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Yoga Knowledge, Yoga Paths, Yoga Wisdom

A discourse on Jñāna Yoga and the integral yoga system.

"Jñāna Yoga has four steps that are called Viveka, Vairāgya, Ṣaṭ-sampatti, and Mumukṣutva."

"Reality is that which never changes... That Brahmajñāna is the aim of human life."

Paramahamsa Vishwananda delivers a satsang in Slovakia, providing an overview of various yoga paths before detailing the four pillars of Jñāna Yoga: discrimination, detachment, the six inner treasures, and the burning desire for liberation. He emphasizes that all yogas—Karma, Bhakti, Raja, and Jñāna—unite in the holistic practice of Yoga in Daily Life.

Filming location: Bratislava, Slovakia

Brahmasukhādam kevalaṁ jñānamūrtiṁ dvandvātītaṁ gagana-sadṛśaṁ tasmādyadilakṣaṁ ekaṁ nityaṁ vimalāchalaṁ sarvadhiḥ-sākṣibhūtaṁ bhavātītaṁ mātriguṇarahitaṁ satgurutāṁ namāmyahaṁ. Oṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ... Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Jai. Śrī Śrī Dev Puruṣa Mahādeva Kī Jai. Satguru Svāmī Madhavān Jī Bhagavān Kī Jai. Satya Sanātana Dharma Kī Jai. Blessed Self, dear brothers and sisters, all our dear ones around the world, welcome. The blessing is coming to you from the beautiful capital city of the Republic of Slovakia, our Mahāprabhū Deepa Ashram and Yoga and Daily Life. Slovakia is a beautiful country. It has beautiful mountains, and you know the highest mountain, Tatra, and its beautiful nature. More beautiful are the humans, the people. I am very happy to be here. My first visit was to so-called Czechoslovakia at that time, in 1973. I have seen almost all the cities, towns, and little villages in Slovakia. At that time, it was Czechoslovakia, and the system of government was communist, where for 20 years I was teaching Yoga in Daily Life. It was well respected, and since that time till now, millions of people have practiced yoga in their lives. As you know, many brothers and sisters of Slovakia practice Yoga in Daily Life, and it is used in rehabilitation centers. Many school teachers and physical training instructors received training in Yoga in Daily Life. As a free and chosen subject, yoga is still there in daily life. So, for nearly the last forty years—one year is missing, nine months is missing—many people have benefited from Yoga in Daily Life, for good physical health. I would say the people practice very disciplined and systematically, because Yoga in Daily Life is a system. It's like from nursery school until university. Yoga is not for competitions. Yoga is not for challenges. Yoga is the way of life. Many people got help for their psychic problems, and many people understood what spirituality is. Through that, many found a way back to the church, because Yoga in Daily Life is a system which respects and has tolerance for inter-religion and inter-culture. We have hundreds of Yoga in Daily Life teachers teaching around the whole of Slovakia. So, I am very happy to be here again. My dear brothers and sisters, this evening is given a subject called Jñāna Yoga. Yoga is that science which is given by Lord Śiva for the well-being of humans physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually—for the well-being of humans and to protect the environment, and to love and protect all the creatures. That science of yoga, which is given to humans by Bhagavān Śiva from the Satyuga onwards, has been modified time to time by many incarnated yogīs and ṛṣis. There are many different kinds of yoga. There is Nāda Yoga, the yoga of the sound—that eternal sound, the cosmic sound, the origin sound. That is called Nādharūpa Parabrahma. The form of the cosmic Self is the sound, the resonance. Similarly, that's called Sahaja Yoga. Translated word by word, Sahaja Yoga means "spontaneous," or Sahaja means "very easy." Also, there is what is called Mantra Yoga. The mantra is that which has immense energy or powers. Human language is the mantra. The great Tulsidāsajī said in the Rāmāyaṇa, "If you would like that all are your friends, then give up harsh words." That is the best mantra, he said. So the mantra is for purification of the atmosphere and purification of the antaḥkaraṇa. There is Kriya Yoga, which is also for purification of the energy centers, helping your respiratory system, and keeping your lungs healthy. Kriya Yoga is combined with the breath, concentration, chakras, and imagination to expand the consciousness in harmony around the whole world. That you call Haṭha Yoga, which has six kriyās. Haṭha Yoga is known as the Ṣaṭ Karma, and from that yoga, Ayurveda has adopted these five, called Pañca Karma. Haṭha yoga is mainly for the purification of the body to have good health, balanced health, and harmony between body, mind, and soul. Classically, the meaning of Haṭha Yoga is that "ha" and "ṭha" are two