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Thread: Jnana Marg

  1. #1

    Jnana Marg

    namasker,

    i am very much interested to know about Jnana marg. how does it differ from bhakti marg. i was debating with one of my friend who told me that Jnana Marg is very difficult to attain and a sheer waste of time. he advised me to stick to bhakti marg. is it really true that bhakti marg is more convenient than Jnana Marg?

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    Re: Jnana Marg

    Quote Originally Posted by Bishawjit View Post
    I am very much interested to know about Jnana marg. how does it differ from bhakti marg. i was debating with one of my friend who told me that Jnana Marg is very difficult to attain and a sheer waste of time. he advised me to stick to bhakti marg. is it really true that bhakti marg is more convenient than Jnana Marg?
    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
    "Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"

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    Re: Jnana Marg

    Namaste,

    I think it is fruitless to compare the different paths to jnana. These paths are intended for people with different temperaments. It is akin to choosing majors in college. The ultimate goal is to get a 'good' job, so one decides to follow the path that he is interested, and has an aptitude in, to fulfill that goal. It is puerile to denigrate one path while praising another; it would be akin to the idiotic christians/muslims if Hindus resort to that. Hinduism realizes that one size does NOT fit all; therefore it has several schools of thought that appeal to people of different progress, capabilities, and temperaments. No one path is higher or lower than the other. The real question is, "What is the best path for YOU?!"

    Namaskar.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bishawjit View Post
    namasker,

    i am very much interested to know about Jnana marg. how does it differ from bhakti marg. i was debating with one of my friend who told me that Jnana Marg is very difficult to attain and a sheer waste of time. he advised me to stick to bhakti marg. is it really true that bhakti marg is more convenient than Jnana Marg?

  4. #4

    Re: Jnana Marg

    Quote Originally Posted by devotee View Post
    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
    Namasker devotee,
    i think you misunderstood me. it was not my opinion. my friend told me that many have tried to attain Jnana Marg but failed. and since i dont have much knowledge in this field i was a bit confused.
    but now i think i should collect some of the works of bibekananda to get a better understanding of this path. do you think that should help.

  5. #5

    Re: Jnana Marg

    Quote Originally Posted by TatTvamAsi View Post
    Namaste,

    I think it is fruitless to compare the different paths to jnana. These paths are intended for people with different temperaments. It is akin to choosing majors in college. The ultimate goal is to get a 'good' job, so one decides to follow the path that he is interested, and has an aptitude in, to fulfill that goal. It is puerile to denigrate one path while praising another; it would be akin to the idiotic christians/muslims if Hindus resort to that. Hinduism realizes that one size does NOT fit all; therefore it has several schools of thought that appeal to people of different progress, capabilities, and temperaments. No one path is higher or lower than the other. The real question is, "What is the best path for YOU?!"

    Namaskar.
    Namasker TatTvamAsi,
    i did not compare Jnana bhakti marg. i was just curious to know whether it is possible to attain this path. but the word choice was probably wrong. my apologies.

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    Re: Jnana Marg

    Quote Originally Posted by Bishawjit View Post
    i think i should collect some of the works of bibekananda to get a better understanding of this path. do you think that should help.
    Namaste Bishwajit,

    Yes, there is a book having a good compilation of Swami Vivekananda's lectures on Jnana Yoga. It is named, "Jnana Yoga". You may also like to read Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj's "I Am That".

    There are some very good books having compilation of talks with Sri Ramana Maharishi. These books are available on Internet too.

    Upanishads are the origin of Jnana Yoga ... The Katha Upanishad, Svetasvatara Upanishad, Mundak Upanishad, Mandukya Upanishad, Brihdaranyak Upanishad, Isha Upanishad etc. are my favourites. All these Upanishads are also available on Internet.

    In Buddhism, you may like to read, Heart Sutras, Diamond Sutras & Lotus Sutras.

    OM
    "Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"

  7. #7

    Re: Jnana Marg

    i have collected the complete works of swami bibekananda. his logics are simply awasme. but i found that he called it Raja yoga.

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    Re: Jnana Marg

    As Devotee has rightly pointed out, I think the jnAna and bhakti paths are not exclusive of each other. Perhaps the bhakti path is more suitable for this Kali Yuga than the jnAna path and this is why even the most accomplished jIvan muktas (such as Sankara, RamaNa, Kanchi Paramacharya, Ramakrishna Paramahansa--to name a few) of Kali Yuga have always stressed the path of devotion for everyone and the path of jnAna as the next level for the jIvas that could equip themselves with its rigours.

