The universe is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness (Spirit).+

They alone in this world are endowed with the highest wisdom and are firm in their conviction of the sameness and birthlessness of Ataman. The ordinary man does not understand their way. (Chapter IV — Alatasanti Prakarana 95-P-188 in Upanishads by Nikilanada) 

This vast cosmos with all its contents (atom, molecule, sun, moon, planet, and star) all are created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.   

The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.  Awareness is the nature of the soul or consciousness. Consciousness is existence itself.

Consciousness is ever-present. Without consciousness, the world, in which you exist ceases to exist.   Consciousness is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proof. It is not possible to deny consciousness because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. Consciousness is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. Consciousness is everything. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Consciousness is the root element of the universe. From consciousness, the universe comes into existence. In consciousness, the universe resides. And into the consciousness, the universe is dissolved.   the consciousness is the parent of all that is there. 

When you realize the words, thoughts, and world in which you exist are created out of single stuff and that single stuff is consciousness, then you will realize the truth which is beyond the form, time, and space.

When everything is created out of consciousness then there is no second thing that exists, other than consciousness. It takes time to grasp the Advaitic truth. All the obstacles have to be overcome one by one.

Remember:~

Everything is consciousness (Spirit). The one,  who views and judges the worldview on the base of the waking entity (ego) will not realize that the man including the world is created sustained and finally dissolves as consciousness. Thus, consciousness alone is, and all else is an illusion.

You and your experience of the world are within the illusion. You are the false Self within the false experience (waking).  The waking is a parallel dream and the dream is a parallel waking experience. 

The Self is neither the waking entity nor the Self is the dream entity but the Self is the Soul witnesses the coming and going of the three states. 

The Soul, the Self is nothing to do with you and your experience of the world because it is an ever-formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

The world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The universe is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness (Spirit).

A person, who stamped his foot on the ground to refute to show the world, is real, ignore that in a dream he would do exactly the same--stamp his dream foot on the ground and assert it to be real. 

The Ultimate Reality is one without a second and designates by the name Brahman. Brahman is incorporeal, immutable, all-pervading consciousness, beyond form, time, and space.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is the aim of every human being. Since everyone thinks the physical body is the self, their aim is misdirected and they focus their attention on materiality which makes one feel the duality [waking] as reality. 

There is no need to study scriptures, or indulge in god and guru glorification, or perform religious rituals.  Since they are not the means to acquire non-dual wisdom. It is only a waste of time and effort to indulge in those things. 

The individual self is not real, is not accepted by many.  The nondual wisdom is based not on the individual self ( ego).  Until people hold the ‘I’ as a witness, they will not reach the ultimate understanding.  

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 are caught up in the grip of duality. 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 invisible Soul, which witnesses the waking entity and waking world together.

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

Three states are temporary, while the Soul, the Self is immortal, therefore, this waking entity and waking experience are false (impermanent), and the  Soul, the Self is real 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 is the Soul or consciousness leads one to nondual Self- Awareness.  In Self-awareness, there is only oneness in the midst of 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 Maya.

The universe is the product of ignorance. 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 existed prior to you and you are born in it afterward ignorance will prevail as a reality. Till ignorance is there the universe prevails as a 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.

Consciousness means existence.  The universe exists because of consciousness. Without consciousness, the universe ceases to exist.

The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the witness-consciousness that experiences the action, the actor, and the world of separate things. It is like a light that illuminates everything in a theatre, revealing the master of ceremonies, the guests, and the dancers with complete impartiality. Even when they all depart, the light shines to reveal their absence.

The Soul is the  Self. The Soul is all-pervading. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness and is not within any particular body it pervades the whole universe.

Consciousness pervades form, time, and space. Without consciousness, form, time, and space cease to exist.

Only in ignorance, there is duality. In reality, there is no duality. ‘I’ is a false nature. Holding the ‘I’ as the Self is holding on to ignorance. Ignorance will not buzz until you hold on to the ‘I’ because ‘I’ itself is ignorance.

You must know what God is supposed to be in actuality. God is the cause of this universe and God is uncaused.

The Soul is not limited to an individual. The individuals are many but the Soul is one.  The individual exists within the universe.  The Soul is the cause of the universe and it, itself is uncaused.  

The Soul is not within the human body.  The universe is created out of single stuff.  That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Thus, whatever the universe contains is bound to be the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

In the dream world, the dream people appeared together and disappeared together. Similarly, the waking world and waking people appeared together and disappeared together.   

The dream is created out of single stuff and that stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. In the same way, the waking experience also created out single stuff. And that single stuff is consciousness.  

The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the cause of the three states and it itself is uncaused.  

The many soul theories are religious and yogic fables based on the false self(ego) and false experience (waking). Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The Soul, the Self is not subject to any modification, without beginning and end, beyond thought and speech.+

The Soul, the Self is not subject to any modification, without beginning and end, beyond thought and speech. The Soul, the Self is the existence, Absolute, Knowledge Absolute, awareness. The soul, the innermost self, is one without a second, complete in itself.

 It never moves. It is always still, always the same. It is the cause of everything that exists as a reality within the duality, but it itself is uncaused. 

People who mechanically perform worship and rituals remain in ignorance, that is like being blind. But those who merely worship gods remain in deeper ignorance because they seek rewards for their worship.

As long as there is the sense of "I' and "mine' within us, there can be no Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. When one says 'I’ or me' and "mine' he automatically identifies the Self with his body. This shows that he is ignorant of his real Self, which is Pure Consciousness and which is also the Self of all. 

 The sign of an ignorant person is in the way he uses the words "I' and "mine'. He says: "I am so and so. I own this much property,' and so on. Thus he always remains ignorant without realizing the ‘I’ itself is ignorance.   Without realizing what this ‘I’ is, ignorance will prevail as reality? 

If ignorance prevails as reality then the form, time, and space will prevail as reality. If form, time, and space remain as reality then birth, life, death, and the world will prevail as reality.  

If birth, life, death, and the world prevail as reality then duality will prevail as reality. If duality prevails as reality then the three states prevail as reality.   

Thus the seeker needs a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ in order to come out of the prison of ignorance.  

Doubts and Confusions arise when the seeker finds the scriptures and yoga are inadequate or useless to quench his spiritual thirst.   A disappointment in the religious path or yogic path or even science implies error or ignorance.

When the serious seeker reaches a stage with all his baggage of accumulated knowledge, then uncertainty haunts him.  Whether he is right?" Where is the certainty that he is proceeding on the right lines?" 

Thus doubts arise and the inquiring spirit comes and impels us to search elsewhere for the truth where it will not be possible even to have doubt. The test is therefore in perfect understanding of ‘what is what’. And only in non-duality, where there are no two to argue about views or to have a difference of opinion can such doubtlessness be possible.  Belief depends upon unstable bases whereas certainty depends on the proof.

The Seeker of truth has to get rid of his doubts through deeper inquiry, analysis, and reasoning on his own, to realize the fact that, the Self is not the form but the Self is formless. 

Thus, his analysis and reasoning have to be based on the formless, not on the form.  By simply going on believing and accepting whatever is said by the punditry will not lead one towards the path of wisdom. All the doubt has to be got rid of "by the sword of Self - Knowledge."  The scriptures and yoga are not necessary if one follows the inner (formless) path.  Religion and yoga are not the means to the path of wisdom.  

One has to test the truth in this world not in the next world.  There is no proof other than blind belief based on the scriptures, belief is not the truth.  So, doctrines are not the means to realize the ultimate truth. There is no need to follow them.

Sage Gaudapada says:~ the merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

So they clearly indicate rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for higher knowledge or wisdom.   The path of wisdom is the only means. 

All the orthodox Advaitins indulge and immerse themselves in a ritualistic oriented lifestyle and follow the path of karma and Upasana which is meant for a lower and middling intellect and not for realizing the Advaitic truth.  

