Brahman or God in truth,+

Bhagavad Gita Chapter:~ All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)

Thus, by sticking up to the Gods, which are not God in truth, you are sticking up to the illusion. Sticking up to illusion means sticking up to ignorance. sticking up to ignorance means you are not qualified to acquire self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Unless you find it on your own, you will not be able to realize the truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space. Without a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ it will take you nowhere.

Religious God is not God in truth. You must know God in truth according to your own scriptures. 

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad declares: "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from him does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". (1. 4. 10)

 Brahman or God in truth. 

The Soul is the  Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. The ultimate truth or Brahman is God. Realize that to be Brahman which is Existence, Knowledge and Bliss Absolute, which is non-dual and infinite, eternal and One, and which fills all that exists.

 After the realization of Advaitic truth, the attainment of which leaves nothing more to be attained, the pure blessedness, and the Knowledge after which nothing needs to be known. When seen, there is nothing more to be seen. Having become after which one is not born again in the world of becoming.

Consciousness permeates everything and everywhere in all three states. Consciousness illumines the whole universe that including the Sun, Moon, and the whole galaxy.

The consciousness pervades the entire Universe outwardly and shines on itself, as the fire that permeates a red-hot iron ball both inwardly and outwardly shines on itself. There exists nothing that is not consciousness. 

People perform all their actions in and through consciousness, but they are ignorant of the Soul, the Self not being conscious is a mere illusion. From illusion springs separation wherein the experience of birth, life, death, and the world have roots. 

Ashtavkara Gita:~ The universe rises from you like bubbles from the sea. Thus know the Self to be One and in this way enter into the state of dissolution."

For the Gnani who realizes everything as consciousness, what is there to meditate or not to meditate, what to speak or not to speak, what to do or not to do? Those who give up the highest and purest Brahmic consciousness live in vain and though human, are like beasts. Having turned the visible into the invisible, one should realize everything to be consciousness itself. A  Gnani always dwells in Advaitic awareness. The ever-existent soul or consciousness shining within the three states can be realized only through self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  The self indeed is this soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, not the phenomenal universe which is present in the form of the mind.

Sage Gaudapada:~ The non-dual Atman is realized when the individual self (jiva) is awakened from its ignorance. Atman is unborn, dreamless, sleepless, and motionless, and is beyond duality. It is cognition at its purest. It is Brahman- Ayam Atma Brahma, this Atma is Brahma; Thus epitomizing the core of Upanishad teachings.
 

Sage Gaudapada expands further on these states of consciousness. The Self is AUM. It represents the manifest and unmanifest aspects of Brahman. It is the single syllable that symbolizes and embodies Brahman, the Absolute Reality. It is the Pranava that pervades all existence and is our very life breath.

Vaisvanara in waking the state is A the first part of AUM, One, who realizes this, attains his desires.

Teijasa in the dream state is U the second part of AUM. One, who realizes this, attains knowledge.

Prajna in deep sleep is M the third part of AUM, concluding the sounds of the earlier two parts. One, who realizes this, attains a compressive understanding of all.

The Syllable AUM in its entirety stands for the fourth state, Turiya the one beyond the phenomenal existence, supremely blissful and non-dual.

AUM in its integral whole stands for the fourth state which is transcendental, devoid of phenomenal existence, and is the source of all existence. AUM represents Ultimate Reality.AUM is thus verily the Self itself. One who realizes this merges into that Self. Meditate on AUM as the Self.

In Vedas, God has been described as:~

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~    God is Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions. 

Thus,   Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul or Spirit) is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman, the Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

The Vedas confirm God is Atman (spirit), the Self.

Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.

Rig Veda declares God is ‘ONE’ and God is Atman, then why believe and worship in place of real God.

Brihad Upanishad: ~ “If you think there is another entity, whether man or God there is no truth."

When Upanishad itself declares: ~   Sarvam khalvidam brahma ~ all this (universe) is verily Brahman. By following back all of the relative appearances in the world, we eventually return to that from which it is all manifest – the non-dual reality (Chandogya Upanishad). 

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God) is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object it is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other besides it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described because the description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sankara is impersonal.

So, it clearly indicates that God is formless thus there is no scope for a form-based God. The religion and its ideas of Gods, and its theories of karma, heaven, hell, papa, punya, rebirth, reincarnation are based on the false self (ego), within the false experience (waking). Therefore, they are meant for a lower mindset, they are of no use for those who are seeking higher truth as indicated in the scriptures.   

Mythreyi Upanishad 2:26 says: ~ All those who desire to have salvation without taking several births, should worship God in spirit and truth.  

Bible says: ~ “God is a Spirit, and they that worship God must worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24)”,

Thus, it refers to a formless and attributeless God, which is the Atman (soul), the innermost self.  It indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imaginations based on the false self.  Thus Atman or soul, the innermost self is God.

The mind is present in the form of the universe.  The universe appears as the waking or dream. From the ultimate standpoint, the universe is merely an illusion. Whatever the universe contains is a mere illusion.  

