Sage Sankara says If you give up the external world in your inquiry, you cannot get the whole truth.+

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

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 says you must first know what is before you. If you cannot know that, what else can you know or understand? If you give up the external world in your inquiry, you cannot get the whole truth.

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

Sage Sankara goes on to say: ~A sickness of not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying “I am a king.”

A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it,  your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation

Sage Sankara has enjoined upon the seekers of truth to see and realize the unity in diversity, but one gets confused when he comes across the multifarious objects seemingly quite separate from him. Even while one threads his path he should constantly think what he sees around him has emanated from the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness. The world in which he exists is created out of single stuff and that single stuff is the consciousness. Till he becomes fully aware of this single stuff firmly establishes in the consciousness he should keep remembering this fact often and often.

Self-Knowledge is the aim of every human being. Since everyone thinks the physical body is the Self their aim is misdirected and they focus their attention on materiality which makes one feel the duality (waking) as a reality.

Millions are in search of the ultimate truth, and only one in million will be able to grasp and realize it. By focusing more attention on the Soul, the innermost Self, by reading, writing, reflecting only of the Soul the inner conviction about the Soul grows and becomes firmer, and then the reality of the dualistic illusion fades away.

Ashtavakra Gita 3:9-10: ~ But he who is truly wise Always sees the absolute Self. Celebrated, he is not delighted. Spurned, he is not angry. Pure of heart, He watches his own actions As if they were another's. How can praise or blame disturb him?

An intense desire for truth -realization is itself the way to it. The Lord is The Self in Advaita. Therefore, one need not accept anything other than the Self, which is consciousness. Thus consciousness alone is the ultimate truth or Brahman that is free from falsehood.

Advaita (non-duality) and dvaita (duality) are the states of the Soul, the innermost Self. It is not some intellectual theory. Religious-based Advaitins believe the Atman (Soul) is Brahman and the world is an illusion. Religious dvaitins believe in the body as Self, and they believe the world is a reality, and they believe in the creator and creation theory. In India Advaita and Dvaita is a merely religious traditions, which they inherited from their ancestors. No one questions their validity because it is considered blasphemy to question any guru and God-men or pundits.

People who are attached to their religious code of conduct and trying to preach Advaita, that is mixing the individual life, and the concept of God, and all mixed up hotchpotch religious doctrine and feed the seeking minds, are themselves not aware of the fact that the individuality and the worldly life is part of the illusion.:~Santthosh Kumaar