Yoga Philosophy of Jnaneshvara and Patanjali

by G. K. PungaliyaPresident, Institute of Yoga and Allied Research,

Pune, IndiaTwo sources of ancient Indian thought are Vedas and
Agamas. Even if the ultimate aim of both the systems was to attain
liberation, or to experience the ultimate truth, or Brahman or
Moksha or Nirvana, their teachings, ideologies and philosophies
were different, on a number of basic issues and principles. Vedas
and Upanishads presume, as is stated in Mahabharata (1) etc. that
the originator of the science of the Yoga is Hiranyagarbha. The
tradition of Agamas says that the author of this science of Yoga is
Adinatha or Shiva or Shankara. Almost all these Agamas are written
in the form of conversation between Parvati and Shankara. Patanjali
is following the tradition of Upanishads. The philosophy behind
Patanjali Darshana is that Sankhya, the Astanga Yoga which
Patanjali propagated was in vogue several centuries before
Patanjali (300 BC).

We get references of Astanga Yoga in a number of Upanishads such

as Chandogya Upanishad, Sandilya Upanishad etc. Yajnavalkya
explains this Yoga Philosophy to Gargi and other disciples exactly on
the same lines as Patanjali does. (2) Yajnavalkya further states that
this philosophy of Astanga Yoga was being learnt by him from his
masters. This is an indication of the fact that the philosophy of
Astanga Yoga is very ancient and was already in practice before
Patanjali.

Hence, it is quite natural that whatever Patanjali has stated is on

the basis of certain principles of Upanishads and the philosophy of
Sankhya. Of course, Patanjali has his own contribution to Yoga
Sutras. The concept of Ishvara, even if absent in Sankhya Darshana,
has been defined by Patanjali as per PYS 1. 240. (3) However, he is
having his own interpretation about this concept and it is not
according to the established tradition. His Ishvara is not a creator
but a person whose sins are destroyed. Patanjali's concept of
Ishvara is very near to Jain Darshana. (4)

Jnaneshvara, had altogether a different background. He was

initiated as per the tradition of Nath Sampradaya. This philosophy is
different from that of Patanjali's Yoga Darshana. The basic principles
of Yoga philosophy of Nath Panth, are stated in detail in various
books such as Gorakshagita, Goraksha Paddhati, Siddha Siddhanta
Paddhati, Amaraugha Sasana, Amaraugha Prabodha, Mahartha
Manjari, Gheranda Samhita, etc., all written in Sanskrit. Hence, the
Yoga Philosophy of Jnaneshvara is just like a mirror reflection of the
Yoga Philosophy of Nath Panth. From this it is quite obvious that the
original sources of philosophy of these two great saint philosophers
and seers are quite different. Thus there is bound to be a major
difference in their Yoga Systems. In this paper, therefore, I intend to
point out certain outstanding differences in their Yoga Philosophies.

In the overall Yoga Philosophy, we find a number of branches, out of

which the most popular now-a-days, in India and abroad, is the one
which has been advocated by Patanjali and which is known as
Astanga Yoga. Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are translated in various
languages and also a number of commentaries have been written on
it. However, there are a number of other Yoga systems such as
Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Laya Yoga, Mantra Yoga, Karma Yoga,
Bhakti Yoga etc. Since this paper is intended for only the
comparison between the Yoga of Jnaneshvara and Patanjali, I would
restrict my scope to the comparison of philosophies of only these
two masters.

The basic differences are as under:

1. Patanjali gives the system of Astanga Yoga per his Sutra No. 11.
29 (5) of Yoga Sutras. The Yoga System of Jnaneshvara is based on
the principles of Hatha Yoga. Some of the scholars of this system
are following Astanga Yoga. However, great Yogis such as
Gorakshanath are following the system of Sadanga Yoga which has
been stated by him in his book Goraksha Paddhati 1.7. (6) This
System avoids Yamaand Niyama. The justification given by those
Yogis is that if you obtain mastery in meditation, your whole
lifestyle gets changed in such a way, that you automatically start
following the Yama and Niyamawhich are the necessary rules and
individual rules of conduct respectively. These six aspects of Yoga
are:

Physical Postures Pranayama Pratyahara Dharana Dhyana Samadhi

2. According to the Nath Cult it is most important that the aspirant

should purify his body completely. This has been stated in detail in
Gheranda Samhita l.10-11-12. (7) This is a total purification of all
important and vital organs of the body such as stomach, small
intestines, large intestines, nasal passage, food pipe, eyes, ears,
throat, etc. After this the cult says that the aspirant is in a position
to undertake all the steps of Yoga. In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras this
preparation of initial background is not mentioned.

