It is not possible to get rid of the ignorance through religious or yogic path.+

If one does not find a reflection of himself when he is standing inform of the mirror but finds his body and the background world in the mirror.  The one which is conscious of the body and the experience of the world is not the body but consciousness.

The relationship and love, hate happiness, and misery of the practical life within the practical world are not connected to the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul, the Self is beyond form, time, and space and beyond birth, life, death, and world.  

Thus rest in consciousness by recognizing it as our innermost Self, which is god.  and realize the practical life within the practical world is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth and the ultimate truth is God in truth.

Getting rid of the physical shackle is necessary to overcome the burden and bondage of the illusory samsara. Love and relationship seem reality in practical life within the practical world but they are merely an illusion from the ultimate standpoint.   Thus the game of life is merely a passing show.

It is not possible to get rid of ignorance through the religious or yogic path.

Upanishads:~

Katha Upanishad 1:2:23:-  The Soul cannot be realized through hearing the 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 book nor by taking a bath at a 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 truth, and if there 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 spiritual discourse. One who welcomes God in every activity, through a thorough controlled and disciplined life, to him also the Soul is revealed."

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

That is why 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.

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 that 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’.

Where people cannot and do not think, they follow others. A Gnani will see the world and get to know it is only an illusory appearance. He is not blind; he sees three states or objects as it is, but he knows it is only falsehood.

 Just as you see a mirage, the Gnani sees the mirage of this universe too; but he is not deceived by it. So long as one is ignorant, he will have the idea that God has created this world because the causal notion will be there. Nobody wants to suffer, and while the notion that suffering can be got rid of by appealing to God, these wishes will sway the mind to believe in God. For them, religion will arise, but for the man who wants truth, religion offers no consolation.

Anybody can write a commentary on the Upanishads' other scriptures and other scriptures, all they need to do is to pour it out with or mental words. It is quite easy to do this even for those who have never understood the Upanishads and but think they have. Thus the dualists and their disciples have written commentaries on scriptures: But all these have been written to satisfy themselves, not to get the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Religion is regarded as sacred and real by the common people, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

The ego alone cannot be discarde because the ego and the world appeared together and they disappear together.+

Sage Sankara says in the commentary in 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,  something which is detrimental to our spiritual progress.   

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

Yoga Vasishtha:~"Teachers, interpretations of sacred texts, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth which is revealed in the clear reflection of the heart, engendered from contact with the good." 

Without the ego, the world ceases to exist. Without the world, the ego ceases to exist. You are the ego. Without the ego, you cease to exist.   You cannot be your own servant. Without realizing 'what is what' one will not be able to understand. Assimilate and realize the non-dualistic truth. 

The ego, body, and the experience of the world appear together and disappear together. The ego + body= waking entity (person).  From the Nondualistic perspective, the ego, body, and the experience of the world are one in essence.  That essence is consciousness. Thus there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.  

There is only oneness.  There is no division in consciousness in non-dualistic reality. Till one is egocentric all sorts of doubts and confusion arise. If one is soul-centric then there are no doubts and confusion because everything is consciousness. 

In a dream, there are the dream ego, the dream body, and the dream world. The whole dream disappears when waking takes place. Similarly, the whole waking disappears in deep sleep and also when Advaitic wisdom dawns. 

The Advaitic wisdom dawns when the waking entity realizes it itself is not the Self.   The dream is a parallel waking experience and the waking experience is a parallel dream.   

The one that witnesses the coming and going of the three states is not the waking entity (ego) but the Soul, the Self.  Till one holds the ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as the Self, all the confusion will go on. The ‘I’ is not the self. The ‘I’ is the whole universe in which your body and ego exist. 

The ego cannot be killed because the ego and the world appeared together and they disappear together. Who has to kill the ego? How can the ego kill itself when it is the very basis of the physical existence (universe)?

You are present in the form of ego. You have an inborn conviction that: - you are an individual apart from the world. And the world existed prior to you and you are born in this world and you are living in this world.