Many chose these orthodox scholars as their gurus. But these gurus are good to learn the conceptual Adavaita meant for those orthodox who believe their conduct-oriented lifestyle leads to Moksha (liberation).  But religious-based Advaita is not the means to acquire Self –knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  

Those who are seeking truth have to do their own homework in order to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.:~Santthosh Kumaar  

Modern Guru and yogis propagate of love, bliss, Samadhi and grace; all these are belongs to duality limited to form, time and space.+

Modern Gurus and yogis propagate of love, bliss, Samadhi, and grace; all these belong to duality limited to form, time and space. Thus whoever is intoxicated by dualistic knowledge is unfit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is based on a Non-dualistic base. All dualistic knowledge instead of helping, it obstructs. 

Thus it is necessary to realize that religion, yoga, and the other paths and practices are based on the waking entity (ego), which is the false self within the false experience is false knowledge. The true path is the path of wisdom, which is based on the formless soul, the real Self. 

One has to test the truth in this world not in the next world.  There is no proof other than blind belief based on the scriptures, belief is not the truth.  So, doctrines are not the means to realize the ultimate truth. There is no need to follow them.

Sage Gaudapada says:~ the merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Jana is taught to those of higher intellect.

So they clearly indicate rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for higher knowledge or wisdom.   The path of wisdom is the only means. 

All the orthodox Advaitins indulge and immerse themselves in the ritualistic oriented lifestyle and follow the path of karma and Upasana which is meant for a lower and middling intellect and not for realizing the Advaitic truth.

Many chose these orthodox scholars as their gurus. But these gurus are good to learn the conceptual Advaita meant for those orthodox who believe their conduct-oriented lifestyle leads to Moksha [liberation].  But religious-based Advaita is not the means to acquire Self–knowledge or non-dualistic or Advaitic wisdom.  Those who are seeking truth have to do their own homework in order to acquire self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

Remember:~

Different paths will not converge to the same Ultimate Reality because they are based on the false ‘‘Self’’. They are not different stages in the same path.

People fight about the differences and greatness of their chosen paths but only through the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sri, Sankara one can realize the Ultimate Reality or Brahman or God in truth.

The dualistic worship of "God” is only for the ignorant populace. God in truth is only Atman, the innermost Self. In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God) is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent). The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sri, Sankara is impersonal.

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 besides 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 distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman (God in truth) of Sage Sankara is impersonal.

Sage Sankara: ~"That which permeates all, which nothing transcends and which, like the universal space around us, fills everything completely from within and without, that Supreme non-dual Brahman (God in truth)."

Self-realization itself is the Truth-realization, Truth-realization itself is God-realization. Thus, Self-realization itself is real worship.

Do not hold any physical Gurus and your accumulated knowledge as a yardstick. Your opinion may be correct from your own point of view by it is nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.

Remember:~

All is consciousness (God). 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 ‘I’ is the mind. The mind is the whole universe. The universe appears as a waking or dream (duality and disappears as deep sleep (non-duality). +

The ‘I’ is not a thought. The ‘I’ is the mind. The mind is the whole universe. The universe appears as a waking or dream (duality and disappears as deep sleep (non-duality).

The one that appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality), is the Soul, the Self.

The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states.

Without knowing what the mind is, it is impossible to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

People think the mind is within the body, but deeper self-search reveals the fact that the world in which you exist itself is the mind. When the ‘I’ is there then only the mind is there.

If the mind is there then only the universe is there. If the universe is there then only the waking is there. Thus, it is very much necessary to realize ‘what ‘I’ is in actuality.

Without knowing ‘what is this ‘I’ it is impossible to realize the ‘I-less’ truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Till you hold the ‘Self ‘as the ‘I’ you will never be able to get Self-realization. ‘I’ hides the Soul, which is the Self, which is the cause of the 'I'.