3. The next step (in other Yoga systems) is the learning of physical
postures. However, after learning all the important postures, the
aspirant has to practise the most essential posture viz. Siddhasana
or Vajrasana. For all the future Sadhanas this is considered to be
the basic and important posture. The detailed description of this
posture is given by Jnaneshvara in his sixth chapter of Jnaneshvari
and also by a number of books of Nath Cult. They say that this
posture is a must for all the aspirants. However, Patanjali says that
you can sit in any convenient posture you like. Hence he gives the
Sutra "Sthira-sukham asanam."

4. The importance of a Guru or Master is maximum in Nath cult.

Their every book or Shastra starts by remembering or bowing with
great reverence and respect to the Guru Adinath or Shiva or
Shankara. Jnaneshvari also starts like this by saying "Om Namoji
Adya." This importance is not given to Guru in Patanjala Yoga
Darshana.

5. The Nath cult says that the human body consists of certain most
essential centres or vital points and voids (Akasha). (8) Every
aspirant has to know and understand these things. They say that
one who is not aware of these essential centres is not a Yogi. They
are six Chakras, sixteen vital points, two Laksyas (concentration
points), five voids, all situated within the human body. Such type of
discussion is not found in Patanjala Yoga Darshana.

6. Nath cult says that the human body is just like a beautiful house
which is having nine doors. (9) It is formed out of five essential
elements and each element is having its own deity. The nine
openings are two eyes, two nostrils, two ear holes, mouth, excreta
outlet, and sex organ. The deity of Earth is Brahma, of water is
Vishnu, of fire is Rudra, of air is Ishvara and of space is Sadashiva.
Every aspirant has to understand these things. In Patanjala Sutras
we do not find this.

7. The Nath Panth, in their various books as mentioned above, gives

a detailed description of the seven chakras, their exact location in
the body, their properties and functions etc. Jnaneshvara has not
given the description of these chakras for the reason that he
wanted to restrict his interpretation to the verses of Bhagavad-Gita.
At the base of the spinal cord and at the centre of the line which
connects sex organ and the excreta outlet is situated the first
chakra which is known as Muladhara Chakra. Slightly above the sex
centre and below the naval centre the second chakra is situated
which is known as Svadhisthana Chakra. The third is situated near
the naval centre and is called Manipura. The fourth one is situated
near the heart centre and is known as Anahata Chakra. The fifth is
situated at the throat centre and is known as Visuddha Chakra. It
must be noted that all these chakras are situated in the Shushumna
Nadi which passes through the spinal cord, which again passes
through Vertebral Column. These are extremely subtle points and
may not be structural and cannot be located by any sophisticated
instrument available. These were actually 'observed' and seen by
the great Rishis in the stage of Samadhi. Here come the limitations
of modern science. The sixth chakra is situated on the forehead and
between the centre of the two eyebrows. This is known as Ajna
Chakra. The seventh and the last chakra is situated in the centre of
the brain in its uppermost portion. Patanjali does not mention any
such thing in his Yoga Sutras.

8. According to Nath Cult there are 72.000 nerves in the body of

human beings. (10) Out of these ten Nadis are important. Out of
these three are most important. They are known as Ida, Pingala and
Shushumna. Ida is known as Chandra Nadi and is passing through
the left side of the vertebral column. Pingala is known as Surya Nadi
and is passing through the right side of the vertebral column.
Shushumna Nadi is passing through the spinal cord and is known as
Agni Nadi. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras do not mention all this. He does
mention a few Nadis like Kurma Nadi. But the detailed description is
absent.

9. The concept of Prana has been studied in maximum details in

Nath Cult. They say that in the human body there are ten different
types of air or Vayus (11), which are known as Prana, Apana,
Samana, Udana, Vyana, Naga, Kurma, Krikala, Devadatta and
Dhananjaya. Each one is situated in a specific part of the body. Each
one is having specific purpose and function in the body. When we
take the air inside our body, it gets bifurcated into ten branches.
This is just like a stream of water which starts from the Himalayan
Mountains and gets bifurcated into several branches and each
branch becomes a river and is given a separate name. Present
medical science is not in a position to locate these ten different
types of airs. However, our ancient Yogis have actually 'seen' these
different streams of air inside our body. This type of description is
not found in Patanjala Sutras.