The whole illusion is created, sustained, and finally dissolves as consciousness; therefore, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. Thus, consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states. Hence, it is nondual.  Thus limiting the self to the waking entity or ego is the cause of ignorance.  And ignorance is the cause of duality. Duality is the cause of experiencing the illusion as a  reality.

Orthodoxy accepts the concept of god in many forms. Sages of truth declare the Atman is Brahman.  That is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.  That is the ultimate truth is God.  And the ultimate truth itself is worthy of Godhood. 

Kena Upanishad (6) Chapter I:~  That which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (7) Chapter I:~  That which cannot be perceived by the eye, but by which the eye is perceived-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (8) Chapter I:~  That which cannot be heard by the ear, but by which the hearing is perceived-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (9)- Chapter I:~ That which cannot be smelt by the breath, but by which the breath smells an object-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Swami Vivekananda:~

The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these gods?

Knowing this, stand up and fight! Not one step back that is the idea. ... Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us! Death means only a change of garment. What of it? Thus, fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards. ... Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. You have cried to all the gods in the world. Has misery ceased? The masses in India cry to sixty million gods and still die like dogs. Where are these gods? ... The gods come to help you when you have succeeded. So what is the use? Die game. ... This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself to your own mind does not befit you, my soul. You are infinite, deathless, birthless. Because you are the infinite spirit, it does not befit you to be a slave. ... Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight! Die if you must. There is none to help you. You are the entire world. Who can help you? ~ Swami Vivekananda  (Delivered In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900) -The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita II

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~  The Self is indeed Brahman, but through ignorance, people identify it with intellect, mind, senses, passions, and the elements of earth, water, air, space, and fire. This is why the Self is said to consist of this and that and appears to be everything. 

Yajurveda says: - if one worships God:~ 

Translation 1.

They enter darkness, those who worship natural things (for example air, water, sun, moon, animals, fire, stone, etc.).

They sink deeper into darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc.) ~(Yajurveda  40:9)

Translation 2.

"Deep into the shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti is intent.~("Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith pg 538)

Translation 3.

"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time."~(Yajur Veda 40:9.)

So, Yajur Veda indicates that:~

They sink deeper into darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc ~(Yajurved 40:9)

Those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time."~ (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

The Hindus believed in polytheism, believing all of their Gods to be separate individuals, which were introduced much later by the founders of Hinduism which contains diverse beliefs caste, and creed. 

When the religion of the Veda knows no idols, then why so many gods and goddesses with different forms and names are being propagated as Vedic gods. Why these conceptual gods are introduced when the Vedic concept of God is free from form and attributes.

Who introduced the concept of God with attributes and attributeless gods, when Yajur Veda says: ~ those who worship visible things, born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like), in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness. Therefore, all these add-ons prove that the form and attribute-based concepts are introduced by some sages of the past with a new belief system and code of conduct in the name of Vedas. 

It clearly indicates that: -If the human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana then why indulge in rituals and glorify the conceptual gods and goddesses to go into deeper darkness. Instead, spend that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is one’s prime goal.  

Since it is eternal and infinite, it comprises the only truth. The goal of Vedic religion, through the various yogas, is to realize that consciousness (Atman) is actually nothing but Brahman or God in truth.

The Vedic pantheon of gods is said, in the Vedas and Upanishads, to be the only higher manifestations of Brahman. For this reason,- "ekam sat" (all is one), and all is Brahman.

Kena Upanishad (1) Chapter II:~  If you think: "I know Brahman well," then surely you know but little of Its form; you know only Its form as conditioned by man or by the gods. Therefore Brahman, even now, is worthy of your inquiry.

Kena Upanishad (2) Chapter II:~  The disciple said: I think I know Brahman. The disciple said: I do not think I know It well, nor do I think I do not know It. He among us who knows the meaning of "Neither do I not know nor do I know, knows Brahman.

Kena Upanishad (3) Chapter II:~ He by whom Brahman is not known, knows It; he by whom It is known, knows It not. It is not known by those who know It; It is known by those who do not know It.

Kena Upanishad (4) Chapter II:~ Brahman is known when It is realized in every state of mind; for by such Knowledge one attains Immortality. By Atman one obtains strength; by Knowledge, Immortality

Kena Upanishad (5) Chapter II:~ If a man knows Atman here, he then attains the true goal of life. If he does not know It here, great destruction awaits him. Having realized the Self in every being, the wise relinquish the world and become immortal

Thus, the goal is to realize the Atman (consciousness).  The Atman (consciousness) is nothing but Brahman. Realizing Atman (consciousness) as Brahman (ultimate truth) is truth realization or Self-Realization.

There is no need to follow the religion, study the scriptures, or glorify the Gods and the Gurus and follow the path of doubts and confusion by losing oneself in the labyrinths of philosophy to get Self-realization when there is an easier path. 

By mentally tracing the source of the mind, from where it rises and subsides, one becomes aware of the fallacy of the mind, which rises as the duality (universe or waking or dream) and subsides as the nonduality ( deep sleep).  The mind raises from consciousness and subsides as consciousness.:~Santthosh Kumaar