‘Holistic’ is a term widely popular these days. Holistic medicine, holistic management, holistic education, a holistic approach…, the world seems possessed by holistic ways. Despite this emerging interest in holistic-ism, not many people understand the need to have a similar approach for leading a spiritual life. They speak of being meditative, at the cost of being active, or being devotional at the cost of being a seeker of knowledge. Somehow, they feel that only either could be true. ‘How could one be a karma yogi and a bhakti yogi and a jnana yogi at the same time?,’ they ask with a tinge of sarcasm and non-belief. It is all right, they seem to say, to have holistic medicine or holistic administration, but in matters spiritual, one should be exclusive. They feel every yoga should be followed to the exclusion of other yogas.

Though one’s temperamental needs do make one particular yoga more suitable to oneself than others, spirituality cannot be an exclusive process. It is, and has to be, an all-inclusive, all-absorbing process. One can be devotional, but that does not prevent one from being a seeker of knowledge or from being an active worker simultaneously. In fact, there is an urgent need to understand how indivisible spiritual life is. You cannot live a spiritually vibrant life in pieces nor can one divide it.

To understand this puzzle, let us first understand what yoga is. Definitely, performing asanas cannot be called yoga, as much as dressing vegetables can be called cooking, though cooking includes dressing the vegetables. Doing asanas is only a part of the bigger term yoga. In fact, yoga is so broad a term that asanas form just a small part of it. Yoga means to join. This presumes separation. Yoga believes that we are divine, but somehow, somewhere, we have been separated from our divine core, and this separation is the cause of all our miseries, sufferings and limitations. Just as separation is the root cause of our present state of affairs, joining (Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, which means ‘to join’) with our divine heritage is the final solution to all our problems. Suppose a person having American nationality has been deprived of his national citizenship for some reason. Thus deprived, all his rights as of a natural citizen are forfeited. He can neither vote, nor own a house, nor travel freely, nor have any of the advantages of being a natural citizen. If, however, he regains his citizenship, everything—all rights and opportunities—come back to him unasked. So too, when we regain our true identity, all our right to divine qualities—to joy, contentment, strength, wisdom—in short, our eternal life, returns to us naturally. This is what yoga aims to do—to help us rejoin or regain our lost identity.

How does yoga propose to do it?

‘This,’ Swami Vivekananda answers, ‘is attained by what we in India call yoga—union. To the worker, it is union between men and the whole of humanity; to the mystic, between his lower and higher Self; to the lover, union between himself and the God of Love; and to the philosopher, it is the union of all existence.’¹

Once, in 1901, Ranada Prasad Dasgupta, the founder and professor of Jubilee Art Academy, Calcutta, paid a visit to Swami Vivekananda at Belur Math. Ranada Babu, as he was popularly called, was an expert artist, well read in his field, and an admirer of Swamiji. During his visit, Swamiji discussed with him various topics related to art and architecture. In the course of their conversation, Swamiji showed him the sketch of the Emblem depicting this synthesis of yogas that he had in mind. An excerpt from the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda:

Then Swamiji had the design which he had sketched for the seal of the Ramakrishna Mission brought, showed it to Ranada Babu and asked his opinion on it. It depicted a lake in which a lotus blossomed, and there was a swan, and the whole was encircled by a serpent. Ranada Babu at first could not catch the significance of it and asked Swamiji to explain. Swamiji said, ‘The wavy waters in the picture are symbolic of Karma; the lotus of Bhakti; and the rising-sun, of Jnana. The encircling serpent is indicative of Yoga and the awakened Kundalini Shakti, while the swan in the picture stands for the Paramatman (Supreme Self). Therefore the idea of the picture is that by the union of Karma, Jnana, Bhakti, and Yoga, the vision of the Paramatman is obtained.’²

Thus Swami Vivekananda summarized the ideal of harmony of Yogas.
 

