On the Definition of JnAna-yoga.

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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.

 

The word `yoga' can be derived in two ways: yujyate iti yogah, and

yujyate anena iti yogah. The first derivation means just `union'. The

second derivation means 'that by which the union is effected'.

Anandagiri points out in his sub-commentary that in the expressions

karma-yoga, bhakti-yoga and jnAna-yoga the word `yoga' is used in the

sense of `that by which the union is effected'. He says, " yujyate

anena brahmaNA " —that by means of which the jIvAtmA is united with

brahman. It is well known that the word `united' is not to be taken

literally because there are no two entities to be united. It only

means the realization of the identity of jIvAtmA and paramAtmA.

 

Thus karma-yoga means `karma as the means of realization' and

similarly bhakti-yoga and jnAna-yoga also. So when jnAna is made the

means of realization it is jnAna-yoga.

 

It is true that the phrase 'j~nAna-yoga' does not occur in the 10

major Upanishads. In the Gita text the only two times it occurs are

III-3 and XVI - 1. On the first occasion the Acharya writes in

the Bhashya: jnAnam eva yogah — jnAna itself is the yoga. At the

second appearance it is only intended to mean jnAna and yoga.

 

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

shlokas and says, at the end, `etat jnAnam iti proktaM' (XIII -11) –

`This is said to be jnAnaM'. Actually it is a no-compromise listing

of several profound qualities: " Absence of pride, absence of deceit,

non-violence, patience, uprightness, service of the teacher, purity,

steadfastness and self-control, indifference to the objects of sense,

self-effacement, perception of the evil of birth, of death, of old

age, of sickness and of pain , non-attachment, absence of clinging to

son, to wife, to home and the like, a constant equanimity to all

happenings, desirable or undesirable, unswerving devotion to the Lord

with whole-hearted discipline, resort to solitude, dislike for people-

crowd, constancy in the knowledge of the Inner Self, and, finally,

insight into the end of the Knowledge of Truth " . This list is really

formidable and does not however give us any hint as to how to keep

it as a `MEANS of realisation', except to keep it as the ideal goal.

 

A hint at a direct answer comes from Krishna in XIII-24 where He

says: By meditation some perceive the Self in the self by the self;

others by the path of knowledge and still others by the path of

works.

 

So here we know what contrasts with Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga, as a

path to Realisation.

 

" AATMANI AATMANAA AATMAANAM PASHYATI " - `Perceives the Self by

oneself in oneself'. This one does by jnAna-yoga, or what is the

same, `sAnkhya-yoga' as shloka XIII -24 says. This is the " yukta

AsIta mat-paraH " that Krishna already uses in II-61 and again repeats

in VI-14.

 

OK. The end seems to be somewhat clear. But still what makes it a

yoga, a means of realisation, is not clear, at this point. Though

Krishna elaborates many times how one controls the senses, that is,

how one persists in one's yoga-sAdhanA, the sAdhanA part of the word

jnAna-yoga is spelt out only in BrihadAraNyaka Upanishat 2.4.5 which

says: " AtmA vA are shrotavyo mantavyo nididhyAsitavyaH " . So jnAna-

yoga is the triad of shravaNam, mananam, nididhyAsanam. The end of

it all is the Realisation, Revelation of the Eternal Truth, which is

already there, but we have not realised it because of our Ignorance.

This self-Revelation of the Self is not therefore an effect, (of

yoga). What has been effected by the yoga is the removal of

Ignorance . And so the word jnAna-yoga is not to be considered as the

name for a path, though such calling is sanctified by usage – for

want of another way of communication. ShravaNam – hearing the sayings

and teachings of Seers, MananaM – reflecting on what has been heard,

and NididhyAsanaM – contemplating on the conclusions thus arrived at,

are the three actions which together constitute what is usually

called jnAna-yoga. When the Revelation comes, one perceives (that is

what they say!) the Self by oneself in oneself – and the important

point to note, is, thereafter there is no slip-down!

 

PraNAms to all advaitins.

profvk