Ancient Science of Life, Vol No. XIII Nos.

3 & 4, January-April 1994, Pages 261 - 265

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA’S CONCEPT OF JNANA YOGA, RAJA YOGA,

KARMA YOGA AND BHAKTI YOGA
GIRIDHAR YOGESHWAR

Yogadham, Guler P.O. – 176 033, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Received: 22 December,1993 Accepted: 10 January, 1994

ABSTRACT: The erudite author tries to present in this article a gist of Swami Vivekananda’s
concept of Jnana Yoga, Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga.

Vivekananda, the most famous disciple of inquisitive spiritual minds of present and
Sh. Ramakrishna had, in fact, inherited from future age.
his great master, a wide concept of religion.
For him, religion was an all embracing By the term ‘Raja Yoga’, Vivekananda
spirituality; and all religions – the paths that meant the ‘method of mental concentration’.
lead to the same goal of self-realization or In the present state of our body, we are so
the realization of God. Ramakrishna, in much distracted and the mind is frittering
truth was the embodiment of all the past away its energies upon a hundred sorts of
religious thoughts of India, and at the same things. As soon as, one tries to calm his
time, had a good knowledge of all the thoughts and concentrate his mind upon any
existing faiths of the world. Swami one object of knowledge, thousands of
Vivekananda, doubtlessly was the unparallel undesired impulses rush into the brain,
illustrious apostle of Ramakrishna, who thousands of thoughts rush into the mind
spread throughout the world the divine and disturb it. How to check it and bring the
message of his Guru. It was he who roared mind under control is the whole subject of
the immortal teachings of India – the Jagat study in Raja Yoga. Raja Yoga, thus, is the
Guru, the master land of all spiritualities at psychological yoga; the psychological way
the Parliament of World Religions first at to union. Not only the yearned of the
Chicago in 1893 and then at Paris in 1900. Ultimate truth, but even the chemist, the
His speech in Chicago made such an astronomer, the professor in his chair, the
eloquent impression that the American student with his books, every man who is
papers described him as an ‘Orator by divine working to know employ the same method
right’ and ‘Undoubtedly the greatest figure of acquiring knowledge – that means by
in the Parliament of Religious’. concentration of mind. Would to God that
Vivekananda truly had a deep under all men were so constituted, that in their
standing of India both in letter and spirits; he minds, all the elements of philosophy,
knew at heart its deep-rooted problems on mysticism, emotion and work were equally
the one side, and its sublime spiritual present in full. That is the Ideal, the ideal of
treasure – the Yoga and its various classes a perfect man in the eyes of Vivekananda.
on the other hand side by side. His Such idealism is attained by Yoga – Union.
conclusive remarks on Raja Yoga, Karma To the worker, it is union between men and
Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga are the the whole of humanity; to the mystic,
ever-fresh perennial springs to water the between his lower and higher self; to the

