People are being conditioned by the religious myth which has made them a non-thinker. People need to come out of the religious myth to realize God in truth.+

People are being conditioned by the religious myth which has made them a non-thinker. People need to come out of the religious myth to realize God in truth.

People are unaware that their inherited Gods what they worship and pray is not God in truth. From the Vedic perspective, their Gods based on blind belief itself is superstition.

Religions are based on blind faith or blind belief.  Gods based on blind faith or blind belief are not God in truth.

Without blind faith or blind belief-based God, there is no religion. Belief implies duality. 

God cannot be brought down to the domain of duality. There is only one being in reality and it is the Soul, the Self.  The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. 

The Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states. Thus, the Soul or consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman in truth. 

The people are not bothered to find out the truth of their own God which they believe in and worship.

All people want is a happy life of ease with plenty of money, security, and other comforts at their command.

Thus, people are seeking a happy life with comforts free from fear. They are strongly conditioned to believe in birth, life, and death, therefore, the idea of birth, life, and death will not diminish until one realizes the experience of birth, life and death are part of the illusion.

Know what God suppose to be in truth and realize God in truth.

Kena Upanishad (7) Chapter I:~ That which cannot be perceived by the eye, but by which the eye is perceived-That alone known as Brahman (God in truth), and not that which people here worship.

If you cannot see God through your physical eyes then why do you waste your time debating about your personal Gods with forms and names.

All the personal Gods with forms and names are merely based on blind belief within the domain of the illusory universe or Maya. . Thus, the Gods with forms and names are bound to be a falsehood.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God in truth) 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 has to be accepted as God other than the consciousness.

Religious Gods are not God in truth. One must realize what God suppose to be in truth.

Lord Krishna 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.

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

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

Rig Veda: ~ 'Prajnanam Brahma'- Consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.

God in truth is the Atman, the Self. Atman is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not accept any other God other than Atman not worship other than Atman.

Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Nothing is real but God. Nothing Matters but love for God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything.

God in truth is hidden by the illusory universe. God in truth alone is and all else is an illusion.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul or Spirit) 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)

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

The Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the Soul, the 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.

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

There is a clear-cut idea of God in the Vedas, Upanishad, and Bhagavad Gita. And also, there is a clear-cut idea of what not to worship as God in place of real God. Thus, it proves from a Vedic perspective the Puranic Gods are not Vedic Gods.

Vedas says never to accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman.

The Soul is the real God, which is the cause of the dualistic illusion and it itself is uncaused.

The Soul is the ultimate truth or Brahman. The Soul is in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the Self -evident. It is not established by extraneous proof. It is not possible to deny the Soul because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. The Soul is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. The Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness (Spirit), is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent). 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 beside it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described, because 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 of Sage  Sankara is impersonal. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara was Brahma Gnani. This world owes him a deep debt of gratitude.+

Sage Sankara, is one of the greatest thinkers of all time. This world owes him a deep debt of gratitude. He not only consolidated the classical values of life but also spiritual wisdom. Unfortunately, few philosophers in the world are as misunderstood and misinterpreted as Sage Sankara. Ironically, most of the harm came from his admirers and followers of the Advaitic sect because they propagated rituals as a means to attain the lower knowledge which is meant for those who believed in the physical existence (universe or waking)  as reality.  

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. 

Sage Sankara wisdom (Advaita) —Without a parallel Sage Sankara's wisdom is lofty, sublime, and unique. It is highly interesting, inspiring, and elevating. No other wisdom can stand before it in boldness, depth, and subtle thinking.  Sage Sankara’s philosophy is complete and perfect. 

Sage Sankara was a mighty, marvelous genius. He was a profound thinker of the first rank. He was a sage of the highest realization. His wisdom has brought solace, peace, and illumination to countless persons in the world. The western thinkers bow their heads at the lotus-feet of  Sage Sankara. His wisdom has soothed the sorrows and afflictions of the most forlorn persons and brought hope, joy, wisdom, perfection, freedom, and calmness to many. His wisdom commands the admiration of the whole world.

