uddhava wrote:1) OK, so 'Raja Yoga' in BK is not really adding anything to the three more well known yogas. 2) It is just a term indicating a combination of the three. I think the three all incorporate each other anyway so, for example, the path of Bhakti Yoga does not exclude jnana Yoga and karma Yoga but just means that Bhakti is emphasised above the other two. 3) I wonder how the three are ranked in importance in BK / PBK etc or perhaps they are all considered equal?
Dear Soul,
1) It is totally new, because The Knowledge is totaly different.
2) Not correct because of 1). And in other philosophies, the three are treated totally different and are considered that they are cannot be combined or are independent of each other. For example, "kaayakave kailaasa" = Work is Worship = Find God in your work (karmayoga). It says there is no need to think of God. Do your duties honestly. There are stories written that a butcher can realize God if he just does his that duty honestly. [What about a thief?]
In the well known yogas (that were present before BKWSU), karmayoga means finding (assuming more precisely) God in karma. There is no need to know (no need of knowledge) who is God. But rajayoga is adding God and love (Yoga) into karma. Without knowledge, rajayoga is impossible.
3) But complete knowledge is huge and is like ocean. To remember God, there is no need of the full knowledge. Just The Knowledge of soul and Supreme Soul is enough. It is just forgetting all the mortal things and remembering eternal things (Soul and Supreme Soul). Hence a BK Rajayogi forgets even The Knowledge at his highest consciousness. Knowledge is like boat and Yoga is like moving towards the goal. Knowledge is like ladder and Yoga is climbing.
At peak level, ladder becomes waste. Similarly at the highest concentration, a BK Rajayogi forgets knowledge (of 84 births) and merges just in God. Hence Yoga is called as vijnaan. Vijnaan has two meanings. 1) Better (Higher) than gyaan and 2) Without gyaan. Because Yoga (climbing The Ladder) is definitely better than just jnaan (having ladder) and at peak stage, the BK Rajayogi feels that he is not climbing at all (jeevanmukti stage, carefree stage, no tiredness). There is no dependence on jnaan. He is like embodiement of jnaan.
In Bhaktimarg, people have just faith*. No determination to become viceless (few exceptions are there). But there is no knowledge at all. Hence in BK Rajayogi, the word Bhakti is not used. Bhakta (devotee) has opposite meaning (ajnaani) of gyaani. Since jnaana (knowledge), Bhakti (love) cannot be separated in Rajayoga [Actually, anywhere it cannot be separated. For example, to develop a relation (Yoga), there is need of both knowledge of the relation and love in that.
Hence I feel that the so called yogas present in the world are false yogas].
Hence there cannot be ranking in true sense. But the percentage of Gyan and Bhakti (love) can vary from a BK to another BK. One BK may have more love towards God than having full knowledge of 84 births. So, in that way, it can be said that one who loves God and having less knowledge about 84 births is better than one who knows more about 84 births and has less love (remembers less) towards God.
Hence real Yoga means right remembrance. There is both knowledge (right) and love (remembrance). And hence BK Rajayoga is REAL. Note: In the above gyaan = jnaan.