VIDYA

Vidya, or Vidhya, is a Sanskrit noun meaning "right knowledge" or "clarity."  The opposite of vidyā is avidya, meaning ignorance or misinformation.  "Vidya" is used in reference to both intellectual knowledge and spiritual knowledge.

The Way of Knowledge, or jnana yoga, is the second of the three possible paths to moksha, or salvation.  The other paths are the Way of Works, or karma yoga, and the Way of Devotion, or bhakti yoga.

The basic premise of the Way of Knowledge is that the cause of our bondage to the cycle of rebirths is ignorance.  Our ignorance consists of the mistaken belief that we are individual selves, and not one with the ultimate divine reality, Brahman.

It is this same ignorance that gives rise to our bad actions, which result in bad karma.  Salvation is achieved through attaining a state of consciousness in which we realize our identity with Brahman.

The Way of Knowledge entails the study of the scriptures, and the regular practice of meditation, the result of which is vidya.