Even In the dream, one has the same inborn conviction that: - he is an individual apart from the world. And the world existed prior to you and he is born in this world and you are living in this world.

Until this conviction is there the duality prevails.  The illusory nature of the dream is exposed when waking takes place. Similarly, the illusory nature of the waking will be exposed when  Advaitic wisdom dawns.  

The Advaitic wisdom dawns when the waking entity (you or ego) realizes it itself is not the Self but the Self is the formless Soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states, in the midst of duality.

The ego cannot be killed instead one has to get rid of the ignorance. It is a foolish venture to kill or destroy the ego. There is no need to kill the ego to get Self-realization. A perfect understanding of ‘what is this Self ‘and ‘what is nonself is very much necessary.  The discrimination between the self and non-self leads to Non-dualistic Self-awareness.  

Holding some Gurus and their teachings as a yardstick leads to all types of doubts and confusion and unnecessary argument. An argument fuels the ego. The argument is possible only when one tries to grasp the Non-dualistic truth from the dualistic perspective.  One has to unlearn what he has learned. Without mentally burning the accumulated dross it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

The Seeker of truth should not become attached to words as being in perfect conformity with meaning, because Truth is not in the letters. When a man with his fingertip points to something, the fingertip may be mistaken for the thing pointed at; in like manner the ignorant, are unable even to the day of their death to abandon the idea that in the fingertip of words there is the meaning itself. They cannot realize ultimate reality because of their intent clinging to words that were intended to be no more than a pointing finger. 

Words and their discrimination bind one to the duality or birth, life, and death; meaning stands alone and is a guide to non-dual awareness. Meaning is attained by much learning, and much learning is attained by becoming conversant with meaning and not with words; therefore, seekers of truth have to avoid the sticklers for particular words. 

The search for ultimate truth is a very difficult path to tread for it will expose the unreal nature of the world in which you exist. But if your motive is the love of truth and life, you need not be scared because you will realize you and the world are part of the illusion. 

The substance and the witness of the illusion are the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.    The Self is not you because you are bound by form, time, and space. 

If you are bound by form, time and space means you are bound by birth, life, death, and world. 

 If you are bound by birth, life, death, and the world means you are bound by duality.

 If you are bound by duality means you are bound by falsehood because From the non-dualistic perspective duality is not a reality. 

The ego and the world are part of the duality, which is not reality.  Thus all the imagination based on the dualistic perspective is bound to be falsehood because the ego (waking entity or you) is the false self within the false experience (waking) .:~Santthosh Kumaar 

One that appears as ‘I’ and disappears as ‘I-LESS’ is the consciousness.+

Even though the 'Self' is something other than this waking entity (ego), the majority of people still identify themselves with it.  The main reason people identify their 'Self' with the waking entity (ego) is their ignorance of the Real Self.

Whosoever identifies the 'Self' with this bundle of bones and flesh is caught up in the grip of the dualistic illusion. Now the question arises: If the 'Self'  is not this waking entity, then what is that 'Self? The real 'Self'  is not the waking entity but the Soul, which witnesses, the waking entity and waking world together.

The scriptures declare that the 'Self'  is the Soul. the Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of the consciousness or Spirit  ~ the three states are merely an illusion created out of the consciousness.  That's all.

The three states are temporary, while the Soul, the innermost Self is immortal. Therefore, this waking entity and waking experience are false (impermanent), and the Soul, the Self is True and permanent.

The ultimate goal of human existence is to become re-established in the reality of his true existence through Self-realization.  Self-knowledge of Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana makes one realize that form, time and space are one in essence. That essence is the Soul or consciousness.  Realizing the essence, which the Soul, which is present in the form of the leads one to nondual Self- Awareness.  In Self-awareness, there is only oneness in the midst of duality. 

As the seeker( ego)  becomes more and more inward-turned,  the Soul, the 'Self'  becomes gradually free from experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality.  When the Soul, the 'Self' becomes freed from all the obstruction by fully eliminating the ignorance then it remains in its own awareness. 

