The Meaning of Knowledge (Jnana)

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It is said that moksha (liberation) can only come after the self is realized, and that the self can only be realized through jnana or knowledge. But what exactly is jnana? What exactly is knowledge in this context? Often the word 'knowledge' is not clearly defined in the scriptures and so when people read the upanishads and see the word ‘knowledge’, they automatically assume it refers to intellectual knowledge or knowledge that is gained just by reading something (in this case —reading the scriptures). If knowledge is intellectual, that would mean liberation can be produced just by learning something.  But how can something like liberation (which would end duality) be produced by simply reading words or by hearing them (while being identified in duality)? If I provide several of the most profound verses in all of the Upanishads to random people on the street and have them learn all of the verses, will they be graced with liberation? This would be nonsensical to assume, and we would have all been liberated by now. So what kind of knowledge is it that produces liberation? 

 

In order to dive deep into this, we must first differentiate between intellectual knowledge and intuitive knowledge.

 

The Vedas is known as shruti. They were compiled by the rishis who were seers and truth seekers. The rishis uncovered this knowledge intuitively through deep meditation.  The rishis were highly qualified and perfectly fine tuned their minds to uncover this information hidden within. The word ‘shruti’ means 'that which is heard'. It is not something heard with the ears, but is something which occurs when all senses (including hearing) are withdrawn and when all thought processes are silenced and surpassed. It is a phenomenon that occurs beyond the physical world and senses. Unfortunately, the word intuition has been so polluted by the spiritual community, it has lost its true essence in meaning. Intuition here is a means of knowledge that is distinct from knowledge derived by senses or reasoning.  Intellectual knowledge is limited and is what we gain as we unravel the meaning behind words. The knowledge derived by intuition however is direct and does not depend upon the exercise of the senses. It comes from an extrasensory perception that occurs independently of the known sensory processes. This knowledge sees even when eyes are closed (clairvoyance) and hears even when ears are sealed (clairaudience). This knowledge is immediate and not open to fallacies, doubts or errors, since these deficiencies belong only to the senses.  Intuitive knowledge can be fully grasped with 100% accuracy without any need for thinking it through.

 

This is similar to telepathic communication that is observed in higher realms where higher knowledge resides and where realms are much subtler in nature without the need of the physical senses. Beings in the higher realms speak telepathically. In other words, instead of transmitting sound from place to place and then having to decipher through the sounds to interpret the meaning (like how we do in this physical realm), communication is grasped instantly and error-free. It's like being able to explain to someone what the exact taste of strawberries is like in just a single moment.  When I say taste, I don't mean attributes such as sweet, tart, juicy, etc.  I mean the EXACT taste of strawberries which makes it distinct from any other fruit.  This is similar to tapping into a memory of eating a strawberry but with complete and total clarity of that experience.  You know it all-at-once without having to explain it in detail through time.  Intuitive knowledge is similar in that it is not subject to misinterpretation and therefore, regarded as authentic and true. Just as the light of the sun can be proved only through light itself, even so the light of this knowledge can be proved through the very experience of this truth.  It is affirmed that all Vedic knowledge is in fact, intuitive and therefore not knowledge that can be gained from sense perception nor inference. On this very basis, Vedic knowledge is authentic and authoritative.

 

The knowledge the Rishis received therefore was direct knowledge or intuitive knowledge revealed to them immediately without the use of the senses. This is also referred to as aparoksha jnana. This type of knowledge should be distinguished from the knowledge we received from the Rishis via intellectual or indirect means which were gathered by our senses from reading books or listening to others. This type of knowledge is referred to as paroksha jnana. This indirect knowledge may be full of errors given it was filtered and passed down from person to person and polluted along the way. Direct knowledge however is an immediate knowing straight from the source without any distortions. It is self-revealed. So we can either receive knowledge directly (without the senses —which the Rishis did) or receive them indirectly (with the senses —like the knowledge we are learning from the Rishis).

 

The experience of the rishis are self-certifying and call for no proof, however, although these recorded experiences are there to help us, we have to conduct the experiments and test the conclusions ourselves or else the knowledge remains a mere theory. Practical application is therefore necessary. 

 

As Swami Vivekananda once said:

 

“Rishi-state is not limited by time or place, by sex or race.” “…we have to remember that you, and I, and every one of us will be called upon to become rishis.” 

 

The rishis showed us the way, but we must prove it by walking the path ourselves. The insight of the rishis is available to anyone who undergoes the necessary training. This training will allow us to also pick up knowledge intuitively rather than using our normal day to day senses which gets preoccupied with lower forms of knowledge. 

