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