What is Yogic Gnosticism? Demarcating an Elite Ritual Identity Worth Reconsidering
Journal of Yoga Studies January 1, 2025 Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Yogic Gnosticism, also known as jñāna-yoga or the yoga of knowledge, is an elite, contemplative, and intellectual form of spiritual cultivation that has been largely neglected in the emerging field of Yoga Studies. This paper gathers core definitional components of this tradition, drawn from a forthcoming monograph, and presents textual evidence for the term's usage and meaning development. Ten shared features are proposed across various gnostic currents of yoga. The doctrinal antagonism between ritual-oriented karma-yoga and knowledge-oriented jñāna-yoga is discussed, highlighting how Hindu, Buddhist, and Jaina Gnostics insisted on knowledge as the sole means of liberation. Vivekananda's perception of jñāna-yoga is critically engaged, and the paper concludes with remarks on the challenging elitism of this trans-sectarian South Asian current.