Namasthe- Jnaanam and Vijnaanam

[Guest guest]

Dear Savitriji,

Your explanation is excellent and absolutely correct.

Only, jnanam is parokshajnanam only and not paroksha anubhuti because there is no anubhuti or experience in it. This is the only correction. There is anubhuti only when the jnanam becomes aparoksham, i.e., vijnanam.

S.N.Sastri

On Fri, Nov 14, 2008 at 5:02 PM, Savitri Puram <savitriopuram wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear all,

 

Jnaanam or Parokhaanubhoothi and Vijnaanam or Aparokshaanubhoothi are words we come across often in spiritual articles and books. So I thought I will peep into the meanings of those words as much as my limited knowledge would let me.

 

Jnaanam or parokshaanuhbhoothi: We can learn the principles of saamkhyam, yogam and vedantham either through a Guru or just by reading scriptures or by reading books written about scriptures by great people. The knowledge we derive by studying by any of the above means is called Jnaanam or parokshaanubhoothi. " Sarvam khalu edam brahmam " or " all this is brahmam only " is easy to read and repeat with out internalizing the prnciple. You know what it is and you have the shastra jnaanam and this is parokshajnaanam.

 

Vijnaanam or Aparokshaanubhoothi: It is good to know, but learning should not stop there. Scriptures say that acquired knowledge should be experienced and then only it becomes Vijnaanam or Aparokshaanubhoothi. So when we learn Scriptures, we get parokshajnaanam, but when we experience the principles explained in the scriptures we have aparokshajnaanam

 

An example often given is this: We know that we have to take a certain medicine to cure an illness. This knowledge of it should be taken and which medicine we should take is called jnaanam or parokshaanubhoothi. But when we actually take the medicine, we experience the good or bad side effects and then we experience the state of the absence of illness. This experience is compared to Vijnaanam or aparokshaanobhoothi.

 

Another very good example is that the knowledge that we should drink water or any liquid like water to quench our thirst is jnaanam. But the experience of drinking and reaching the stage when you are no more thirsty and very contented is Vijnaanam.

Often we have heard people referring some body as Brahmajnaani. This prefix Brahma is used to indicate that he has actually experienced and not just a scholar.

 

Sadhakaas follow different paths and in the saadhyathalam or experiencing stage, they all have aparokshaanubhoothi or they all are vijnaanis or brahmajnaanis. But when the experience of oneness with brahmam is continuous they become Jeevanmukthaas like Janaka Maharaja.

 

(Please feel free to correct any of my mistakes or misunderstandings about this. This is just a humble attempt to understand these words we often come across)

 

Regards and prayers

 

Savitri

[Guest guest]

Namaste!

 

All of us know that Paayasam is sweet. This is jnanam.

 

All of us who have eaten Paayasam know that it is sweet and has the experience of how sweet it. This is vijnanam.

 

Obviously the vijnanam of paayasam is way better than the jnanam of paayasam and more enjoyable.

 

If this example is not correct please correct me.

 

Regards,

 

Chith Puram

On Fri, Nov 14, 2008 at 8:07 AM, S.N. Sastri <sn.sastri wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Savitriji,

Your explanation is excellent and absolutely correct.

Only, jnanam is parokshajnanam only and not paroksha anubhuti because there is no anubhuti or experience in it. This is the only correction. There is anubhuti only when the jnanam becomes aparoksham, i.e., vijnanam.

S.N.Sastri

 

On Fri, Nov 14, 2008 at 5:02 PM, Savitri Puram <savitriopuram wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear all,

 

Jnaanam or Parokhaanubhoothi and Vijnaanam or Aparokshaanubhoothi are words we come across often in spiritual articles and books. So I thought I will peep into the meanings of those words as much as my limited knowledge would let me.

 

Jnaanam or parokshaanuhbhoothi: We can learn the principles of saamkhyam, yogam and vedantham either through a Guru or just by reading scriptures or by reading books written about scriptures by great people. The knowledge we derive by studying by any of the above means is called Jnaanam or parokshaanubhoothi. " Sarvam khalu edam brahmam " or " all this is brahmam only " is easy to read and repeat with out internalizing the prnciple. You know what it is and you have the shastra jnaanam and this is parokshajnaanam.