Remember:~

Swami Vivekananda: ~Jñāna Yoga is divided into three parts. First: hearing the truth--that the Atman is the only reality and that everything else is Maya.

Second: reasoning upon this philosophy from all points of view.

Third: giving up all further argumentation and realizing the truth. This realization comes from being certain that Brahman is real and everything else is unreal.

The ‘I’ becomes ‘I’-less in deep sleep and the ‘I’-less appear as waking or dream (duality). The one that appears as the ‘I’, and the one that disappears as the ‘I-less, is the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. The ‘I’ (mind) and ‘I-less (Soul) both are one in essence.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the three states are merely an illusion. The ‘I’ never exists in reality.

The ‘I’ is impermanent. The ‘I’ comes and goes as waking or dream, and disappears as deep sleep. There must be something permanent, to register the coming and going, of the ‘I’. The ‘I’ itself is an illusion. The Soul is the witness of the ‘I’ is permanent and eternal.

The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states.

It is for the seeker to go on his own and remove all the obstacles, which are blocking the realization of the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

The greatest hindrance is mixing religion, God, scriptures, and yogic theories. Moreover, attachment to scriptures, personal God, and religious code of conduct keep one permanently in the grip of the dualistic illusion or Maya.:~Santthosh Kumaar

Advaitic Gnana of Sage Sankara imparted only to those of higher intellect.+

The seeker of truth has to know somewhere he is going wrong, and it is for the seeker to go on his own and remove the obstacle.  The greatest hindrance is mixing religion, god, scriptures, and yogic theories. Moreover, attachment to scriptures, personal god, and religious code of conduct keep one permanently in the grip of duality.

I am highlighting the obstacles in pursuit of truth that help the fellow seeker reach their non-dual destination, in lesser time and effort.

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.

To do good to the world is to enlighten mankind and bring them out of pain and misery, rather than leaving them to the grace of God. It is only through the wisdom of God, that man can understand his mistakes. It is imperative to disseminate the Vedic knowledge and assist in liberating souls and at the same time elevate your own soul.

Undoubtedly, India can boast or pride itself on being the most secular nation in the whole world. Refugees of religious persecution in all religions including Charvaka Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Muslims, and Buddhists all took refuge in India. Throughout the ages, religious tolerance has become a universal message. There are thousands or perhaps millions of temples, churches, and mosques, exploitation no other nation in the world can surpass.

Almost a billion people engage in some form of spiritual worship. This takes place in temples, mosques, synagogues and churches, homes, factories, along riverbanks, in forests or mountains, on streets, on trains, buses, and wherever they may be. One can easily relate to such profound symbolism as truly a divine paradise for the seekers of spirituality. But strangely and unfortunately, it was not meant to be so.

The prevailing conditions of India have cleared the oppugnancies that all religious dogmas do lead ultimately to Salvation. The practices of these doctrines have definitely proved that destitution is a languishing pain for the poor, and happiness, is a distant dream for the privileged. The diminished glorious ages of India, once the cradle of civilization, where only one person worshiped one God, are long gone. (Source:-SATYARATH PRAKASH)

Looking at all these facts there is a need to bifurcate whatever is not Vedic to know the pure Vedic essence which is mixed in the sea of mythology, Superstitions, and dogmas.  

The idea of God is adopted by Indian sages after the 2nd century from Abrahamic religion and introduced with a mythological base.  There is no use in arguing with anyone about all these facts because all these things make one believe the illusion (universe)  as reality.  The main goal of the truth-seeker is to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.   

Swami Vivekananda aptly described Sage Sankara’s Advaita as the fairest flower of philosophy that any country in any age has produced.

The Advaitic truth is a rational or scientific truth declared by Bhagwan Buddha and Sage Sankara centuries back, but unfortunately, the original essence of the rational Advaita is lost mainly, because of orthodox adulteration and add-ons, which are based on the ego (waking entity), which is the false self within the false experience (waking).

