Jnana Mudra: The Posture of Wisdom

The face of the lord in this sculpture radiates peace and fulfillment. The features are so well defined; these accentuate a feel of reality. The Lord is seen engrossed in the Jnana mudra. Jnana Mudra or Gyan Mudra is one of the most common yogic mudra used in meditation. In Sanskrit, the word Jnana means knowledge or wisdom and mudra means sign or gesture. It literally means the psychic gesture of knowledge or wisdom. In Jnana mudra, the thumb represents the Supreme Reality called Brahman. The forefinger represents the individual soul or the Jiva or our inner reality. The two fingers touching each other signify the oneness of Brahman and Jiva. In other words the Individual self is not different from the Supreme reality Brahman. The three other fingers represent the three Gunas of Nature. The middle finger represents Sattva Guna (Light, Purity, Clarity of mind, understanding, etc.). The ring finger represents Rajas (action, passion, movement, etc.). The little finger represents Tamas (i