The Three Yogas in the context of monotheistic Hinduism are three religious paths for the human spirit to achieve union (yoga) with Ishvara, Supreme Being, i.e. God. They are 1.Karma Yoga or the Path of Action (karma) 2.Bhakti Yoga or the Path of Devotion (bhakti) 3.Jnana Yoga or the Path of Knowledge (jnana) These concepts are introduced in the Bhagavad Gita and become extremely popular in the course of the Bhakti movement. They are elaborated upon in the Vaishna Bhagavata Purana. The Bhagavad Gita had been made practically the only source for the means to moksha with the development of Classical Hinduism in the 8th or 9th century, and Hindu philosophers of the medieval period have tried to explain the nature of these three paths and the relation between them. Shankara tended to focus on jnana-yoga exclusively, which he interpreted as the acquisition( овладение) of knowledge or vidya. He considered karma-yoga to be inferior(второстепенный), and ignores bhakti-yoga entirely. The 12th-century philosopher Ramanuja considered the three yogas by interpreting his predecessor Yamunacharya. In Ramanuja's interpretation, bhakti-yoga appears to be the direct path to moksha, which is however available only to those whose inner faculties(способности) have already been trained by both karma-yoga and jnana-yoga. A "fourth yoga" is sometimes added, Raja Yoga or "the Path of Meditation". This is the classical Yoga presented in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Patanjali's system came to be known as Raja Yoga or "Royal Yoga" retro-actively, in about the 15th century, as the term Yoga had become popular for the general concept of a "religious path". The systematic presentation of Hindu monotheism as divided into these four paths or "Yogas" is modern, advocated by Swami Vivekananda from the 1890s. They are presented as four paths to God suitable for four human temperaments, viz. the active, the emotional, the mystic and the philosophical. Karma yoga Karma yoga or the "discipline of action" is a form of yoga based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. Of the four paths to realization, karma yoga is the process of achieving perfection in action. Karma yoga is an intrinsic(важный) part of many derivative(выведенный) types of yoga, such as Natya Yoga. Karma yoga is often understood as a yoga of selfless (altruistic) service. Concept The word "karma" is derived from the Sanskrit kri, meaning 'to do'. In its most basic sense karma simply means action, and yoga translates to union. Thus karma yoga literally translates to the path of union through action. However, in Vedantic philosophy the word karma means both action and the effects of such action. Karma yoga is described as a way of acting, thinking and willing by which one orients oneself toward realization by acting in accordance with one's duty (dharma) without consideration of personal self-centered desires, likes or dislikes. One acts without being attached to the fruits of one's deeds. Krishna explains that work done without selfish expectations purifies one's mind and gradually makes an individual fit to see the value of reason. He states that it is not necessary to remain in external solitude, or remain actionless, in order to practice a spiritual life, since the state of action or inaction is primarily determined in the mind. Bhakti yoga Bhakti yoga is a spiritual path described in Hindu philosophy which is supposed to be for fostering love, utter faith and surrender to God. It is a means to realize God, and is the easiest way for the common person because it doesn't involve extensive yogic practices. Philosophy Bhakti is a Sanskrit term that signifies an attitude of devotion to a personal God that is similar to a number of human-human relationships (difference is that in bhakti relationships is soul-Supersoul, soul-God) such as beloved-lover, friend-friend, parent-child, and master-servant. The Bhagavata Purana teaches nine primary forms of bhakti, as explained by Prahlada: (1) śravaṇa ("listening" to the scriptural stories of Kṛṣṇa and his companions), (2) kīrtana ("praising," usually refers to ecstatic(восторженный) group singing), (3) smaraṇa ("remembering" or fixing the mind on Viṣṇu), (4) pāda-sevana (rendering(визуализация) service), (5) arcana (worshiping an image), (6) vandana (paying homage), (7) dāsya (servitude), (8) sākhya (friendship), and (9) ātma-nivedana(complete surrender of the self). These nine principles of devotional service are described as helping the devotee remain constantly in touch with God. Jnana yoga Jñāna yoga is the pronunciation can be approximated by "nyaana yoga") or "path of knowledge" is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies. Jñāna in Sanskrit means "knowledge" Goal of jnana-yoga As used in the Bhagavad Gita, the Advaita philosopher Adi Shankara gave primary importance to jñāna yoga as "knowledge of the absolute" (Brahman), while the Vishishtadvaita commentator Ramanuja regarded knowledge only as a condition of devotion. In the Bhagavad Gita (13.3) Krishna says that jñāna consists of properly understanding kshetra (the field of activity—that is, the body) and kshetra-jna (the knower of the body—that is, the soul). Later in the Gita (13.35) Krishna emphasizes that a transcendentalist(трансценденталист) must understand the difference between these two.Sri Ganapatrao Maharaj Kannur emphasizes the significance of knowing self so as to know the supreme(верховный) and that it is essential to vanquish(подавлять) the ego and the identification with the body.
What do you know about yoga as teaching? Have you heard anything about these three religious paths? Do you think that yoga as a religion has more important meaning than yoga as sport? Do you believe that yoga can help find inner harmony? Do you interested in yoga?
Thanks for the interesting and very informative blog Everything is written very clearly and laconically) It was very fascinating for me to read your blog, because I had done yoga myself, but I didn't delve in such a detailed study of its directions. I really believe that yoga is a very useful activity for physical development and for achieving inner harmony. However, many people start doing yoga without a specific purpose or without the right attitude. Then yoga could have a detrimental effect on them.
These information is new for me, because I thought yoga is submitted only as meditation nowadays. A lot of people perceive yoga as a sport. I think we shouldn't forget about its religion basis. To my mind, together these three types of yoga represent the meaning of life. We must do only good things, get knowledge and learn ourselves, and "Love thy neighbor". Personaly, I'm interested in yoga as a religion movement, because I accept its ideas.
Everything is written very clearly and laconically)