The Four Paths of Yoga

Anthony LoBasso

Religions of India

Professor Birch

4/3/13

The Four Paths of Yoga

The purpose of this research paper is to define four paths of yoga, Jnana yoga, Raja yoga, Karma yoga and Bhakti yoga. With in depth research and information about these four types of Indian yoga I will be able to answer some questions posed about yoga’s relations to spirituality and religion. I will attempt to answer the following questions: Is Indian yoga a religion or a component of Indian religions? Among the four paths of yoga styles, are there common elements to their practice and doctrines? Is there such thing as “Yoga Philosophy”?

According to the Advaita Vedanta, the goal of life is to discover our true nature. It is usually called self-realization. There are many different ways that a Hindu can work towards getting closer to achieving moksha. Moksha is defined as release from the cycle of rebirth impelled by the law of karma. Hindu’s believe yoga is a definite way to achieve moksha. Some of the most popular techniques to find liberation are the four paths of yoga: jnana, raja, karma, and bhakti. Jnana yoga uses knowledge and wisdom to try and break free from ignorance and attain the truth. Raja yoga uses self-control to better control mind until it becomes perfectly still at which time there are no more barriers between himself and his own divine nature. Karma Yoga fights the problem of inherent selfishness by practicing selfless actions without any selfish expectations, and thereby opening one’s heart and seeing the good in all beings. And lastly, Bhakti yoga uses love, devotion and energy and channels them into the highest of all emotions: prem. Prem is pure, unconditional, divine love.

“Jnana Yoga is the path of knowledge, wisdom, introspection and contemplation. It involves deep exploration of the nature of our being by systematically exploring and setting aside false identities” (swamij.com). It is based in knowledge and is the most direct way to reach the goal described in the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta: self-realization (yogaworld.org). It is based loosely upon learning the Upanishad. The Upanishads recounted many times in Vedantic scriptures that when the student is ready, liberation or moksha, can come very quickly through a three step process. 1. The guru explains to the students the teachings of Vendanta through stories and analogies. The student is required to listen attentively and this is called sravanam, which literally means listnening. 2. The student reflects the teachings of the Brahman and tries to comprehend the truths that have been perceived. This is called mananam, which means reflecting or contemplating. 3. The student meditates on the Upanishad teachings, which leads to a direct experience of Truth. This is called nididhyasana, or meditating. (yogaworld.org)

The jnana yoga student should prepare him self by learning the four means of salvation in order to be able to fully comprehend the Brahman’s teachings. These for means to Salvation are Viveka, Vairagya Shad-sampat and Mumukshutva and collectively they are called Sadhana Chatushtaya (yoga108.org). There is a logical order to the four means. After sufficient practice of the first mean, the next mean to salvation becomes clearer. The first mean to salvation called Viveka means discrimination. Viveka is the intellectual ability to pick out the real and the unreal. The real is permanent and the unreal is temporary. The absolutely real, the Brahman, is eternal and last forever (yoga108.com). The second mean to salvation called Vairagya means detachment. After sufficient practice of the first mean to salvation, Viveka, the temporary nature of the world and its objects becomes obvious and a natural lack of attraction to them takes place. Once you realize this, one should try and become more dispassionate in order to purify the mind and improve one’s concentration and steadiness of mind (yoga108.org). The third means to Salvation is Shad-sampat and means “the six-virtues”. This practice actually consists of developing six virtues: Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Shraddha and Samadhana. These six virtues deal will control of the senses, mind and faith (yoga108.com). The last means to Salvation is called Mumukshutva, which means intense longing for liberation. When one satisfies there longing for liberation the person reaches moksha, which is the jnani’s ONLY desire (yoga108.com). These four means to Salvation, Sadhana Chatushtaya, are the foundation of the practice of jnana yoga and are very important to a beginner wanting to experience the most out of there practice of this form of yoga.

Raja Yoga’s premise is that our mind creates our world. Raja yoga literally means king. Our whole life, with its pleasures and pains, is nothing but our mind’s creation. If the mind is not focused and remains unsteady, it will be more susceptible to distractions or events happening in its environment (anandala.org). Raja yoga pushes one to believe that he is the true king of their world. The Raja yogi strives to achieve mind control and when he has achieved this, he has control over all his desires and can enjoy absolute peace and contentment, which constitutes true happiness.  On the other hand, the king experiences many pleasures of the world. He has gained control over other people. However, if he does not have inner control and mastery of his own mind, all his riches and honors and the respect and fear he receives from his subjects is to no avail (anandala.org). Although he is king, he is never content; his mind gets upset every time he does not get what he wants and this is because he has not controlled his inner desires and is not at absolute peace. In that sense the yogi is a true king, even though he may be have renounced all possessions, while many kings are truly beggars. There are very few “kings” left in the modern world, but this is an analogy. In modern society, politicians and business people find themselves in a similar situation of power and enjoyment (anandala.org).