(This graphic description of the grand synthesis is the official emblem of the Ramakrishna Order. It is used in all publications, and official, legal and financial transactions of the Order.)

Wavy waters represent the dynamic aspect of reality. Water is one of the five elements, which, according to Hindu cosmology, constitute the whole of the visible and invisible material world. Purusha Sukta says, ‘From water came creation (adbyah sambhutah).’ This idea of creation states that though One, the Ultimate Reality, decided to become many. From this was born Hiranyagarbha (the Golden Womb) and from that came all elements of nature including water.³

Like wavy water, this world of Karma is always in motion. It is ever changing, ever taking new forms, creating fresh situations and perspectives. That is what this world is—a bundle of constant change. In Sanskrit, this ever-changing world is often called bhava-sagara, the ocean of relative existence. A karma yogi learns to travel through this restlessness of change by remaining calm and detached. He is like the proverbial lotus leaf which never gets wet though it is in touch with water always. Sri Ramakrishna best describes the ideal of a karma yogi when he likens the human mind to a boat. He said that the boat can be in water, but the water should not be in the boat.

Karma Yoga is the art of remaining detached, unaffected by the results of action, good and bad. It is not running away but facing the challenges of life through skilful action. As Swami Vivekananda said, ‘Do not fly away from the wheels of the world-machine, but stand inside it and learn the secret of work. Through proper work done inside, it is also possible to come out.’⁴

Water, thus, is a symbol of Karma Yoga.

The lotus also represents purity and non-attachment, and is a symbol of Bhakti or love for God. Most people let their love flow towards the world. But a devotee redirects his love only towards God, who resides in one’s heart. Though God is present everywhere, it is in the heart, our spiritual centre, that he manifests most. The heart of the devotee is the ‘Lord’s drawing room.’

Loving God does not mean offering an elaborate ritualistic worship but offering one’s love and heart to him. God is pleased not by what is given to him but how that is given to him. Narada calls Bhakti or love of God as its own greatest reward. Bhakti is not a means to an end, but an end in itself.

Lotus, thus, is a symbol of Bhakti Yoga.

Jnana yoga is not about gaining more and more knowledge about the objects of the senses, or to have more ideas contained in books, but it is a process of dis-covering the inherent Self. It is a search for the subjective knowledge, and ultimately, through that, discovering the underlying existential foundation of the whole world and even beyond. It is a journey of the alone to the Alone, which is of the nature of Existence-Knowledge-Bliss (sat-chit-ananda).

Rising Sun, thus, is a symbol of Jnana Yoga.

A systematic approach to channelling and guiding of one’s spiritual power has been expounded in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The basic principle of this yoga of mind control is to dis-identify us from the body-mind through meditation and concentration. This path is called the Royal Path, Raja Yoga, because it is the most direct approach to the science of spirituality.

Encircling Serpent, thus, is a symbol of Raja Yoga.

One of the interpretations of hamsa is Sun, representing Light and Knowledge. Srimat Bhagavatam (11.13:15-21) even mentions imparting of knowledge by God in the form of a hamsa.

Swami Vivekananda believed that by the combination of these four yogas (Karma, Bhakti, Jnana and Raja Yoga), the experience of the Supreme Reality (represented by Swan) can be had. Not only that. Realizing the Supreme Reality is the real, ultimate aim of human existence, too. Religion becomes fulfilled only when one experiences that Reality. Says Swamiji, ‘If there is God, we must see Him; if there is a soul, we must perceive it . . . ’⁶

Let us presume this world to be Lord’s sport (leela). God likes to play hide and seek with human beings. Though ever present, He has, as if, drawn a veil of avidya or ignorance upon Himself. Having thus hidden Himself behind this veil of Maya or avidya, God keeps the play going. This veil or screen is so charming, creating attractive images, fascinating scenes and pleasing temptations that human beings just busy themselves with the veil and forget the Lord behind the veil. Thus goes on this cycle of pain and pleasure, success and failure, competition and greed and so on. Just for the sake of scenes on the veil people undergo numerous hardships, disappointments and separations in life, without realising the Reality behind. ‘The face of Truth is concealed by a golden vessel,’ says Isha Upanishad.7 Truth or God (which is the highest generalisation of Truth ever possible) lies covered with a seeming reality. This is what the world is—seemingly real.

