Jnana Yoga – Path of Knowledge

Jnana Yoga aims at liberating soul from illusionary world by the realization of the oneness of the individual self (Atman) and the ultimate Self (Brahman).
Jnana yoga has four pillers viz. Viveka (discrimination between self and non-self), Vairagya (detachment from worldly objects), Shad-Sampat (sixfold qualities of perfection i.e. Sama - peace, Dama - control over senses, Uparati - satiety, Titiksha - forbearance, Sraddha - faith and Samadhana - concentration of mind.) and Mumukshutva (intense longing for liberation).
Bhagwat Geeta has lucidly explained the characteristics of a muni or a wise man as under:

1. Whose all doubts have been cleared by knowledge,
2. Whose mind is steady to pleasures and miseries,
3. Whose attachment, fear and anger etc have been destroyed,
4. Who is totally involved in the interest of the entire creatures and whose mind is won by the absolute in the divine, they receive divinity.

The means of salvation, Jnana yoga explained by Shree Krishna in Bhagwat Geeta and manifestations of wisdom are given hereunder.
Pillers of Jnana Yoga

1. Viveka is discrimination between the real and the unreal, between the permanent and the impermanent, between the Self and the non-Self. Viveka comes through Seva (self-less service) and Satsang (association of saints).
2. Vairagya (dispassion) does not mean abandoning one's social duties and responsibilities of life and live in a solitary cave of the Himalayas. Vairagya is mental detachment from all worldly objects.
3. Shad-Sampat consists of Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Sraddha and Samadhana. All these six qualities are taken as one because they are calculated to bring about mental control and discipline, without which concentration and meditation are impossible.
4. Sama is peace, serenity or tranquility of mind which is brought about through the eradication of desires.
5. Dama is restraint or rational control of the senses.
6. Uparati is satiety or renunciation; it is resolutely turning the mind away from desire for sensual enjoyment. This state of mind comes naturally when one has practiced Viveka, Vairagya, Sama and Dama.
7. Titiksha is the power of endurance. An aspirant should patiently bear the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold, pleasure and pain, etc. Forbearance of all misery, without even a thought of resisting or driving it out, without even any painful feeling in the mind, or any remorse — this is Titiksha.
8. Shraddha is intense faith in the word of the Guru, in Vedantic scriptures, God and, above all, in one's own self. It is not blind faith but is based on accurate reasoning, evidence and experience. As such, it is lasting, perfect and unshakable. Such a faith is capable of achieving anything.
9. Samadhana is fixing the mind on Brahman or the Self, without allowing it to run towards objects. The mind is free from anxiety amid pains and troubles. There is stability, mental poise and indifference amid pleasures.
   1. Mumukshutva is intense desire for liberation. When purification of mind and mental discipline are achieved, the longing for liberation dawns by itself.
   2. The next training is Nityanitya-Viveka — discriminating between that which is true and that which is untrue, between the eternal and the transitory. God alone is eternal, everything else is transitory. Everything dies; the angels die, men die, animals die, earths die, sun, moon, and stars, all die; everything undergoes constant change. The whole universe is a mass of change. But there is one who never changes, and that is God.

 
Who is wise? 
Bhagwat Geeta has explained the qualities of a wise person as under:

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 56 chapter 2) - दुःखेष्वनुद्विग्नमनाः सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः। वीतरागभयक्रोधः स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते ॥

i.e. Whose mind is not disturbed, when there are miseries, whose mind is indifferent to pleasures and whose attachment, fear and anger have been destroyed, he is called a Muni with steady mind.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 57 chapter 2) - यः सर्वत्रानभिस्नेहस्तत्तत्प्राप्य शुभाशुभम्‌ । नाभिनंदति न द्वेष्टि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥

i.e. The man who is unaffected everywhere, without receiving that auspicious or inauspicious thing, is neither pleased nor hated, his intellect is steady.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 58 chapter 2) - यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गनीव सर्वशः । इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥

i.e. As the turtle gathers rest of the body from all sides, similarly when the person removes the senses from sensual pleasures, then his intellect is stable.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 62 chapter 2) - ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः संगस्तेषूपजायते । संगात्संजायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते ॥

i.e. A person who is anxiously thinking of sensual pleasures, develops fondness in them, the fondness create their desire  and the disruption of desire leads to anger.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 63 chapter 2) - क्रोधाद्‍भवति सम्मोहः सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः । स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ॥

i.e. Anger leads to illusion, illusion creates confusion in memory, and the illusion of memory destroys wisdom, and due to destruction of intellect, the man falls from his position.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 40 chapter 3) - इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिरस्याधिष्ठानमुच्यते । एतैर्विमोहयत्येष ज्ञानमावृत्य देहिनम्‌ ॥

