However, not all of us have the temperament or the inclination of a devotee, and those of a more intellectual mentality are sometimes drawn to the path of Gnana (also spelt Jnana). Gnana is a branch of Yoga called the Path of Knowledge; but the knowledge referred to here is not academic knowledge, but Self-Knowledge.

Our everyday consciousness is that of ego, and, it is said, the ego is as mighty as a thousand elephants, yet it is nothing more than a thick cloud of thoughts and emotions that hide our true identity, Brahman, from our awareness. That ego is constantly on the prowl for sensory gratification; its nature is to be turned outwards, towards the world, all in the quest for fulfilment. The path of Gnana requires hours, years, decades of retraining the mind to seek its fulfilment within: to identify no longer with the mental activity of the ego, but with the pure, infinite Brahman behind it: our true identity.