The various meanings of the term ‘vij~nAnam’

  The term ‘vij~nAnam’ is used in several different senses in the gItA, the upanishads and the bhAshya.

1.In gItA, 9.1, the terms j~nAnam and vij~nAnam appear. Here the term ‘j~nAnam’ means  ‘the mediate knowledge (paroksha j~nAnam) attained from the scriptures and the guru. The term ‘vij~nAnam’ means the direct or immediate experience of  the knowledge, or realization (aparoksha anubhUti).

  2. In gItA 18.42 the term ‘vij~nAnam’ means the same as in gItA, 9.1.

  3. in br.. up. 3.9.28-7--  vij~nAnam Anandam brahma-- vij~nAnam means ‘consciousness’, the very nature of brahman.

  4.In br. up.2.1.17 there appears the expression “prANAnAm vij~nAnam vij~nAnena  AdAya”.

Here prANa means ‘all the organs’. The word prANa is used in the sense  of organs (indriyas) in the upanishads in several places.

‘prANAnAm’ means ‘of the organs’ and ‘vij~nAnam’ here means ‘the capacities of the organs in their respective fields’, according to Sri Sankara.

The word vij~nAnena means ‘through vijnanam’- here the word ‘vij~nAnam’ has been interpreted by Sri Sankara as meaning the particular manifestation of consciousness in the inner organ. (antaHkaraNam).

AdAya means ‘withdrawing’.

The meaning of this sentence is “Withdrawing the functions of the organs with the consciousness that is reflected in the mind”. This refers to the deep sleep state. 

Thus, in this one sentence the word ‘‘vij~nAnam’ has been used twice, in two different, unusual senses.

  5. In the bhAshya on brahma sUtra. 2.3.30, the term vij~nAnamaya occurring in br. up. 4.3.7 is interpreted as ‘buddhimaya’. This means  ‘the AtmA identified with the intellect’.

  6.  In the bhAshya on brahma sUtra 2.3.36, the word ‘vij~nAnam’ appearing in taitt. up. 2.5.1, “vij~nAnam yajnam tanute” is interpreted as meaning ‘jIva’.

  7. In the bhAshya on brahma sUtra 2.3.40, the word vij~nAnam is interpreted as ‘buddhi’ or intellect.

  8. In the bhAshyas on brahma sutra 3.3.1 and 3.3.5, the word vij~nAnam has been given the unusual sense of ‘meditation’.

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