Jnana is to develop one-pointedness. It is increasing concentration and focus while doing any activity. It is the Bhava through which mindfulness and self-awareness develop and such awareness transforms all activities in relation to the self and the world. This represents the predominant feature of the subconscious mind.
Knowledge doesn’t mean only knowing. In yoga, knowledge also means mindfulness, awareness, skills and abilities. For example, we instruct a child multiple times to not touch a vessel as it can be hot. The child knows and has this information. Yet, he will only learn when he touches the hot object and burns his fingers. It is only then when he’ll never touch it again. This simple information, when backed up with experience and awareness, helps the child to learn.
Even when a baby is in the womb, they can think, feel and emote. Science has shown how babies smile, kick, and drawback in their shell, even in the womb. That’s simply because they can sense things and they know certain things. This Bhava or attitude to know and identify is programmed and inherent in our personalities and is known as Jnana Bhava.
Somehow, as we grow up, our attitude to learn slowly starts diminishing. All our needs are revolving on the basic sense of survival. All we really think, be aware and act upon are the basic necessities like food, water, air, and shelter. These essential things need to be thought about clearly. Simply knowing about the survival instincts isn’t enough. The sense of survival always makes us think and there is no escape. Just like we can’t escape our Dharma, we also can’t escape our thoughts, as they naturally come to us.
However, we need to do more than just think, we also need to act, otherwise, we will move towards a Jnana. It is exactly the opposite of Jnana Bhava, and it is the cause of our own deterioration at the level of emotions and intelligence. We simply stop thinking about what is right and wrong, what is healthy and what isn’t, what is life and what’s my purpose.
We need to burst this bubble and inculcate the attitude of Jnana Bhava. Only a seeker’s attitude is going to help us to keep growing. We must constantly be on the lookout of seeking and knowing, learning something new all the time and being in the present moment.
Everyone has their own way to seek and learn. Some learn from situations and experiences, while some learn from the mistakes. Out of all the different types of learning, what is most important is having the attitude to seek and learn from every situation. Avoid repeating the same mistake, and try to take away something positive from every situation, no matter how good or bad the situation was. Because life is all about trying to understand what is what. Most of the pain and suffering we go through is only because we have wrong knowledge and wrong perception about things. Be open to learning and having the attitude of a seeker in every situation, and the doorways to our success and progress will open its gates for you.
Thus Jnana Bhava represents awareness and wisdom and not mere informative knowledge of the world.