Wednesday, June 28, 2017

By regulating the thoughts or by regulating the breath, it is impossible to get Self-realization.+


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.

Sage Sankara:~  The vital- air-Sheath cannot be the Self because it is the modification of air (Vayu). Like air, it enters the body and goes out of it never knowing the joy and sorrow like others. It is ever dependent on the Self.  ~VC~165-166
Breath, body, and the world are one in essence. That essence is formless consciousness.   The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the innermost Self.  Breath, body, and the world are part and parcel of the illusion. By holding the breath (vital force) as the Self, one cannot get rid of the ignorance. Without getting rid of ignorance wisdom will not dawn. Wisdom dawns only when one realizes the form, time and space are one in essence.

The 'Self' does not breathe because it is formless. The Self is not a thinker because it is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless. By regulating the thoughts or by regulating the breath, it is impossible to get Self-realization. 

The Self is not the thinks and the one which breaths. You are the thinker. You are the breather. The Self is not you, but the Self is the one which witnesses you and the world together. Therefore, it is erroneous to say ‘I AM THIS’ or ‘I AM THAT’ because the ‘I’ itself is an illusion. Thus, it is necessary to know ‘What is ‘I’? to realize the truth beyond form, time, and space.

Remember:~ 

If you are caught in the grip of the ‘I’ then you will remain permanently in the grip of ignorance. If you hold the Self as ‘I’ you will never be able to cross the dualistic illusion.    If you follow the ‘I’ based teaching it is like the blind leading the blind

If you inquire   “Who am ‘I’?  the ‘I’ will not disappear. You must know the nature of the ‘I’, which appears and disappears.
The Soul is the witness of the ‘I’ which is permeant and eternal. The Soul is the subject and the ‘I’ is an object.
The ‘I’ hides the Soul. Therefore, the seeker has to realize ‘what is this ‘I’ supposed to be in actuality
If the Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the Soul then from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self: ~
Where is the ‘I’?
Where is the ego?
Where is the body?
Where is the mind?
Where is the world in which you exist?
Where are the form, time, and space?
Where is the waking experience?
Where is the duality?
Where is void?
They are or have become one with the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. The consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.
The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present only when the world is present. The world is present only when there is the waking experience.
Deeper self-search reveals the fact that the waking experience is not considered different from the world. The world is not considered different from the mind. The mind is not considered different from the’ I’. This truth has to be assimilated.
The ‘I’ is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. ‘I’ is not the subject. The ‘I’ is an object to the Soul, which is the formless, timeless, and spaceless subject.
If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion.
If the ‘I’ is an illusion then three states, are bound to be an illusion.
If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the form, time, and space are bound to be an illusion.
If I’ is an illusion then the individual experience of birth, life, death is bound to be an illusion.
If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the words and thoughts are bound to be an illusion.
If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the duality is bound to be an illusion.
The seeker has to make sure what is this ‘I’ supposed to be? The seeker has to make sure the unreal nature of the ‘I’ which comes and goes to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space
That is why Bhagavad Gita: ~ The permanent is always there, only the transient ‘I’ comes and goes. (2.18)
The ‘I’ hides the Soul, which is the cause of the illusory universe. 
People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand the fact that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the witness of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is eternal.
That is why Ashtavakra Gita 16:10:~ If you desire liberation, but you still say "I," If you feel the ‘Self’ is the ‘I’, You are not a wise man or a seeker. You are simply a man who suffers.
People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take as real because some Gurus have propagated the Self is the ‘I’. is no need to convince such mindsets. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth nothing but the truth.  : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

It is not God who made it difficult to realize God. It is the man who made it difficult to realize God by introducing the new ideas of Gods through religion.+


It is not God who made it difficult to realize God. It is the man who made it difficult to realize God by introducing the new ideas of God through religion and its theories.   

Religion is regarded as sacred and real by the common people, by the wise as false, and by the politicians as useful.  
Ultimate Truth or Brahman or God is very simple. It is very difficult to realize because it is lost in the dualistic knowledge we inherited, collected from different sources, different masters’ different gurus, different philosophies, different ideologies, different books, and scriptures. All this accumulated knowledge is a mere hill of Garbage.
Nothing is needed other than realizing the knowledge of the single stuff. The single stuff is the cause of the world in which we exist. And that single stuff itself is causeless. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 
The Soul is the Self. Knowledge of the Soul, the Self, is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Atma Gnana is knowledge of God in truth. 

