Jnana is a Sanskrit phrase that means information or knowledge and bhumikas method levels or ranges. Jnana bhumikas are ranges of information or levels of knowledge that, when undertaken by means of a jnana yogi or a jnani, can result in liberation or moksha.

There are seven jnana bhumikas that chart a trail of self-inquiry, inside transformation, and eventual attainment of superconsciousness.

Every step enlightens you about your true self and opens your eyes to true truth. They inspire you to embark on a religious trail to needless to say you’re one with the universe.

As well as, those seven bhumikas additionally function a information to exploring your personal character, ideas, and the reasons of feelings, and lend a hand construct a wholesome dating with the ones round you.

Ancient Importance of Jnana Bhumikas

The Jnana Bhumikas are discussed within the Varaha Upanishads and elaborated upon within the ebook Yoga Vasistha, a discussion between Sage Vasistha and Lord Rama. Those seven levels define the trail of non secular construction for the ones in search of liberation or moksha. The lessons in Yoga Vasistha supply a profound exploration of self-realization, unequalled within the teachings of Yoga and Vedanta.

Seven Levels Jnana Bhumikas

Within the Yoga Vasistha, it’s emphasised that the practices of the Jnana Bhumikas are crucial to do away with confusion and go beyond the ego. Those levels are important to score the everlasting bliss of 1’s true nature, as they permit the thoughts to triumph over its disturbances, impurities, and false ideals.

The first 3 levels referred to as the jagrat or waking degree, mark the seeker’s preliminary awakening to the want to dispel lack of awareness and embark on a quest for information.

The following 4 levels, referred to as jivanmuktas or liberated beings, denote a state through which the seeker has found out the internal mild, accomplished whole detachment from the fabric global, and attained the easiest degree of awareness.

Every of those levels has a profound importance at the trail of self-realization and liberation.

Degree 1: Subheccha (excellent want) 

The primary degree is when other people start to ask themselves questions in regards to the that means of lifestyles. They start to search for solutions to their aimlessness and want to get out of an ignorant lifestyles via non secular expansion.

They’re inspired to learn scriptures, communicate to smart other people or saints, and apply vairagya (detachment from worldly pleasures).

Studying scriptures is helping us perceive the fundamentals of non secular knowledge and open our hearts. That is neatly complemented by means of associating with individuals who can information one at the proper trail. It’s smart to be told from folks’s reports with the intention to get involved with your personal inside self.

Additionally, while you apply vairagya, you have a tendency to naturally suppress any appeal to sensual items. Cultivating vairagya is very important as it guarantees that you’re not pushed by means of non-public acquire and that your morals and ethics are given a powerful basis.

At this degree, it can be crucial to have a discernible purpose and an unquenchable urge to enhance your non secular apply.

As we advance to better ranges of knowledge, this may increasingly assist within the construction of awareness and a transparent, targeted thoughts.

Degree: 2 Vicharana (self-inquiry)

While you learn the scriptures, there’s an urge for self-reflection. You might be routinely pushed to self-exploration as a result of you have got mirrored at the scriptures and the teachings you have got discovered from the saints.

At this degree, you query the character of true truth and your ideals and take a look at them towards the data you have got won from more than a few assets.

You are attempting to realize readability in regards to the nature of your assumptions, whether or not they’re true or false.

Via meditation and deep introspection, the assets of disturbances and distractions you had earlier than fade away. They’ll no longer reason a response from you since you now perceive the character of awareness and the purposes of the thoughts.

You additionally start to perceive what your tensions, worries, anger, traumas, and fears are in line with and take suitable steps to do away with them.

The seeker positive factors a deeper figuring out of the essence of lifestyles as he starts to shed the veil of lack of awareness and misconceptions that impede his imaginative and prescient.

Merely put, if subheccha is the choice to understand the actual truth, vicharana is the implementation of that choice.

Degree: 3 Tanumanasi (delicate thoughts)

Within the 3rd degree, your thoughts has turn out to be “skinny as a thread (tanu)”.” Your thoughts can now triumph over a wide variety of distractions and focal point best to your non secular trail. The seeker can live in contemplation for hours with out being disturbed by means of exterior distractions.

One can achieve this degree best after cultivating vairagya, pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), and inside silence by means of training meditation, pranayama, bhakti-yoga, tapas (abstinence), and different yogic practices.

Those practices lend a hand the thoughts to turn out to be disciplined, targeted, and calm, and to broaden the self-discipline to concentrate on the sophisticated elements of the thoughts by means of turning inward.

