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
Bookmarks