The quintessence of Jnana Yoga can be summed up in the famous saying of Adi Shankara: ‘Brahma satyam, jagan mithya, jivo brahmaiva na aparah’ – ‘Brahman (the Absolute) is real; the world is an illusion; the individual soul (jiva) is not different from Brahman'. Jnana Yoga is more or less identical with the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta or Non-Dualism.
The Goal of Jnana Yoga
The spiritual practice of Jnana Yoga aims at the realization of Brahman, the Absolute as the only reality. While Jnana Yoga may be more intellectual than for example the more emotional Bhakti Yoga or the more physical Hatha Yoga, mere intellectual conviction is not enough. The goal of Jnana Yoga is to make this realization a living reality.
The World – An Illusion?
Jnana Yoga calls the world maya, illusion. This doesn’t mean that the world is dismissed as unreal or non-existent. However, the world is seen as only relatively real, since it is not a constant experience. The Sanskrit term for ‘world’ is jagad: that which comes and goes. The experience of the world comes when we wake up and disappears when we are asleep. Likewise, it comes with birth and ends with death. The world and with it our individual existence is like a dream world. It only exists in Absolute Consciousness, just like all the events and objects of a dream only exist in the consciousness of the dreamer. Unlike the world, the Absolute Reality, Brahman, doesn’t come and go. It is satya, truth. It is existence (sat) itself. It isn’t bound by time and space. Brahman cannot be experienced, it is rather the background and essence of all experience. It is also described as sat, chit ananda – existence, knowledge and bliss.
The Four Mahavakyas
The essence of Jnana Yoga is also reflected in the four Mahavakyas, the “Great Sayings” of the Upanishads. They are:
- ‘prajnanam brahma’ – ‘Consciousness is Brahman’ (found in the Aitareya Upanishad of the Rig Veda)
- ‘ayam atma brahma – ‘This Self (atman) is Brahman’ (in the Mandukya Upanishad of Atharva Veda)
- ‘tat tvam asi’ – ‘That thou art’ (in the Chandogya Upanishad of Sama Veda)
- ‘aham brahmasmi’ – ‘I am Brahman’ (in the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad)
These four verses also serve as important mantras and are taught to Hindus being initiated into sannyasa (the stage of renunciation).
The Four Means of Practice
Advaita Vedanta, which is the underlying philosophy of Jnana Yoga, mentions four basic qualifications necessary for self-realization. These are viveka (discrimination), vairagya (dispassion), shad-sampat (the six virtues of calmness, sense control, self-withdrawal, forbearance, faith and concentration as well as mumukshutva (intense desire for liberation). These four are also called sadhana chatushtaya, the four means of practice.
The Three-Step Method
The method of studying Vedanta is through hearing the scriptures (shravana), followed by reflection and contemplation (manana) and deep meditation (nididhyasana) on what has been read. The goal is atma sakshatkara, direct realization. See article on ‘Meditative Reading'.
Jnana Yoga Scriptures
Important Jnana Yoga Scriptures are the Upanishads, Asthavakra Gita, Avadhuta Gita, Tripura Rahasya, Vivekacudamani, Yoga Vasishta, all works by Ramana Maharshi as well as conversations with Ramana Maharshi and Conversations with Nisargadatta Maharaj (‘I Am That’).
Famous Jnana Yogis
Famous Jnana Yogis are, among others, Adi Shankara (8th century CE), Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) and Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981). Others, like Swami Sivananda, Anandamayi Ma, Mata Amritanandamayi Ma and Sathya Sai Baba also described Advaita Vedanta, the philosophy of non-dualism, as the ultimate truth, but taught a more integral approach, integrating other yoga paths such as Karma Yoga (Yoga of Action) and Bhakti Yoga as well.
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