It is usually stated that an individual who dies at this degree will stay in heaven for a very long time and be reborn as a Jnani (sage).

Degree 4: Sattvapatti (attainment of sunshine)

Within the fourth degree, the seeker has attained non secular mild. They now perceive the adaptation between the self and the ego and notice the entirety as one. They’re indifferent from worldly affairs and will really feel the interconnectedness of all issues within the universe. There’s no struggling and one reports deep non secular peace and calmness.

Consequently, the arena seems like a dream.

Brahmavit (Brahman-knowing) is the identify given to at least one who has effectively reached this degree. Step one in finding one’s true self is in truth to have this figuring out of without equal reality.

Degree: 5 Asamsakti (inside detachment)

Asamsakti method desirelessness. The seeker is not interested in or hooked up to subject matter possessions or feelings. There are not dualistic or multi-layered ideas. The seeker has a more potent figuring out of the impermanence of the entirety, and the ego thoughts has been tamed.

This degree of the adventure permits the seeker to rid himself of all subject matter wants and concentrate on the seek for non secular liberation.

The seeker is referred to now as Brahmavidvara (awesome knower of Brahman) and plays his crucial tasks with out appearing any indicators of attachment. Even if the Brahmavidvara is busy with social tasks, he understands that the fabric global is an phantasm and will exchange.

Degree 6: Padartha bhavana (non secular imaginative and prescient)

When the seeker reaches this degree, they have got attained the data of the reality.

That is the degree the place psychological actions have come to a halt and the thoughts can not distinguish between inside and outer sense reports.

On this state, transcending all dualisms and bounds, the seeker is conscious that the entirety is interconnected and a part of the similar cosmic awareness. The seeker is a Brahmavidvariyan, or one that is upper than Brahmavidvara.

From the figuring out of without equal reality comes an amazing sense of peace and contentment.

Degree 7: Turiya (ideally suited freedom)

The seeker has in any case reached the state of natural consciousness. He’s now totally indifferent from all wants and loose from ideas. That is the degree of experiencing the state of superconsciousness.

On this ultimate degree, the seeker has learned the actual self and attained moksha or liberation. The idea that of “I” is not become independent from the universe, and the concept that of duality has disappeared.

That is the easiest state of awareness that may be attained via deep introspection, self-inquiry, and contemplation.

The seeker’s quest for knowledge and enlightenment culminates within the realization of turiya.

The seeker has now turn out to be a Brahmavidvaristha or the most productive a few of the knowers of Brahman

Advantages of Progressing throughout the Levels

You will need to needless to say some great benefits of jnana bhumikas aren’t totally tangible. As you pass throughout the levels, the adjustments are mirrored to your character and to your frame of mind. As your figuring out of the arena adjustments, you understand that this truth is best an phantasm.

Your dating with your self and others adjustments, which might or will not be perceived undoubtedly. What issues, alternatively, is that you’re content material with this realization and got down to know your true self.

With that during thoughts, listed here are some advantages you may realize when going throughout the 7 steps:

• Promotes self-knowledge and private expansion via self-inquiry and introspection.
• Deepen your non secular figuring out via studying scriptures and obtaining information from saints.
• You might be free of egoic barriers and struggling as you realize the sophisticated nuances of spirit.
• Builds wholesome connections and relationships with others by means of getting rid of detrimental feelings and concept patterns.
• Guides you via inside transformation and better states of awareness by means of eliminating the veil of phantasm and false impression.
• Cultivates knowledge, readability, and inside peace when your thoughts remains to be and you’re employed with out expectancies.

Conclusion

Going via each and every degree of Jnana Bhumika isn’t one thing that may be finished in 7 days (at some point according to degree). To the contrary, it’s an exhausting adventure that calls for numerous perseverance, self-discipline, and dedication and will take years, many years, and even an entire life.

Like an onion, you’ll slowly peel each and every layer of your true self to find a facet that was once hidden by means of the illusions of the fabric global. This may occasionally can help you are living a practical lifestyles and provide the peace and calmness you have got at all times strived for.

Even though your objective isn’t to reach non secular enlightenment or liberation, the method will can help you broaden an consciousness of the significance of knowledge and the way necessary it’s to domesticate it to your day by day lifestyles.

This may be why it is very important apply meditation, pranayamas, and yoga asanas steadily, as they lend a hand get ready the thoughts to stay calm and targeted.