Jnani and Bhaktha are the two words that are very frequently
used in spirituality and Vedanta. Can jnani be a Bhakta and Bhaktha be a Jnani?
Jnani concentrate on the supreme being through meditation and tapas where as
the Bhakta loses himself in his extreme love for God in some form or other!
Jnani is after the formless Absolute that has no beginning, middle or end. On
the other hand the Bhaktha propitiates
God with attributes. One is a worshipper of ‘Nirguna Brahman’ while the
other is a lover of ‘ saguna Brahman” There is a kind of ego or ‘ahankara’ in
the Jnani. But the Bhaktha is docile and submits himself totally to the will of
the Supreme Being! Sri Rama Krishna offers
a beautiful example ! In the janana, where Muslim women are present, the
husband cannot enter without permission! But children have a free access to the
Janana. The Jnani is like the husband while the Bhaktha is similar to the child
that is welcome to the mother! Children are innocent and god like!
The
distinction between the Jnani and the Bhakta
can be explained by the two’ nyayas’ called “markata kisora nyaya and “
“marjara kisora nyaya”. The young one of the monkey clings to its mother. and has to depend on its own strength. The mother
is least concerned about it. If the young one loses its hold it falls down and
is injured. In other words the Jnani has to believe in his own strength of
meditation and the path he has taken to realize the Absolute. But on the other
hand, the kitten is helpless and stays where it is kept. There is no risk for
the kitten since the mother cat, gently catches it in its teeth and places it
in different places. The Jnani has to
depend upon his own effort to achieve salvation. The Bhakta throws all
responsibility on God by his selfless love for the Supreme Being! In true Bhakti there is total and utter
surrender to the will of God.
The Jnani
says proudly that he is God himself, the spotless atman! The Bhakta says that every
thing in the universe is His glory.
Realization of God can happen when you reach an attitude ‘ All this am I ‘ or ‘
All this art Thou” or “ Thou art the Master and I am the servant”. Devotees of
Siva tend to be Jnanis and we see in them the belief that Brahman is real and
the world an illusion---“ Brahma satyam Jagan mithya”. The devotees of Vishnu
tend to be ardent Bhaktas with faith. To the Jnani the whole world is a dream.
He lives in his own Self. The Bhaktha’s love for God moves in different
directions. In his ecstasy or madness
for his God, the Bhaktha laughs, weeps, sings and dances! He wants to merge
himself in God’s presence and in that
ocean of bliss! “According to the puranas”, says Sri Ramakrishna, “the devotee is separate from God. Man is one
entity and He is another.” While the
body is the vessel, the mind, intellect and the ego are similar to water in it and the
Brahman is the Sun who is reflected in the water! But to the Vedanti or Jnani Brahman alone is the reality and everything
else is Maya or illusion. It is like the stick of “ I “ that separates the
water into two divisions. When the stick is removed there
is one undivided sheet of water!
Jnanis
need not remain aloof. They can do immense good to humanity by treading the
path of Bhakthi. Narada and other sages are examples of Jnanis who did good to the world though they were realized
souls. Says Sri Ramakrishna, “ Jnani is like a man and Bhaktha is like a woman.
Knowledge has entry only up to the drawing room of God, but Love can enter His
inner apartments.” Sri Ramakrishna gives
a beautiful example of the attitude of the Jnani and the Bhaktha. While passing
through a jungle, a jnani and a Bhaktha happened to see a tiger! In his usual
way, the Jnani said that they need not be afraid of it and flee from it. The
Almighty God will definitely save them. The Bhaktha disagreed with the Jnani
and said they should run away. He questioned why they should trouble the Lord when they could achieve a thing by their own effort!
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