Talk:Bhuvanajñana

By Swami Harshananda

bhuvanajñana (‘knowledge of the worlds’)

Acquisition of supernatural powers has always fascinated man right from the beginning of human history. Some have struggled to get them through witchcraft or sorcery or demonological rites, to harm or control others through selfish or evil motives. Others however, while practising spiritual disciplines to purify themselves have attained these powers as a matter of course, as a part of that evolutionary process.

The aṣtāñgayoga—eightlimbed yoga leading to samādhi or superconscious experience—of Patañjali (200 B. C.) has, incidentally mentioned several such powers that a yogi develops as a result of practising ‘samyama’ on various objects. (See BHUTAJAYA for an explanation of the word ‘samyama.’)

If samyama is practised on surya or the sun, the yogi will attain a detailed knowledge of all the fourteen worlds. This is ‘bhuvanajñāna.’

See also BHUVANA.

References

* The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

OLD CONTENT

Bhuvanajñana literally means ‘knowledge of the worlds’.

Acquisition of supernatural powers has always fascinated man right from the beginning of human history. Some have struggled to get them through witchcraft or sorcery or demonological rites to harm or control others through selfish or evil motives. Others however, while practicing spiritual disciplines to purify themselves have attained these powers as a matter of course, as a part of that evolutionary process.

The aṣtāñgayoga eight-limbed yoga leading to samādhi or super-conscious experience of Patañjali (200 B. C.) has incidentally mentioned several such powers that a yogi develops as a result of practicing ‘saiyama’ on various objects.

If saiyama is practiced on Surya or the sun, the yogi will attain a detailed knowledge of all the fourteen worlds. This is ‘bhuvanajñāna.’

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore