Now, the third word, Bijnan, is to be defined in the spiritual context.
Science is very popular nowadays; people love to speak in terms of scientific data, scientific mind, scientific attitude, and scientific way. So let us first explain this word “science.”
The common definition of the word “science” is the organized knowledge of facts and phenomena, gained and verified by exact observation and controlled experiments.
Such systematic knowledge in the light of Kriya or spiritual science is called Khanda Jnan (also spelled as Jnana) “relative knowledge.”
Strictly speaking, it is ignorance, because the observer (the experimenter) is observing phenomena outside of himself, so his knowledge rises from relative existences.
The Sanskrit word Bijnan, also spelled as Bigyan, literally means “science.”
But if the word is scanned, then it reveals the secret key to its spiritual context. Bi has at least four meanings:
- Bi: Bises means “absolute,”
- Bi: Bilaya means “dissolved,”
- Bi: Bita means “overcome,” or “transcended,”
- Bi: Bigata means “past.”
In this case, Bi stands for “absolute.” Jnan means “Knowledge.”
So the word Bijnan actually means “absolute Knowledge,” that is, Akhanda (A: “no,” khanda: “relative”) or Purna (complete) jnan; in other words, dissolved state of so-called relative and scientific knowledge.
The real Knowledge transcends or dissolves both knowledge and nescience.
When the Yogi utters the word Bijnan (science), he does not mean “modern science;” rather, he means absolute Knowledge, or the state of Oneness with the ultimate Self.
In the light of Kriya, Jnan means Yonimudra (in which the seeker is involved in dualism or seeing inner Revelations in between the eyebrows) and Bijnan means “After-effect-poise of Kriya, or Parabastha, where the seeker transcends or dissolves the role of the seer (Rishi) and becomes one with the absolute Self.
“Jnan (knowledge) is seeing the inner Self between the eyebrows, Bijnan (science: absolute Realization) is After-effect-poise of Kriya (Parabastha).” 6:8 Gita Commentaries by Lahiri Mahasay.
“Beyond Realization and ignorance is the state of Bijnan (the science of absolute Realization).” Linga Purana, Commentaries by Lahiri Mahasay.
In Kriya, or spiritual science in general, the seeker (Knower) knows himself/herself and the Self, being both subject (knower) and the object (known), as well the knowledge of the Self (Realization) which rises from absolute Existence. It is then absolute Knowledge.
Now, we are in a better position to understand what the Kriya Yoga Bijnan is. Kriya Yoga Bijnan is a scientific (not in the popular sense, rather, in the sense of universal or ultimate) discipline through which by practicing Kriya with the help of Breath, the seeker attains eternal Realization, or the absolute Knowledge of the ultimate Self.
Realizing the ultimate Self is the only way to attain absolute Knowledge, which in fact, is the real state of Bijnan (Consciousness or Science).
In this respect, Kriya Yoga Bijnan is the Science of all sciences.
Kriya Bijnan does not demand belief in anything outside the seeker’s self; rather, the seeker seeks the ultimate Self from within.
The ultimate Self is the source of all (creation, and the creator, God). The ultimate Self is the Self of God.
“O Father [inner Self], glorify [tune] thou me [seeker] with thine own self [Sthirattva, “eternal Tranquility”] with the glory I had with thee before [prior] the world [the creation, or restless breath] was .” John 17:5
The denotation of the term “Self” is formless Existence, while the connotation of the term “Self” is infinite pure Consciousness.
So denotation, connotation, and the meaning of the term Self in the light of logic, reasoning and the intellect are resolved and transcended in the vibration of the Self:
- S – State of Consciousness,
- E – Eternity,
- L – Liberated, and
- F – Free.
It may be mentioned here that Brahma and Brahma in English are spelled the same, but they do not mean the same in Sanskrit. They are two different states of Consciousness. The first is the ultimate Self and the latter is the Creator, God, or Iswara, associated with the Maya, “Power of creation,” or “illusion.”
Thus the ultimate Self or Atman being the Source of Existence is beyond God, or Iswara.
The ultimate Self is “Undifferentiated, Non-qualified, and pure Consciousness.” This form of Brahma is Nirguna, (Ni – “no,” guna – “quality”) Brahma.
When He possesses qualities, He becomes Saguna Brahma (Sa – “with,” guna – “quality”). The latter form is equivalent to the creator Brahma, Iswara and God.
That is why everyone including the skeptic can realize the ultimate Self by sincere Kriya practice even without believing in God.
Of course, everyone has to renounce “the expectations for the results of the practice in the form of Liberation.”
This is the unique novelty of the Kriya Path. It is as broad and clear as the sky and free of the verbal hucksterism and casuistry often associated with dualistic philosophies.
“Kriya, seeing beatific visions, and the After-effect-poise of Kriya – all these are Bhakti, ‘devotion’ or ‘Love’ of the mind, before one attains Purna Jnan, ‘the absolute Knowledge.’ ” 2:117 Manusanghita, Commentaries by Lahiri Mahasay.
The Kriya Path includes Bhakti Yoga, the path of Love and Devotion, which involves dualism (the worshipper and worshipped).
When the seeker sees beatific inner visions or Revelations by the practice of Kriya (Yonimudra) and listens to the inner Sound, OM, by the practice of Omkar Kriyas, it is the Bhakti aspect of the Kriya Path.
But the Kriya Yoga Path leads the seeker beyond this, dissolving emotional love and devotion which results from an anthropomorphic concept of God.
The Kriya Path provides absolute Realization, wherein the seeker attains the state beyond the After-effect-poise of Kriya (Kriyar Parabastha).
All these manifold manifestations melt into Oneness at the time of After-effect-poise of Kriya.
The seer (the seeker) of the beatific inner Revelations becomes Self, that is, one with the pure Being (absolute Self); he then attains eternal absolute Realization beyond dualism. Lahiri Mahasay called it Kriyar Parabasthar Parabastha, that is, “the state of Consciousness beyond the After-effect-poise of Kriya.”