Biographical anecdotes about his childhood about the crocodile story and the story in Sage Sankara's life of going to Benares and occupying the body of another man and then having sexual intercourse with his wife is a myth created by orthodoxy hiding the real fact the reason best-known to the orthodoxy. Sage Sankara had the scientific spirit and when told by Saraswathi the woman that he was talking emptily about sex, being a Sanyasi, he at once went to learn the truth by having actual intercourse himself and thus learning by experiment and observation.

Thus,  all the myths about Sage Sankara are nothing to do with the seeker of truth because the seeker is concerned only with the wisdom of the Sage Sankara. 

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; Sage  Sankara's commentary to Brahma Sutras)

Sage Sankara's work has got two aspects: the practical and the spiritual. He gave religious, ritual, or dogmatic instruction to the populace, but pure wisdom only to the few who could rise to it. Hence, the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.

Sage Sankara varied his practical advice and doctrinal teaching according to the people he was amongst. He never told them to give their particular religion or beliefs or metaphysics completely; he only told them to give up the worst features of abuse: at the same time he showed just one step forward towards the truth.

Sage Sankara was extremely precise and careful in his choice of words. He was no fool in writing.  Sage Sankara did more than write books or initiate Sanyasin: He brought India into unity as a nation. He told people to Worship what they wish, remain in their particular religion, caste and creed, but remember also you are part of a larger whole.

                                                                                                                           

The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. In fact, our mental and intellectual conditions will determine the phenomenal world observed and experienced.  The orthodox pundit seeing Sage Sankara will see differently from the A Gnani seeing the same Sage Sankara.  Each one of them interprets the world that they see in terms of their existing knowledge.  The Orthodox see Sage Sankara as the founder of their religion and also as a guru of the Advaitic orthodox sect.  A man of truth sees Sage Sankara not as a guru but as a Gnani. The orthodoxy believes in their experience of birth, life, death, and rebirth, and the world as reality. Whereas Gnani sees the world is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.  Thus, the  Gnani see no second thing other than consciousness. 

The one who treads the path of wisdom gains the knowledge of reality beyond form, time, and space. A  Gnani has delved into, and he transcended consciously all identification with the experience form, time, and space.

Similarly, orthodoxy has to be bifurcated from philosophy. To know the Nondualistic wisdom of Sage Sankara, one has to be free from all superstitions and dogmas and orthodoxy and scriptural knowledge.  The seeker has to be more rational and scientific in his attitude.

According to Advaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the more advanced seeker who seeks to know Brahman. Thus, the Purva mimam. sa, with its emphasis on the Karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, the Vedanta, with its emphasis on the Jnana Kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

Sage Sankara is the only sage who has final authority on the Advaitic truth. The Advaitic truth is rational truth and scientific truth without dogma.

Remember:~ 

Sage Sankara is Jagadguru for the ignorant populace and Brahma Gnani for the seeking world.

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do with orthodox belief systems. Sage  Sankara is the only sage who has final authority on the Advaitic truth. The Advaitic truth is rational truth and scientific truth without dogma.

Remember:~

Religion is nothing to do with Advaita. Advaitic sect belongs to religion. Advaita is pure spirituality. Advaitic sect is dualistic is nothing to do with the Advaitic truth which is hidden by the illusion. Mixing religion and spirituality is like mixing oil and water.

Religion is regarded as sacred and real by the common people, by the wise as false, and by the politicians as useful.

Religion and its sects are based on form, time, and space whereas Spirituality is based on the Atman the formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

Religions hold birth, life, death, and the world as a reality. From the ultimate standpoint, the world in which we exist is an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

 The seeker must know the difference between religion and spirituality.

Many people think the religion itself as spirituality.

Spirituality leads to discovering the truth which is hidden by form, time, and space.

Advaita is universal. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the Self. The world in which you exist is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Advaitic wisdom.

