Originally Posted by
devotee
Namaste Bishwajit,
As you must be aware, Jnana means knowledge. Jnana Marg is the direct route to the Ultimate Truth. It is not difficult but the first exposure to this "knowledge", even theoretically, shatters you from within & if you "experience" the Reality then ..... . It changes the way you see & perceive yourself & this world.
In fact, imo, the Bhakti Marg cannot be well understood without having at least the theoretical knowledge of Jnana Marg. It is a wrong understanding that Bhakti Marg & Jnana Marg are in contradiction/conflict with each other. They actually complement each other. There are many examples - Sri Ramkrishna Paramhans who was a Bhakti Margi par excellence but took to Jnana Marg to attain enlightenment. Adi Shankaracharya was a Jnana Margi par excellence but did many things in accordance with Bhakti Marg.
Is it a sheer waste of time ? The Jnana only can lead to the knowledge of :
i) What you really are
ii) What this world really is
iii) Why do you suffer & what is the way out of this infinite eternal hell of cycles of death & birth
iv) What is reall happiness after attaining which you won't ever desire anything & you won't fear anything, even death
Mind it, you cannot know these answers by doing good & accumulating "Punya", by any method of fasting, rituals of worship, going on pilgrimage, chanting mantras etc. The ONLY way to break this Grim Nexus what binds us into sufferings is Jnana Marg. Bhakti Marg finally leads to Jnana only but Bhakti Marg without having even theoretical understanding of Jnana may lead to superstitious beliefs & endless sufferings.
You can yourself decide whether it is a sheer waste of time !
OM