Jñāna or gñāna (English: /dʒəˈnɑːnə/,[1] Hindi: ज्ञान [ɡjaːnə], from Pali ñāna, Sanskrit jñāna) is a Sanskrit and Pali word that means knowledge. It has various nuances of meaning depending on the context. The idea of jnana centers around a cognitive event which is recognized when experienced.[2] It is knowledge inseparable from the total experience of reality, especially a total reality,[2] or supreme being within Mahesha-dhama (and/or material world) such as Siva-Sakti.[3]
Contents |
In Buddhism, it refers to pure awareness that is free of conceptual encumbrances, and is contrasted with vijnana, which is a moment of 'divided knowing'. Entrance to, and progression through the ten stages of Jnana, will lead one to complete enlightenment and nibbana.[4]
In Vedas it means true knowledge, that one's (jiva's) self, or he himself as soul (atman) is identical (in quality sense) with Ultimate Reality Brahman (Vishnu). It is also referred to as Atma Jnana which is frequently translated as self-realization. Jnana is very closely reltes with knowledge of Brahman. Real knowledge is that which leads to knowledge of Brahman (and all His gradations like Paramatma and Bhagavan), and false or specualtive (material, atheistic) knowledge is one that diverts one from such transcendental knowledge of Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan.
Jnana Shakti is "the power of intellect, real wisdom, or knowledge".[5]
Jñānālok is "the enlightenment that can be achieved through attainment of Knowledge and Truth".[6] One may also call brahmaloka, abode of Brahman or Vishnu a 'jnana-loka', at least that may be true if one follows advaita system of Shankaracarya: he is supreme jnani, best of all impersonalists, and ultimately Shiva/Shankaracarya says: worship Govinda (Krishna) - He is Supreme Brahman. And that Supreme Brahman has own abode, brahmaloka sanatana, that is Vaikuntha planet of Vishnu or Narayana (there are countless brahmaloka planets, abodes of Vishnu).
Jnana yoga is one of four general paths (margas), which are supposed to lead towards happiness and/or moksha (liberation) from material miseries. There are other three paths (for different temperaments etc(quote?)) such as Karma, Yoga and Bhakti.
As per Vedic philosophy, Jnana means a divine wisdom or total knowledge of everybody, everything, everywhere and every time in the entire cosmos. This wisdom can only be given by God, Bhagavan (when He comes personally or as avatara) to a qualified soul (usually through chain bona-fide spiritual masters: parampara, in five vaisnava sampradayas, including that from Sankaracarya, Shiva as vaisnava as well): demigod, human being etc, so believe the followers of the Dualist vedanta Philosophies, while the Nondual vedanta Philosophies(eg Advaita, and especially mayavada) posit that this knowledge is available to all, and that even the "gods" are but illusions (in this case this is close to materialism and atheism, which rejects souls, gods etc).
Narottama dasa Thakura compares the paths of karma-kanda and jnana-kanda to two pots of poison (karma-kanda, jnana-kanda, kevala visera bhanda). Liquor and poison are in the same category. According to this verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, a person who has heard a good deal about the path of devotional service, but who is not attached to it, who is not Krsna conscious, is like a pot of liquor. Such a person cannot be purified without at least a slight touch of devotional service. Another comparison is to two witches: karma (exploitation of matter) and jnana (renunciation from matter without spiritual attachment and devotional service to Bhagavan) are chasing after devotee, but he is not interested in inferior levels of consciousness: karma, jnana, yoga - they all may go on for many lifetimes, but one is completely peaceful only in bhakti.
Jnanis are those who cultivate jnana, speculative (that means it can be false or sometimes, rarely, if fortunate to be connected with bhakti - can be true) knowledge about Brahman. "There are two kinds of jnanis. One is inclined to devotional service and the other to impersonal realization. Impersonalists generally undergo great endeavor for no tangible benefit, and therefore it is said that they are husking paddy that has no grain (sthula-tushavaghatinah). The other class of jnanis, whose jnana is mixed with bhakti, are also of two kinds -- those who are devoted to the so-called "false form" (however, devotee knows that all forms of Supreme Bhagavan are eternal, even those which are in mode of goodness, sattva-guna) of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and those who understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead as sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], the actual spiritual form." [7]
Jnana refers to the cultivation of knowledge. The jnani sees the shortcomings of karma and begins to inquire into higher truth. Jnanis are generally philosophers and sometimes meditators (like Shankaracarya, Shiva or Patanjali, or Lord Buddha, avatara of Vishnu). They are not interested merely in material results, but in knowledge for its own sake, because they realize knowledge is better than ignorance etc. By cultivating jnana through the study of Vedic sastras or through meditation (knowledge may come just like it came to Brahma when he meditated on Vishnu/Krishna), the jnani can come to the brink of spiritual knowledge, awareness of eternal Brahman. But unless he goes further and understands his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he will suffer the same defeat as the karmi -- confinement within the cycle of birth and death. This is usually due to misunderstanding difference between personal Brahman (Paramatma, Vishnu, Narayana) and brahmajyoti - so-called 'impersonal brahman', which is realized by impersonal philosophers which reject idea of God (Brahman) as Supreme Person or equalize brahmajyoti - rays of Vishnu with Vishnu Himself; but for devotee such equalization sounds hellish. A prayer to Krsna by the demigods points up the jnanis' shortcoming: "Oh, my dear lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet." [Bhag. 10.2.32][8]