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do with the orthodox belief systems. Some philosophers in the past dissented from this interpretation of Vedanta philosophy, holding that the incarnated Souls were separate from the Divine Essence and only finally merged with it after the cycles of birth.

All these theoretical philosophies are based on the imagination based on the false ‘Self’ (ego or you) within the false experience (waking).

Orthodox people argue that Sage Sankara had a Guru. Sage Sankara himself’ was Guru.

Yes, for orthodox people Sage Sankara  is Jagadguru but for the seeker of truth, he is a Brahma Gnani

The traditionally religious people are so entangled in orthodox religiosity; it is very difficult for them to free themselves from narrow-minded prejudices and dogmas and superstitions. These educated orthodox people are more ignorant than illiterate. They strongly stuck to their inherited orthodox baggage meant for the ignorant populace. Even though their own Sage has said that orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant populace they ignore and they are like blind led by another blind follow the inherited blind belief.

Even Swami Vivekananda was Ramakrishna Paramahansa's disciple. Swami Vivekananda himself’ said: ~ “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher, but your own Soul.”

Remember:~

There are two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the more advanced seeker who seeks to know the ultimate truth or Brahman. The Guru and Guru paramparas are meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, there is no need to follow any parampara and follow any Guru those who wish to realize the truth which is beyond the form, time, and space. 

We should not mix religion with spirituality because religion is based on the ego and spirituality is based on the Soul. Religion is concerned with its paramparas, not truth whereas spirituality is concerned only with the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. Religion is not spirituality.

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)

Thus, the above passage proves that all those who were the sanyasin robes are wearing it for the sake of bread belongs to the religion; they are nothing to do with the ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. There is no need to criticize and condemn the Gurus, yogis, and swamis because they are needed for the welfare of ignorant masses in the dualistic world.

So he wore a Guru's robe only for the sake of the ignorant. So he was identified as Guru with parampara by religious people. For the truth seekers, Sage Sri, Sankara is a Brahma 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).

When Sage Sankara says, the Knower of the Atman (A Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man.

Thus, it proves that religious Gurus and yogis are not Gnanis because they identified themselves as holy people.

From the Advaitic perspective, A Gnani never identifies himself as a Guru or a Yogi or someone disciple. The one who accepts himself as a Guru or someone’s disciple is not a Gnani.

The seekers of truth need not identify Sage Sankara as a holy man or Jagadguru but a Brahma Gnani.

Ashtavakra Samhita: ~ "The man of knowledge (Gnani), though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him and only those like him understand his state.

All the Guru Parampara is for religious people. There is no need for a Guru who wants to tread the path of wisdom.

The Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and Guru is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known.

A Guru is needed in the religious and the yogic path. There is no need for a Guru to acquire ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The mind becomes still, only when ignorance vanishes.+

All are searching for truth within the illusion not being aware of the fact that the illusion is created out of single stuff which is consciousness because everyone thinks their body and their experience of the universe are not consciousness and consciousness is limited to their body.

Thus searching for the truth in the illusion with the illusory Self, within the illusory experience, is bound to be an illusion.  The illusion is created and sustained, and finally, dissolves as consciousness. Consciousness is the material of the illusion.   Since there is no second thing other than consciousness; consciousness itself is Brahman or God in truth.  This conviction derives only through deeper inquiry, analysis, and reasoning.

The mind becomes still, only when ignorance vanishes. Ignorance vanishes, when wisdom dawns. When wisdom dawns, then the Soul, the Self, remains in its own awareness in the midst of the duality. 

 Some Gurus say find out to whom is the illusion? 

Santthosh Kumaar:~  When the Self is not the form,  then the question of whom does not arise.  A deeper self-search reveals the fact that the ‘I’ itself is an illusion.  If the ‘I’ is an illusion,  then it is no use of inquiring ‘Who Am I?.  Until one holds the ‘I’ as the self,  is caught up in the prison of the duality.  

Sage Sankara:~  VC-63- "Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know the 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.

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that by inquiring the Who Am I? - the wisdom will not dawn. Who Am I?- inquiry is only for beginners and it is inadequate and useless in the later stages.

