About the Book Jnana Yoga by Swami Vivekananda guides one to the path of enlightenment. It involves deep exploration of ourselves and our surroundings, setting aside false identities. Jnana Yoga enables to attain knowledge of the true nature of reality through the practice of meditation, self-inquiry, and contemplation. One learns about the mental techniques of self-questioning, reflection and conscious illumination that are defined in the Four Pillars of Jnana Yoga: Viveka distinguishes between what is real and what is not, what is eternal and what is transient; Vairagya states non-attachment to material possessions; Shat-sampat calms one, teaches perseverance, sharpens concentration and focus and trains the mind to see beyond the physical world; Mumukshutva is the sense of intense eagerness for emancipation from suffering, essential for finding Moksh. As Swami Vivekananda quotes, "Jnana Yoga, or the science of the Self, is not a subject that can be understood and realized through mere intellectual study, reasoning, discussion or arguments. It is the most difficult of all sciences."
About the Author Swami Vivekananda (12 January 1863 - 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk. He was a chief disciple of the 19th century Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world, and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century. He was a major force in the contemporary Hindu reform movements in India, and contributed to the concept of nationalism in colonial India. Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. He is perhaps best known for his speech which began with the words "Sisters and brothers of America ," in which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893. He later travelled to the United States, representing India at the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions. In India, Vivekananda is regarded as a patriotic saint, and his birthday is celebrated as National Youth Day. He died on 4 July 1902.
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