Realizing God in this very life is your goal. God-realization itself is real worship.
A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed. Only an intense urge to know the truth, humility sincerity, and patience are the only qualifications to realize God in this very life and in this very world.

Remember:~

All your religious-based accumulated knowledge will block you from realizing the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.  Be more rational in your thinking. Your religious conditioning will not allow you to cross the domain of the ‘I’.  Till you hold all the religious ideas the Soul will remain in the cage of ignorance.    

Drop your entire accumulated knowledge drop all the physical Gurus, the Soul the inner Guru, is waiting for you to take the first step for you to realize there are no more steps.
You will realize you, your body, and your experience of the world is nothing but consciousness.  

Thus, you will realize that God (Soul) is the fullness of consciousness. Everything is God nothing but God. Do not waste time attending sermons and Satsang. Real Satsanga is reflecting on Soul, which is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.
All my writings are an inner revelation to show the truth hidden under the garbage of religion and theories, beliefs, and ideology. There is no need to condemn religion, theories, beliefs, and ideology, but the seeker’s aim is to drop what is not the truth and accept only the truth beyond form, time, and space. 

Whatever belongs to form, time and space is not the truth because the nature of the Soul is the formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.
If you believe in the religious belief of God then you are holding the false God as the real God. Check yourself what God is supposed to be according to your own holy books.  

Bible says: ~ “God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) 

The Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the Soul, the innermost Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. From the Spirit, the universe comes into existence. In the Spirit, the universe resides. And into the Spirit, the universe is dissolved. The Spirit is the parent of all that is there is. 

The real God is stolen by ignorance and people worship ignorance as God because the religion propagated false God as real God.
Swami Vivekananda: ~ The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods, and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods? (In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900, of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1)

Religion breeds superstition because religion is based on blind belief. Whatever is based on blind belief is superstition.

God in truth is not a belief. One must know God in truth. Without knowing what God supposed to be in actuality worshipping belief of God is superstition.

Worshipping superstitious Gods barred by Vedas. Know what God is supposed to be according to Vedas Upanishads Bhagavad Gita and Bible.
Bhagavad Gita: ~ ‘All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many God s. (7- Verse -20)
Only the path of wisdom leads the seeker of truth on his journey to the ultimate realization of the true nature of the Universal Essence, which is the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.
Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, worships ‘Self’ as~ Atman (God) alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare."
Even Bhagavad Gita says: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God) is considered the all-pervading consciousness, which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (14.27).
When Bhagavad Gita says, God is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material then nothing has to be accepted as God other than consciousness. 

Even Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God) is in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.

Even Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman the innermost self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad declares: "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from him does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". (1. 4. 10)


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(God), 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(God), and not that which people here worship.

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 do I not know nor do I know"-knows Brahman(God).

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 (God) 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.

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object as it is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other beside it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described because the description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not a distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sankara is impersonal.

Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the Self. Advaita is the Soul itself. Advaita is the Soul, God. Advaita is another word for God, which is second to none.

That is why Sage Sankara,  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 realized. 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.”

Sage Sankara says:~   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, contemplation, and other spiritual disciplines but never by subtle arguments.

The Atmic path is not for religious and yogic-minded people. Religious and yogic people must move on their chosen path. The Atmic path is for only seekers of truth who are seriously searching the truth of their own existence. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

The Soul appears as the universe (duality) in waking and the universe disappears as the Soul is deep sleep (nonduality).+


The Soul appears as the universe (duality) in waking and the universe disappears as the Soul is in deep sleep (nonduality).
In reality, appearance and disappearance are an illusion.  The illusion has no value the Soul alone is real and eternal.
The Soul is changeless and eternal.  The reality is hidden by the dualistic illusion. The dualistic illusion is present in the form of the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. The mind is present in the form of the form, time, and space.  The form, time, and space are present in the form of the universe.  The universe appears as waking (duality) and disappears into a deep sleep (nonduality).
People who are stuck up with the creation creator theory are unaware of the fact that they are worshipping the creation as God, not the creator.
The causality and creation, but these are for religious people only.  Religion is only for those who are unable to understand truth beyond form, time, and space. Religion is not final. It only gives satisfaction to the populace. The ‘Self’ - knowledge is for the whole of humanity to free them from experiencing the illusory birth, life, death, and the world as a reality.

Yoga Vasistha: ~  “The sun and the worlds become non-objects of perception, to those who have gone beyond the realm of objective perception and knowledge, even as lamps lose their luminosity while the mid-day sun shines.