i.e. The senses, mind and intellect - all these are called habitations. These deceive Jivatma by enveloping wisdom.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 42 chapter 3) - इन्द्रियाणि पराण्याहुरिन्द्रियेभ्यः परं मनः । मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्यो बुद्धेः परतस्तु सः ॥

i.e. The senses are superior, stronger and subtler than the gross body. Beyond senses are mind, beyond mind is intellect and beyond intellect is the soul.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 20 chapter 5) - न प्रहृष्येत्प्रियं प्राप्य नोद्विजेत्प्राप्य चाप्रियम्‌ । स्थिरबुद्धिरसम्मूढो ब्रह्मविद् ब्रह्मणि स्थितः ॥

i.e. Person who is not jubilant by getting his favourite thing and is not upset by getting unpleasant one; he is steady minded, without doubt, have divine knowledge and become one with eternal divine and stay in his association.   

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 25 chapter 5) - लभन्ते ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृषयः क्षीणकल्मषाः । छिन्नद्वैधा यतात्मानः सर्वभूतहिते रताः ॥

i.e. Whose sins have been destroyed, whose all doubts have been cleared by knowledge, who is totally involved in the interest of the entire creatures and whose mind is won by the absolute in the divine, they receive divinity.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 1 chapter 13) -   इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते। एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः॥

i.e. Sri Bhagwan said, 'Arjun! This body appears as 'the field' (such as the seeds sown in the field, according to their timing, according to the fruits of the sowing nature of the sowing practices), hence the name is called 'region'. It is said by this name and who knows this, he is called 'wise' by the name known as Gyanjan.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 2 chapter 13) - क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत। क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम॥

i.e. To know nature of soul i.e, Jivatma, influenced or changed nature and the elements of soul, is wisdom.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 7 chapter 13) - अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम्‌ । आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रहः ॥

i.e. Lack of pride of superiority, not to hurt any living being, forgiveness, simplicity in mind, speech etc, service of the guru with reverence & devotion, purity inside & outside of self, stability and control on body, mind and senses.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 8 chapter 13) - इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यमनहङ्‍कार एव च । जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदुःखदोषानुदर्शनम्‌ ॥

i.e. The absence of attachment and lack of ego in the world and thinking repeatedly about the miseries and problems of birth, death, diseases etc

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 9 chapter 13) - असक्तिरनभिष्वङ्‍ग: पुत्रदारगृहादिषु । नित्यं च समचित्तत्वमिष्टानिष्टोपपत्तिषु ॥

i.e Absence of attachment of son, woman, house and wealth, lack of affection, and always remain in stable state despite receiving pleasant and unpleasant.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 10 chapter 13) - मयि चानन्ययोगेन भक्तिरव्यभिचारिणी । विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि ॥

i.e. Complete devotion in me (God) (by sacrificing selfishness and pride and worshiping with utmost love, including reverence and expression, is 'devotional worship'), and to stay in pure & quiet place and not in the company of persons who have attachment to sensual desires.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 23 chapter 13) - य एवं वेत्ति पुरुषं प्रकृतिं च गुणैः सह । सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते ॥

i.e. Men who know the qualities of nature (i.e. the whole world is transitory, destructive, changeable and without life and the Jivatmya  is eternal, conscious, unchangeable, indestructible, pure and enlightened and is essence of God) and completely abandon the material things and always stay in association of thoughts of god, he despite performing the duties, does not take re-birth.

1. Bhagwat geeta (verse 5 chapter 15) - निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषाअध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामाः । द्वन्द्वैर्विमुक्ताः सुखदुःखसञ्ज्ञैर्गच्छन्त्यमूढाः पदमव्ययं तत्‌ ॥

i.e Those whose pride ​​and temptations have been destroyed, who have won the evil of attachment, and who continuously remember God and whose wishes have been completely destroyed - they are liberated from the struggles of pleasure and misery, and get ultimate post.
 
Manifestations of Wisdom
When this knowledge comes; it will come, as it were, in seven grades, one after the other. The signs of getting near truth are as under:

• Dissatisfied state will vanish.
• Absence of all pains.
• Attainment of full knowledge.
• Attainment of the end of all duty through discrimination.
• Freedom of the Chitta i.e. all vacillations of the mind decline
• Chitta itself will realise
• We are established in our Self. Yogi will become peaceful and calm.

 
Reference:

1. The complete works of Swami Vivekananda, Mayavati Memorial Edition, Volume I, Advaita Ashrama, 5 Delhi Entally Road, Kolkata – 700 014. Published by Swami Bodhasarananda, President, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, Champawat, Uttarakhand.
2. http://hindi.webdunia.com/religion/religion/hindu/geeta/
3. http://yoga.sidviv.com/