    I think in jnAna marga, there is no worship of the SaguNa Brahman, only meditation of the NirguNa Brahman as the Atman which is the Universal Self and the source of the JIvas. The Bhakti path was the most preferred by the Hindu subjects even in the other Yugas as we infer from the Puranas and Itihasas.

    A river tends to flow on its own accord through where its waters take it, but it is still influenced by other factors such as the ground it flows on, the checks and balances on its way and so on.
    रत्नाकरधौतपदां हिमालयकिरीटिनीम् ।
    ब्रह्मराजर्षिररत्नाढ्यां वन्दे भारतमातरम् ॥

    To her whose feet are washed by the ocean, who wears the Himalayas as her crown, and is adorned with the gems of rishis and kings, to Mother India, do I bow down in respect.

    --viShNu purANam

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    Re: Jnana Marg

    Jnana and bhakti are same.

    Jnana is to worship formless aspect i.e. nirguna brahman, while bhakti is to meditate on Saguna brahman (any for of God).

    please refer

    http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...86&postcount=8

    scroll down to 'Now, Regarding Bhakti and jnana i.e. duality or non-duality,'

    In general, Saguna upasana is easier than nirguna upasana. Better for beginner.

    Raja Yog is a Patangali Yog (as I understand).

    In Raj Yog, one achieves mastery over senses and mind and integrates al l5 bodies.

    In Jnana Marg, one detaches one self from mind, body, sould and all 5 bodies.

    In Raj Yog, one achieves oneness with cosmic spirit and experiences everythign is brahman and then goes into nirvikapl samadhi (as said in ?Jnana marg). Then one becomes free.

    In Jnana marg, one experiences Nirvikalp samadhi, wihch does not hav eeven the trace of Ego, mind, body, this world, etc. and then one experiences that this world is brahman itself.

    In either way, when one experiences boths these states that I am brahman and everything is brahman, one becomes free.

    In Bhakti, one has divine vision of God and then same God wil ltake you to his formless aspect, and establishes you in Brahman. so in Bhakti, you see God in everyone and that everything is God, and then you see you are not different than God and then you enter into nirvikapl samadhi.

    So from all 3 paths one can become free.

    Jana is not different from Bhakti or Yog as final destination is one and same. Only initial approach is different.

    Bhakta takes help of 5 senses to worship God. Uses foot for pradakshana, which Jan Marg says, pull back senses. They are like poison.

    Jnana is direct path.

    In bhakti, when you are hav a darshan of God in temple, then you close your eyes.

    Why do you close your eyes when deity is in front of you?

    Because to realise that the same God is within you. Same God is giving inspiration to chant the name of God or deity which is outside.

    So finally one has to go inside. In Jnana one finds source of thoughts by asking 'Who am I' and or source of mantra 'OM' and is established in SELF.

    Technically all are same.

    Bhakti is easy for beginners.

    Jnana is difficult but not meaningless or fruitless.

    It's just not for everybody. You need ot have strong and pure mind.

    What @TatTvamAsi says is very important

    Aum
    Last edited by Amrut; 25 June 2012 at 05:31 AM. Reason: added last 3 lines
    Only God Is Truth, Everything Else Is Illusion - Ramakrishna
    Total Surrender of Ego to SELF is Real Bhakti - Ramana Maharshi

    Silence is the study of the scruptures. Meditation is the continuous thinking of Brahman which is to be meditated upon. The complete negation of both by knowledge is the vision of truth – sadAcAra-14 of Adi SankarAcArya

    namah SivAya vishnurUpAya viShNave SivarUpiNe, MBh, vanaparva, 3.39.76

    Sanskrit Dict | MW Dict | Gita Super Site | Hindu Dharma

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    Re: Jnana Marg

    Namaste

    Here are some basic differences between bhakti marg and jnan marg (advaita)