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lover, union between himself and the God of sort of activity or other, whose minds cannot
love; and to the philosopher, it is the union be concentrated on the plane of thought
of all existence. This is what Vivekananda alone, and who have but one idea,
meant by Yoga. concretized in work, visible and tangible.
There must be a science for this kind of life
‘Yoga’ is a Sanskrit term, and the four too. In fact, people do no know the secret of
divisions of Yoga have in Sanskrit, different work. Karma Yoga explains this secret.
names. The man who seeks this kind of Karma Yoga teaches us how to work for
union is called a Yogi. The worker is called work’s sake, unattached, without caring who
the Karma Yogi. He who seeks the union is helped, and what for. The Karma Yogi
through mysticism is called the Raja Yogi. works because it is his nature, because he
One who seeks it through love is the Bhakti- feels that it is good for him to do so and he
yogi. He who strives to attain union through has no object beyond that. The word
philosophy is called the Jnana Yogi. None ‘Karma’ has in it the Sanskrit root ‘Kri’, to
of these yogas gives up reason. The first test do; all action is karma. Man words with
of true teaching must be that the teaching various motives; for fame, money, power,
should not contradict reason. Nontheless, heaven and so. But Karma Yoga asks man
Vivekananda was of the opinion that the to work for work’s sake. A man who can
aphorisms of Patanjali is the highest work for five days or even for five minutes
authority on Raja Yoga. That is divided into without any selfish motive whatsoever,
eight steps – Yama – non-killing, without thinking of future, of heaven, of
truthfulness, non-stealing, continence and punishment, or any thing of the kind, has in
non-receiving of any gifts. Next to Niyama- him the capacity to become a powerful
cleanliness, contentment, austerity, study moral giant; though it is hard to do it.
and self-surrender to God. Then comes
Asana or posture; Pranayama or control of Swami Vivekananda grades a man the
Prana; Pratyahara or restraint of the senses Karma Yogi who understands that the
from their objectives; Dharana or fixing the highest ideal is non-resistance, and who also
mind on a spot; Dhyana or meditation; and knows that this non-resistance is the highest
Samadhi or superconsciousness. By strict manifestation of power in actual possession,
implementation of these Yoga-angas, the and also what is called the resisting of evil is
glory of the soul, undisturbed by the but a step on the way towards the
distractions of the mind and motion of the manifestation of this highest power, namely,
body, will shine in its full effulgence; and non-resistance. Inactivity should be avoided
the Yogi will find himself as he is and as he by all means. Activity always means
always was, the essence of knowledge, the resistance. Resist all evils, mental and
immortal, and all pervading. Earlier to physical; and when you have succeeded in
Vivekananda, Vijnanabhiksu too had termed resisting, then will calmness come. Plunge
the Patanjala Yoga as Raja Yoga, and the into the world, and then, after a time, when
same is current these days. Swami you suffered and enjoyed all that is in it, will
Vivekananda’s beautiful commentary on renunciation come; then will calmness
Patanjala Yoga-sutra is very helpful to come. A Karma Yogi must work constantly,
understand his concept of Raja Yoga. perform all his duties with utmost zeal, yet
he must be constantly devoted to God and
Yet, it is evident that in society there are must give up the fruits of his actions to God.
many persons who seem to be born for some That is the one central idea in the Gita as

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well: ‘Work incessantly, but be not attached is not wrong in his way; for his emotional
to it! The freedom of soul is the goal of all natures do not care for abstract definitions of
Yogas. By work alone as well the above the truth. God to him is something tangible,
way, men may get to where Buddha got the only thing that is real; he feels, hears and
largely by meditation, or Christ by prayer. sees Him and loves Him. His love is
Buddha was a working Jnani; Christ was a without any ulterior motives; he loves God
Bhakta. The term ‘unattached’ means work, because it is good to do so; not for going to
but let not the action or the thought produce heaven, not to get children, wealth, or any
a deep impression on the mind; let the thing else. He knows that God Himself is
ripples come and go; let huge actions Love. He teaches other through his precepts
proceed from the muscles and the brain; but to pay all kinds of tributes to God as the
let them not make any impression on the creator, the Omnipresent, Omniscient,
soul. Almighty Ruler, the Father and the Mother.
A Bhakta Yogi fully resigns unto Him unto
Non-attachment, in fat, is complete self- His will. He earnestly prays “Lord! if it by
abnegation. Every act of charity, every Thy Will, I shall go from birth to birth, but
though of sympathy, every action of help, grant me this, that I may love Thee without
every good deed, is taking so much of self- the hope of reward – love unselfishly for
importance away from our little selves and love’s sake”.
making us thinking of ourselves as the
lowest and the least; and, therefore it is all On the other hand, Jnana Yoga tells that
good. Here we find that Jnana, Bhakti and man is essentially divine, that each one of us
Karma all come to one point. The highest is the Lord, God Himself, manifested on
ideal is eternal and entire self-abnegation, earth. For a Jnana Yogi; God is the Life of
where there is no ‘I’, but all is ‘Thou’, and his life, the soul of his soul. God is his own
whether he is conscious or unconscious of it, self. Nothing else remains which is other
karma Yoga leads man to that end. First – than God. Jnana Yogi is the philosopher,
to give up the idea of attachment, second – the thinker, who wants to go beyond the
hold yourself as a witness and go on visible, since he is not satisfied with the
working. Everything that you do, under litter things of this world. For a Jnana Yogi
compulsion goes to build up attachment. arrives at the ultimate conclusion that the
That which is selfish is immortal, and that Reality-the Supreme Reability is one
which is unselfish is moral. Karma Yoga is without a second. It is Existence-
a system of ethics and religion intended to Knowledge-Bliss. Infinite-Sachidanada-
attain freedom through unselfishness and by swaroopa. That which is not affected by
good works. time, space and causation is Sat or reality. It
puts on the appearance of getting entangled
The various Yoga’s do no conflict with each in time, space and causation, called
other; each of these leads us to the same ‘Upadhis’, the limiting adjuncts. The
goal and makes us perfect; only each has to individual souls or the Jivatmans have come
be strenuously practiced. The whole secret into being because of thse limiting adjuncts.
is in practicing. For the man of emotional The individual souls or the Jivatmans have
nature, the lover – Bhakti Yoga is the path. come into being because of these limiting
A Bhakta-Yogi wants to love God, he relies adjuncts or Upadhis. The Jivatmans are the
upon and uses all sorts of rituals, flowers, manifestations of the Reality, the
incense etc. for His worship. Such a Bhakta Paramatman. The Yoga of Knowledge

