Jnana and Bhakti

Sri Ramana Maharshi

What is the relation between jnana and bhakti?

M. The eternal, unbroken, natural state of abiding in the Self is jnana. To abide in the Self, you must love the Self. Since God is verily the Self, love of the Self is love of God; and that is bhakti. Jnana and bhakti are thus one and the same.

While doing nama japa for an hour or more I fall into a state like sleep. On waking up I recollect that my japa has been interrupted. So I try again.

M. 'Like sleep', that is right. It is the natural state. Because you are now associated with the ego, you consider that the natural state is something which interrupts your work. So you must have the experience repeated until you realize that it is your natural state. You will then find that japa is extraneous but still it will go on automatically. Your present doubt is due to that false identity, namely of identifying yourself with the mind that does the japa. Japa means clinging to one thought to the exclusion of all other thoughts. That is its purpose. It leads to dhyana which ends in Self-realization or jnana.