The umbrella of “Hinduism” also has many Bhakti schools such as Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, and many others. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are examples of this path, where God is meant to be loved and followed, and faith is an imperative. Jnana Yoga : The path of knowledge (aka the “direct path”)īhakti means “love” or “devotion.” This is the most common path, and is characterised by devotion and faith to God.
Raja Yoga : The path of meditation (aka the “royal Yoga”) Karma Yoga : The path of unselfish action However, each does serve certain purposes better than others. The four Yogas are not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary to each other. The word “ Yoga” comes from the root word yuj which can mean to join (as in the English word “yoke”), but can also mean “to contemplate.” The four Yogas are not limited to the umbrella of Hinduism, but also include paths which may have never intersected with it, as we shall see in the following sections. These are called the four Yogas, and are a framework to better understand the various “spiritual” paths that humanity has devised over the past several millennia. In this week’s article, we will discuss the four paths to Moksha, or freedom from suffering.
Moksha : Freedom from the cycle of suffering Welcome back! Last week, we went over the four Purushaarthas, or the four purposes of human life.