10. When we breathe in there is a subtle sound which is known as

'So' and when we breathe out there is a subtle sound which is
known as 'Ham'. (12) Everyone can experience this with slight
practice. This sound of 'Soham' is continuously going on with every
breathing. In a period of one day, that is twenty-four hours, we take
21.600 breathings. That means this type of sound which is known as
Mantra, is being continued in our body for that many number of
times (21.600). If the aspirant observes this mentally and
consciously, this becomes a great Sadhana. This Sadhana is being
given very great importance in the Nath Cult. This is not found in
Patanjala Yoga Sutras (PYS).

11. The most important aspect of the Yoga Sadhana of Jnaneshvara

is the activation of the Kundalini Shakti. This is a Tantric Sadhana of
the Nath Cult. Jnaneshvara has given a detailed account of this
process in his sixth chapter. This is a practical application of the
philosophy of Nath Panth. They say that the whole universe is
created out of the energy of Shiva or Mahashiva or Adinatha. They
call it Shakti or cosmic energy. This energy is occupying the whole
universe. The smallest portion of this energy is known as Kundalini,
and the energy which is present in the entire universe is known as
Maha Kundalini. This energy is present in human beings in potential
form (Supta Shakti). The Yogis who have experienced this energy,
say that this is like a serpent and is situated at the end of the
Shushumna Nadi in a coiled form, in three and a half coils, position.
This also is in line with their philosophy which says "Bramhandi te
Pindi". This means that whatever exists in the universe also exists
in the human being in the subtle form. Nath Cult and their great
masters like Gorakshanath have devised various ways and means to
activate this energy. Saint Jnaneshvara has described one method of
activating this energy. This method has been stated in almost all the
books of Hatha Yoga and Natha Panth and some Upanishads. The
detailed description is available in the sixth chapter of Jnaneshvari.
This energy can also be activated by Mantra Yoga, Laya Yoga and
Bhakti Yoga. That is why we find in Jnaneshvari all these systems of
Upasana.

The ultimate stage of realisation or Moksha as per this colt is the

union of Shakti with Shiva. Hence the aspirant initiated in this cult
has to activate this energy and allow this energy to go through all
the six chakras gradually. The place of Shiva is considered to be in
the last chakra which is known as Sahasrara. In the ultimate stage,
Sadhaka has to transfer this energy to this last chakra. This is
supposed to be the point of union of Shakti with Shiva. One who is
successful in this process, is supposed to be a great Yogi. A number
of spiritual powers known as siddhis are at his disposal in that
stage. A number of examples are available in the ancient Shastras
about the Yogis, who were successful in obtaining this highest
stage. Jnaneshvara had experienced the above union with Shiva and
hence he is known as Maha Yogi. In PYS we do not find anything
about Kundalini Shakti.

12. In Nath cult there is a great importance of a Gun or Master. He is

given the same importance as is given to their ultimate Guru
Adinath. That is why Jnaneshvara is giving maximum importance to
his Guru Nivrittinath and is mentioning his name in Jnaneshvari at a
number of places. Not only that, he gives the entire credit of writing
this book to Nivrittinath. Their philosophy says that the aspirant can
get the ultimate experience of truth or Shiva only with the
continuous guidance of Guru or the Master. We find that every book
of Nath Panth starts after bowing to Guru.

13. In this cult we find a mystic and esoteric act of the transfer of
spiritual energy from the master to the initiated aspirant and the
act is known as Shaktipata. With the tremendous powers of the
master, he can activate the Kundalini energy of the disciple. This
transfer, he can do by touching a specific part of his body or simply
by looking at him. This transfer of energy can be done on the
aspirant who is at a great distance from the master. This is a
peculiar mystical act. After the transfer of energy, the aspirant
experiences a number of supernatural things, a tremendous flow (of
liquid) light, etc. However, those scholars who are really anxious,
should go through the book Awakening of Kundalini written by
Pandit Gopi Krishna, who had undergone all these experiences
before about twenty-five years in Kashmir. The concept of
Shaktipata is not found in PYS.

