Sage Sankara says: ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false leads to Self-awareness.+

Those who come to India in search of truth must know the truth they are seeking is not available in Himalayas or Ashrams or with any Gurus or yogis, but it is hidden by the world in which they exist. All the paths and practices available in India are not meant for those who are seriously seeking the truth of their true existence. 

Sage Sankara says: ~ “Atman is Brahman. The Atman alone is real is not religious truth. Sage Sankara declared this Advaitic truth, which is the ultimate truth to the whole world, many centuries back is the rational truth, scientific truth, and ultimate truth. 

Thus, the Atman which is present in the form of the consciousness is real and eternal, the world in which we exist is merely an illusion. 

Sage Sankara already declared ‘what is the truth?’ and ‘what is untruth?’. 

Ataman is Brahman ~ “That is the Soul the ‘Self’ is the ultimate truth”. 

The world is unreal ~ “The unreal hides the truth because the world is created out of the real. 

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false leads to Self-awareness. 

Sage Sankara: ~ “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 are to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

Sage Sankara: ~ VC~ 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.

Atman which is present in the form of the consciousness is real and eternal, the world in which we exist is merely an illusion. 

Sage Sankara says the transparent Truth of the Self, which is hidden by the illusion, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, (Gnani)

Sage Sankara clearly indicates in Viveka Chudamani (2) that the Knower of the Atman (A Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539). 

Vedas declares not to accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman but people are unaware of their own sacred Vedas and worship non-Vedic Gods as real Gods. 

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

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 must be accepted as God other than consciousness. 

Religious Gods are based on belief. Religious God cannot be considered as a center because the Soul, the innermost ‘Self’ is the center of all that exists. Without the Soul the world in which you exist ceases to exist, which means the religious God is dependent on the Soul for his existence. 

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

The Gods worshiped in India today are not God in truth. Believing and worshipping in non-Vedic Gods barred by Vedas. 

That is why Swami Vivekananda: ~ “The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods?

Be aware of what you are searching for. Be aware of what you are seeking. The truth will reveal itself to you if you move in the right direction. You are making it complicated by accepting the untruth propagated as truth. 

There is nothing but water in the Holy Rivers. Even if you dip million times and by indulging in performing pranayama, your ignorance will not vanish. 

Sage Sankara: ~ VC- Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about our own Self. The firm experience of the nature of the Self is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advice of the wise. (13) 

All the Gods sculpted of stone and metal will not be pleased with your devotion and offering. People are praying out to them. 

Sage Sankara: ~ VC- Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals are 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 (verses-6) 

The Sacred Books of the East are nothing but words you will not find the truth in it.

Sage Sankara says: Keep the scriptures for children but throw them on the fire for wise seekers. 

Mundaka Upanishads: ~ So-called spiritual pundits and learned are called children because a child takes whatever it thinks as truth. The question never occurs to children “Is what I have seen or thought really the truth?" (P.334 line 9)

People have lived through indulging in all these priests crafted beliefs dogmas and superstitions, something, is not true.

One of Sage Sankara’s missions was to wean people away from the ritualistic approach advocated by Mimamsakas and to project wisdom (jnana) as the means of liberation in the light of Upanishad teachings.

Sage Sankara criticized severely the ritualistic attitude and those who advocated such practices.

Mundaka Upanishad: ~The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing the sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross the sea of samsara on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their own ignorance, yet wise in their own esteem, these deluded men Proud of their vain learning go round and round Like the blind led by the blind.

If you are seeking truth and you are trying to get it from yoga and following some teaching and following some Guru and other paths then you are dwelling in ignorance and go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The seeker of truth must bifurcate the Advaitic orthodoxy from spirituality in order to understand assimilate the Advaitic or non-dualistic truth.+

The seeker of truth has to bifurcate the Advaitic orthodoxy from spirituality in order to understand assimilate the Advaitic or non-dualistic truth. Orthodoxy is meant for the mass mindset, who are incapable of inquiring to verify their inherited belief system.  The pure essence of non-duality is based on the  Soul, the Self. 

