Namaskaram. I've heard Vivekananda gained complete knowledge of a book by holding it in his hands without even opening it. And I also heard from Sadhguru JV that he can gather the knowledge acquired by any person who is in front of him directly from mind. What is this process called in yoga? How is it possible? How can we learn it? From this it is possible to gather the already available knowledge only or also the knowledge which is yet to be invented (I don’t think so). Thank You.
—Harish, India
Dear Harish,
Thank you for your question. Great yogis are able to accomplish such feats through intuition. Intuition is a talent possessed by everyone, in varying degrees. Yogananda said, “Intuition is the soul’s power of knowing God.”
Through intuition we simply know an answer — we do not arrive at the answer through a logical process. Of course, we have to test our intuition to know that is true and not merely imagination. A true intuition, furthermore, will stand up to the test of logic (although not always immediately).
When asked how to develop intuition, Yogananda replied, “The best way is, every time you meditate, to sit calmly for a long time after doing the techniques. It is during this period that you will be able to deepen your awareness of God’s presence within you. Go ever deeper in your enjoyment of that presence.
“The longer and more deeply you enjoy the peace within, the more quickly will your intuition develop.” (from The Essence of Self-Realization)
As to whether intuition can help you gather knowledge which is yet to be invented, intuition will ultimately help you to know God, who is the source of knowledge and also beyond knowledge.
The masters know more than they can speak about to us, in some cases because we wouldn’t be able to understand them according to the present level of human knowledge. Yogananda explains this in Autobiography of a Yogi, which you might enjoy reading if you haven’t already.
Joy to you,
Dharmarajan