14. This cult gives a great importance to the practice of certain

physical postures known as Mudras. They are useful in meditation
and also in the activation of Kundalini energy and the six chakras.
Hence every aspirant has to learn these Mudras. The ancient texts
say that such Mudras arc twenty-five. Out of these ten are most
important. With the practice of Mudras the aspirant is in a position
to get rid of any and every disease and can acquire a number of
supernatural powers. Because of these multiple advantages, the
aspirant is taught these postures and after he achieves this
experience, he is taught Pranayama. Mudras arc nowhere
mentioned in PYS.

15. There is a difference between the Dhyana-meditation of

Patanjali and Jnaneshvara. Patanjali gives the definition of Dhyana
as per Sutra No. III.1 and III 2 which are as under. The aspirant has
to concentrate on specific or vital part of the body or on some
external point. This process is known as Dharana. When the
aspirant gets success in the concentration on that particular point,
for a sufficiently long time, it becomes a Dhyana. For the
concentration on that particular point, the aspirant has to use his
mind. However, in Kundalini Yoga, the aspirant has not to use his
mind at all. He has to practise Kumbhaka, wherein the function of
mind totally stops. Instead of concentrating on any particular point,
the aspirant has to activate the Kundalini energy. This is a much
superior way. This opinion has been confirmed by Sir John
Woodroffe, in his book The Serpent Power on page No. 314 and 315
of the eleventh edition, which the learned scholars and philosophers
can refer to any time.

16. Patanjali gives a broad division of Samadhi, which is termed as

SamprajnataSamadhi and Asamprajnata Samadhi. However, the
stage of Samadhi has been studied in details by the Nath cult and
which is followed by Jnaneshvara in toto. Nath cult has categorised
Samadhi in six types which are known as I ) Dhyana Yoga Samadhi,
2) Nada Yoga Samadhi, 3) Rasananda Yoga Samadhi, 4) Laya yoga
Samadhi, 5) Bhakti Yoga Samadhi, and 6) Raja Yoga Samadhi. How
each Samadhi can be experienced is also discussed in details.
Scholars and philosophers can refer chapter seven of Gheranda
Samhita which gives the entire description.

To conclude, I would like to state that both these systems of Yoga

are different. The reason is obvious. Their philosophical base is
altogether different. That is why the Yoga of Nath Panth
accommodates Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Mantra Yoga, and Bhakti
Yoga. This Yoga Philosophy is therefore multi-dimensional. Besides
the results here are very fast. This has been promised by
Gorakshanath in his book. However, it is advisable that the practices
of this Yoga should be undertaken under an able and experienced
master. To end the paper, I would like to quote the verse No. IV.114
(13) from Hatha Yoga Pradipika. It says that till you are not in a
position to activate the Kundalini energy, till you are not in a
position to have perfect control over your pranic force, till you are
not in a position to clear the path of Shushumna Nadi, all your
knowledge is external, futile and full of ego. It is only an exercise of
talking and nothing else. Hence he says that this is a process which
has to be experienced only.

References

Jnanesvari by Sakhare Maharaj. Goraksa-paddhati by Gorakshanath.

Gheranda Samhita - Commentary by Shree Swamiji Maharaj. Hatha-
yoga-Pradipika by Shree Swatmarama Yogi Patanjala Yoga (Sutra)
Pradipa by Swami Omananda Tirtha. Patanjala Yoga Darsana by K.K.
Kolhatkar Yoga Yajnavalkya Siddha-Siddhanta-Paddhati by
Gorakshanath Shiva-Samhita - Commentary by Dr. K.R. Joshi

Note: Sri Sri Pungaliya was founder and president of the Institute of
Yoga and Allied Research, Pune, India until his mahasamadhi in
1999. Dr. Pungaliya was a very exceptional and talented healer,
yoga teacher, scholar, researcher, and organizer who had a natural
genius for yoga. He facilitated international Yoga and Philosophy
Conferences, most occuring in Pune, India. His many publications
are extremely relevant, but very rare to find.

The Institute of Yoga and Allied Research was a tremendous boon to

Mahrasthra's yoga community. Its many activities fostered
participant's sadhana as well as promoted yoga. Sri Sri Pungaliya
has been a shining star and light in my spiritual search. Pranams to
him and to the eternal love principle that he so beautifully
embodied. Jai Sita Ram!

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