Definition, Characteristics and Importance of Three Forms of Yoga - Jnana, Karma, Bhakti

Essence of Bhagavad Gita
Assignment
Name: Santosh Kumar Doodala

Reg. No: 124003280
Subject: ACRS/VII Semester OE Bhagavad Gita
Topics:
Definition, Characteristics and importance of three forms
of yoga- Jnana / karma / Bhakti.
Yoga is an art of discovering the ‘true Nature’ of the self to unite with ‘divine
Nature’. Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice.
Let’s look at each of the Paths of Yoga and see how we can incorporate them into our
lives.
1. Bhakti Yoga (the yoga of devotion)
Bhakti is the yoga of devotion, ultimately to the Divine. Bhakti is the easiest of the
paths. Bhakti is the path of love which removes jealousy, hatred, lust, anger, egoism,
pride, and arrogance. It replaces those feelings with feelings of joy, divine ecstasy,
bliss, peace, and wisdom. Vedanta says no matter what you do or where you go, our
Divine connection can never be broken.
Characteristics of Jnana yoga :
 Pure in thoughts
 Looking for Divinity in the ordinary
 Honoring and respecting all life
 Purification of heart through devotion
 Singing, dancing, chanting and listening to Divine verses
 Openness to everything
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The Nine Limbs of Devotion :
 Shravana – “listening” to the ancient scriptures, especially potent if told by a
saint or genuine bhakta.
 Kirtana – “singing” devotional songs usually practiced in a call-and-response
group format.
 Smarana – “remembering” the Divine by constantly meditating upon its name
and form.
 Padasevana – “service at the feet” of the Divine, which incorporates the practice
of karma yoga (selfless service) with bhakti (devotion).
 Archana – the “ritual worship” of the Divine through practices such as puja
(deity worship), and havan or homa (fire offering).
 Vandana – the “prostration” before the image of one’s chosen image or
representation of the Divine.
 Dasya – the “unquestioning” devotion of the Divine involving the cultivation of
serving the will of God instead of one’s own ego.
 Sakhya – the “friendship” and relationship established between the Divine and
the devotee.
 Atmanivedana – the “self-offering” and complete surrender of the self to the
Divine.
Importance of Bhakti yoga

 Bhakti softens the heart and removes jealousy, hatred, lust, anger, egoism,
pride and arrogance.
 It infuses joy, divine ecstasy, bliss, peace, and knowledge.
 It helps to reach the state of rasa (essence), a feeling of pure bliss achieved
in the devotional surrender to the Divine.
 It helps reduce the ego as we look to perform action beyond our own self-
centered desires.
 It steer us to do the right thing, rather than just act on our own likes and
dislikes.
 It purifies our emotions as our emotions are directed to God, righteous
people, or virtuous scripture.
 The path of devotion can be combined with Jnana Yoga as knowledge gained
with devotion to the sages and saints who passed it down, keeps the spiritual
aspirant humble.
 It diminishes your identity and wards off you from negative feelings like an
annoyance, a sense of self, and presumption.
 It takes away fear, anxiety and worry and keeps you peaceful.
 This Yoga lets you control your feelings and hold tough conditions with ease.
2. Karma Yoga (the yoga of action and selfless service)
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Karma yoga is a path to reach moksha (spiritual liberation) through work. It is rightful
action without being attached to fruits or being manipulated by what the results might
be, a dedication to one's duty, and trying one's best while being neutral to rewards or
outcomes such as success or failure. The heart is purified so egoism, hatred, jealousy,
selfishness, and similar negative qualities vanish, creating space for humility, pure
love, sympathy, tolerance, and compassion.
With Karma Yoga, all desires eventually merge into one, which is to serve and
ultimately serve the Divine. Karma Yoga is about purifying the heart and counteracting
egoism. It involves the dedication of all work as an offering, with no thought of personal
reward. From this rule follows the four guiding principles: Right Attitude, Right Motive,
Give up Result, and Serve the Self in All.
Characteristics of Karma Yoga:
 Emphasis on process than outcome.
 Obligation towards others
 To act with equanimity
 Seek perfection / Excellence in action
 To regard work as an offering to higher self.
 Do the duty, but do not concern with results.
 The fruits of actions are not for doer’s enjoyment, but for God.
 Giving up the pride of doership.
 Do not attached to inaction
Importance of Karma Yoga
 A karma-yogi is free from desires and mental worry about results.