    1) According to bhakti marg, bhagavan (ultimate brahma) is sagun sakar and savishes whereas according to jnan marg brahma is nirgun nirakar and nirvishes.
    2) According to bhakti marg, Jiva is not brahma itself. It is a part of brahma as stated in Bhagavad Gita sloka 7 of chap 15 (momoibangsho jivaloke) or Mundakopanishad 2/1/1 whereas, according to jnan marg jiva itself is brahma.Therefore when jnani says ‘I am brahma”, bhakta says to his bhagavan “I am yours, you are my saviour”
    3) According to bhakti marg, jagat is real and created by bhagavan ( brahma) as stated in Gita sloka 29 of chap 13 or slokas 2 , 3 of chap 14 and sloka 4 of chap 9 and it is also evident from Gita sloka 7 and 8 of chap 4 that bhagavan himself appears in this jagat to protect saintly people punish the wicked and re-establish dharma which is called his Lila ( past times) whereas according to jnan marg , jagat is mithya ,apparent, reflectgion ,dream etc and projected by Maya therefore question does not arise for appearance of brahma and his lila.
    4) To Jnanities, there are only miseries here in dream/projected jagat due to karma.( I think karma is not real in this apparent jagat I mean , can karma performed in dream bear any fruit ?) So they desire to become free from bondage of karma by leaving this sansar and opt for sannyas to seek moksh whereas to bhaktas, there are joys and joys here in this real jagat because from here bhakta can serve his bhagavan. Bhakta does not want moksh, only wants bhagavad pada padma seva.Moksha does not help bhakta to serve his bhagavan.
    5) There is no place of any kind of surrendering or kripa in jnan marg but in bhakti marg one has to surrender to his bhagavan to enjoy bhagavad kripa. Since “I am brahma” I need not surrender to any.

    Many more differences are found to exist between bhakti marg and jnan marg (advaita jnan). But then Serial No 1,2 & 3 mentioned above are the remarkable basic differences which is why both the margs are neither same nor complement each other rather maintain distance from each other.

    In this context I would like to focus some of the points mentioned in other posts of this thread.
    (1) Sri Krishna is the bhagavan for bhakta just like nirgun brahma to jnani (advaitin) Therefore it is wrong from the point of view of a bhakta that Sri Krishna will take his bhakta to his nirgun aspect. Nirgun aspect of brahma bears no sense to a bhakta because he is attracked to bhagavan for his rup ( form), his lila( not possible for nirgun brahma) and his guna or qualities ( not found in nirgun brahma). Bhakta does neither expect any thing more than Sri Krishna and nor even believe somewhere to go beyond his sagun sakar aspect.
    (2) Bhakti is easy for beginner and jnan difficult is not correct interpretation at all. If any body thinks that bhakta (beginner) ultimately turns to jnan he is totally wrong because Bhakti rasa is such an adhesive in the realm of bhagavan that one can not break the bond between bhakta and his bhagavan even if one desires so. Bhakta does not care for jnan (advaita jnan) which equates him with his bhagavan. I think one has to clear his conception about advaita jnan and jnan depicted in Gita which does not support advaita jnan. In Gita bhagavan Sri Krishna speaks to his bhakta Arjun and time and again bhagavan says “Me” ( Krishna) and “You” Arjun . In Gita Sri Krishna advises Arjun “With your mind fixed on Me, be My devotee. Make sacrifice to Me and offer obeisances unto Me; truly you will come to Me. I promise you this because you are dear to Me.” I think Sri Krishna left no jnan undelivered to Arjun and we see that having acquired so much jnan from Sri Krishna and knowing all about Maya etc, Arjun remained Arjun . So “I am brahma” conception did not operate here in Gita where Sri Krishna is always bhagavan and Arjun always his bhakta. Jiva itself is brahma is advaita jnan which is vehemently opposed in Gita.
    (3) The direct route is bhakti marg for which a destination is fixed and it is only bhagavan Sri Krishna in his sagun sakar aspect but jnan marg is a route which leads to no destination. A race Without destination. Only faith( bhakti) can take you to Krishna and argument/reason ( jnan) takes you far away . Faith in Sri Krishna is not at all superstition . Nirvikalpa Samadhi is not a desire of bhakta. Bhakta desires to serve his bhagavan with prem bhakti.
    (4) Who knows what was in their (Sankaracharya and Ram Krishna) mind just before leaving this world. May be, they remembered( smaran) Sri Krishna! Who knows!
    Last edited by jopmala; 30 November 2012 at 09:01 AM.

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