The one who holds the Self as ‘I’ never will be able to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.+

What is ‘I’? How these three states are created? Who is its creator? Of what material are these three states made? This is the way of that inquiry, analysis, and reasoning on the true base. The consciousness or soul is neither the body, nor the matter, nor is consciousness an aggregate of the senses; consciousness is something different from these.

The self is not ‘I’, but the Self is the soul, which is the witness of the ‘I’.  Holding the Self as  ‘I lead to a hallucination based on the imagination.

Make sure the  Self is not  I’. If the  Self is not  ‘I’   then whatever you have seen, known, believed, and experienced as an individual is bound to be a falsehood.

If the Self is not the  ‘I’ then there is no other ‘I’, because the ‘I’ exist only in the domain of duality. The self is the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

The nature of the Soul is ‘I’-less. The ‘I’ is the illusory nature of the Soul, the Self. the ‘I’ appears and disappears.

Thus,  holding the  Self as ‘I’  and trying to assimilate Advaitic truth is,  trying to drain the ocean drop by drop.

What is this “I”? The ‘I’ is the mind. The body and the world together are the mind. If the mind is present, then only you and your experience of the world are present. If the mind is not there, then you and your experience of the world cease to exist.

The mind is present in the form of the universe’ the universe appears as a waking or dream(duality) and disappears as deep sleep (non-duality).

If the ‘I’ is an illusion,  then it is no use of inquiring ‘Who Am I?. Till one holds the ‘I’ as the self,  is caught up in the prison of duality.  

Sage Sankara:~  VC-63-"Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know the Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world.

A deeper self-search reveals the fact that by inquiring - Who Am I?  wisdom will not dawn. Who Am I?- inquiry is only for beginners and it is inadequate and useless in the later stages.

That is why Sage Sankara: ~  VC~.61~ For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one?

VC-  v6~ Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity with the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together.

The ‘WHO AM ‘I’?’ inquiry is good in the starting point of the pursuit of truth but in later stages, it created lots of confusion.  When the Self is genderless then it is not He/She. Therefore, using the word ‘I AM’ for the Self is erroneous.  

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that the self is not the ‘I’, therefore ‘WHO AM I?-  inquiry will not help to unfold the truth beyond the form, time, and space. 

The one who holds the ‘I’ as self never will be able to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Thus, it is necessary to realize first the ‘I’ is not the self, but the soul, the formless witness of the ‘I’ is the self.

The ‘I’ based teaching and teachers are not a yardstick in the path of wisdom. ‘I’ based teaching will not lead the seeker to the ultimate end of his inner journey. 

Remember:~  

Bhagavad Gita: ~ The permanent is always there, only the transient I comes and goes. (2.18)

Until one gets convinced that the Self is not  ‘I’,  he will remain in ignorance of the Soul,  the Self. If the Self is formless, then the experience of birth, life, death, and the world is bound to be an illusion. Therefore, it is necessary to know and realize the fact that,  the self is not the form, but it is formless before indulging in the inner (mental) journey.

The inquiry is not the set of questions but clearing all the doubts and confusion through deeper reasoning on his own.   There is no scope for arguments,  in the pursuit of truth. 

The pursuit of truth is a personal journey that starts within the illusion (waking) and ends in realizing the truth. Thus, the arguments based on the false self will not lead one toward the non-dualistic goal. 

The seeker of truth has to share assimilation of knowledge and help and inspire the fellow seekers and divert their attention from outer to inwardness.:~Santthosh Kumaar