DIFFICULTIES OF JNANA YOGA

Jnana Yoga is exceedingly difficult in this age of Kali. In the first place, our life in this age depends entirely upon food (Annagataprana). Secondly, the term of human life now is much too short for this purpose. Thirdly, it is almost impossible in this age to get rid of the illusion that the Self is one with the body (Dehatmabuddhi), which clings to us. Now the conclusion which the Jnani must come to is : " I am not the body, I am one with the Universal Soul, the Absolute and Unconditioned Being. "As I am not the body, I am not subject to the conditions of the body, such as hunger, thirst, birth, death, disease and the rest. One subject to these physical conditions and yet calling oneself a Jnani, is like a person who is suffering from intense pain caused by a thorn that has run into his hand and who nevertheless says, " Why, my hand is not at all scratched or torn. It is all right.' This kind of talk will not do. First of all the thorn' of body-consciousness has to be burnt into ashes by the fire of Jnana.

Very few persons are fit for the attainment of Jnana. The Gita declares: " One among thousands desires to know Him; and even among thousands of those who are desirous to know, one perhaps can actually know Him.' The less one s attachment to the world, i.e., for ' woman and gold \ the more will be ones Jnana (knowledge of God).

The Jnana Yogi says, "I am He. But as long as one has the idea of the Self as body, this egotism is injurious. It does not help one s progress, and it brings about ones ruin. Such a person deceives himself and others.

A certain Brahmachari (religious aspirant) named Ramachandra one day visited Sri Ramakrishna at the temple of Dakshineswar. The aspirant had allowed his hair to grow into long matted tresses after the way of ascetics. Having taken his seat, he began to exclaim from time to time, " Sivoham! Sivoham!" (I am the Lord Siva 1), but was dumb otherwise. Sri Ramakrishna observed him silently for some time and then remarked: " What is the good of merely repeating the word Sivoham' ? It is only when one, by perfect meditation on the Lord in the temple of one s heart, has lost all idea of self and realised the Lord Siva within, that one is entitled to utter this sacred word. What good can the mere repetition of the formula do without the realisation ? So long as the stage of realisation is not reached, it is better to regard the Lord as the Master and oneself as His humble servant.' The aspirant came to see his mistake, and be came wiser by this advice and other similar teachings. Before he left the place, he wrote down on the wall of Sri Ramakrishna's room : Taught by the Swami, from this day forward Ramachandra Brahmachari regards the Lord as his Master and himself as His humble servant."