When the Soul, remains in its own awareness in the midst of dualistic illusion then the duality is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

So long the Soul, the  'Self' identifies itself with the waking entity remains in ignorance of its formless nondual true nature. Therefore,  it is necessary to realize the fact that, the ‘Self’ is neither the waking entity nor the ‘Self’ a dream entity but the 'Self' is the formless soul, that witnesses the coming and going of the three states.

Just as the sun is the direct cause of the daylight, so without Self-knowledge no emancipation can be had. Compared to all other forms of discipline Self-knowledge is the only direct means of freedom from experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality.

Only when wisdom dawns, the Soul, the Self can remain in its own awareness in the midst of the dualistic illusion.

  

The egocentric reason is useful only in practical life within the practical world but it is not useful in discovering the reality of our true existence.  Since man is conditioned to use egocentric reason he fails to understand, assimilate and realize the truth beyond form, time and space. 

To discover reality beyond form, time, and space, the reason should be based on the Soul. If the 'Self' is not the ego, which is present as you within the waking experience is bound by form, time, and space.

If you are bound by form, time, and space then you are bound by birth, life death, and the world. If you are bound by birth, life and death, and the world then you are not the Self because the Self is birthless and deathless because it is formless.  Without realizing this truth it is impossible to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time,  and space.  

People are stuck with some teaching and teacher without realizing a teacher and teachings are not necessary the seeker has to search for the truth which is hidden within the universe in, which he exists. He has to indulge in a deeper investigation to unfold the mystery of the universe. 

The Self can be known through soulcentric reason. The 'Self' is not an 'object' that can be known by thought because the Self is prior to the world, the thinker, and the thought. The 'Self 'is known only through wisdom.

The 'Self' is the only one and that is the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. When one investigates what is ‘I’ through deeper self-search he becomes aware of the fact that the ‘I’ is not limited to form but the ‘I’ includes time and space. 

The ‘I’ appears along with the form, time, and space and it disappears along with the form, time, and space.  Thus, form, time, and space are present only when the ‘I’ is present. And ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present and the mind is present only when the universe is present. The universe is present only when the waking experience is present. 

Thus,  you are not limited to the form but you are form, time, and space together.  If you are (I) form, time and space together then the question of inquiring “Who AM I?  does not arise. The seeker of truth has to investigate the nature of the ‘I’, in order to unfold the mystery of for, time and space.      

The Soul, the Self is one and only one and it is indivisible because it is formless,   therefore, the ‘I’ that divides into form, time, and space cannot be the 'Self'. 

The man identifies himself as ‘I’ that is he has accepted the ‘I’ as self.  The man himself is a false self within the false experience (waking). His existence is limited to waking experience. If ‘I’ is not the 'Self' then what is the Self without ‘I’. 

The ‘I’ is not the self because it is not permanent in the sense it appears as waking or dream and diapers as deep sleep.  Thus, one that appears as ‘I’ and disappears as ‘I-LESS’ is consciousness. In reality ‘I’ and ‘I-LESS’ are one in essence. That essence is consciousness. Thus, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness, which is ever formless.  Thus, the ‘I’ (form+time+space)   is created out of ‘I’-less (formless)  stuff. 

The Soul, the innermost Self is without attributes, actionless, eternal, ever free, and indestructible because it is ever formless. Soul, the Self, not form, time, and space which is ever changing and unreal.

The form, time, and space appear together and dissolve together from and into the source, which is the Soul. The Soul is the one and only one, which is present in the form of consciousness. Thus,  consciousness appears as many within the realm of form, time, and space but it remains as one when it is aware of its own formless non-dual true nature.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Enter the kingdom of Advaita. Advaita means the one without the second.+

People talk of liberation or Moksha. They are only forming an idea. The idea is mere imagination. Imagination is possible only in ignorance.

People, who are so confused as to be unable mentally, separate the Soul from the dualistic illusion, speaking of gaining liberation.

All such idea of liberation is possible only in waking experience. The waking experience is a dualistic illusion.

