[Advaita-l] Bhakti vs Jnana

[Ramana Mallela]

My few cents worth on the bhakti and Jnana:

Various Yogas are said to be reference points for individuals to
travel the path to liberation. The penultimate stage has to be
vairagya (from material bondages and body consciousness) before one
experiences the bliss of moksha.

1) Vairagya cannot be reached without Jnana - wisdom of true nature of Atma.

Jnana cannot be reached without Bhakti - dedicated effort to realize
Atma (antascharathi bhuthEshu guhAyAm vishvamUrthishu...)

from Soundarya Lahari:

avidyAnAm antasthimira mihira dveepanagareem
jadAnAm chaitanya sthabaka makaranda sruthijhareem
daridrAnAm chintAmani gunanikA janmajaladhou
nimagnAnAm damshtrA muraripu varAhasya bhavathi


2) Bhakati is the state where many start their journey and many
brilliant people have given us beautiful hymns and commentaries to
practice this

For example Sankara in AnnapUrnAshtakam:


....
yogAnandakarI ripukshayakaree dharmaikanishtAkaree
chandrArkAnala bhAsamAna laharee trailokya rakshAkaree
sarvaisvarya karee thapah phalakaree kAseepurAdheeswari
bikshAndEhi kripAvalambanakarE mAtAnnapurneshwari

...

and look at this last stanza of AnnapUrnAshtakam - entire yearning is
for jnAna and vairAgya!

annapurne sadApurne sankara prAnavallabhe
jnAnavairagya sidhyartham bikshandehicha pArvathi
mAtacha pArvatidevi pitAdevO maheswaraha
bAndhavaha sivabhaktAscha swadesO bhuvanatrayam

...

He begged her mercy with all the bhakti (in such beautiful words)
to attain Jnana and Vairagya.

3) Scholars like Sankara and Madhusudana define various reference points
from where they will lift their disciples from ignorance to moksha...
it is important to stress on anubhUti than intelligence (read logic,
words, analysis etc)...and they know it because they are realized
souls!

regards
Ramana