 

Vijnaanam or Aparokshaanubhoothi: It is good to know, but learning should not stop there. Scriptures say that acquired knowledge should be experienced and then only it becomes Vijnaanam or Aparokshaanubhoothi. So when we learn Scriptures, we get parokshajnaanam, but when we experience the principles explained in the scriptures we have aparokshajnaanam

 

An example often given is this: We know that we have to take a certain medicine to cure an illness. This knowledge of it should be taken and which medicine we should take is called jnaanam or parokshaanubhoothi. But when we actually take the medicine, we experience the good or bad side effects and then we experience the state of the absence of illness. This experience is compared to Vijnaanam or aparokshaanobhoothi.

 

Another very good example is that the knowledge that we should drink water or any liquid like water to quench our thirst is jnaanam. But the experience of drinking and reaching the stage when you are no more thirsty and very contented is Vijnaanam.

Often we have heard people referring some body as Brahmajnaani. This prefix Brahma is used to indicate that he has actually experienced and not just a scholar.

 

Sadhakaas follow different paths and in the saadhyathalam or experiencing stage, they all have aparokshaanubhoothi or they all are vijnaanis or brahmajnaanis. But when the experience of oneness with brahmam is continuous they become Jeevanmukthaas like Janaka Maharaja.

 

(Please feel free to correct any of my mistakes or misunderstandings about this. This is just a humble attempt to understand these words we often come across)

 

Regards and prayers

 

Savitri

[Guest guest]

Dear Sastriji,

 

Thank you very much for the calrification. You are absolutely correct. If there is only knowledge it cannot be said anubhoothi. As you said that word parokshaanubhoothi is a wrong usage.

 

I have one question here. Is anubhoothi the stage when dvaitha bhaavam dissolves and advaithabhavam expands? Or can we say that stage as the union of jeevatma and paramatma?

 

My humble pranamams

 

Regards and prayers

 

Savitri

 

 

 

On Fri, Nov 14, 2008 at 8:07 AM, S.N. Sastri <sn.sastri wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Savitriji,

Your explanation is excellent and absolutely correct.

Only, jnanam is parokshajnanam only and not paroksha anubhuti because there is no anubhuti or experience in it. This is the only correction. There is anubhuti only when the jnanam becomes aparoksham, i.e., vijnanam.

S.N.Sastri

 

 

 

On Fri, Nov 14, 2008 at 5:02 PM, Savitri Puram <savitriopuram wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear all,

 

Jnaanam or Parokhaanubhoothi and Vijnaanam or Aparokshaanubhoothi are words we come across often in spiritual articles and books. So I thought I will peep into the meanings of those words as much as my limited knowledge would let me.

 

Jnaanam or parokshaanuhbhoothi: We can learn the principles of saamkhyam, yogam and vedantham either through a Guru or just by reading scriptures or by reading books written about scriptures by great people. The knowledge we derive by studying by any of the above means is called Jnaanam or parokshaanubhoothi. " Sarvam khalu edam brahmam " or " all this is brahmam only " is easy to read and repeat with out internalizing the prnciple. You know what it is and you have the shastra jnaanam and this is parokshajnaanam.

 

Vijnaanam or Aparokshaanubhoothi: It is good to know, but learning should not stop there. Scriptures say that acquired knowledge should be experienced and then only it becomes Vijnaanam or Aparokshaanubhoothi. So when we learn Scriptures, we get parokshajnaanam, but when we experience the principles explained in the scriptures we have aparokshajnaanam

 

An example often given is this: We know that we have to take a certain medicine to cure an illness. This knowledge of it should be taken and which medicine we should take is called jnaanam or parokshaanubhoothi. But when we actually take the medicine, we experience the good or bad side effects and then we experience the state of the absence of illness. This experience is compared to Vijnaanam or aparokshaanobhoothi.

 

Another very good example is that the knowledge that we should drink water or any liquid like water to quench our thirst is jnaanam. But the experience of drinking and reaching the stage when you are no more thirsty and very contented is Vijnaanam.

Often we have heard people referring some body as Brahmajnaani. This prefix Brahma is used to indicate that he has actually experienced and not just a scholar.

 

Sadhakaas follow different paths and in the saadhyathalam or experiencing stage, they all have aparokshaanubhoothi or they all are vijnaanis or brahmajnaanis. But when the experience of oneness with brahmam is continuous they become Jeevanmukthaas like Janaka Maharaja.

 

(Please feel free to correct any of my mistakes or misunderstandings about this. This is just a humble attempt to understand these words we often come across)

 

Regards and prayers

 

Savitri