Jnana Yoga (Knowledge): The Yoga of Knowledge or Wisdom

As yoga was refined, developed, and studied, yoga developed four main paths of practice—bhakti yoga (devotion), karma yoga (selfless service), raja yoga (meditation), and jnana yoga (self-inquiry). Swami Vivekananda did all these paths together. Even in the present time, the sadhana of these four paths can be done simultaneously. If you do self-study every day, then you do Jnana Yoga. If you remain happy, you do bhakti yoga. If you practice meditation you do Raja Yoga and if you work sincerely you practice Karma Yoga.

These four yoga paths are not separate paths. Each route is closely related to the other. When we think of God and are full of love for our fellow human beings and nature, then we are bhakti yogis. When we help other people by being close to them, then we are karma yogis. When we meditate and practice yoga, we are Raja Yogis, and when we understand the meaning of life and seek truth and reality, then we are Jnana Yogis.

Of the four main paths of yoga, Jnana Yoga is considered to be one of the most direct and yet challenging means, which requires a great deal of willpower, intelligence, and path.

Jnana Yoga is the path of intelligence and knowledge or awareness. It is related to the conscience and has a mechanism of its own.

Jnana Yoga: A Unique Aspect of Spirituality

Jnana Yoga means - 'Knowledge of pure Self' or 'Experience of Self Consciousness. It is also called Brahmanubhuti in the Upanishads.

Jnana Yoga refers to the attainment of knowledge and self-knowledge or awareness. This yoga is to understand oneself and one's surroundings through experiencing it. Through Jnana Yoga, the soul is purified and we are able to connect ourselves with the soul. Gyan Yoga is best for people who are more concerned. And by doing this the mind remains calm.

"Jnana" refers to knowledge or understanding of oneself. "Yoga" refers to the unity of the Self. Referential knowledge is concerned with attaining awareness of the self and of the self.

The Purpose of Jnana Yoga

If Jnana Yoga is the path to self-knowledge, then it aims to clarify the relationship between self-knowledge and enlightenment. To attain Self-knowledge – One can hardly attain universal consciousness or experiential knowledge of the Absolute Truth or the Oneness of the Self without the knowledge of the Self and a deeper inquiry into the nature of the Self.

Its main principle is Advaita Vedanta. Advaita means Advaita, and Vedanta refers to Vedic knowledge. Vashishtha Adi Shankaracharya, Ramana Maharishi, and Nisargadatta Maharaj are the foremost teachers of Jnana Yoga.

Prerequisites of Jnana Yoga

The four prescribed steps in Jnana Yoga (the Four Pillars of Knowledge) being four in number, it is also called "Sadhana Chatushtya", the description of these means is as follows -

Viveka (discernment, discrimination)-

Vivek means the real understanding of good and bad, right and wrong, nitya-perity, that is, according to the yoga of knowledge, considering the eternal thing to be eternal and the impermanent thing as impermanent is "Nityanitya Vastu Vivek". According to this Brahma alone is true and eternal and apart from this all other things are false ,and impermanent.

Vairagya (dispassion, detachment)

Vairagya means giving up completely the desire to enjoy all kinds of parts, opulences and heavenly pleasures as false and impermanent. Without dispassion, the seeker cannot progress in his spiritual practice. The glory of dispassion has also been accepted in the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Maharishi Patanjali.

Shatsampat (six virtues)

These six things or qualities or rules are in a way the property of the Jnana Yogi. That's why they are called "Shatasampati". These are the following -

• Shama (tranquility, calmness)- The word 'Sham' means to quench, that is, to pacify.

• Dama (restraint, control)- The literal meaning of 'Duma' is to suppress, that is, to fix the mind in the soul by removing the senses, eyes, etc. from external objects.

• Uparati (withdrawal, renunciation)- without attachment and surrender them to God.

• Titiksha (endurance, forbearance) - Titiksha is the name of continuous spiritual practice to achieve one's goal while happily enduring all kinds of troubles that come in the path of sadhana without any reaction.

• Shraddha (faith, trust)- The name of unwavering loyalty and trust is Shraddha.

• Samadhana (focus, concentration)- The name of making the mind steady and concentrated in Brahma always is Samadhana.

Mumukshutva (longing, yearning)

The intense desire (desire) of a seeker to cross the ocean of sorrow and attain the nectar in the form of salvation is called 'Mumukshutva'.

Three core practices of Jnana Yoga

After successfully practicing the Four Pillars, you are considered ready to begin the three main practices of Jnana Yoga.

Shravan- Understanding the meaning of all Vedanta sentences in Brahman is called Shravan.

Shravan means to remove the doubt, the seeker first hears about Brahma from the mouth of the Guru. The disciple listens to the Shruti sentences from the Guru like 'Aham Brahmasmi', 'Tatvamasi', 'Ayamatmabrahma' etc.

Manana - The second 'Manan' after Shravan. The meaning of contemplation is to establish in your conscience whatever you have heard about God from the Guru. Thinking of the unique Brahman is called Manana.

Nididhyasana- Nididhyasana means to experience or to have realization or self-realization. To experience the Absolute Truth is to experience continuous and deep meditation.

Conclusion

Jnana yoga is essentially deep incorporation in itself that Brahma (Chaitanya) is the basic element, and the manifestation of that is the entire creation.

Simply accepting dogmatic teaching Jnana yoga, that is, the realization of Brahman is the real realization or real knowledge of the Divine, universal consciousness, or absolute Truth