From the standpoint of the formless Soul the innermost ‘Self, the effect is non-different from the cause. However, in the realm of duality cause is different from the effect. The non-difference of the effect from the cause has to be grasped perfectly to realize from the ultimate standpoint there is neither the cause nor the effect because the cause and effect are one, in essence. That essence is consciousness.

Sage Sankara says: - If the cause is destroyed, the effect will no longer exist. For example, if from the effect, cotton cloth, the cause, threads, are removed, there will be no cloth, i.e., the cloth is destroyed. Similarly if in the effect, thread, the cause, cotton, is removed, there will be no thread, i.e., the thread is destroyed. (Brahmasutra Bhashya, commentary on the Brahma-sutra, (9) 2.1.9)

Despite the non-difference between cause and effect, the effect has itself in the cause but not the cause in the effect. The effect is of the nature of the cause and not the cause of the nature of the effect. Therefore the qualities of the effect cannot touch the cause because the cause and effect are present only when the duality is present. The duality is present only when there is an illusion. The illusion is there only when there is ignorance. 

When there is no ignorance then there is no illusion. When there is no illusion then there is no duality. When there is no duality then there is no cause and effect. When there is no cause and effect then there is the nondual reality.   

Sage Sankara says: - During the time of its existence, one can easily grasp that the effect is not different from the cause. However that the cause is different from the effect is not readily understood. As to this, it is not really possible to separate cause from effect. But this is possible by imagining so. For example, the reflection of the gold ornament seen in the mirror is only the form of the ornament but is not the ornament itself as it (the reflection) has no gold in it at all. (Chandogya Upanishad Bhashya, commentary on the Chandogya Upanishad, 6.3.2)

All names and forms are real when seen with the Brahman but are false when seen independent of Brahman (Soul).

This way the seeker of truth establishes the non-difference of the effect from the cause.

Remember:~

In the context of Advaita Vedanta: ~ Jagat (the world) is not different from Brahman (Soul); however, Brahman (Soul) is different from Jagat.

It has not been possible to preach Advaitic Truth entirely free from the settings of dualistic weakness it has not been more operative and useful to mankind at large because only a few will be able to grasp and realize it.

'To realize the Advaitic Truth a freer and fuller scope the seeker has to realize the form, time and space are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness. And the Soul the Self is present in the form of consciousness. 
 
To realize the Advaitic truth the seeker has to be free from all superstitions and orthodox contaminations. The seeker has to be dedicated to acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana   alone.'

A  Gnani will easily appreciate the high flights of Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is one of the 'most majestic structures and valuable products of the Genius of man in his search for Truth.

All the misery is of the dualistic illusion (world), which is experienced as a reality. Why worship anything of the creation (illusion) as God when the creator of the illusion is the ‘Soul,’ the  ‘Self’. The Soul is nothing to do with the creation because creation is merely an illusion, the illusion has no value, from the standpoint of the Soul, the  Self.   In the realm of the Soul, there is neither creator nor creation but it is only a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

People of small intelligence follow religion and believe that the world was created by God. But how do they know that He did so? When a pot is created, one can see both pot and its maker, but not in the case of the world.

 Then there is the question which nobody has answered till now, viz. Why did God create all these evils, these sufferings? Even a father would never do that. If He did so, assuming that God did create, then what sort of an evil God is He! All religions which begin with "God created the world," are fit only for children. It is a lie; it is inconsistent and fit only for ignorant people.

It takes time for the seeker to gain the perfect understanding of ‘what is the truth’ and ‘’what is untruth’. It takes time for the Soul, the  Self to wake up from the sleep of ignorance, and it takes time for one realizes the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Sage Sankara says: ~ "Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go.+



The universe is both real and unreal. It is real because it is a manifestation of consciousness, but is unreal, in the sense, that it is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself.

People's approach is more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the universe, they take it as real. That is why all the confusion.

The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. In fact, our mental and intellectual conditions determine the world, observed and experienced. The commoner viewing the world will see differently from a Gnani viewing the same world. Each one interprets the world that they see in terms of their existing knowledge. The commoner sees everything based on the ego, therefore, experiences the birth, life, death, and the world as a reality, whereas a Gnani sees everything as the consciousness and he is fully aware of the fact that, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul or the consciousness. Thus, all the egocentric knowledge has to be bifurcated to realize the ultimate truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.
Sage Sankara says: ~ V.63 ~ "Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world.

