The word, “dharma “found in the karikas, which means Atma in Advaita Vedanta.+

In Tattireya Upanishad:~ "satyaM vada. dharmaM cara." Speak the truth, practice dharma. Now if you want to practice dharma, you should first know what it means. (1.11.1)

~ The word, “Dharma “is found in the karikas, which means Atma in Advaita Vedanta.

Advaita is the nature of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread." (Select Works of Sage Sri, Sankara" also his commentary on Brihad)

Thus, the above passage proves that all those who were the sanyasin robes are wearing them for the sake of bread belong to the religion; they are nothing to do with the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. There is no need to criticize and condemn the gurus, yogis,  and swamis because they are needed for the welfare of the ignorant masses in the dualistic world. 

There is no need to condemn the religion, the concept of God, and scriptures or indulge in criticizing the religious Gurus, but there is a need to highlight how they become a hindrance in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

Deeper Self-search reveals the fact that the body is not the Self. The religion is based on the body as the Self because it speaks of birth, death, and rebirth whereas the Self is birthless and deathless because it is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.  

Ignorance is the cause of experiencing birth, life, death, and the world as reality. Once the ignorance is dropped then one becomes aware of ‘what is the truth?‘, and what is the untruth?. 

All the conceptual divisions were invented by Gurus of their orthodox attitude. Where do all these concepts end? Why should confusion be created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the garbage of superstition and dogmas but goes straight to the Source from which ‘I’ arises concepts end? Why should confusion be created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the garbage of superstition and dogmas but goes straight to the Source from which ‘I’ arises.

Ignorance is the cause of experiencing the duality (universe or waking) as a reality. Thus eradicating ignorance is necessary. And this is possible only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.   

Thus, there is no other road to freedom other than Gnana.  There is no other entrance other than Gnana.  The ignorance will vanish only when the nondual wisdom dawns. Detachment to attachment is impossible without the Advaitic wisdom. 

Only when one realizes the fact that the Self is not the form but the Self is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence then only it is possible to detach the ‘Self’ from the false attachment. 

That is Sage Sankara, in Bhaja Govindam says: One without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.

The Advaita does belong to any religion. Advaita belongs to the whole of humanity.  The Advaitic wisdom is universal,  irrespective of any religion of faith one belongs to. Religion is not the means to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  Sage  Sankara’s Advaita minus orthodoxy is true Advaita. 

Sage Sankara: ~ VC- All this universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman which is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought

Sage  Sankara: ~ VC- Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about our own Self.  The firm experience of the nature of the Self is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advice of the wise. (13)

The ‘Self’ is the formless, timeless, and spaceless Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The world in which we exist is created out of the formless, timeless, and spaceless stuff. That stuff is consciousness.  When the world,  in which you exist, is created out of consciousness, then everything is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  

The Soul is hidden within the illusory form, time, and space, but it is without the form, time, and space.  The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.:~Santthosh Kumaar