Book IX
Gyan or Jnana
– Knowledge / Enlightenment –
The term Gyan or Jnana is derived from the Sanskrit root gna, which is equivalent to the English word know. In common speech, Gyan or knowledge is taken to mean thinking at the intellectual level, embracing within its fold all knowledge recorded in and derived from books, ancient or modern, spiritual or secular. No doubt this is a kind of Gyan or knowledge; and while it is an elementary kind, it is very extensive, varied and significant as far as it goes. We have need of it. A part of it, called scriptures, includes the theory of the science of spirituality.
All scriptures – the Vedas and Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Smritis, Shastras, Puranas, and the Six Schools of Philosophy; the great epic poems, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata; the Holy Bible, the Holy Koran, the Adi Granth Sahib, and all others – form part of this branch of knowledge and come within the range of Apara Vidya, or the knowledge that comes through the senses. They form a wonderful record of the spiritual experiences of the Rishis, Prophets and Saints of old, and inspire in us a longing to have similar experiences of our own. They also contain ethical truths of great value, which pave the way for an ethical life; and if followed scrupulously, they lay a solid foundation for a spiritual superstructure. So far, so good. But beyond this they are of no avail.
Apart from the Apara Vidya, or Gyan at the level of thinking and writing, there is a subtler and higher type of knowledge which is gained at the supra-mental level. It is independent of the knowledge gained through the ordinary senses as it is intuitive and a direct experience of the soul. Hence it is called Para Vidya, or the Knowledge of the Beyond. In all religions it is spoken of as the real Gyan, or true knowledge. It is gained by the spirit or soul when it reflects back upon itself. It is an outcome of self-analysis by a regular process of inversion or looking within. It is a thing of actual experience and realization within one's own self, and gradually leads to self-knowledge and God-Knowledge.
When the light of self-knowledge dawns, all doubts and all differences vanish; one views the world in an altogether different setting, like a person standing on the summit of a hill, looking at the landscape around and below him stretching out in an endless undulating series. He finds himself looking on the great panorama of life in its variegated forms – a centre, a hub of the creation itself. The past, the present and the future unroll themselves before him like an open book, and there is nothing that he does not know, nor does he feel the want of knowledge in himself.
Now dawns upon him the answer to the great question – What is that, the knowledge of which makes everything known? – that has been asked by man since the world began.
True Gyan or knowledge, then, lies in knowledge and experiencing the Ultimate Reality, in the Light and Life of which we blindly live, move about, and have our very being rooted, and yet know it not. It is a great irony of fate, that we know so much about the world and worldly surroundings as to have a surfeit of them, but next to nothing of the vital motor-power called the soul – the Living Spirit, the life spark of consciousness that enlivens us and is our very life – our real self.
So there is a vest difference between Apara and Para Vidya. The former keeps on expanding as we proceed, but with no way out.
The poet Tennyson describes it aptly:
Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough gleams that untraveled world, whose margin fades forever and forever when I move.
It is a kind of wilderness through which there is no way out. Even a person with all his wits about him is sure to be lost in its labyrinthine maze. Like a flogging horse, he may kill himself with sheer exhaustion, but cannot possibly get through. Such is the terrible path on which we trudge.
On the other hand, Para Vidya has boundless possibilities, unfolding new realms of celestial splendor as the pilgrim soul proceeds on the Path. It is a very pleasant journey, for the wayfarer has with him a sure companion, an unerring guide who knows the Path and its dangerous turns and twists. He takes him along in safety, shows him especially beautiful scenes and makes him acquainted with everything on the way. His companion has a radiantly smiling face and a divine dignity, and imparts to him directly that first-hand knowledge of the Beyond of which the pilgrim may have read in books. With all its traps, turns and slips, the Path moves through a belvedere of uncommon splendor and affords a sure way out to a haven of rest and repose. The journey's end is nothing but the Kingdom of God where peace and quiet reign, the New Jerusalem or Holy City. Thus real Gyan or knowledge deals with Realized Truth.
In the Bhagavad Gita, we come across two terms:
- Gyan and
- Vigyan.
The knowledge of that One live principle, called Paramatma or God, actively operating in all living creatures that appear and disappear like so many bubbles, is called Gyan; and the realization that the said live principle is the material and efficient cause of all that exists is known as Vigyan. A person possessed of Gyan or Vigyan then actually sees nothing but God in His creation and creation as established in God; that is to say, the two as identical and not separate from each other – God in man and man in God – which is akin to the pantheistic view of religion (identification of God with the Universe).