The dualistic illusion appears and disappears.

The Soul is the formless witness of the appearance and disappearance of the dualistic illusion.

The Soul is caught up in the cage of the dualistic illusion.

It is the Soul that is in ignorance it is the Soul that has to wake up from the sleep of ignorance.

It is the Soul that is in the quest for itself.

It is not you who wants freedom.

It is the Soul, which wants to free itself from ignorance, which is the cause of experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality.

The ‘Self’ is not you. Self-realization is necessary to realize the ‘Self’ is not you, but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Consciousness is the cause of the world in which you exist and it, itself is uncaused.

When the world in which you exist is nothing but consciousness then the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

Thus, stick to consciousness, which is the ultimate truth or Brahman, and mentally drop the illusory world in which you exist.

Enter the kingdom of Advaita. Advaita means the one without the second. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

WHO AM ‘I’ and ‘I AM THAT’ is only for a lower stage it helps only expose the false nature of the ego, which is not the full truth.+

The Man is misled by what confronts him or influenced by what he experiences. Man exists within the world. From the ultimate standpoint, the world is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.   

Due to ignorance, man experiences duality as a reality, because man thinks of himself as Self and he experiences birth, life, death, and the world as a reality.  

Thus, Self-knowledge is necessary to realize the fact that, man and his experience of the world together is an illusion. And the soul is the innermost Self, is not part of the illusion.  The Soul is present in the form of consciousness is the formless substance and the witness of the illusion. The illusion is present as the mind (I) or the universe or waking experience. The illusion is an object to the formless soul, which is the subject. In reality,  the object and subject are one in essence. 

Many seekers in this path of inquiry are still struggling even after long years and waiting for something to happen. Even after reading and inquiring deeply enough, still, they are unable to progress further.  Even they are unable to get any benefit in their spiritual pursuit through self - inquiry they are unable to give up Self-inquiry due to the attraction of Sri, Ramana Maharishi. 

It is necessary for the seeker of truth to realize the fact that Self-awareness is not some mystical experience propagated by yogis. Self-awareness comes only from the Gnana or Nondualistic wisdom. 

 That is why Sage Sankara indicated: -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 comes out of 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.

Self-inquiry prescribed by Sri, Raman Maharshi helps only at the beginning of the pursuit of truth. But the seeker will find it inadequate in later stages. However, it creates lots of doubts and confusion.  The seeker has to find the answers on his own through deeper reasoning, then all his doubts and confusions will be cleared, and he will be able to move ahead in the path of inquiry, and he will be able to reach his non-dual destination.

When one is absorbed in thinking of anything, he forgets the subject, which is consciousness,  the innermost self, that which witnesses all the coming and going of the three states in succession.

One may think for a hundred hours continuously,  but it is all thoughts, hence not consciousness. But when one becomes aware the thinker and the thoughts are one is the essence, one does get consciousness, the knower, the formless witness of the three states. Consciousness the Self is eternal.

One has to get rid of his doubts, But that did not mean, simply going and believing everything he is told. The doubt is to be got rid of "by the sword of wisdom.

WHO AM ‘I’ and ‘I AM THAT’ is only for a lower stage where one gives up externally in order, exposing the false nature of the ego, which is not the full truth. To get the ultimate truth,  one has to inquire into the nature of the mind, which is in the form of the universe.  Inquiring into nature,   the mind or the universe is higher.  Thus,  ‘WHO AM ‘I’? and ‘I AM THAT’   will not reveal the truth of the whole,  thus the journey is incomplete.
 ‘WHO AM ‘I’ and ‘I AM THAT’ - teachings serve only at the starting point. What one has to learn from the teaching of the sages be understood through the exercise of reason as far as the reason might go.  And what one has assimilated must be realized. There are stages in the seeker's goal.

Self-awareness does not mean one is transforming something into something else. In self –awareness there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness in the midst of diversity.  The body and the world have become one in essence. 

There is no duality in the midst of duality.   There is not even the concept of real and unreal. Of course,  it does not mean that when one is involved in practical life within the practical world disappears. But in self-awareness one is consciously aware of ‘what truth’ is and ‘what is not the truth’ in the midst of duality because one sees his ego, his body,  and his experience of the world as consciousness.  

Thus, for a Gnani there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness, even though he is in the midst of diversity.   

Nothingness is an erroneous conclusion because every thought has its opposite every word is tied to its coordinate for all thought and speech can only operate under such dualism. Hence, taking the most fundamental word, existence, its implied opposite non-existence is also there, and vice versa. So the nothingness or “non-entity" is meaningless without "entity". Both are there.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankara’s whole teaching can be summed up into one sentence:- There is nothing else but Brahman.+

Sage Sankara says:~ 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

But how does one have that realization? That is where Advaita and Advaita Vedanta diverge.

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 experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have experienced 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.”

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. 

Ignorance will not vanish without Advaitic wisdom. It is not you who has to get rid of ignorance, because you and you and your experience of the world are the product of ignorance. The Soul, the Self is in ignorance of its own true nature. 

Only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the Soul, the Self, awake from its sleep of ignorance.  When the soul remains in its own awareness of its own true nature, there is no division in the soul or consciousness, there is unity in diversity. 

Sage Sankara’s whole wisdom can be summed up into one sentence:- ‘There is nothing else but Brahman. He says that Absolute Existence, Absolute Knowledge and Absolute Bliss is 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.

Sage   Sankara: ~  "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread." (Select Works of Sage Sri, Sankara" also his commentary on Brihad)

Sage   Sankara:~  The Gnani "should pass through life", not run away from life, and should take a middle course between seeking worldly honor and worldly abasement. ( Chap.3.4.50; Sankara's commentary to Brahma Sutras)

Genuine philosophy must be independent of religion, that in Sage Sankara himself the Saguna Brahman or a personal God is only a part of the phenomenal (if not illusory) world and the Nirguna Brahman is the only reality and has nothing to do with religion. 

The main hurdle in his way of thinking is the fact that Sage Sri, Sankara did not claim to be an original thinker at all, and his philosophy took the form of commentaries on the generality of scriptures, particularly the Upanishads and the Gita. 

Sage  Sankara was an independent thinker. His philosophy has not been taken seriously by many in India because most of the followers of Sage Sankara are religious orthodox.

It is that philosophy in India was for centuries more an exposition of the ancient classics than the independent thought of individual thinkers as in ancient Greece or modern Europe and America.

Sage Sankara and  Sage  Gaudapada are independent thinkers other schools of Indian philosophy are mere theologies. Advaitic philosophy is real philosophy. The dualistic philosophy cannot escape the charge of dogmatism.

Intelligence and thought, do not apply to Advaitism, intelligence and thought are based on a false self (waking entity) within the false experience (waking).   The whole Advaitic philosophy is an attempt to transcend the limitations of intelligence and thought.

The two points of view A Gnani is not cut off from the experience of practical life within the practical world because Advaitic truth is neither realism nor idealism; it is beyond both these.

Sage Sankara said:~Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many gods as you please, observe ceremonies and sing devotional hymns, but the liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

Philosophy does not begin with the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed. Hence, so-called philosophers who take Brahman for granted are not philosophers at all.

Lots of Advaitin scholars will teach that all is yourself, but none of them can show that this is so, none has analyzed it scientifically, and none can prove it. Rational proof is required so that one arrives at knowing the ultimate truth or Brahman i.e. Gnana.  Theirs is mere dogma, parrotism, and repetition of what they read in scripture.  Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

Sage Sankara endeavored toward establishing the Vedic religion and overthrowing Buddhism. But even he was not able to avoid the influence of Buddhism. The influence of the revolutionary atmosphere of Buddhism has reappeared in the Advaita of Sage Sankara. His inability to revive the Vedic religion that flourished before the Buddhist revolution in its pure form is discernible.:~Santthosh Kumaar