The next question is: "Is the path of yoga an independent means to the realization of God, or does it contribute to the realization of God as an auxiliary to the path of knowledge?" Our answer to this question is that the Bhagavad Gita agrees with both of these viewpoints. In other words, the Bhagavad Gita considers the path of yoga to be both an independent means to the realization or liberation of God, and also an auxiliary to the path of knowledge. If the aspirant desires, he can achieve the highest perfection directly through the practice of karma yoga, without the help of academic knowledge. Alternatively, through karma yoga, he can gain access to the path of knowledge, and by following the path of knowledge, he can realize God. Which of the two courses he should adopt depends on his preference or aptitude. The fact that the path of yoga is an independent means is clearly affirmed by the Lord in verses 4 and 5, and in XIII.24. The Lord declares in several places that those who work only for God, who keep their minds fixed on God, and who realize God through the grace of God, will attain liberation (VIII.7; XI.54, 55; XII.6-8).
Indifference and devotion can both serve as aids in the path of knowledge (V.6; XIV.26). However, the path of knowledge cannot aid Bhakti Yoga (the yoga of devotion) or other yogic paths, because Jñānayoga (the yoga of knowledge) is characterized by a form of devotion in which the devotee sees the divine as oneself. This is because, in those paths, the devotee sees the divine as something different from oneself.
However, if a follower of the path of knowledge later realizes that his tendencies or opinions have changed, and he abandons the path of knowledge and turns to a yogic path, and then realizes the divine through that yogic path, that is a completely different matter.