The path of wisdom is the soul-centric path. Soul-centric thinking and reasoning lead to the non-dual destination.  Therefore, there is a need to rectify the seeking base from ego base to soul base to understand, assimilate and realize the non-dual truth.

The Self –inquiry is not the critical study of the scriptures. Who am I? - is not Self-inquiry.   The ‘Self-inquiry’ is finding out the ‘Self’ which is hidden by the ‘I’. The ‘I’ itself is ignorance. Ignorance is the cause of the dualistic illusion or Maya or the universe.

By inquiring ‘Who am I?’-  the ignorance will not vanish. Without getting rid of ignorance, the Advaitic wisdom will not dawn. Without the Advaitic wisdom, it is not possible to realize the truth, which is hidden by the dualistic illusion.

Remember: ~

The ‘I’ is the universe. Without the ‘I’ the universe ceases to exist.  The Soul, the ‘Self’ and the universe are one in essence,  because,   the universe is nothing but an illusion created out of the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The universe is only the veil of ignorance on the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

The Self is not you but the Soul, which is hidden by the universe (I). The Soul is hidden by the universe because the universe is merely a dualistic illusion or Maya created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

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.

When you finally realize the ‘‘Self’ ‘is not you but the ‘‘Self’’ is the Soul then you will realize the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

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.

Remember:~ All is consciousness. The whole universe is consciousness. From consciousness, the universe comes. When the universe disappears,  consciousness still remains without form, time, and space.

Till 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 a reality. Until the universe prevails as a reality the religion thrives. 

Remember:~ 

There is no necessity to study the Vedas and  Bhagavad Gita, Dasopanishad, and Brahma Sutras, all with commentaries to ensure firm realization? To attain Self- realization scriptures are necessary. 

There is no need to study scripture or any book or any teaching to realize the Self hidden by ignorance.

All intellectual wealth is of no use because they are based on the dualistic perspective whereas the truth is based on the nondualistic perspective. 

Dualistic knowledge will not transport the seeker to the ultimate end of understanding. Perfect understanding of ‘what is what' leads to the realization of the truth hidden by the form, time, and space.

Even Upanishad says:~

Katha Upanishad:~ This Atman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals Its own form. ( Ch-II -23-P-20)

Mundaka Upanishad:~ This Atman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Atman—by him alone is Atman attained. It is Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. ( 3 –page-70)

Remember:~

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

The scriptures indicate that Atman is Brahman, and Brahman is the ultimate truth. Therefore the soul, which is in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth.  Thus to realize the ultimate truth is the prime goal.   A well-directed inquiry, analysis, and reasoning will lead one to his non-dual destination. 

Self-Realization is the direct realization of the ultimate truth or real god, in contrast with traditional paths, which are indirect. And the other paths cannot lead to the ultimate destination because they are based on the false self, which they hold as real Self and false experience as reality. 

Until and unless one overcomes physical shackles it is impossible to understand and assimilate the nondual truth, which is beyond the physical existence or the universe.  Consciousness itself is lord of itself though not of the universe. And having nothing it has all.

Remember:~ 

Gaudapada quotes from the Upanishads:~ "There's no plurality here"; "The Lord [Atman] through his powers appear to be many"; "those who are attached to the creation or production or origination go to utter darkness"; "the unborn is never reborn, for who can produce  Atman?”

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.

When you finally realize the ‘‘Self’ ‘is not you but the ‘‘Self’’ is the Soul then you will realize the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

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

Remember: ~ All is consciousness. The whole universe is consciousness. From consciousness, the universe comes. When the universe disappears,  consciousness still remains without form, time, and space.:~  Santthosh Kumaar

The five senses (body) are nothing to do with the Soul, the ‘Self’ because the Soul, the Self is ever formless, timeless and spaceless existence.+

The universe is the product of ignorance. The five senses (body) are nothing to do with the Soul, the ‘Self’ because the Soul, the Self is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self the universe in which the body (you) exist is merely an illusion.

The dream universe and the five senses (dream body) become unreal when the waking takes place. Similarly, the waking experience in which you and the waking world exist becomes unreal when wisdom dawns. The wisdom dawns when the Soul remains in its own awareness in the midst of the duality.

Remember: ~

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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar