Sage Sankara’s whole wisdom can be summed up in one sentence, ‘There is nothing else but Brahman (God).+

The question "Who am I?” - is a religious, not a spiritualistic question. ‘Who am ‘I’?- inquiry is an egocentric inquiry. Without knowing this ‘I’ supposed to be in actuality it is impossible to realize the ‘Self’ hidden by the ‘I’.   

People say Aham Brahmasmi -- I am God, I am Brahman. But when Brahman is, how can "I" remain? - Only Brahman remains, not the ‘I’ because the ‘Self’ is the witness of the ‘I’.

The ‘Self-inquiry’ is to find out the ‘Self’ which is hidden by the illusory world, in which we exist. By inquiring ‘Who am I?’, the ignorance will not vanish because the ‘I’ itself is illusory.

Bhagvad Gita: ~ “You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory. ~ CH.2 v.16

Sage Vasistha: ~ ‘We contemplate that reality in which everything exists, to which everything belongs, from which everything has emerged, which is the cause of everything and which is everything.

Sage Vasistha: ~ ‘This world appearance is a confusion, even as the blueness of the sky is an optical illusion. I think it is better not to let the mind dwell on it, but to ignore it.

Only the serious seeker can lift their thoughts above ego and ask "What is the universe?"

The seeker must inquire~ "What is the individual experience of the birth, life, death, and the world as a whole?" "What is this universe?"- to unfold the mystery of the ‘Self’ hidden by the universe. 

Sage Sankara says in the commentary on the Vedanta sutra that what is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead a person to the final goal. On the contrary, such acceptance will result only in evil, in something detrimental to our spiritual progress.  

Seeker of truth should not believe blindly in traditional orthodox nonduality without verifying all the facts from every angle. One has to reflect through reasoning over and over again without getting tired of the process.

Sage Sri, Sankara says: - VC-65~As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never come out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the Self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

People refuse to accept anything other than religious inherited beliefs. For them, their Gurus words are the ultimate truth. They do not accept anything else other than their accepted truth. There is no need to convince such a mindset.

Such a mindset is not fit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seekers of truth accept only the truth nothing but the uncontradictable truth.

Chandogya Upanishad:~ One who meditates upon and realizes the 'Self' discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantrams and meditation--all come from the Self.

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 Maya.

Sage   Sankara says:~VC-47- All the effects of ignorance, root, and branch, are burnt down by the fire of knowledge, which arises from discrimination between these two—the Self and the not-Self.

Until you think you are an individual separate from the world and world that existed prior to you and you are born in it afterwards the ignorance will prevail as a reality.  Until ignorance is there the universe prevails as reality.

Sage Sankara said:~ VC-63- “Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the ‘Self’ how is one to achieve Liberation.

The universe in which we exist will not remain as reality when wisdom dawns. The universe is a mere mirage created out of consciousness and there is a conscious awareness of unity in diversity because there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

As the conviction of the Soul, the 'Self' becomes firm then gradually the ‘Self’ is free from experiencing the dualistic illusion (universe) as a reality.

When the Soul, the ‘Self’ becomes freed from all the obstruction by fully eliminating the ignorance it remains in its own awareness.  

When the Soul, remains in its own awareness in the midst of the waking experience then the universe is merely an illusion created out of the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

When the Soul, the 'Self' gives up identification with the waking entity then and recognizes its true nature is as undifferentiated awareness, unaffected by form, time, and space, and enter into its own awareness of its formless, timeless, and spaceless true nature.

Remember: ~

Advaitic Gnana cannot come if anything is left out. The whole universe must be included in the inquiry to realize the 'Self' hidden by the universe. 

The Soul becomes the whole universe (duality in waking).  The whole universe becomes the Soul (nonduality in deep sleep).

When the ‘Self is not you but the Soul why you are thinking of the physical Guru worshipping him. Such an act keeps you permanently in ignorance. Come out of the religious conditioning by realizing the ‘Self is not you but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

If you are unable to come out of the Guru/disciple game you are not qualified for Advaitic wisdom.

The ‘I’ itself is the universe, and the universe is the dualistic illusion. Without realizing the ‘I’ is universe it is impossible to realize the ‘Self’ hidden by the ‘I’. 

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- All this universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman (Consciousness) which is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought.

The universe is the product of ignorance. The ignorance is present in the form of the ‘I’.

Sage Sankara says: ~VC-47 All the effects of ignorance, root, and branch, are burnt down by the fire of knowledge, which arises from discrimination between these two—the Self and the non-Self.

Until you think you are an individual separate from the world and the world that existed prior to you and you are born in it afterward the ignorance will prevail as a reality. Till ignorance is there the universe prevails as reality.

Sage Sankara says: ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation, then why you are indulging in other types of meditation.

Perfect understanding and realization of ‘what is what’ leads to Self-awareness. By holding onto theories one remains in the realm of duality. You have to mentally go on dropping what is not the truth through deeper Self-search. Finally when you become aware of the fact that, your ego, your body, and the world are one in essence then there is Self-awareness in the midst of duality.

Sage Sankara’s whole wisdom can be summed up in one sentence, ‘There is nothing else but Brahman. He says that the Absolute Existence, Absolute Knowledge, and Absolute Bliss are Real. The universe is not real. He says that Brahma and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the Self, which is one though appearing as many in different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the Self is real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearances.

In fact, Sage Sankara states a paradox- the world is and is not. It is neither real nor unreal. It leads us to recognize the existence of Maya. He thinks that the world is illusory from one perspective and from the second it is nothing but Brahma, Itself in manifestation. This apparent world is Maya and has its basis in Brahman, the Eternal. It looks as real. It has names and forms and actually, it is not real In the light of true knowledge, it disappears and 'Self' alone shines as real. However, Sage Sri, Sankara’s Mayavada has not been accepted by many preachers and philosophers.

When Sage Sankara says clearly, the universe is not real. He says that Brahman and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the Self, which is one though appearing as many in different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the Self is Real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearances, then it indicates the form (waking/duality/mind) is unreal the formless is real (Soul/Spirit/Witness). Therefore, only Atman is real because there

Sage Sankara also clearly mentions that: ~

The path of religion, the path of yoga, and the path of wisdom were intended for different classes of people. The wisdom is for the advanced seekers of truth. It deals with the nature of the ultimate Truth and Reality. It is meant for superior aspirants who have an inner urge to know the truth and it is not for those who are immersed in earthly desires. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar