"Ekam sat" (all is one), and all is Brahman.+

God cannot be brought down to the domain of duality. There is only one being in reality, and it is the Soul, the innermost self.  The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The soul, which is present in the form of consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states. Thus, the soul or consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. Brahman is God in truth. 

When one realizes the form, time and space are one in essence,  and that essence is consciousness,  then he realizes there is no second thing exist other than the consciousness. Thus,  everything is consciousness. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth. And the ultimate truth is God. 

The word Brahman means ultimate truth or reality which cannot be indicated by any word.  Brahman can be expressed through silence because it is beyond the experience form, time and space.  Therefore, the word Brahma in clearly stands for the essence of the three states, which is consciousness only. The final use of the pursuit of truth is to know that self is consciousness.

Sage Sankara opposed the Buddhists only, who misunderstood Bhagavan Buddha and became atheists. According to Sage Sankara meditation always means a critical analysis about the self to get salvation from the worldly tensions. Due to the eccentric ego of the then atheists, Sage Sankara did not go beyond this since the atheists will not accept God beyond themselves. This limitation is not due to limited knowledge of Sage Sankara but is due to the then-existing situation of the psychology of the surrounding society. Even Bhagavan Buddha kept silent about God because the society dealt by Him consisted of Purvamimamsakas, who were strong atheists. Bhagavan Buddha says that everything including the self is only relatively real (Sunya). This is correct because the self is a part of the universe, which is relatively real with respect to the absolute unimaginable God. Bhagavan Buddha stopped at this point because the atheists cannot realize the existence of unimaginable God indicated through His silence. 

The point of Buddha is that if God is non-existent, the entire creation including the Self is non-existent. Sage Sankara wanted to establish the existence of the Brahman. For this purpose, He made the Atman as the Brahman. He brought out the identity of self with the consciousness and made the Atman the Brahman. Since one will not negate the existence of his self, he will accept the existence of the Brahman, which is the Atman or soul, the innermost self. BothBhagavan Buddha and Sage Sankara kept silent about the absolute unimaginable God. The same philosophy was dealt with by them from different angles in different situations.

Sage  Sankara gave out what was of most use to the greatest number of people. In the commentaries on the Manduka  Upanishad, he gave the highest Advaitic message of the identity of Atman and Brahman, revitalizing the philosophy and practise of Advaita, while in the commentaries on the Brahmasūtra he gave a lesser teaching, positing both higher and lower Maya and higher and lower Brahman (Ishvara) to explain creation for those of lesser intellects until they were ready for the highest truth. 

In Vedas, God has been described as ~

v  Sakshi (Witness)

v  Chetan (conscious)

v  Nirguna (Without form and properties).

v  Nitya (eternal)

v  Shuddha (pure)

v  Buddha (omniscient)

v   Mukta (unattached).

The nature of the Atman (Soul) is:~

   

v  Witness

v  conscious

v  Without form and properties

v  eternal

v  pure

v omniscient

v  unattached

Thus, it refers to formless and attributeless God, which it the Atman (Soul), the Self.  It indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imagination based on the false self.  Thus Atman or Soul, the Self is God in truth.

The mind is present in the form of the universe.  The universe appears as 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 in everything and everywhere in all the 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:~TheSelf 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. ~ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

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 are 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 in 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, and 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 was 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 one has to indulge in rituals and glorifying 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 the consciousness (Atman) is actually nothing but Brahman.

The Vedic pantheon of gods is said, in the Vedas and Upanishads, to be 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 does 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. By realizing Atman (consciousness) as Brahman (ultimate truth) is truth realization or Self-Realization. 

There is no need to follow any religion or 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 in order to get self-realization, when the path of wisdom 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. The mind rises as the duality (universe or waking or dream) and subsides as the nonduality ( deep sleep).  The mind arises from consciousness and subsides as consciousness.:~Santthosh Kumaar