That is why Sage Sankara:~  VC~.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?

VC-  v6~ Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be 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.

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 realized 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. 

Remember:~

So many centuries have passed since Sage Sankara appeared, yet it is very hard to find his true wisdom understood anywhere in the world today. It is because so few could rise to his level. Hence, the Bhakti Saints and others came to supply the common demand.

Sage Sankara's work has got two aspects: the dualistic perspective and the non-dualistic perspective.

Sage Sankara gave religious, ritual, or dogmatic instruction to the populace but the Advaitic wisdom only to the few who could rise to it. Hence,  the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.

Maya or illusion is the most important contribution of Sage Sankara. Maya or illusion is the complex illusionary power of the Atman (Soul), which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.

Ignorance is the cause of experiencing duality as reality. Maya or illusion is present in the form of the mind. And the mind is in the form of the universe. And universe appears as the waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (Nonduality). The waking experience is real from the standpoint of the waking entity (ego). 

The waking experience is unreal from the standpoint of the Soul, the  Self.  The shelter of the three states is consciousness (Brahman but consciousness itself is untouched by the profanity of illusion (Maya). Illusion (Maya) is temporary and is destroyed with  Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

Remember:~

Blinded by the illusion very few grasp the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth. Only a few escape from the web of illusion, and only a few will be able to acquire nondualistic or Advaitic wisdom.

The non-duality has to be grasped in the midst of the waking experience (duality or mind or universe).  That is, being aware of the truth and untruth, reality and unreality. And able to establish himself in the truth and able to view and judge, the three states, on the base of the Soul, which is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

It is unfortunate people are stuck with their accumulated ideas based on the false self, imagine nonduality and say nothing exists other than the source. But a Gnani says everything exists (illusion) but everything is created out of the Soul (Spirit or consciousness).  

Everything rises from the Soul (Spirit or consciousness) and subsides as Soul (Spirit or consciousness). Thus, the whole diversity has no relevance, from the standpoint of the Soul as Self.

Everything (illusion or matter) is nothingness (spirit or consciousness) realizing the three states are created out of nothingness (Soul or Spirit or Consciousness). Nothingness is the nature of the Soul (Spirit or consciousness) because there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul (spirit or consciousness), the innermost Self.   Thus consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

Sage Sankara said:~  Just as the snake is superimposed on the rope in the twilight, this world and body are superimposed on Brahman or the Supreme Self. If you get knowledge of the rope, the illusion of a snake in the rope will vanish. Even so, if you get knowledge of Brahman or the Imperishable, the illusion of body and world will disappear.  The cause produces the effect without undergoing any change in itself. Snake is only an appearance on the rope. The rope has not transformed itself into a snake, like milk into curd. Brahman is immutable and eternal. Therefore, It cannot change Itself into the world. Brahman becomes the cause of the world through Maya, which is Its inscrutable mysterious power. When you come to know that it is only a rope, your fear disappears. You do not run away from it. Even so, when you realize the eternal immutable Brahman, you are not affected by the phenomena or the names and forms of this world. When Avidya or the veil of ignorance is destroyed through knowledge of the Eternal, when Mithya Jnana or false knowledge is removed by real knowledge of the Imperishable or the living Reality, you shine in your true, pristine, divine splendor and glory.

Remember:~

Man and his experience of the world are the product of ignorance. Ignorance is the cause of experiencing duality as reality.  The duality is merely an illusion from the ultimate standpoint.  All the thoughts, words,   feelings, and attachments including the man and his experience of the world are part of the illusion. The illusion (universe) is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the Self.    

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, no second thing exists other than consciousness.  Other than realizing the Soul, the  Self, there is nothing to know and realize. 

It is not the man, who has to be free, but it is the Soul, the innermost 'Self' has to be free by realizing it is not the man perceiving the world. People want to get freedom but freedom comes only when the Soul wakes up without the illusory body and the illusory world (duality).  It is the Soul, the innermost Self is in the cage of illusion. It is the Soul that wants to get out of the illusion because the illusion and the reality are one in essence. That essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  

Thus all that man experiences within the dualistic illusion of practical life within the practical world and seeing the vision, speaking to God, and seeing God are a reality within the dualistic illusion. 

From the Nondualistic perspective, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness (spirit). Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God. From the standpoint of Brahman or God, everything is Brahman or God in truth. 

Despite the non-difference between cause and effect, the effect has itself in the cause but not the cause in the effect. The effect is of the nature of the cause and not the cause of the nature of the effect. Therefore the qualities of the effect cannot touch the cause because the cause and effect are present only when the duality is present. 

The duality is present only when there is an illusion. The illusion is there only when there is ignorance. When there is no ignorance then there is no illusion. When there is no illusion then there is no duality. When there is no duality then there is no cause and effect. When there is no cause and effect then there is the Advaitic reality.:~Santthosh Kumaar     

Rebirth and reincarnation exist only so long as there is ignorance.+

Rebirth and  Reincarnation exist only so long as there is ignorance.  The world in which you are born, live and die is nothing to do with the Soul, the Self,  because the Soul, the Self is birthless, deathless and worldless existence.  The rebirth and reincarnation theory is based on the false self (ego or you) therefore it is a falsehood.  

Accepting the rebirth and reincarnation theory as reality is accepting false self (waking entity or ego) as real Self,  and false experience (waking) as reality. Self-realization is impossible if one accepts the present waking entity (body) as the real Self because the self is neither the waking entity nor the Self is the dream entity, but the self is the   Soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states. 

The three states are impermanent, but the Soul or consciousness, which is the witness of the three states, is permanent and eternal. In reality, the three states are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness. Therefore, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. The Soul or consciousness is second to none.

A deeper self-search reveals the fact that the waking experiences themselves are an illusion. It means the present experience of birth, life, death, and the world is an illusion. The reincarnation theory based on the false self (ego)  within the false experience(waking)  is bound to be a falsehood. When the waking entity is not the self then whatever theories are based on the waking entity imagined theory. 

This imagined theory based on the waking entity(ego), is for those lower mindset who are incapable of grasping the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

People who are caught up with the idea of reincarnation and rebirth theories are not qualified for Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because they accepted the duality as reality. Birth implies duality and duality is falsehood from the ultimate standpoint. 

***

From The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharishi

Edited by David Godman

Question:- is reincarnation true?

Sage Ramana Maharishi:~ Reincarnation exists only so long as there is ignorance. There is really no reincarnation at all, either now or before. Nor will there be any hereafter. This is the truth.

[Note: Comments by David Godman: Most religions have constructed elaborate theories that purport to explain what happens to the individual soul after the death of the body. Some claim that the soul goes to heaven or hell while others claim that it is reincarnated in a new body.

Sage Ramana Maharishi taught that all such theories are based on the false assumption that the individual self or soul is real; once this illusion is seen through, the whole superstructure of afterlife theories collapses. From the standpoint of the Self, there is no birth or death, no heaven or hell, and no reincarnation.

As a concession to those who were unable to assimilate the implications of this truth, Sage Ramana would sometimes admit that reincarnation existed. In replying to such people he would say that if one imagined that the individual self was real, then that imaginary self would persist after death and that eventually, it would identify with a new body and a new life. 

The whole process, he said, is sustained by the tendency of the mind to identify itself with a body. Once the limiting illusion of the mind is transcended, identification with the body ceases, and all theories about death and reincarnation are found to be inapplicable.

Sage Sri, Sankara criticized severely the ritualistic attitude and those who advocated such practice.+

People are not prepared to verify the facts about their own religion they are unable to understand and assimilate the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Until one has an urge to know the truth and prepares the ground properly, and he is consistent in his efforts to know the truth, he will not be receptive to receive Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

In India, people think that religion as a stepping stone to higher truth but it is not so because religion is based on the false self (waking entity or ego) within the false experience (waking or world).

People of small intelligence follow religion and believe that the world was created by God. But how do they know that He did so? When a pot is created one can see both pot and its maker, but not in the case of the world. Then there is the question which nobody has answered till now, viz. Why did He create all these evils, these sufferings? Even a father would never do that. If He did so, assuming that God did create, then what sort of an evil God is He! 

All religions which begin with "God created the world," are fit only for children. It is a lie; it is inconsistent and fit only for ignorant people.

Sage Sankara said:~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

Sage Sankara:~ (11) As regards the rituals, Sage Sankara says, the person who performs rituals and aspires for rewards will view himself in terms of the caste into which he is born, his age, the stage of his life, his standing in society, etc. In addition, he is required to perform rituals all through his life. However, the Self has none of those attributes or tags. Hence, the person who superimposes all those attributes on the changeless, eternal Self and identifies Self with the body is confusing one for the other, and is, therefore, an ignorant person. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.- Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara:~ (11.1) This ignorance (mistaking the body for Self) brings in its wake a desire for the well-being of the body, aversion for its disease or discomfort, fear of its destruction, and thus a host of miseries(anartha). This anartha is caused by projecting karthvya(“doer” sense) and bhokthavya (object) on the Atman. Sankara calls this adhyasa. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are, therefore, he says, addressed to an ignorant person. Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara:~ (11.2) In short, a person who engages in rituals with the notion “I am an agent, doer, thinker”, according to Sage Sankara, is ignorant, as his behavior implies a distinct, separate doer/agent/knower; and an object that is to be done/achieved/known. That duality is avidya, an error that can be removed by Vidya. _ Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara: ~ (12) Affirming his belief in one eternal unchanging reality (Brahman) and the illusion of plurality, drives home the point that Upanishads deal not with rituals but with the knowledge of the Absolute (Brahma Vidya) and the Upanishads give us an insight into the essential nature of the Self which is identical with the Absolute, the Brahman.-  Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara: ~ Atman, the Self is verily Brahman (God), being equanimous, quiescent, and by nature absolute Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss. Atman is not the body that is non-existence itself. This is called true Knowledge by the wise. 

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.

Sage Sankara:~ VC-  Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be 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)

It is clear that liberation cannot be the result of good works, for Sruti itself declares that there is no hope for immortality by means of wealth.  (Verses -7)

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. (Verses- 13)

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. However, the texts that combined rituals with wisdom (jnana_karma_samucchaya) more in favor of the Mimamsaka position came onto vogue, projecting  Sage Sankara as the rallying force of the doctrine.

Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana puts an end to ignorance, which is the cause of experiencing the duality as reality. Experiencing waking experience (duality), as reality is the cause of misery.  

It is necessary for the seeker to realize the existence of the formless witness of the three states, to overcome ignorance.  Only when the seeker overcomes the ignorance, realize the fact that ‘I’ is not the Self,  but the witness of the ‘I’, which is the Soul, is the true Self. The seeker has to learn to view and judge the three states on the base of the Soul, the Self only then the truth will start unfolding. 

Sage Sankara varied his practical advice and doctrinal teaching according to the people he was amongst. He never advised them to give up their particular religion or beliefs or metaphysics completely; he only told them to give up the worst features of abuse: at the same time, he showed just one step forward towards the truth.  Sage  Sankara was extremely precise and careful in his choice of words. 

Sage Sankara' gave religious, ritual, or dogmatic instruction to the populace, but pure philosophy only to the few who could rise to it. Hence, the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd. 

Sage Sankara believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality, and can, therefore, dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason. 

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God)  is Nirguna (without the Gunas), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without attributes), and Akarta (non-agent). He is above all needs and desires. 

Sage Sankara says, "This Atman is self-evident. This Atman or Self is not established by proofs of the existence of the Self. It is not possible to deny this Atman, for it is the very essence of he who denies it. Atman is the basis of all kinds of knowledge. The Self is within, the Self is without, the Self is before and the Self is behind. The Self is on the right hand, the Self is on the left, the Self is above and the Self is below":~Santthosh Kumaar