 

To know things by sense organs or to acquire knowledge by name and form is called Apara Vidya. This is a lower form of knowledge and is usually the type of knowledge most people observe in this plane of planetary existence (bhuloka). The knowledge which comes through intuition however and thus never gets corrupted is called Para Vidya. This is a higher form of knowledge that transcends this plane of consciousness and pervades higher realms or lokas where the clearer truth of Brahman pervades. Thus, the knowledge we learn from the Vedas in this realm is that of lower knowledge.  But higher knowledge transcends this realm and resides in much deeper and subtler planes where there is less individuality and hence higher knowledge of Brahman which shines through with minimal distortion. The higher the knowledge, the more Brahman can be directly known which fundamentally serves as the root and basis for all knowledge.

 

The Mundaka Upanishad states (1.1.5.9/1.1.6):

 

"Of these two, the lower knowledge is the Rig-Veda, the Yagur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharva-Veda, siksha (phonetics), kalpa (rituals), vyakaranam (grammar), nirukta (etymology), chhandas (metre) and jyotis (astronomy); and the Higher Knowledge is that by which the Imperishable Brahman is attained.” "By means of the Higher Knowledge the wise behold everywhere Brahman, which otherwise cannot be seen or seized, which has no root or attributes, no eyes or ears, no hands or feet; which is eternal and omnipresent, all pervading and extremely subtle; which is imperishable and the source of all beings."

 

Furthermore, the Mundaka Upanishad states:

 

"This Atman cannot be attained by dint of study or intelligence or much hearing - whom he wishes to attain - by that it can be attained. To him this Atman reveals its true nature.”

 

This means liberation cannot be produced just by studying the scriptures or learning intellectual knowledge received via the senses. Jnana therefore does NOT mean intellectual knowledge.

 

Shankara supports this in his commentary Mandukya Karika verse 3.2.3 stating:

 

“...whose realization is the highest object of human desire cannot be attained by means of much study of the Vedas and the Sastras. Similarly not by intelligence…” 

 

Furthermore, in verse 3.33 he states unequivocally that Jnanam or knowledge is the same as Brahman:

 

“The Essence of the Self, which is the object of knowledge, verily knows itself by means of unborn knowledge, which is of the very nature of Atman.” (Note: Atman=Brahman)

 

So it is clear. What the scriptures mean by knowledge, is not intellectual knowledge of Brahman, but knowledge as the self, i.e. Brahman.  Brahman is none other than jnana itself. It is synonymous to the self and is absolute knowledge.  

 

As Ramana once said:

 

“…knowledge of objects is not true knowledge.  Since the self shines self-luminous, with nothing else for it to know, with nothing else to know it, the self is knowledge.  Nescience it is not.” “Abiding in one’s own pure state is knowledge according to the wise.” “The ego submits only when it recognizes the higher power.”

 

So what does all of this mean so far? It means when the ego thins out, higher knowledge or intuitive knowledge arises from Brahman (i.e. jnana or absolute knowledge —the root of all knowledge). This type of knowledge transcends the senses and is self-revealed when the ego submits during deep meditation.  The higher the knowledge, the more the ego submits and thus the more absolute the knowledge becomes until the ego fully surrenders to the unbroken knowledge of Brahman that takes over. 

 

But what exactly does knowledge even mean? What exactly is this higher knowledge of Brahman? 

 

This knowledge is simply the direct and intuitive knowing of your true self. Just like one can grasp the taste of a strawberry without seeing or tasting it, so can one grasp the direct knowledge of the self.  It is an experiential knowing similar to the experiential knowing of tasting a strawberry without seeing or tasting it! This experiential knowing will first come with intermittent glimpses of the true self when inquiry is done correctly. This knowing is not the indirect knowing of your true self. The indirect knowing of your true self would imply that one is still completely identified with the ego and all of its senses and thus occupied with lower forms of knowledge. 

 

Knowledge of Brahman however is a switch of identity. The ego has surrendered most of its strength to allow jnana from Brahman to pour through. This allows one to have the extremely clear direct and intuitive knowing that you are actually pure awareness and that your true identity is not the ego. This is not the clear understanding of Brahman while you identify with the ego. This clear understanding only comes when the ego becomes totally weak and knowledge of your true self begins to reveal itself on its own. 

 

This higher knowledge arises in samadhi and comes with a great and profound stillness which self-reveals your true identity. This direct knowledge also comes with pure conviction since it is free from error and doubts, just like the knowledge of the Vedas when it was first revealed. Once the ego becomes exposed to this higher knowledge of Brahman, it recedes more and allows one to remain in their natural state for a longer period of time. Abiding in the knowledge of Brahman is what the scriptures refer to as knowledge (atma-jnanam) where the mind is completely awake but one is resting in the presence of Brahman while the appearance runs on its own without volition. This is not to be confused with abiding in the intellectual knowledge of Brahman with full use of the ego (this is no different than someone who is absorbed in reading books about science fiction). 

 

By holding on to the direct knowledge of Brahman, you will eventually become Brahman. Why? Because if you are only absorbed in this higher knowledge as that supreme identity, what else will you become? 

 

This is expressed in one of the most famous quotes in all of the Upanishads….

 

Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.9:

 

“He who knows the Supreme Brahman verily becomes Brahman.”

