Scriptures mastery, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of the Ultimate Truth or Brahman.+

Swami Vivekananda:~ Vedanta does not believe in the book. It denies the authority of any book over any other book. It denies emphatically any one book contains all the truths about God, Soul, the ultimate reality.

Those of you who have read Upanishads remember that again and again, “Not by reading books can we realize the Self”

Second, it finds veneration for some particular person still more difficult to uphold. Those of you who are a student of Vedanta – Vedanta is always meant Upanishads- know that this is the only religion that does not cling to any person.

Not one man or woman has become object worship among the Vedantins. 

You see how very little room there is Vedanta for any man to stand ahead of us and for us to worship him. Vedanta does not give you that. No book, no man to worship nothing.  

A still greater difficulty is about God. if you want to be democratic in this country.   It is a democratic God that Vedanta teaches.  ~ (Is Vedanta in future religion? BY Swami Vivekananda –lecture – San Francisco on April 8, 1900)

Scriptures mastery, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of the Ultimate Truth or Brahman. The ultimate truth is revealed in the clear understanding and realization of ‘what is the truth and ‘what is the untruth.  When one realizes the untruth (universe) is created out of single stuff, Self-awareness rises in the midst of duality exposing the unreal nature of the form, time, and space.

The ultimate truth has to be realized first then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying. I do not require any scriptures.

I quote Scriptural citation and also the citation of the sages of truth only after verifying reality and proving the truth, to point out that the scriptures teach the same thing. If one quotes them before having demonstrated truth, then it is scholasticism.

Scriptures are being added from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme.

Self-knowledge cannot be attained by the study of the scriptures and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge.  Therefore, there is no use in studying the scriptures and other scriptures to acquire non-dual wisdom.  That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sri, Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of God, and scriptures.

The seeker should not bother about finding the meaning of what is written in the scriptures.  The scripters are not necessary to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The scriptures are meant for the ignorant populace. Scriptures have no value for the seeker of truth.

That is why Sage Sankara said: ~ Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way. (1) VivekaChudamani v 56, pg 25

Even Upanishads clearly declare: ~

Katha Upanishad 1:2:23:~ The Soul cannot be realized through hearing a scholarly explanation of the discourses, not even by the intellect.

Katha Upanishad 1:3:6:~ “Through the knowledge of the Soul, God, one is pure and clean constantly.” Neither by reading the books nor by taking a bath at the holy place has one become pure. Inner purity is possible when one remains in constant touch with the Soul. Constant Soul-Consciousness is real purity.

Kena Upanishad 2:4:~   When it is known through every state of cognition, it is rightly known, for (by such knowledge) one attains life eternal. Through one's own 'Self' one gains power and through wisdom, one gains immortality.

Kena Upanishad 2:5:~ If here one knows it, then there is the truth, and if here one knows it not, there is a great loss. Hence, seeing the Real in all beings, wise men become immortal on departing from this world.

Mundaka Upanishad 1:2:8:~ “Remaining in the fold of ignorance and thinking “we are extremely wise and learned,” the fools with boastful nature ramble about like the blind led by the blind alone.”

Mundaka Upanishad 3:2:3:~ “The weak and timid cannot realize the Self. Self-Realization is not possible through intellect or hearing the spiritual discourse."

Mundaka Upanishad 3:2:3:~ The Soul cannot be realized by the weak and timid.

Sage Sri, Sankara says ~   VC~ 56. Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by work, nor by learning, but by the realization of one's identity with Brahman is Liberation possible, and by no other means.

Remember:~

58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the scholar but are no good for Liberation.

59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.

60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest which merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence, men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.

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?

62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utters the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realization one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.

63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.

64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneself of the splendor of the entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an emperor by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.

Till one knows the truth of his true existence, whatever he knows about God is merely a belief. Belief is individual whereas the ultimate truth is universal every belief system has its own idea of God thus, there is no universality in the belief system.

All these experiences as the father, son, Guru, and pupil were one and the same consciousness appearing differently. All these distinctions disappear when one realizes the ultimate truth. :~Santthosh Kumaar