Upanishads :~ Lead me from ignorance to truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.++****

The Soul, the Self is ever free. How could the free ever be bound? It was never bound. Only within the illusion of form, time and space, it is bound. 

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the form, time and space are merely an illusion.  How could the unlimited ever be limited by anything? Infinite divided by infinite, added to infinite, multiplied by infinite remains infinite.  

The Soul, the Self is infinite.  The Soul, the Self is God. God is infinite There cannot be two existences, only one. The Infinite can never be made finite. The Soul, the  Self is never bound. Realizing the Soul as the Self, the Soul is free already.  Through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana the goal is reached -- all there is to reach. 

The seeker's aim is the search for the Ultimate Truth or Brahman.  The search to find the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth that in actuality never was lost, only hidden.

Upanishad aspiration is best expressed in the following sutra:~

OM Asato ma sad gamaya, tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, mrityor ma aamritaam gamaya. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

"OM Lead me from ignorance to truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. Peace, Peace, Peace" (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (1/3/28)).

The belief system was coherent because they had a transcendent God as a central doctrine, whereas in the realm of truth individualized God cannot be considered as the center because the soul, the soul, the innermost self is the center of all that exists.

First, one should not hold a god as the center of existence without verification. Both the theist and atheist are theories nothing to do with ultimate truth or Brahman.

There are so many Godmen and gurus with all their accumulated knowledge will not get the realization of the soul.

Many are good at acrobatics with words, but their knowledge is limited to the physical self.  The inner work is at progress, and the realization will happen as the conviction of formless witness grows.  Everyone’s individual experiences are not the same.   Some are so much immersed in materiality, religion, and duty-bound towards their family and society, and they do not have an inner urge because they have accepted their present experience of birth, life, death, and the world as reality. Because of this deep-rooted conviction, they are not attracted to the path of non-dualistic or Advaitic wisdom. Some are interested intellectually knowing the truth.

Many are interested in arguing on the base of accumulated knowledge, but they do not understand the fact that neither by arguing nor by provoking the wisdom will not dawn. 

The path of wisdom does not need any support from any scriptures, philosophy, and words of great people of the past because the path of wisdom is the path of verification not the path of argument.  The seeker has to get all his doubts and confusion cleared by discussing.  The seeker should not hold his accumulated knowledge as a yardstick. The ultimate truth or Brahman cannot be compared with any other knowledge because it is not based on form, time and space   

I quote scriptures because the scriptures are also saying the same thing that I am saying.  To realize the ultimate truth or Brahman no scriptures are needed. I am highlighting only the rational views of the sages of truth. 

People think that by studying Vedas one will be able to get self-realization, but it is not so.   Vedic studies lead to nowhere. What is the use of studying scriptures when Upanishads itself declares:~

Katha Upanishad:~   This Atman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, nor by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals Its own form. (Katha Upanishad Ch-II -23-P-20)

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

When the Upanishad says:  the human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge or Bramha Gnana or Atma Gnana.  And  they  also indicate the personal Gods, scriptures, worship, and rituals are not the means to Self –Knowledge or Bramha Gnana or Atma Gnana  therefore  why anyone should indulge in such things

The Upanishads declare:~

 
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.

The Upanishads says: ~

Katha Upanishad 1:2:23:~  The Soul cannot be realized through hearing a 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 the 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 the truth, and if here 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.

Scriptures are being added from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme.

The Upanishads are self-contradictory. Every pundit even gives conflicting interpretations of them. The final authority, therefore, is using one’s own reason. One should apply his reason to them.

The scriptures are for ignorant masses, who wholly accept the material world as it presents itself. Gnana is for those who have begun to realize that things are not what they seem.

The Scriptures are of value only when dealing with persons who are incapable of understanding the truth. They have no value as an authority for those who use reason.

 I quote only verified citations form the scriptures. I need no scriptures, but I quote then to help the seekers to realize it is possible to acquire the Self-knowledge without the scriptures.   

The Upanishads are the only scriptures in the world that say ~  It is impossible to find and realize the truth via religion and scriptural study.

That is why Sage Sri, Sankara says:~ VC-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 which 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’.

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 by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

The religion is based on the body (form) as the Self since it is based on birth. Spirituality is based on the Soul or Spirit. Thus there is a need to bifurcate the religion from spirituality. 

Religion views and judges on the standpoint of the physical self( you or ego), whereas in pursuit of truth everything is viewed, judged and concluded on the base of the Soul, the Self.  

Whatever is based on the physical entity is not spirituality because the Soul has no form, so it has no religion.  Therefore, the seeker of truth has to rectify the reasoning base, from form to formless, to understand and assimilate the Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.   

Upanishads:~ Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. (Upanishads Nikhilananda -  Ch II-5 P-14)

The seeker has to overcome all the obstacles in his pursuit of truth on his own.  They are so many scholars who mastered philosophy.  It is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Bramha Gnana or Atma Gnana through theoretical philosophy. Because their preaching is based on spirit and practices is based on ego or the waking entity(you or ego).

Thus, one has to realize the Advaitic truth without the scriptures and without getting involved in orthodoxy or any other teaching.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

An essential identity between Atman and Brahman is upheld in Advaita Vedanta.+

Uttara Mimamsa, also called Vedanta, does not consider the Upanishads and Brahmanas as arthavada subservient to vidhis. Instead, they are seen to be sources of Brahman knowledge, addressed solely to those who seek Moksha or Freedom. 