 

So now that we understand knowledge. What about experience? What is the difference between knowledge and experience? 

 

Knowledge and experience do not contradict each other.  When we speak of experience, what we mean is knowledge acquired over time. The clearer the knowledge, the purer the experience.  The purer the experience, the higher the knowledge that is revealed which further refines the experience. Thus, as clarity grows, so does the clarity for both experience and knowledge.

 

This means experiences can vary. Either you have an experience with lower knowledge (intellectual) or you have an experience with higher knowledge (intuitive). Experiencing is only possible because of the mind which borrows awareness to allow the experience to be known.  Without the mind, awareness cannot be aware of anything other than itself, at which point, there is nothing to know since awareness by itself cannot be experienced as an object of knowledge. 

 

Shankara explains this in his commentary on the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad verse 4.4.20:

 

"The knowledge of Brahman too means only the cessation of the identification with extraneous things (such as the body). The relation of identity with It [Brahman] has not to be directly established, for it is already there. Everybody always has that identity with It, but it appears to be related to something else. Therefore the scriptures do not enjoin that identity with Brahman should be established, but that the false identification with things other than that should stop. When the identification with other things is gone, that identity with one’s own Self which is natural, becomes isolated; this is expressed by the statement that the Self is known. In Itself It is unknowable – not comprehended through any means."

 

Shankara in this case takes on the approach of realizing the self from the top-down (top being Brahman, down being mind).  It’s a process of negation. Most people tend to look at things from the bottom-up (bottom being mind, up being brahman).  So Shankara starts with Brahman since there is only Brahman or truth. Truth is always there. We just need to remove any identifications with the disturbances (mind) that obscures this truth from being known.  We on the other hand tend to start with the mind and work our way up towards Brahman since we already identify with the false mind. So we use words such as the mind “merging”, “becoming”, “attaining”, or “achieving”, etc. However, in truth, there is no merging, becoming, achieving or attaining, since you are already that. It only feels this way from our vantage point when we remove ignorance.  But what is REALLY happening, is the removal of identification with the ego as we begin to rest as our true self. In both lines of thinking however, when the mind ceases to be mind, duality is no longer perceived, at which point we cannot say that there is relative knowledge.

 

Shankara states that realization occurs when the phenomenal arisings, gross and subtle have ceased to arise at which point duality disappears, i.e. jnana is attained.

 

Note: Guadapada and Shankara states that the mind is equal to ignorance. The mind itself is avidya which is the cause of duality.  

 

Per Mandukya Karika 3.31:

 

"All these dual objects, comprising everything that is movable and immovable, perceived by the mind (are mind alone). For, duality is never experienced when the mind ceases to act."

 

In addition Shankara states: “...duality is perceived when the mind acts and it vanishes when the mind ceases to act; that is to say, when the activity (i.e., the vrittis) of the mind is withdrawn unto itself by the knowledge got through discrimination, repeated practice and renunciation (higher knowledge) —like the disappearance of the snake in the rope—or during deep sleep. Hence on account of the disappearance of duality it is established that duality is unreal or illusory. That the perception of duality is due to the action of the mind…”

 

So in essence the sruti teaches you to stop the identification with other things, and when that is gone, there is complete desirelessness (in every way possible) which leads to liberation. Though this doesn’t happen all at once and certainly does not happen just by reading the scriptures alone. It is a gradual unfoldment due to relentless practice and persistence with the help of both lower and higher knowledge. The sruti gives us the lower knowledge needed in the sense of pointing out what we are not. Once this knowledge is fully assimilated and one cultivates the qualifications for liberation (see topic on the four qualifications for inquiry into Brahman), inquiry can then be done successfully which will culminate into samadhi. When this higher knowledge arises from samadhi and one practices persistently in remaining in their natural state without any obstructions of the mind, liberation will eventually be produced automatically. 

 

Higher knowledge is thus the secret ingredient for liberation and allows the “merging” to happen because it gravitates you to the nirguna aspect of Brahman, rather than the saguna aspect where one is localized to body-mind identification and consumed with lower knowledge. Intuitive knowledge is considered superior to that of intellectual knowledge because it is the result of putting intellectual knowledge into practical use and takes one closer to absolute knowledge. With higher knowledge, the very root of ignorance (mind) begins to dissolve, or rather, it begins to turn into Brahman. The modification of the mind into Brahman due to intuitive knowledge is known as the Brahmakara-Vritti.  For the yogis, it is known as the spiritual third eye.  This is something that cannot be done with intellectual knowledge alone. When the mind gets exposed to higher knowledge, the very root of of the mind begins to dissolve. When the mind is destroyed or vanishes, this simply means the illusion of the mind ever existing at all is completely removed. Duality ceases and there only exists jnana. 

 

Per Shankara’s Upadesasahasri 18.203:

 

"Therefore accept the Self as self-evident which means the same thing as self-knowable. The knowledge of the Innermost Self according to us thus becomes possible when the ego vanishes."