words meaning "sun" and "moon." So the union, or the balance, or the harmony of Iḍā and Piṅgalā, both nāḍīs, that's called Haṭha Yoga. That's called Bhakti Yoga. Those who go towards devotion—it doesn't matter in which form, how, or where you believe. In yoga, there is a freedom, an acknowledgement towards all the religions: respect and adoration. There are two kinds of bhakti: Niṣkāma bhakti and Sakāma bhakti. Bhakti without any expectation, and Sakāma bhakti, praying for a particular wish to be fulfilled. Bhakti means devotion or love. That love, what we call God, is love, and love is God. That unconditional love towards all creatures. And there the Vedas say that you even have to love the trees; you have to respect the vegetation. Then you are on that higher level of consciousness. Everything here is the creation of one God, and that God is the universal one. Bhakti means do not cause pain to anyone. If you cannot do good, do not do bad. If you can't help, don't disturb. Where there is love, there is unity, God, and happiness. And where there is no love, there is hate, fighting, destruction, and suffering. Humans are incarnations of mercy, of love. That one who doesn't have love, mercy, and equal respect and vision, that is not a human. That comes in the list of the Asuras. A human is nearly like a God. Pretože človek je skoro ako boh. And humans are there to protect, not to distract. A ľudia sú tu na to, aby pomáhali, ochraňovali, a nie aby ničili. Then comes Karma Yoga: niṣkāma karma and sākāma karma, selfless and selfish. Kali Yuga is Karma Pradhāna. The main thing in Kali Yuga is karma. Karma has its three principles: the cause, the actions, and the fruits. It's a cycle. It is a whole cycle of action, reaction, action. The great yogī Paramahaṁsa Yogānanda said his master, Yukteśvar, his guru Śrī Yukteśvar, said that each and every thought which goes out of the human brain sooner or later will come back to that brain. And that's why those who are negative thinking destroy their brain; they become negative. That's also illness, what we call mental illness. So the only treatment is positive thinking, equal love. Praying to God, like the great saint Sūradāsa, he said, "Oh Lord, please do not notice my mistakes, my bad qualities. Some dṛṣṭi he nāma tyāro, you are now on an equal vision, one. Oh Lord, if you wish, God, you will let me cross the ocean of this māyā." That's the only way: equal vision, no differences. Karma. Kali Yuga, karma, pradhāna. Therefore, in Kali Yuga, karma is very powerful. And when karma is powerful, then destiny is more powerful. Then comes Rāja Yoga, self-discipline, the yoga of the kings. These are the eight steps. That's why I call it Aṣṭāṅga Yoga. Aṅga means limbs: Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, Pratyāhāra, Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna, and Samādhi. These are eight. These eight have to be practiced systematically. Before you go to speak of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, you should at least master one or two principles of the Aṣṭāṅga Yoga. Look within thyself. What have you realized? How much discipline have you mastered? And then comes the Jñāna Yoga, the yoga of philosophy, intellect. But that kind of intellect is a brahma śakti: jagat mithyā—the Brahman, the supreme, is the truth, and this world is changeable. Jñāna Yoga has four steps that are called Viveka, Vairāgya, Ṣaṭ-sampatti, and Mumukṣutva. These are the four. And then comes Yoga in Daily Life, which has the harmony of the body, mind, and soul. Yoga in Daily Life speaks about the ancient wisdom for the modern world. Yoga in Daily Life is based on the authentic literature from the ancient times of the ṛṣis. So these are some parts of yoga which I mentioned to you. Of course, if we speak about every particular one again, then it will take a long time. Jñāna Yoga. There are two things: Jñāna and Ajñāna. Jñāna means the knowledge. Poznanie, or wisdom, albo múdrosť. And ajñāna means ignorance. A jñāna znamená nevedomosť, or darkness, albo temnotu. So Jñāna Yoga is the name of the guru. Jñāna je aj menom pre gurua. It means, guru means darkness and rū means light. So, that master who leads us from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge, that you may call guru or Jñāna Yoga. There are two candles; one candle is already lighted, burning, and the second is still not. The candle which is burning, giving the light because it is already lighted, that is the Guru. And a candle which is not lit has no light, and that is a disciple. Now, the candle which is still not lighted, you can bring to the light of the flame which is burning, and then you also have light. So that knowledge which you learn from the Master, you have to preserve very pure—full of knowledge, love, devotion, and humbleness. Then that knowledge