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What is the difference between Raja yoga, Jnana yoga and Kriya yoga?

The Crimson Universe

Active Member
I'm pretty sure that jnana yoga is not just acquiring knowledge from the scriptures. If i'm not wrong it has something to do with realizing the brahman/atman within oneself through the process of deep meditation. If that's the case, then what are raja yoga and kriya yoga? I've heard that these two also require deep meditation. So in what manner are these three different from each other?
Thanks.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
In Saiva Siddhanta, yogas are seen as progressive stages, not as separate yogas. So not all schools view yoga the same way. Swami Vivekenanada popularised the version you outline through his 4 books.

In Siddhanta, kriya yoga is synonymous with bhakti, or worship of the divine outside yourself. It is the second stage, with the first stage being seva, (karma yoga, or selfless service) . Raja yoga is meditation, or internalised worship of the divine, or searching for the Self. In Saiva Siddhanta, jnana yoga doesn't exist. it is just the state of jnanam which is the natural outcome of raja yoga, or deep meditation.

But there is great overlap, and they're not distinct. In a few hours, a bhaktar or a saint can do all 4. He might start with helping feed the poor around a temple. (seva) Then he could go worship the divine externally with a puja. (kriya or bhakti yoga) Then he goes and finds a quiet place within the temple to meditate. (raja yoga) At the end of that he attains a few seconds (or much longer if he's a saint) of jnana (bliss).

But this is just one explanation. many folks do separate them into 4 distinct paths, with jnana either being intellectual study of books, or a combination of that and meditating on the meaning.

So you'll get substantially different answer from various practitioners.
 
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shivsomashekhar

Well-Known Member
I'm pretty sure that jnana yoga is not just acquiring knowledge from the scriptures. If i'm not wrong it has something to do with realizing the brahman/atman within oneself through the process of deep meditation. If that's the case, then what are raja yoga and kriya yoga? I've heard that these two also require deep meditation. So in what manner are these three different from each other?
Thanks.

Jnana yoga and Raja yoga are both described in the Gita. The former is intellectual discrimination. The latter is rigorous meditation and practice to control the mind. On actual value, there exist multiple views. Some (Shankara) view Jnana as the only means to liberation and other yoga-s as precursors. Others (Vaishnavas) view Bhakti yoga as the ultimate stage and all other yogas as inferior.

Kriya yoga is fairly recent. Certain elements may be older, but as a system it originated during the 19th Century.
 
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