The Gurbani or the scriptures of the Gurus (the Granth Sahib) have nowhere identified book-learning with Gyan. On the contrary, the term Gyan is used to indicate the Sound Principle (as is evident from the terms employed: Shabd, Naam, Sach, Kirtan, Dhuni, etc.) which is continually reverberating in fullness in each individual.
The Word of the Master is ever sweet, it is the True Knowledge and True Meditation, rare is the soul that may taste Its sweetness, for the Grace of the Master makes It sweet.
Guru Amar Das, Gauri M3
Know ye the True Knowledge and Meditation to be the Dhuni (Sound) Divine, blessed is the ever-green tree with the immense shade.
Guru Nanak, Sri Rag M1
We have need, great need, for knowledge on the intellectual leave, and that we get from scriptures and discourses of Master. We cannot practice spirituality unless we first know its theory: what it is, its technique, how it can be practiced, obstacles in the way and how to overcome them, etc. We cannot therefore ignore the theory aspect of Para Vidya, for theory always precedes practice in every branch of knowledge. But after having learned the theory, we must put the theoretical knowledge into practice so as to make it our very own. Theory by itself cannot satisfy the innate craving of the spirit which must be fed on manna or the heavenly food – the Bread of Life – to satiate her hunger and supplied with the Water of Life to quench her thirst.
Theory and practice, therefore, go cheek by jowl and are interdependent. But to achieve the goal, one has to work for it and this requires stilling the mind and intellect before anything else. After full comprehension of the theory, nothing remains but to gain practical experience of it at the level of the spirit, far above the level of the senses and sense organs. We have thus to separate the two by a process of self-analysis or transcension of the body consciousness, a practical demonstration of which the Master gives in the laboratory of the body at the time of initiation.
Jnana or True Knowledge with the Master is the Word and It comes through practice of the Word, he alone achieves It who accepts and follows the instructions of the Master, with all his heart and soul.
Guru Ram Das, Suhi M4
Jnana and mediation on Sach (Truth) have a very deep meaning; no one knows of their inmost secret and greatness.
Guru Nanak, Maru M1
Jnana, meditation, the pine Song (Dhuni) and the Sound (Bani) are all one, all, all repeat the same ancient story of the wondrous and the speechless One.
Guru Nanak, Basant M1
Practice Jnana, meditation and Harmony by absorption in the Sound (Shabd), be ye one with Him Who is beyond all limitations, peerless and without fear.
Guru Nanak, Parbhati M1
If you wish for a dip in the sacred pool of Naam, that pool is verily within you; a true pilgrimage for the soul is Shabd which is replete with Gyan.
Guru Arjan, Dhanasri M5
The Master has applied to my eyes the collyrium of Gyan, the light became effulgent within and the darkness vanished.
Guru Amar Das, Majh M3
Jnana with the Master is Naam and he makes one steady in It, one who is destined, gets It by devotion to the lotus feet of the Master.
Guru Ram Das, Suhi M4
With the manifestation of Light one becomes enlightened, the Light of Jnana has now been implanted in me by the Master; by drinking the ambrosia of the Word (Naam), the mind is fully at rest and devoid of fear.
Guru Arjan, Gauri M5
With the dawn of Jnana, there is Light on every side, in His boundless grace, He has accepted a filthy worm like me.
Ravi Das, Gond Ravi Das
This knowledge then is Self-Luminous. When It comes, there dawns an everlasting Light in the initiate's soul. From then on, he walks always in God's kindly Light which accompanies him wherever he may be. This is true devotion and grants one full protection from all harm.
The scriptures tell us that Jnana is characterized by the Light Principle. Guru Amar Das, speaking of Jnana as taught by the Master, describes it as Eternal Light within, which serves as an altar for ceaseless devotion and grants one the full fruit of Naam:
The Master's Jnana brings forth eternal Light within, It keeps one absorbed in ceaseless devotion: the greatest gift of the all-pervading Word.
Guru Amar Das, Sorath M3
The devotee of the Master knows the Sound (Shabd), and rests in the ambrosia of His Word (Naam). The Master's Jnana is refulgent high, and it drives away the darkness of ignorance.
Guru Amar Das, Sri Rag M3
The company of a Sadh is the company of Truth and the congregation sings His glory, the scintillating Jnana sheds luster within, dispelling all darkness born of ignorance.