To say the universe is an illusion without first examining it and inquiring into its nature thoroughly is to delude oneself. This world is common to every one of us; therefore the seeker of truth must begin his inquiry with it. It is only after he has inquired into the nature of the objective world, he realizes the universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought.

This universe in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness.

The experience of birth, life, death, which happens within the universe is merely an illusion.

The form, time, and space are within the universe. Without form, time, and space there is no universe.

The universe is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present when ‘I’ is present.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the universe is merely an illusion. If the universe is merely an illusion, then the experience of birth, life, and death happen within the universe is merely an illusion. If the universe is merely an illusion, then form, time, and space are merely an illusion. If form, time, and space are merely an illusion, then the mind is merely an illusion. If the mind is merely an illusion, then the ‘I’ is merely an illusion. If the ‘I’ is merely an illusion then the substance and the witness of the ‘I’ which is the formless Soul alone is real and eternal.

The mind is one.  The mind is present in the form of the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality.
Remember:~
Realization of the Soul as the ‘Self’ is -Perfection.  The non-dualistic truth cannot be comprehended by the dualistic perspective.

The universe is a reality only from the dualistic perspective. The universe is an illusion, from a non-dualistic perspective.  From the non-dualistic perspective the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the sole reality. There is no second thing that exists, other than the Soul in non-dualistic reality.

The Soul is an unknown reality on the dualistic perspective and the universe is known reality on the dualistic perspective. The universe hides the Soul, which is the cause of the universe and it itself is uncaused.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana helps to mentally transcend the mind into the Soul, which is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

The Soul, the God is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.  The Soul is God in truth is second to none. The Soul, God in truth is one without the second. The Soul, God in truth is Advaita. The Advaita is nothing but God in truth. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

Monday, June 19, 2017

Non-Vedic beliefs practices barred by the Vedas introduced by the different founders of the different sects of Hinduism at a different time.+


The Vedas do not talk about idol worship; the followers of Vedic Religion or Santana Dharma never worshiped idols. 

God is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. Thus according to the Vedas God neither has any image nor God resides in any particular idol or statue. God cannot be seen directly by anyone. God pervades all beings and all directions.    
                              
From the Vedic perspective, Lord Krishna has been just a Mahan yogi and not God himself. Because in the Bhagavad Gita itself’ says: ~

Bhagavad Gita: ~ brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God) is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (14.27)

So, from a Vedic perspective, Lord Krishna is not a Vedic God because Rig Veda says:   May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?"

That is why Lord Krishna says Ch ~V: ~Those who know the Self in truth.". The last two words (tattvataha) are usually ignored by pundits, but they make all the difference between the ordinary concept of God and the truth about God.

Non-Vedic beliefs and practices are barred by the Vedas introduced by the different founders of the different sects of Hinduism at different times, whereas the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma is ancient and has no founder.

Hinduism is not Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.  Hindus do idol worship, while Vedas bar idol worship.

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshiped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers of Buddhism and Jains. 

There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme ‘Self’ i.e. Atman or Soul but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.

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 Vedic religion or Santana Dharma 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. 

Hindus do idol worship, while Vedas bar idol worship.   According to Vedas, God pervades everything and everywhere.

People, who worship the belief of God, are hallucinating that they become one with such God because they believed the false God as God in truth. 
To be considered an orthodox Hindu one need only accept the authority of Shruti, however, there is no universal agreement among the Hindus on what constitutes Shruti. Vedantins consider the Vedanta, i.e., the Upanishads as Shruti but also include the Bhagavad-Gita and Brahma Sutras as authoritative. For some Vaishnavas, the Bhagavata Purana is to be considered Veda. Some consider the Tantras are considered Veda. Thus, we find that there is ample scope for different ideologies,   philosophies, and practices under the very broad umbrella of Hinduism.

Hindus indulge non-Vedic beliefs such as idolatry, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, priestcraft, offerings made in temples, the caste system, untouchability, and child marriages. All these lack Vedic sanctions, therefore, Hinduism is not Ancient Vedic Religion or Santana Dharma.

Remember:~
Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman, the ‘Self’. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)
Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~  God is Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. God cannot be seen directly by anyone. God pervades all beings and all directions. Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God in truth) is in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.
 When Upanishads and Vedas declare that, “God is the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself’ then why accept another God in place of the Athma or worship other than the Athma.
Yajur Veda indicates that: ~ They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc. - (Yajurveda 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.)
Thus, to acquire ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the seeker has to realize his inherited religion is adulterated in the past and it becomes a great obstacle is realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman or God.     : ~ Santthosh Kumaar