 One is free from the sense of doer-ship and enjoyer-ship.
 Everyone works with total efficiency, but he works non-attached.
 Body and mind are always under control, and not affected by the success or
failure of his actions.
 Karma Yoga helps us work with a sense of total relaxation.
 Allows us to work with more focus and concentration, and thereby achieve
better results.
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 Helps to decrease ego. We do what is supposed to be done, not what we would
like to do.
 Provides the major motivation to live a moral life.
 Teaches how karma performed by us can beneficially lead towards self-
realization.
 Karma yoga cures bhavarog (Cycles of birth & death)
 It is necessary to perform karma, bearing in mind that if wise display good
conduct, even the unwise shall follow.
 Setting ideals for society.
3. Gyana (Jnana) Yoga- (the yoga of will and intellect)
Jnana yoga also known as the jnana marga, is one of the classical paths for moksha

(liberation), which emphasizes the "path of knowledge”, also known as the "path of self-
realization". It is considered to be the most difficult path to attain self-realization
because Jnana yogi requires having an intense spiritual practice and discipline.
Through meditation, self-inquiry, and contemplation, the yogi can attain wisdom
about the true reality of self and be liberated from the Maya (illusions).Jnana Yoga
is also called the Yoga of Intellect.
Characteristics
Jnana Yoga utilizes a one-pointed meditation on a single question of self-inquiry to
remove the veils of illusion created by our concepts, world views, and perceptions. This
practice allows us to realize the temporary and illusionary nature of maya and to see the
oneness of all things. A Jnana yogi possesses fearlessness, predominance of sattva,
well established in the yoga of knowledge, (engaged in) charity, self-restraint, self-study
of the scriptures, austerity and simplicity.
There are four prescribed steps in Jnana Yoga known as Sadhana Chatushtaya (the
Four Pillars of Knowledge).
 Viveka (discernment, discrimination) - a deliberate, intellectual effort to
distinguish between the real and the unreal.
 Vairagya (dispassion, detachment) - cultivating non-attachment toward worldly
possessions and the ego-mind.
 Shatsampat (six virtues) - six mental practices to stabilize the mind and
emotions. The six virtues are
 Shama (tranquility, calmness),
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 dama (restraint, control),
 Uparati (withdrawal, renunciation),
 Titiksha (endurance, forbearance) ,
 Shraddha (faith, trust) and
 Samadhana (focus, concentration
 Mumukshutva (longing, yearning) - an intense and passionate desire for
achieving liberation from suffering.
After completion of these, there are three core practices of Jnana Yoga,
according to Upanishadic teachings:
 Sravana - hearing or experiencing Vedantic philosophy through a guru or
spiritual teacher.
 Manana - thinking and reflecting on the teachings of non-duality in an attempt to
understand their subtleties.
 Nididhyasana - constant and profound meditation Brahman and the inner self.
Importance of Jnana Yoga
 Liberation from the illusionary world of maya (self-limiting thoughts and

perceptions) and to achieve the union of the inner Self (Atman) with the oneness
of all life.
 Attainment of the supreme knowledge that helps you realise your selfish desires,
limitations, ego, illusions, and ignorance.
 Jnana yoga focuses on helping a person achieve liberation from suffering
through experiential knowledge of the absolute divine truth and universal
consciousness.
 Channeling the flow of energy and coupling it with conscious breathing, it
improves blood circulation. When circulation improves, organs, such as kidneys,
liver, and heart, function better. This, in the long run, helps prevent serious
diseases of these organs.
 This is an excellent technique of mindfulness that reduces stress and anxiety.
 Helps in making your pituitary and pineal glands healthy and reducing the risk of
hormonal imbalance and thyroid.
 Enhances your focus and creativity.
 Helps to realize full potential and achieve the personal and professional
objectives.
_________________________________________________________
Reference: yogapedia.com,
yogabasics.com,
fitsri.com,
Upaya-goga.com,
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sanatan.org,
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Essence of Bhagavad Gita

Name: Santosh Kumar Doodala

1. Bhakti Yoga (the yoga of devotion)

Characteristics of Jnana yoga :

Importance of Bhakti yoga

2. Karma Yoga (the yoga of action and selfless service)

Characteristics of Karma Yoga:

 Emphasis on process than outcome.

 Obligation towards others

 To act with equanimity

 Seek perfection / Excellence in action

 To regard work as an offering to higher self.

 Do the duty, but do not concern with results.

 Giving up the pride of doership.

 Do not attached to inaction

Importance of Karma Yoga

 A karma-yogi is free from desires and mental worry about results.

3. Gyana (Jnana) Yoga- (the yoga of will and intellect)

Jnana yoga also known as the jnana marga, is one of the classical paths for moksha

Importance of Jnana Yoga

 Liberation from the illusionary world of maya (self-limiting thoughts and

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