Vivekananda, Sankara, and Ramana Maharshi: Three Expressions of Jnana
Jnana—liberating knowledge of the Self—stands at the heart of Advaita
Vedānta. Yet the manner in which this knowledge is articulated, taught, and
lived varies greatly depending on historical context, audience, and
spiritual temperament. Śaṅkara, Swami Vivekananda, and Ramana Maharshi
represent three major expressions of Jnana that are philosophically aligned
but pedagogically and existentially distinct. Śaṅkara provides the
classical metaphysical foundation, Vivekananda reinterprets Jnana for a
modern, active world, and Ramana embodies Jnana as immediate, silent
realization.
Śaṅkara: Jnana as Scriptural and Rational Realization
Śaṅkara (8th century) is the systematizer of Advaita Vedānta. For him,
Jnana arises through śravaṇa (listening to the Upaniṣads), manana (rational
reflection), and nididhyāsana (deep contemplation). Liberation (mokṣa) is
attained when ignorance (avidyā) is destroyed by knowledge of the identity
of Ātman and Brahman.
Key features of Śaṅkara’s Jnana: Strong reliance on scriptural authority
(śruti) ;Careful logical analysis to remove superimposition (adhyāsa);
Clear distinction between empirical reality (vyavahāra) and absolute
reality (paramārtha); Renunciation (sannyāsa) as the ideal life for the
Jnani. Śaṅkara’s Jnana is rigorous, scholastic, and hierarchical. Ethical
discipline and ritual action are preparatory; they purify the mind but
cannot directly liberate. Knowledge alone frees.
Vivekananda: Jnana as Universal, Dynamic, and Heroic
Swami Vivekananda inherits Śaṅkara’s metaphysics but radically reframes
Jnana for a modern, global audience. He removes much of the monastic and
scholastic exclusivity and presents Jnana as a universal spiritual path,
accessible even to householders.
Distinctive aspects of Vivekananda’s Jnana: Emphasis on fearlessness and
strength (“You are the Infinite”) ;Rejection of passivity or world-negation
as misunderstandings of Advaita ; Integration of Jnana with Karma Yoga and
Bhakti ;Psychological rather than ritual language. While Śaṅkara stresses
renunciation of the world, Vivekananda insists on renunciation of ignorance
while acting fully in the world. His Jnani is not a withdrawn ascetic but a
liberated soul working for the welfare of humanity. Importantly,
Vivekananda often uses radical negation (“You are not the body, not the
mind”) in a practical, transformative sense, not merely metaphysical. Jnana
becomes a tool for human freedom, dignity, and social service—an emphasis
absent in classical Advaita.
Ramana Maharshi: Jnana as Immediate Self-Abidance
Ramana Maharshi represents perhaps the most minimalist and experiential
expression of Jnana. Unlike Śaṅkara, he does not rely heavily on scripture;
unlike Vivekananda, he does not emphasize social action. His teaching is
centered on direct Self-inquiry (ātma-vicāra).
Core elements of Ramana’s Jnana: The simple question: “Who am I?”
Liberation through abidance in the Self, not conceptual understanding
Silence (mauna) as the highest teaching; Dismissal of complex practices as
unnecessary for ripe seekers. For Ramana, ignorance is not removed by
reasoning or heroic effort, but by turning attention inward until the ego
dissolves. Whereas Śaṅkara analyzes the ego philosophically and Vivekananda
confronts it dynamically, Ramana allows it to collapse through sustained
self-attention. His Jnana is timeless, inward, and utterly
uncompromising—but paradoxically gentle.
comparative Perspective
Aspect Śaṅkara Vivekananda Ramana
Maharshi
Primary Mode Scriptural & logical Dynamic & integrative
Experiential & intuitive
Role of World Ultimately unreal; to be renounced Field for
realization and service Appears only to ego
Practice Study, reflection, meditation Discrimination + action
+ devotion
Self-inquiry
Audience Renunciates, scholars Global, modern humanity
Mature seekers
Tone Analytical, precise Powerful, reformative Silent,
inward
Despite these differences, all three converge on the same truth: the Self
alone is real, and ignorance of it is bondage.
One Jnana, Three Voices Śaṅkara gives Jnana its philosophical
spine, Vivekananda
gives it muscle and movement, and Ramana Maharshi gives it stillness and
immediacy. They are not competing interpretations but complementary
expressions suited to different minds and times.
Śaṅkara teaches us what is true,
Vivekananda urges us to live that truth fearlessly,
Ramana shows us how to rest in it completely.
Ultimately, Jnana is not altered by its expression. Only the seeker’s path
to it is.
K Rajaram IRS 21126
On Wed, 21 Jan 2026 at 04:06, Jambunathan Iyer <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
> *The significance of Jnana-Yoga - from what taught by Swami Vivekananda as
> understood by me and I also noticed and believed *Swami Vivekananda,
> featured in the below quote which I learned while going through the Works
> of Swami Vivekananda
> *The Quote"-*
> Stand as a rock; you are indestructible. You are the Self, the God of the
> universe. Say — *"I am Existence Absolute, Bliss Absolute, Knowledge
> Absolute, I am He," *and like a lion breaking its cage, break your chain
> and be free forever. What frightens you, what holds you down? Only
> ignorance and delusion; nothing else can bind you. You are the Pure One,
> the Ever-blessed.
> *Jnana-Yoga is a spiritual path in Hinduism that focuses on the
> acquisition of knowledge and self-realization* through the study of
> philosophical texts, introspection, and contemplation. It's one of the four
> main paths of Yoga, alongside Karma-Yoga (selfless action), Bhakti-Yoga
> (devotion), and Raja-Yoga (meditation and physical postures).
>
> *Jnana-Yoga emphasizes the development of discernment and wisdom to
> understand the ultimate reality, *often described as the union of the
> individual self (jiva) with the universal Self (Brahman). Practitioners of
> Jnana-Yoga typically engage with scriptures like the Upanishads and the
> Bhagavad Gita to gain a deeper understanding of the nature of reality.
>
>
> *N Jambunathan , Chennai " What you get by achieving your goals is not as
> important as what you become by achieving your goals. If you want to live a
> happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things "*
>
>
>
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Thatha_Patty" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZoqRwKa6nGWUa8yWh4WX9g5FVyPRzhvXnws9a8Bk6kQ%3D8A%40mail.gmail.com.
