On 19 August 1883, Ramakrishna went to the veranda and saw Narendra talking to Hazra, who often indulged in dry philosophical discussions. Hazra would say that the world is unreal, like a dream: worship, food offerings to the Deity, and so forth, are only hallucinations of the mind. He would repeat, “I am He.” When the Master asked Narendra what they were talking about, Narendra replied with a smile: “Oh, we are discussing a great many things. They are rather too deep for others.”
Ramakrishna replied: “But pure love and pure knowledge are one and the same thing. Both lead the aspirants to the same goal. The path of love is much easier.” (Source: God Lived with Them)
Sometimes Vijnanananda would enjoy light-hearted discussions. Once he was seated on the upper eastern veranda of Belur Math and two devotees were debating: Which is greater — self-effort or grace? They asked the swami, “Which one is greater?” Without answering their question, he asked a third devotee to say something. The high-spirited discussion continued and he listened. At last when all of them asked him for a solution, he said, “Whatever one thinks of as great, that is great to him.”
On another occasion he became the umpire of a debate between two devotees. One devotee said: “Maharaj, my friend says that knowledge is greater than devotion, but the Master said, ‘Bhakti [devotion] has access to the inner court of a house and jnana [knowledge] can only go as far as the outer rooms.’ He is not accepting the words of the Master.” Vijnanananda signalled the other devotee to answer. That devotee said: “The Master declared: ‘The sun of knowledge melts the ice of devotion.’ So knowledge is greater than bhakti.” When they could not reach any conclusion, the swami said: “Devotion is great to a bhakta and knowledge is great to a jnani. In the initial stage an aspirant experiences a difference; but after attaining perfection, he realizes that knowledge and devotion are the same.” (Source: God Lived with Them)