jnana

English

Alternative forms

• gnana, gyan, jñāna

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-

Sanskrit ज्ञा (jñā)

Proto-Indo-European *-nósder.

Sanskrit -अन (-ana)

Sanskrit ज्ञान (jñāna)bor.

English jnana

Borrowed from Sanskrit ज्ञान (jñāna, “knowledge”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dʒəˈnɑː.nə/
• (South Asia) IPA^(key): /dʒnɑːn(ə)/, /ɡjɑːn(ə)/

Noun

jnana (countable and uncountable, plural jnanas)

1. (Hinduism) The knowledge, acquired through meditation, that one's self (atman) is identical with Ultimate Reality (Brahman).
   • 1969, Swami Rāmānandasarasvatī, The Hindu Ideal, Sri Ramananda Centenary Memorial Committee, page 291,

     The dualists, Sri Vaishnavas in particular, seem to entertain a strong opinion that Bhakti alone is the cause of Moksha, and that Jnana is but a step towards Bhakti.

   • 1986, The Vedanta Kesari, Ramakrishna Math, page 316,

     The knower of Atman realizes Him by Jnana Yoga (the path of knowledge).

   • 2004, M. G. Chitkara, Vedic Religious Tradition, APH Publishing Corporation, page 375:

     Jnana is a direct knowing of things as they really are.

2. (Buddhism) Pure awareness that is free of conceptual encumbrances.

Derived terms

• jnana marga
• jnana yoga

Translations

(Hinduism) the knowledge, acquired through meditation, that one's self (atman) is identical with Ultimate Reality (Brahman)

• Bengali: জ্ঞান (bn) (gên)
• Burmese: ဉာဏ (my) (nyana.)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 智 (zh) (zhì)

• Hindi: ज्ञान (hi) m (jñān)
• Khmer: ញាណ (km) (ñiən)
• Lao: ຍານ (nyān)
• Pali: ñāṇa m or f
• Russian: джня́на f (džnjána), джна́на f (džnána), гья́на f (gʹjána)
• Sanskrit: ज्ञान (sa) n (jñā́na)
• Thai: ญาณ (th) (yaan)

Anagrams

• anjan, nanja, Janna