By Swami Harshananda
Jñāna literally means ‘knowledge’.
The word 'jñāna' is derived from the root-verb ‘jñā’ which means to know and is commonly interpreted as ‘knowledge’. It can be of two kinds :
- That which is got by the normal means of sense perception
- That which is obtained by intuition
Sources of Jñāna[edit]
Most of the philosophical systems accept the following sources of Jñāna :
- Pratyakṣa - direct perception
- Anumāna - inference
- Āptavākya - verbal testimony
- Āgama - scriptural testimony
- Upamāna - comparison
- Arthāpatti - postulation
- Anupalabdhi - non-perception
- Aparokṣānubhuti - direct experience
Jñāna as intuitive knowledge called ‘aparokṣānubhuti’, comes through the purification of the mind by yogic disciplines and meditation on Atman or Brahman.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore