Guest guest Posted September 6, 2008 Report Share Posted September 6, 2008 Dear Profvk-ji, Excellent summary and ‘definition of terms’! I could also usefully point the definition of ‘yoga’ to this as well. Best wishes, Dennis advaitin [advaitin ] On Behalf Of V. Krishnamurthy Saturday, September 06, 2008 4:56 AM advaitin On the Definition of JnAna-yoga. Namaste all. This write-up is inspired by the posts (#s 41614, 15, 20, 23, 24, 27, 34) of Sastri-ji, Sunder-ji and Sada-ji on the topic " Definition of jnana-yoga? " . I thank all three of them most heartily for enlightening me through their several posts. I started collecting into one connected account what they wrote but finally it turned out to be a long essay. Pardon me for the length of this post. Maybe we can further polish this and make it worthwhile for being lifted to Dennis-ji's invaluable site as a separate article (that may be useful) for all students of advaita. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2008 Report Share Posted September 7, 2008 advaitin , " Madathil Rajendran Nair " <madathilnair wrote: > > Swamiji gives two definitions for yoga. (a) yoga karmasu kausalam > (Dexterity in action is yoga, i.e. performing actions keeping in view > the total harmony of the entire creation is yoga) and (b) samatwaM > yoga ucyate (equanity and equipoise is yoga). This has a bearing on > 2.47 and 2.48 of BG (karmayeva adhikAraste… and yogasta kuru > karmANi…). Kindly see post 24781 by Shri Mani-ji. > > jnAnayoga and karmayoga overlap as actions are involved in sanyAsa > and vedAntic knowledge is required for the performance of actions in > a non-binding manner with prasAdabuddhi in karma yoga. One wouldn't > fail to notice the intermingling of the two paths in Chapter 2 of BG. > > Madathil Nair > Namaste. In this connection the beginning reader (not Nair-ji!) may also refer to http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/84.html which I am using as a handout for my Gita class locally. PraNAms to all advaitins. profvk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2008 Report Share Posted September 7, 2008 praNAms and thanks to all members for the beautiful thread, > When jnAna is taken as the means of realisation in the word `jnAna- > yoga', `What may be defined as jnAna?' is the natural question that > arises. Krishna himself describes jnAnaM in the 13th chapter in five I think the term buddhi-yoga that Lord Krishna uses in 10.10 is also relevant to this topic. In this context, I would like to know the following: What is the nature of buddhi and buddhi-yoga, as referred to in 10.10? Does the buddhi-yoga of 10.10, the same as the meaning of j~nAna yoga, as explained my the learned members? Or, does it refer to a more preparatory stage, where the seeker develops (a) mental purification with respect to vAsanAs and (b) intellectual sharpness of the mind that are crucially needed for j~nAna yoga? Or, does it refer to the proper mixture of shravaNa, manana and nididhyAsana that the sAdhakA finds out? Here, I am referring to the idea that these three components could not be 33.3% each, for all seekers at the beginning stage. Even for the same seeker, they change over time, as he/she matures. (This is because of the difference in their backgrounds and what could be described as prArabdha.) Perhaps, at the beginning stage, it would be completely shravaNa, with almost little nididhyAsana. In the final stage it would be minimal shravaNa, with nididhyAsana taking most of the time. If the above reasoning is right, can we interpret buddhi-yoga, as the stage when the seeker determines the percentage of these three as applicable to him? praNAms to all Advaitins Ramakrishna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2008 Report Share Posted September 7, 2008 advaitin , " V. Krishnamurthy " <profvk wrote: > Namaste. > > In this connection the beginning reader (not Nair-ji!) may also refer > to > > http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/84.html > > which I am using as a handout for my Gita class locally. > > PraNAms to all advaitins. > profvk Dear Krishnamurthy-ji, Shri Shankara explains the sentence " yogaH karmasu kayshalam " as below: kaushalam or skilfulness consists in making actions which are by their nature binding,give up that nature through equanimity.That is, by performing the actions without desire for the fruit and as an offering to God. When performed in this manner they do not cause any bondage, but help to purify the mind. kaushalam is not just doing actions most efficiently, but performing them in the spirit of karma yoga. Regards, S.N.Sastri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 advaitin , " snsastri " <sn.sastri wrote: > > advaitin , " V. Krishnamurthy " <profvk@> wrote: > > Namaste. > > > > In this connection the beginning reader (not Nair-ji!) may also > refer > > to > > > > http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/84.html > > > > which I am using as a handout for my Gita class locally. > > > > PraNAms to all advaitins. > > profvk > > Dear Krishnamurthy-ji, > Shri Shankara explains the sentence " yogaH karmasu kayshalam " as below: > kaushalam or skilfulness consists in making actions which are by their > nature binding,give up that nature through equanimity.That is, by > performing the actions without desire for the fruit and as an offering > to God. When performed in this manner they do not cause any bondage, > but help to purify the mind. kaushalam is not just doing actions most > efficiently, but performing them in the spirit of karma yoga. > Regards, > S.N.Sastri > Namaste, Sastri-ji Yes, I used to explain it that same way in my lectures, but somehow in my writing on the web it did not appear properly. I stand corrected and I shall correct the web page accordingly. Thanks. PraNAms to all advaitins. profvk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 Hari Om Advaitins, I think shloka 8.3.27 from the prayer of Gajendra, from Srimad Bhagavatham can be used as a 2-line definition of Jnana-Yoga. yogarandhitakarmANo hR^idi yogavibhAvite yogino yaM prapashyanti yogeshaM taM nato.asmyaham [i think a very similar shloka is in Brahma Shri Visvanatha Sastri-ji's Yogamritham (Shloka #61). I request the learned members to give a precise advaitic translation of either of these Shlokas.] Either of these shlokas, by itself does not use the term " Jnana Yoga " , but it seems to have all the necessary ingredients that have been mentioned in previous posts. Namely: Shravana, Manana, Nididhyasana aspect, as well as the goal being the union with the dhyeya (the Yogesha). Also it uses the word prapashyanti, signifying that the seeker sees Himself everywhere. (Eka Bhakti of Jnani in Gita 7.17). The interpretation of the salutation, in my opinion, is the Gita sense, when the seeker becomes the goal (True Jnani <=> True Bhakta). I request the learned members to correct any mistakes in the above understanding of trying to interpret the above shloka as a definition of Jnana Yoga. praNAms to all Advaitins, Ramakrishna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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