Shiva Sutra #2: (Limited) Knowledge is Bondage

ज्ञनामं बन्ध | jñānam bandhah

jn˜anam = knowledge, knowing, becoming acquainted

bandhah = mundane bondage, attachment to this world; a bond, chain, binding, tying; imprisonment; putting together, uniting, forming.

The second Shiva Sutra is “Jnanam Bandhah,” which is often translated as “(Limited) Knowledge is bondage”.

When you combine the first and second sutras with the letter “a,” it reads “caitanyam atma, ajnanam bandhah.” When you don’t combine them, it reads “caitanyam atma, jnanam bandhah.” So, this sutra can be explained in 2 ways — “jnanam” (knowledge) knowing is bondage and “ajnanam” (ignorance) not knowing is bondage. In essence, the verse conveys that both knowing and not knowing can lead to a sense of confinement to the world of senses.

The key point is that knowledge itself can be a form of bondage.

What knowledge is bondage?

jnanam bandhah : Knowing your body as your own nature is bondage.

Limited knowledge like considering individual consciousness as one’s inherent nature and trusting in the illusions of separation (Maya) results in bondage.

What not knowing is bondage?

ajnanam bandhah : Not knowing your own nature is bondage.

Ajnanam is ignorance of the real nature of the soul. Not knowing one’s own true nature as universal consciousness is also bondage.

No matter how many systems you become skilled in, and no matter how high you soar in worldly achievements, if you’ve forgotten the fundamental truth that there is only One, you remain in a state of bondage. Hence, not recognizing that everything and everyone is interconnected with you as part of the One Self is ignorance and also a form of bondage.

Ajnana or ignorance of one’s real nature which is a kind of shrunken or limited knowledge is the cause of bondage (of the empirical self).

— Jaideva Singh.