Sage Sankara:~ Action (karma) cannot destroy ignorance.+

Sage Sankara:~   Action (karma)  cannot destroy ignorance, for it is not in conflict with or opposed to ignorance. Knowledge does verily destroy ignorance as light destroys deep darkness. -Atma Bodha

In orthodox Advaita and dualists’ orthodoxy accepts, the karma theory.  If they accept the karma theory, they will not be able to reach the nondual destination.

If one accepts the karma theory then it is impossible to treat the world as an illusion because karma is possible only in the world in which he exists.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self,   the pundits’ explanation of karma theory carries no water. if karma is accepted as truth then they are accepting the false Self (ego or body) as the true Self and false experience (universe or waking) as a reality.  

Birth, life, and death are part of the waking experience. From the standpoint of the Soul, the innermost Self the waking experience is merely an illusion.  

It is no use in saying that, we are not born, we do not die because we all were born and we all are going to die. However, birth, life, and death are part of the world, which is within the dualistic illusion.  The illusion appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality). 

The formless witness of the three states is real and eternal.  The Soul is the witness of the coming and going of the three states.  The Soul, the Self' has no birth and death because the Soul is the ever formless, times and spaceless existence.

Self-knowledge is nothing to do with orthodox Advaita, which is based on birth, life, death, and the world.  When Sage Sankara says the world is an illusion then whatever theories based on birth, life, death, and the world are bound to be an illusion. :~Santthosh Kumaar