Karma;bhakti;jnana

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Dear members,

 

During a satsang discussion a learned person mentioned that Karma yoga is like

flower; Bhaktiyoga is like unriped fruit and Jnana is like riped fruit.- Like

they are different stages- Where does Saranagati fit in?

 

Thank you

VKV

 

[ The satsang must have been conducted by a follower of an Advaita

or neo-Advaita school, both of which are quite different from

Sri Ramanuja's interpretation of the Vedanta. Leaving aside

saranagati for a moment, in Advaita jnana-yoga represents the

highest state of sadhana since it aims at knowledge of the

undifferentiated unity of the Self, transcending all distinction.

Both karma-yoga and bhakti-yoga must ultimately be abandoned

in this scheme, as they rely on the notion of difference, which

Advaita believes to be false. In Sri Ramanuja's understanding

this scheme is without foundation in both logic and scripture.

An undifferentiated entity is a non-entity hence this is an

impossibility. In Sri Ramanuja's scheme both karma-yoga and

jnana-yoga both are preliminary stages to realization of the

true nature of the individual self. Karma-yoga can itself

lead to this vision ir it can lead to it through subsequent

jnana-yoga. However, the vision of the individual self is

itself preliminary to full-fledged bhakti-yoga, or continuous

loving meditation on God Himself, with full knowledge of the

nature of the individual self as God's 'sesha'. I'm afraid

the fruit/flower analogy does not neatly fit.

 

For some more detail on this subject from the viewpoint of

Sri Ramanuja, please see

http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/apr2002/0034.html

-- Moderator ]