Guest guest Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 Hare Krishna, Entering the Realm of Vaikuntha In the association of Sri Krishna's devotees we can easily enter into the realm of Vaikuntha, that world which is free from all anxieties. This is the natural home for the spirit-soul. All of our attempts to be happy away from Sri Krishna will sooner or later all prove to be fruitless. So why do we stubbornly hold on to our independence trying to be the enjoyers of this world in which actual happiness is conspicuous by its absence? Only a fool would do so. Those persons who have actual knowledge realize that beyond the cloud of illusion is an eternal existence full of knowledge and bliss. And they therefore dedicate their full energies for attaining it. Sankarshan Das Adhikari ------------------------------- Inquiry: Jnana Yoga Dearest Sankarshan Das Adhikari, Thank you very much for your wonderfully inspirational teachings. In a couple of weeks, I’ve been asked to give a short talk on the vast subject of Jnana Yoga in our local hatha yoga teachers meeting. I would very much appreciate your honored and valued opinion on how Sri Krishna addresses this topic within the Gita. Wishing you and your loved ones, good impressions in all life’s situations… Namaste, Fran Allen ------------------------------- Three Kinds of Yoga My Dear Fran, Please accept my blessings. It is very nice to hear from you . I welcome very much the opportunity to help you authoritatively describe the jnana yoga system at your upcoming yoga teacher's meeting. Each yoga is best understood by seeing it in relation to the other types of yoga. So I shall briefly describe for the you the three basic rungs on the yoga ladder. There are three basic kinds of yoga, namely bhakti-yoga, jnana-yoga and astanga-yoga. Bhakti yoga is devotional yoga. Jnana-yoga is philosophical yoga, and astanga yoga is the eightfold path consisting of yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. What is practiced as hatha yoga nowadays in the Western world is a subset of the traditional astanga yoga system. Devotees (bhakti yogis), jnanis (jnana yogis), and astanga yogis all try to get out of the material entanglement. The jnanis try to detach their sensual activities from material engagement. The jnana-yogi thinks that matter is false and that Brahman is truth ; he tries, therefore, by cultivation of knowledge, to detach the senses from material enjoyment. The astanga-yogis also try to control the senses, but try to do so through the eightfold procedures. The devotees, however, try to engage the senses in the service of Lord Krishna. Through reviving their dormant loving relationship with the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Sri Krishna) they naturally and easily reawaken their dormant enlightened consciousness. Therefore it appears that the activities of the bhaktas, devotees, are easier than those of the jnanis and yogis. The astanga yogis try to control the senses by practicing the eight divisions of yoga and the jnanis try by mental reasoning to understand that sense enjoyment is false. But the easiest and most direct process of awakening one's enlightened consciousness is to engage the senses in the service of Sri Krishna, the Supreme Godhead. Hoping this meets you in good health and in a cheerful mood, Your eternal well-wisher, Sankarshan Das Adhikari Discover Stay in touch with email, IM, photo sharing more. Check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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