The seeker has to first indulge in deeper self-search without scriptures and understand and assimilate the Advaitic truth, which leads to Self-awareness. Thus, soulcentric thinking, reasoning, and judgment are very much necessary for the pursuit of truth.

Sage Sri, Sankara ’says:~ "Kuruthe Ganga sahar gamanam Vratha paripal mathva dhanam. Gyana Vihine.Sarva Mathene.”

Gnana is common to all religions. There is nothing like One Gnana for a Hindu and another for a Christian.

The entire philosophy of Sage Sankara can be summed up in the following statement:-

Brahma Satyam, jaganmithya, jivobrahmaivanaparah: - Brahman alone is real; the world is non-real and the individual Self is essentially not different from Brahman.

This is the quintessence of Sage Sankara’s metaphysics.

The consciousness is the one single reality or Brahman. The individual self is a reality within the duality. There is no individual in the realm of the nondual reality.

Advaita says:~ One alone exists, and the rest is all superimposition on that One, due to ignorance.

Through a systematic inquiry into the nature of the mind, which is present in the form of the universe, one arrives at the position that the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

The Soul, the Self is constant and, therefore, real, while the phenomena constituting the universe is constantly changing and, therefore, unreal. The final conclusion is that the form, time, and space or the universe are one in essence. That essence is consciousness. Thus, no second thing exists other than consciousness.

The seeker of truth has to take into account all three states of our existence, which are waking, dream, and deep sleep ~ in waking or dream one experiences duality, and in deep sleep, there is only non-duality. To obtain a complete picture of our existential reality, we need to include evidence from all three states. This is the phenomenology of consciousness.

Consciousness is one only, without a second. One experiences the manifold universe ignorance ~ led illusion “covers" the One and "projects" the Many. The illusion is the veil on consciousness. In truth, only One, non-dual Reality is all there is. Consciousness is all-pervasive. It is intrinsically Real, self-effulgent, infinite, undifferentiated Pure.

When the soul, the innermost self, wakes up to its own formless nondual true nature, ignorance ceases, and the illusion, which is present in the form of duality never again experienced as reality.

The show of the illusory duality, however, continues, as before. Only our identification with a particular actor's role is gone forever because the Self is in its own awareness.

Self-awareness is Brahmic Bliss! This state is already ours always in deep sleep in a "general" way. When Self-Knowledge dawns then one is awake to it in a "special" way in the midst of duality.

Atman=Brahman captures the essence of the immanent (Self) and the transcendent (Brahman) Reality. Humanity has not yet conceived a more lofty conception of its position in the universe.

Advaita only means the negation of duality. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

Consciousness is the cause of the origin, maintenance, and withdrawal of the universe is Advaita (i.e. non-dual), which means that consciousness transcends all conceptions, positive and negative. Nothing positive can ever be imagined or said about it.

Consciousness is existence absolute, awareness absolute. Existence absolute means that consciousness is not unreal or non-existent. And it is not the unconsciousness. Nothing positive can be stated about consciousness.

Sage  Gaudapada:~ The non-dual Atman is realized when the individual self (jiva) is awakened from its ignorance. Atman is unborn, dreamless, sleepless, and motionless and is beyond duality. It is cognition at its purest. It is Brahman- Ayam Atma Brahma, this Atma is Brahman;  epitomizing the core of Upanishad teachings.

Sage Sankara declared Advaitic truth centuries back but one has to reach the destination with scientific (rational) investigation, not through punditry and intellectuality. One has to mentally reach the final conclusion, then only the conviction comes firm. Without firm conviction, wisdom will not dawn. Therefore, there is a need to realize consciousness is real all else is a myth, which Sage Sankara declared as the world is a myth Brahman alone is real.

Sage Sankara says Atman is Brahman and everything is Brahman is a scientific declaration not religious or yogic. Sri, Sankara, and Goudpada are more scientific than anyone else in the world. Since the real Advaitic essence is hidden it cannot be got without the inner (mental) journey.

