Views on Jnana-Yoga

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Dear friends,

 

Jnana-Yoga

 

The capacity to discriminate what is real and what is unreal, and the

ability to renounce the unreal, makes the person fit to liberate himself

through the Jnana-Yoga. It is very difficult path and razor sharp

precision is required to follow it. Such persons are of philosophical

bent, intensely intellectual and often mistaken as dry individuals. They

appear to tread their path all alone, and are very bold and fearless.

Whatever is deduced to be unreal by intellectual analysis is rejected

outright and renounced, as we discard poison.

While he was preaching this Yoga, many got the impression that Swami

Vivekananda favoured practice of this Yoga over other yogas. This was

not the case, however, because Swami Vivekananda had something for

everybody according to one's capacity and aptitude. He compared " the

courage to face the spiritual conviction of a Jnana Yogi to that of

facing the cannon. "

The discrimination between real and unreal ultimately leads to the stage

0f superconsciousness state- the Atman or Brahman. This is perceived as

the only Reality for which all the planes of relative consciousness are

given up. This is a very bold demand on an ordinary human being, born as

such of the weaknesses of body and mind. Therefore, only a few souls are

fit to undertake sadhana of Jnana-Yoga.

Sadhana Chatustaya:

It is said that he is the only competent student on this path who has

obtained a general comprehension of the entire Veda by studying them and

their parts in a prescribed method. Similarly he should have cleansed

his mind of all sins of this or previous births by avoiding all actions

as are actuated by desires and forbidden in the scriptures and by

performing the daily and occasional obligatory rites. Moreover he should

have adopted the four sadhanas or means of attaining spiritual

knowledge.

These four sadhanas are known as sadhana chatustaya. These are:

1. Discrimination between real and the unreal, and renouncing the

unreal,

2. Aversion to the enjoyment of fruits of one's actions here and

hereafter,

3. The group of six attributes:

i. Calmness or tranquillity- (resting the mind steadfastly on the Real

after detaching it from sense-objects)

ii. Self-control- (withdrawing the sense-organs from the sense-objects)

iii. Self-withdrawal- (the mind-function ceasing to act by means of

external objects)

iv. Forbearance- (bearing of afflictions without caring to redress them,

being at the same time free from anxiety or lament on their score)

v. Faith- (acceptance by firm judgment of the mind as true of what the

scriptures and the guru instruct)

vi. Self-settledness- (constant concentration of the intellect on the

ever-pure Brahman)

4. Yearning for freedom - (the desire to free oneself, by realizing

one's true nature, from all bondage).

 

To many, these preliminary conditions may appear too stringent to follow

in everyday life and also unnecessary before the beginning of sadhana.

These are not strange rigorous conditions to distract the aspirant from

undertaking spiritual discipline, rather these are necessary

preconditions to develop sharpness of reason and one pointed

concentration of mind so that unbiased glimpse of Reality can be

obtained.

It is not necessary to first acquire these difficult austerities and

then plunge in the practice of sadhana. The interrelation between the

spiritual discipline and this four-fold preparation is so beautiful that

while making efforts to gain mastery over one, the other automatically

gets incorporated in the aspirant's life. The relation is of 'give' and

'take' character. Try to develop control of mind and the mind becomes

pure, sharp, and intelligent; and if we try to meditate on the purity of

Atman, the mind is controlled gradually. It would be of no avail to

think that, 'I will take bath after all the waves in the ocean have

subsided.' The waves will never stop. The idea is to plunge in the sea

and get purified. The waves do not harm one if one makes the effort.

Similarly, the rigor of sadhana chatustaya will not prevent sadhaka from

realizing the truth if sincere attempt is made. The attempt itself is a

sign of having accepted and acquired the requisite training in this

field. A wonderful reciprocal relationship is thus established between

the attempt and the outcome of sadhana. It will be seen, as observed in

the life of Sri Ramakrishna, that intense longing to realize God itself

is sufficient to gain requisite control over mind.

Jnana-Yoga also calls for creation of such a society " where these

highest truths become practical. " It constantly exhorts the sadhaka to

develop strength to be able to say, " I am not this body, I am not this

mind, I am that -Absolute Consciousness, the Atman. " It is a very bold

statement, but all the same the real core of Advaita Vedanta.

 

dr c s shah

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