Guru Ram Das, Asa M4
With the practice of Naam (Word), one is rid of all sorrow and pain, for It brings in supreme bliss, the Jnana of the Master is all ablaze, filling one with Light to the deepest depths of the soul.
Guru Ram Das, Asa M4
Those with a writ of the Lord in their forehead do meet a Master-Saint, and have all their doubt and distrust driven out by the blaze of Jnana.
Guru Ram Das, Asa M4
Guru Arjan also tells us that with the dawn of Master's Jnana within, comes the advent of Heaven's Light both within and without, enveloping all; and the mind gets satiated and is freed from all illusions and delusions. One is thus led to the inexhaustible Fount of the Waters of Immortality, drinking which he becomes desireless and losing all fear of death gains Life Everlasting.
With Heaven's Light, all things get truly lighted as a result of the Jnana from the Master; by drinking the Water of Life, the mind grows still and becomes fearless.
Guru Arjan, Gauri M5
In scaling the spiritual heights, the pilgrim has actually to pass through the light of the stars, the moon and the sun. This knowledge or Enlightenment comes only when the spirit takes its course in the Sukhman or Shahrag, a central narrow channel between the two eyebrows.
To hail the light of the moon and the sun within, as the soul rises into the astral world, is described by the scriptures as the Path of Jnana or True Knowledge.
In spite of fire in the core, how charmingly fragrant is the vegetation, and so with the boisterous waters of the great seas when confined within their bounds, the real sun and the real moon are both within the human body, and yet one rarely gets to know true Jnana, the very soul of all that exists.
Guru Nanak, Basant M1
Guru Nanak, in Jap Ji, Stanzas 35 and 36, while telling us at length of the Realm of pine Knowledge (Gyan Khand) with countless gods, goddesses and deities, beautifully sums up the description:
pine knowledge illumines all in the realm of knowledge, while pine symphonies play unending music, and joy and bliss reign supreme.
Heaven's Light always serves as an unfailing friend in moments of dire distress, both without and within; and one walks steadily in It, in life and after. In Sukhmani, Guru Arjan has devoted a full ashtpadi, a hymn in octave or eight stanzas, to this Light and the way it guides and leads the soul when it quits the body. This Light is there in the Sukhman, but one cannot get access to it without the help of a Master:
The Light of Jnana is a powerful aid both within and without, commune with It, oh mind! As It destroys all affliction and sorrow.
Guru Arjan, Asa M5
The Light of Master's Jnana is a peerless jewel that grants salvation, oh Nanak! he may give It to whomever He wishes to grant the honor of His Court.
Guru Amar Das, Vadhans War M3
The Light of Jnana has been manifested within, I have easily won the gift of the Word.
Guru Arjan, Maru M5
Make a vintage of Jnana, and ferment it with meditation on the fire of His love and reverence, the Sukhman is bubbling over with the Water of Life, drink ye to thy fill.
Kabir, Ramkali Kabir
The Master is knowledge personified; and this knowledge he imparts to a rare Gurumukh, i.e., one who completely surrenders himself to the Guru. A Satguru can manifest the Light which is capable of granting Nirvana. It is an inner science and one has to work for it under the guidance of a perfect Master; no one has ever got it without him.
Ask of Brahma, Narad, Ved Vyas, and others, all testify none can have it without a Master.
Guru Nanak, Sri Rag M1
Water stands in a pitcher; a pitcher without water is of no consequence, the mind is wedded to Jnana (knowledge), but True Jnana (Flaming Sound) never comes without a Master-Saint.
Guru Nanak, Asa War M1
Oh Mother! One cannot get the Light of Jnana without a Guru, one may try all means; he cannot get to the Lord.
Guru Arjan, Dev Gandhari M5
Without the Master, one cannot contact the Word nor find the Path, the Light of Jnana is the true essence, for It leads Godward.
Guru Amar Das, Maru War M3
Without the Master, one cannot have the Light of Jnana or inner peace, oh Nanak! Without the Word, the worldly-wise forfeit the human birth.
Guru Amar Das, Sorath War M3
I offer myself as a sacrifice to my Master, Who has united me with the Lord, He has applied to my eyes the collyrium of Jnana by His Word, and with these eyes I now see the world in its true colors.
Guru Nanak, Asa War M1
The Master alone can give the collyrium of Jnana that shows the All-Pervading Power of God.