A time comes, however, when human beings wake up to the need to see behind the veil, to uncover the play of the Lord, and meet their lost beloved.

- When this search for God begins, some seekers visualise the presence of God not outside but as someone hiding within our own mind. The ‘veil’ after all is not outside but a covering upon the mind itself. Hence, they think,’ let us withdraw our mind and concentrate and meditate and try to seek to still the mind and see the hidden Reality, or God within.’ Having thus ‘found out’, He reveals Himself to them. These are the followers of Raja Yoga—meditation and concentration is their method.

- Some others, though they haven’t actually experienced, start asserting, ‘God is so very near, we have found Him out, we have found Him out.’ Since in reality, there is no difference between man and God, and since these people deny all difference born of avidya, God reveals Himself out. They realise the thin, illusionary line that separates them from God who is their real Self anyway. These are the followers of Jnana Marga, or the path of Self-enquiry.

- There are others, who understand the presence of their beloved behind the veil but cannot see Him as yet, think, ‘O! He is there behind the veil, watching us doing everything. Let us therefore work only to please Him, and not do anything for our own personal private glory.’ Their all actions are meant for the Lord, and to such, He reveals. Free from attachment and greed, they work only for the good of others. These are the travellers on the path of Karma Yoga.

- Finally, there are Bhaktas, the devotees, who realize that, in fact, nothing can make God come out of His hiding. All struggles to realise Him are only methods to work out one’s ego. Until He agrees to reveal, we cannot see Him. They, like children, cry their heart out, expressing their inability to find Him out. They beseech and pray and wait. Unable to bear their earnest entreaties, Lord steps out of the veil. This is the path of bhakti or pure devotion to God.

In every case, it is an attempt to reach God. But of all these four approaches to Reality, Jnana and Bhakti are two major approaches, based as they are, on the concept of Reality. Jnani says, I am—not the body or the mind—but the pure IS-ness. Bhakta says, I am not —only God IS. And according to our scriptures, there is no difference between the Atman and Paramatman. The difference is only in approach, not in the Goal. Says a popular saying:

 ‘That which is the summit of Jnana, that is called Bhakti, and that which is the summit of Bhakti, that is called Jnana.’⁸

Swami Vivekananda, referring to those who dispute this Jnana-Bhakti-tangle, once said:
‘There is no controversy between the Bhakta and the Jnani regarding the Sat (existence) aspect of Brahman. Only, the Jnanis lay greater stress on His aspect of Chit or knowledge, while the Bhaktas keep the aspect of Ananda or love more in view. But no sooner is the essence of Chit realised than the essence of Ananda is also realised. Because what is Chit is verily the same as Ananda.’⁹

From another perspective, this Jnana-Bhakti combination has been described as 'the path Yoga-Vedanta Synthesis.' Here Yoga stands for the various techniques in concentration and meditation, and Vedanta, for the lofty ideal of divine unity of all existence. Sri Ramakrishna himself spoke of the various aspects of this integral vision of the Reality and the ways to make a sythesis of different approaches to spiritual life.¹⁰

To sum up, the ideal of holistic approach to spiritual life is the need of the hour. Whatever be one’s inclination or temperament, one should try to reach the harmony of the yogas of Jnana, Karma, Bhakti and Psychic control. Spiritual life, after all, concerns our whole life. It is spiritualising all our actions, emotions, thoughts and will which these yogas represent. Swami Vivekananda, indeed, was a prophet to have seen the need for this synthesis of yoga for living spiritual life in today’s world of globalisation.

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