will remain with you. Otherwise, the draft or wind of our carelessness can blow the candle out. In the opposite case, that draft or that wind of our ignorance or insufficient care will actually extinguish this candle. Therefore, we must protect the delicate flame which Gurudev has lit in our hearts. It doesn't take time to blow off. Therefore, lifelong is beautiful master work within you. Then there are two kinds of Jñāna Yogīs. It's called Vācārthī and Lakṣārthī. Vācārthī means one who reads a lot of books—what we call the library worm, book worm. They have a lot of śāstra knowledge, book knowledge, intellectual knowledge. That's very good, not bad. And in Rāja Yoga, it is said, Svādhyāya, study. Read the good scriptures. And Svādhyāya means meditate and read your inner chapter of your life. That is the real Svādhyāya. Svaya means the self. Adhyāya means the chapter. So, how many chapters have you begun in your life? How many chapters have you completed? And how many chapters are uncompleted? What have you done? What are you doing? What will you do? What is in that chapter? Is there wisdom in that chapter? Is there God's love in that chapter? Is there discipline in that chapter? So any kind of chapter or subject you begin in your life—maybe study, friendship, farming, building a house, profession, marriage, money, sport, or any kind of artistic abilities, football player, hockey player—how much did you do, and then you stopped it? Ballet dance? So there are many chapters in our life we have begun. Similarly, yoga, Guru Bhakti. So did you complete it, do you have it, or did you stop it? So read your inner chapters, then you will know who you are. Are you enlightened, or are you still in ignorance? If you are enlightened, then look to your behavior in this world. Look to your actions, look to your work, then compare your inner chapter and outer chapter. So this is called Vācārthī jñānī. Vācārthī jñānī has made the target or aim to get Brahma jñāna. And that Brahma jñāna or ātmā jñāna is our aim of human life. And that path is part of devotion, bhakti, or love, light, viveka, clarity, and to endure the situation: hunger, thirst, hot, cold, comfort, discomfort, and so on. So, this is the chapter. So our bhakti, devotion, love, kindness, mercy, that is the highway towards Brahmaloka. And Sarvoparibhakti, the highest principle of the bhaktis, after all bhaktis, is called Gurubhakti. The Śāstra said, scripture said Gurubhakti. Guru Bhakti. So Lakṣārthī Yogī is the real Jñāna Yogī. So Jñāna Yogī has four principles. First is called Viveka. Viveka means the higher intellect or intelligence. And that's what Viveka will tell us. Viveka will tell what is reality and what is not reality. What is changeable is not reality. Our body is changing, our thoughts are changing, our words are changing, our feelings are changing, our relations are changing. Everything is changing. Who came will go. What is created will be destroyed. What is made will be destroyed. Who manifested will again disappear. So, what is changing? Like seasons are changing. That's not reality. Reality is that which never changes. So in this universe, everything is changing. The planets are changing. Atmosphere changing. Environment changing. But what is not changing is that universal consciousness. That's called Brahman. And that Brahmajñāna is the aim of human life after 8.4 million different kinds of lives. Therefore, it is said, if we are clever enough, then we will not lose this human life without self-realization. At any price, we would like to get that self-realization. Many tragedies happen in our life, but the most terrible tragedy will happen, that we will die without self-realization. And we will never be able to forgive ourselves. And we will be ever and ever unhappy. Therefore, viveka—humans without viveka cannot develop the human quality. To awake, to realize, to maintain, to have the viveka, we need vairāgya. This is the second principle of Jñāna Yoga. Great Śaṅkarācārya said, "All kinds of enjoyments, from this earth till the Brahmaloka, everything for you is just like dust." Only one reality is that, that is Brahma Satya. I have to realize that Satya. Holy Gurujī said, "All the objects of joy from here till Brahmaloka are tasteless if there is no Brahmajñāna. Like food without salt, or food without chili, or halushki without brinja, so this is called vairāgya." Vairāgya means detachment, no attachment. Where there is love, there is detachment. And where there is ignorance, there is attachment. Where there is love, there is no distance. Where there is ignorance, there is a very big distance. If there is no love, the neighbor's door is thousands of kilometers far. And if there is love, thousands of kilometers have no distance. Where there is love, there is freedom. And where there is no love, there is