JNÂNA YOGA PART II [Illustration: SWÂMI VIVEKÂNANDA] VEDÂNTA PHILOSOPHY JNÂNA YOGA PART II _SEVEN LECTURES_ BY SWÂMI VIVEKÂNANDA PUBLISHED BY THE VEDÂNTA SOCIETY 135 West 80th Street NEW YORK COPYRIGHT, 1907 BY SWÂMI ABHEDÂNANDA NEW YORK THE BAKER & TAYLOR CO., 33 EAST 17TH ST. EDITOR’S PREFACE The lectures given in this volume were originally delivered by Swâmi Vivekânanda in New York in the beginning of 1896, and were received with the greatest enthusiasm. Their purely philosophical character, however, made it doubtful as to whether they would appeal to the general public, and for that reason they were not brought out in book form at once. The great success of the London lectures on Jnâna Yoga, which were published several years ago and which have already gone through two editions, now encourages the belief that this series will meet with an equally favorable reception. The conception of Jnâna according to Vedânta is a bold and daring one, and reaches the highest possible ideal, for it teaches the absolute unity of all existence. As will be easily understood by the students of the former volume, Jnâna Yoga is purely monistic on the highest spiritual plane. Speaking about this phase of Vedânta, Prof. Max Müller writes: “None of our philosophers, not excepting Heraclitus, Plato, Kant, or Hegel has ventured to erect such a spire, never frightened by storms or lightnings. Stone follows on stone in regular succession after once the first step has been made, after once it has been clearly seen that in the beginning there can have been but One, as there will be but One in the end, whether we call It Âtman or Brahman.” This may be a difficult thought for many to grasp at the outset, but it is worth careful study, and once understood will be a never-failing light to guide the enquiring soul to the crowning truth of all philosophy. CONTENTS. JNÂNA YOGA--PART II. INTRODUCTION 9 I. THE SÂNKHYA COSMOLOGY 21 II. PRAKRITI AND PURUSHA 44 III. SÂNKHYA AND ADVAITA 69 IV. THE FREE SOUL 94 V. ONE EXISTENCE APPEARING AS MANY 121 VI. UNITY OF THE SELF 141 VII. THE HIGHEST IDEAL OF JNÂNA YOGA 157 INTRODUCTION