Sage Goudpada says that: - The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

Gnana is knowledge of un-contradictable truth or scientific truth. Gnanic or scientific truth of the whole, not the part is declared by Sri, Sankara 1400 years back and thought only to those of higher intellect. Thus karma and Upasana, yoga, and orthodoxy have to be bifurcated to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or Brahman.  

Advaitic Wisdom is for those who are capable of inquiring into their own existence to know and realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

Remember:

Advaita is nothing but God in truth.

God in Vedas is not the God people believe in and worship.

God in the Bible is not the God people believe in and worship.

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

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~God  is  Supreme Spirit.

Vedas and Upanishad confirm the Soul, the Self, is present in the form of the Spirit or the consciousness.

If God is the formless Spirit, then how does man know God created the world? There is no proof. If man had seen God creating the world, he could admit it, but how could he have seen God before he came into existence? (i.e. were created).

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.

Remember:~

The Spirit is present in the form of consciousness. Everything is consciousness. All the moments are within the dualistic illusion.

Whatever happens within the dualistic illusion is bound to be an illusion created out of consciousness. Consciousness alone is real and all else is merely an illusion.

“Spirit is my father and I and my father are one.”

If the Spirit is the father the son is bound to be the Spirit. The Spirit, the beloved alone is real and all else is merely an illusion.

There is no God in the dualistic illusion because the dualistic illusion is created out of God, which is present in the form of the Spirit or the consciousness. Thus, God alone is real.

Spirit is prior to Love. Love implies duality. The love hides God. When love disappears God appears. Find the Self, and Love the Self and rest in God, which is the Spirit.

Search for God. God is not within your body but it is hidden within the world in which you exist.

God is not in any mosque, temple, or church. The religious Gods are not God in truth.

The dualistic worship of "God” only for the ignorant populace and Advaitic wisdom, unfolds the mystery of the real God.

Lord Krishna himself 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.

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. )

It proves that the all-pervading Atman, which is present in the form of consciousness, is God. Thus, worshipping the form-based Gods is meant for the ignorant populace who are incapable of realizing the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.

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)

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 om truth) is in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.

People who are saying ‘I AN GOD’ are hallucinating that they become God. First, you must know what is God.

That is why Ashtavakra Gita 16:10:~ If you desire liberation, but you still say "mine," If you feel the ‘Self’ is the ‘I’, You are not a wise man or a seeker. You are simply a man who suffers.

If one thinks the Advaitic truth is the ultimate truth, then he has to drop all theories based on the ‘I’. All the theories based on the ‘I’ are based on the dualistic perspective. How can one realize the non-dualistic truth based on dualistic theories?

The ‘I’ hides the Advaita, which is the ultimate truth. Thus, why glorify the ‘I’ which is the cause of ignorance. The seeker has to make sure and accept only the uncontradictable truth.

That is why Bhagavad Gita: ~ “The permanent is always there, only the transient ‘I’ comes and goes.” (2.18)

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

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.

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take 'I' as real because some Gurus have propagated the ‘Self’ is the ‘I’. is no need to convince such a mindset. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth nothing but the truth.

Advaita is not a theory.

Advaita is the nature of the truth.

Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the ‘Self’.

Advaita is the Soul itself.

Advaita is the nature of God because Rigveda says the Soul itself is God.

Advaita is nothing but God in truth.

Thus, it is time to realize the world in which we exist is created out of the Soul, which is the innermost ‘Self’. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the cause of the world in which we exist and it, itself is uncaused. 

The Soul alone is real and eternal. The eternal Soul itself is God. There is no other God other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Realize the Soul, the is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness itself is God in truth. 

Consciousness is the cause of the world in which you exist. And consciousness itself’ is uncaused.

Thus, the truth realization itself is God-realization because the ultimate truth is Brahman or God.  Self-realization is God-realization and God-realization is real worship.

Nothing has to be accepted as God other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Atman is Brahman means the Soul alone is God. Atman is the Advaitic God. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

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