ज्ञानयोग

Jnana yoga is the path in which a seeker recognises the truth through discernment and reflection. Verse 3.3 describes it as the commitment of those who lean towards reflection. Knowledge here means the understanding that tells the lasting from the passing, the Self from the body, and enters the decisions of life.

It does not mean collecting information. A widely read person can still be caught in fear and attachment. The Gita’s knowledge is what loosens something within, and this is why the path connects with the view of Sankhya.

Verses 5.4-5 say that speaking of knowledge and action as giving different fruits is a sign of the half-informed; a seeker properly established in either receives the fruit of both, and both reach the same supreme state. In verse 12.12 knowledge is called better than practice without understanding, but the same verse shows that knowledge is not the last stop: meditation and renunciation of fruits are named after it.

The jnana yogi’s task is therefore not to withdraw from life but to see life with clear eyes.