the mind, which is itself a manifestation. Its glory is that It is inconceivable."

The goal of Jnāna Yoga is to transcend from the transitory domain into the Supreme domain by elevating the Self's consciousness to realise Supreme Consciousness.

Jnāna Yoga takes considerable willpower and intellect to practice tapas and meditation through self-inquiry, detachment, sense abnegation, and contemplation. Tapas (a sanskrit term with no clear English definition but comparable to impersonal energy, heat, or austerity) is central to Yoga, and is used to restrain the mind's uncontrolled outward activity from any type of physical or psychological engagement with sensory objects. Mind control is an inward focus on the subject, the Ātman, or inner self, through concentration and meditation on consciousness to become conscious of the Self. It is critical to free the Ātman, or internal spirit, from the three modes of material nature (sattvam—mode of virtue; rajah—mode of passion; tamah—mode of ignorance) that link it to the body-mind-intellect systems. Ātman's nature is to illuminate the paths to liberation. The veil of ignorance keeps it hidden from the illumination of knowledge. The right devotion, right action, and right knowledge are the same for imbibing consciousness of the Self and realising Supreme Consciousness. The real is one. It is the mind that makes it appear as many. When we perceive the diversity, the unity has gone, and as soon as we perceive the unity, the diversity has vanished.

 There are seven stages of Jnāna or the seven Jnāna Bhumikas, says Swami Sivananda.

1. Ātma Jnana Sastras and association with the wise. Here, intellect is imbibed by discrimination between the real and the unreal. At this stage, virtuous action is performed without expecting any results.

2. Ātma Vichara (Ātmic inquiry) is encapsulated with the notion of self-enquiry. It is based on the idea that the true nature of the self, or consciousness, is pure, unchanging, and eternal, and that this true nature can be experienced through direct self-enquiry.

3. Tanumanasi means the mind becomes thin like a thread. It inculcates the idea of indifference to external objects.

4. Sattvapatti refers to Sattvapattti, where the world looks like a dream. It considers all vasanas (subtle desires) as the root cause of all evil. At this stage, everything is looked at from an angle of equanimity or steadfast disposition. It is to rise above the dualities of two extremes to remain steadfast, temperate, and moderate. The middle way is temperance, a virtue of self-discipline.

5. The Asamsakti stage signifies non-attachment to the objects of the world. This stage is Jivanmukti, or eternal bliss with perfect wisdom.

6. The Sushupti stage is Padartha Bhavana, or knowledge of Truth.

7. This sage is Turiya, or the state of super-consciousness. This is the stage for Moksha, or liberation.

3. Remarks

Sri Krishna says in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, "I regard them as the highest; they worship Me with knowledge and are steadfastly and exclusively devoted to Me." They are very precious to me, and I am very dear to them.

udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tvātmaiva me matam

āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā mām evānuttamāṁ gatim

Sri Krishna definitely states that those who devote themselves to Me are really noble. But those in wisdom, who are of firm mind, whose intellect is fused in Me, and who have made Me their sole purpose, I see as My very self.

-Asutosh Satpathy