suffering. Where there is love, you never feel lonely. And where there is no love, you feel alone and lonely. So that is the difference between vairāgya and attachment. Vairāgya means not to deny. Don't deny. Love your parents, your friends, your animals, nature. Love them. Don't say, "I am now a Vairāgī, I don't like you." That is not Vairāgya, that is ignorance. That's your weakness. So love, pure love, and where pure love is, you have the strength to endure. And when we don't understand love and we don't have that kind of love, then we will fail. We will go somewhere else. Then you will be very, very sure. The joy which we are searching, that is in renunciation. Therefore, Holy Gurujī said, "Enter the kingdom of God through the gate of sacrifice." So that is vairāgya: to endure the situations, understand, and give love. Then the third principle of Jñāna Yoga, which is called ṣaṭ-sampatti, the six kinds of treasures within us. That hidden treasure which we have within us—if you will realize that, you will be the richest person in this world. And you will be the richest one in the universe. And you will be the highest and holiest person. Six treasures, oh my God, immense amounts of money inside. All diamond, gold, coal, petrol, everything. Everything. That's called śama and dama, first two. Śama means to control your senses inwardly. From the external object, do not fall into the temptations. What we call our eyes are more hungry than our stomach. When the husband goes shopping in the supermarket, he brings more things and spends more money because he doesn't go shopping often. And he thinks, "Oh, this is good. Oh, this is good. Oh, that's good. This my wife would like. That I think my wife would like." He buys so many things. And when his wife goes to buy the potatoes, then she will come only with the potatoes back, because her eyes are a little less hungry than her husband's eyes. Or opposite. So śama, then dama. Control inwardly that your senses do not run outside. So, outer coming, incoming and outgoing, both are under your control. Śama and dama. Then comes Śraddhā and Titikṣā. Śraddhā means faith, devotion. Śraddhā in Gurudev. Śraddhā in your parents. Śraddhā in God. Confidence in your practice. Trust God. Definitely, you will achieve your goal. Now you see, every yoga—four, five, six, seven, which I said—is united with each other. Everywhere there is devotion, bhakti, action, wisdom, and the ability to endure. Karma, bhakti, rāja, and jñāna, all four are in oneness. You cannot say, "I will now practice only Aṣṭāṅga Yoga." In Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, there is also devotion to God: Svādhyāya, Īśvara Praṇidhāna, surrender to God. Then come two more: Uparati and Samādhāna. Uparati means to stay above everything. Samādhāna means to give the explanation, to give the judgment in a positive, harmonious way. If in our judgment the conflict comes, then you fail to give the judgment. Where there is ignorance, you will provoke anger, provoke the negative energies. And if there is wisdom and love, then you will awaken harmony and unity. So, śama, dama, uparati, titikṣā, śraddhā, and samādhāna—these are the six treasures within us. And the fourth principle of the Jñāna Yoga—look, again coming bhakti inside—is Mumukṣutva. Mumukṣutva. Now you are all mumukṣutvas. It means aspirants, who would like to know, who would like to learn, and praying. What to pray for? "O Lord, how and when will I have liberation?" The fourth sādhanā of the Jñāna Yoga is burning desires for liberation and ātmā jñāna. The burning desire to attain the ātmā jñāna, that is the real thing. Sādhanā hai mokṣa kī. Therefore, the fourth principle of the Jñāna Yoga is burning desires towards God-realization. These are the four principles of Jñāna Yoga. And you see, Jñāna Yoga is completing with Haṭha Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Rāja Yoga. Then it becomes Yoga in Daily Life, in four. What is that? Physical health, mental health, social health, and spiritual health unite in self-realization. And like you, there are millions of people in the world who are getting benefit and also teaching others. My dear ones, all the best. God bless you. I pray to Mahāprabhujī to give you the strength to maintain your Guru Bhakti, and that you will be able to walk on this path. Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Dev Puruṣa Mahādeva Kī Dharm Samrāt Satguru Svāmī Madhvanjī Bhagavān Kī. Oṁ Śrāvībhāvan Tu Sukhinaḥ Sarve Santu Nirmayā, Sarve Bhadrāṇi Paśyantu, Makajja Dukha Bhagavet, Oṁ Śāntiḥ, Śāntiḥ,... Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Jai, Śrī Śrī Dev Puruṣa Mahādev Kī Jai, Dharm Samrācak Guru Svāmī Madhavānandjī Bhagavān Kī Jai, Satya Sanātana Dharma.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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