Guru Amar Das, Gauri M3
The Master has given me the collyrium of Jnana that has dispelled all darkness, with the Grace of God a Saint is met, oh Nanak! One witnesses the Light within.
Guru Arjan, Gauri Sukhmani M5
The Light of True Knowledge is the greatest gift of a Master-Soul, the Master has given me the greatest gift of Jnana by creating in me a craving for the Word (Naam), He has linked me with Truth (the Power of God), a treasure-house of supernatural powers that grow from more to more.
Guru Arjan, Sawaie M5
When with spiritual discipline (Simran and Dhyan, constant remembrance and concentration) the mind gets stilled and is at rest, then enlightenment comes. Rare indeed are such souls in the world; all those who are full of passion, anger or egoism, as most of us are, and cannot have It. With It comes perfect satisfaction. Mind is controlled and the soul awakens from the lethargic sleep of ages. All desires come to an end, and one gets absorbed in his own self, and is gifted with All-Pervading pervision and transvision, and rises into Cosmic Awareness. All karmas are burned away. Death, the last enemy of mankind, loses its sting; the minions of death cannot come near such a Jivan Mukta or liberated being. These benefits cannot be had by outer intellectual wrestling.
Adorned with the kindly Light of God, the spirit becomes acceptable to the Lord Consort.
The wandering wits learn to live under control and delight in Truth, and one drinks the Jnana Ras (the exhilarating vintage of Naam) and desires nothing else.
Guru Nanak, Sri Rag M1
With all our washings of the body we cannot keep it clean, but the elixir or Jnana ( the Word) purifies both the mind and the body.
Guru Nanak, Sorath M1
The collyrium of Jnana destroys all fear and makes you see the Reality, and you gain omniscience with the stilling of the mind.
Guru Nanak, Sri Rag M1
Devotion to the Master creates love true and eternal, and the gift of Jnana gives knowledge of the three worlds.
Guru Nanak, Sri Rag M1
Awakened into the Light of Jnana, Kabir is dyed in the color of the Lord, all the world over are deluded; my mind is now metamorphosed by the all-pervading Power (Ram).
Kabir, Sri Rag Kabir
How can one control the wandering wits? The mind can be stilled through the grace of the Master, and with Jnana he returns to his Native Home.
Guru Amar Das, Asa M3
Flower blossoms into fruit and then fades away, all actions are for Jnana and then fall off.
Guru Ram Das, Bhairon: Bani Ram Das
Nanak says: He alone wakes up into Reality who applies the collyrium of Jnana to his eyes.
Guru Amar Das, Bhairon M3
Jnana is a supreme embellishment for the bride (Soul); blessed is the bride that loves her Lord.
Guru Amar Das, Asa M3
The wild elephant of the mind is controlled and domesticated by the mahout of a Guru, by means of the Rod of Enlightenment. The Light of the Guru, variously called Shabd, Naam or Dhun, forms a link between the soul and the Oversoul, and once this is firmly grasped, one can easily transcend to the Mansions of God.
Ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him.
St Paul, Colossians 3:9-10
The agency that regenerates or transforms our nature is the Holy Spirit. The experience which He must bring to us is called the New Birth, the Resurrection or the Second Advent.
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
St Paul, 2 Corinthians 5:17
Jnana or Enlightenment comes as a gift from God:
Thy Glance of Grace gives one right understanding, and brings one to the crest jewel of Jnana.
Guru Nanak, Asa M1
Seek not Jnana in the world for verily ye shall not find It, with the writ of the Lord one gets It, and not by one's endeavors.
Guru Nanak, Asa War M1
Inside the body is the Jnana of the Master, a crest jewel that grants salvation, oh Nanak! with His Glance of Grace, He may grant It to whomever He may like, and make him acceptable.
Guru Amar Das, Vadhans War M3
Those who are devoted to the Satguru are honored and accepted in His Court, the Light of Jnana dawns in them to whom He may grant It.
Guru Arjan, Sri Rag M5
Having once been gifted with Enlightenment (or Jnana or pine Knowledge and Experience), one must practice It from day to day so as to develop It and not lose the holy Light of Heaven by sheer neglect in the mighty swirl of the world.
Jesus Christ, in unambiguous terms, warns us against this danger of losing the peerless gift from God and His Elect, the Godman:
Take heed, therefore, that the Light which is in thee be not darkness.
St Luke 11:35