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contributes towards the purification of the that is the Infinite Life and light of the Soul
faculty of understanding until it reaches its – the Self, the Atman. The Self is entirely
culmination in intuitive knowledge, where separate from the nature; always was and
he ultimately sees that he is not other than always will be. The reality in nature is
God. And he exclaims in Upanishadic tone, spirit. It is the energy and soul and life of
“He whom I have described to you as the the spirit that is being worked upon in
Life of this Universe, as present in the atom, different ways by matter. A Jnana Yogi
and in suns and moons. He is the basis of speculates that the spirit is the cause of all
our own life, the Soul of our souls. Nay, our thought and body action and every thing,
Thou are That – Tat tvam asi; Ayam Atma but it is untouched by good or evil, pleasure
Brahma; Sarvam khalu idam Brahma”. That of pain, heat or cold; and all the dualism of
is the highest Vedantic truth. All of us, from nature, although it lends its light to
the lowest worm that crawls under our feet everything. The same truth Yogeshwara
to the highest beings to whom we look up Krishna teaches to Arjuna in various
with wonder and awe, all the manifestation chapters of the Gita. So proclaims
of the same Lord. Such seed becomes one Chhandogya Upanishad (VII) ‘Where none
with God and God gets defined from him. sees another, where it is all One, there is
none to be miserable, none to be unhappy.
There are two existences: nature on the one There is only the one without a second.
side and the Self; the Atman on the other. Therefore be not afraid’. And thus rightly
Nature doesn’t mean only all this external exhorts Vivekananda in Kathopanishad style
world, but also our bodies, the mind, the – “Awake, arise and stop not till the goal
will, even down to what says ‘I’. Beyond all (Self-realization) is reached”.

REFERENCES

1. Raja-Yoga or ‘Conquering the Internal Value’, by Swami Vivekananda; Pub. Advaita

Ashrama, Calcutta – 14; 17th Edt. May 1978.

2. Religion of Love, by Swami Vivekananda; Pub. Udbodhan Office, Calcutta-700003, 11th

Edt. Sept. 1976.

3. Karma-Yoga by Swami Vivekananda, Pub. Advaita Ashram, Calcutta-14; Edt. 16th

Impression, July 1978.

4. Hinduism, by Swami Vivekananda; Pub. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras 600 004; IX
Impression 1976 (Chapter – Hinduism: Its Four Yogas pp 76 – 88)

5. Thoughts on The Gita by Vivekananda, Pub. Advaita Ashram, Calcutta, 1978.

6. ‘The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda’.

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