The rituals enjoined in the Vedas apply to the realm of dharma, but the one who seeks liberation does not merely desire a place in heaven; he is in search of ultimate Reality itself. The Upanishads are viewed as those portions of the Sruti that address philosophical questions about Reality, here called Brahman. This tradition of exegesis follows the Brahma Sutras of Badarayana. Within Vedanta, there is a considerable difference of opinion on whether the Upanishads enjoin anything at all.

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.

An essential identity between Atman and Brahman is upheld in Advaita Vedanta. The personality of Sage Sankara, and the force of Advaita teaching is so strong that most post-Sankarian schools of Vedanta consciously define their doctrines against Advaita thought.

When Advaita declares Atman and Brahman then the direct realization of truth is possible without the scriptures.  Know the soul to be the true self. And true Self is in the form of consciousness and realizes consciousness as the ultimate truth or Brahman.  

Self-knowledge 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.

Therefore, 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-dualistic or Advaitic wisdom. It is only a waste of time and effort to indulge in those things.

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

Chandogya Upanishad says:~ sarvam khalvidam brahma - All this (universe) is verily Brahman. By following back all of the relative appearances in the world, we eventually return to that from which it is all manifest – the non-dual reality. 

Then it is no use going roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and witness of the universe, which is in the form of the mind.  By tracing the source of the mind or universe one will be able to realize the Brahman.

Remember:~

The true Self is not perceptible to the senses. It is perceived by Reason. It is not perceptible as a thing with form and attributes. To those whose attention is fixed on the body and the world, it is very difficult to attain Self-knowledge. It is also very difficult for them to see the Self as consciousness. The attention towards the universe (mind) should be lessened by realizing the Self is not the body. The attention has to be focused on the formless substance and the witness of the universe (mind) should be increased. So long as the attention is directed towards the universe, the experience of birth, life, and death will prevail as reality. But when the attention is directed towards the formless witness, the ignorance vanishes and the sense of duality will disappear. Then there is unity in diversity.

What is the state of the ego or the physical self when it has realized that the self is not the body? Such souls have attained their pristine condition. The “Self” is not visible to the physical eyes. The  “Self” is not to be found in the world as a thing, entity, or object. The  Self is above these and has neither a beginning nor an end.

A visible object has a beginning and an ending. Since Atman, which is in the form of consciousness is invisible to the physical eye; Atman or consciousness is without beginning and end. Atman is always constant. Just as space is homogeneous everywhere, so is the Atman the same everywhere.

Ashtavakra Gita:~ But he who is truly wise Always sees the absolute Self. Celebrated, he is not delighted. Spurned, he is not angry. Pure of heart, He watches his own actions As if they were another's. How can praise or blame disturb him? ~ 3:9-10

Bhagavad Gita:~ They live in freedom and have gone beyond the dualities of life. Competing with no one, they are alike in success and failure and content with whatever comes to them. They are free, without selfish attachments; their minds are fixed in knowledge. They perform all work in the spirit of service, and their karma is dissolved.~ 4:22-23

An intense desire for truth -realization is itself the way to it. The Lord is The Self in Advaita. Therefore, one need not accept anything other than the Self, which is consciousness. Thus consciousness alone is the ultimate truth or Brahman that is free from falsehood.

Remember:~

Advaita (non-duality) and dvaita (duality) is the state of the Self. It is not some intellectual theory. 

Religious-based Advaitins believe the Atman (Soul) is Brahman,  and the world is an illusion. Religious dvaitins believe the body is the Self, they believe the world is a reality, and they believe in creator and creation theory.  

 In India Advaita and Dvaita are merely a religious tradition, which they inherited from their ancestors. No one questions their validity, because it is considered blasphemy to question any guru and god-men or pundits.

People who are attached to their religious code of conduct and trying to preach Advaita, which is mixing the individual life, and concept of god, and all mixed up hotchpotch religious doctrine and feed the seeking minds, are themselves not aware of the fact that the individuality and the worldly life is part of the illusion.

Bhagavan Buddha must have verified religion, Vedas, and the concept of god and found them inadequate and useless in the pursuit of the truth, and he rejected them and got enlightened without the aid of religion, Vedas, and the concept of god. 

After studying and going through all the rigorous training from the religious scholars in the Theosophical Society, J.K. was confused about all these, and when he started verifying with deeper introspection, he found everything was priest-crafted hotchpotch ideologies. Thus, he refused to become the world guru, rejected it, and walked out and condemned the priestcraft.  

In Advaita, they accept the karma theory.  If they accept the karma theory, one will not be able to reach the nondual destination. If one accepts karma theory then it is impossible to treat the world as an illusion. All the pundits’ explanation of karma theory carries no weight on the realm of truth because if karma is accepted they are accepting the false self (ego or body) as the true Self and false experience (universe or waking) as reality.

Birth, life, and death are part of the waking experience, which is merely an illusion from the standpoint of the soul, the innermost self.  It is no use in saying that, we are not born, we do not die because, because we all were born,  and we all are going to die. However, birth, life, and death are part of the illusion, which comes and goes as a waking experience.  The formless witness of the three states is real, which is our identity has no birth and death. That is why self-knowledge has nothing to do with the religious-based Advaita, which is based on Vedas.

 A Gnani will never say we are not born; we are not going to die.   Only to the mediocre who nod their head, he will say this to inspire them to think of the formless true identity, which is birthless, deathless.   Thus, it is wrong to say we are not born,  and we do not die by limiting the self to the physical entity.  If one limits the self to the physical entity alone, one gets only half-truth.  The consciousness, which is the true self, pervades all the three states, as their formless substance and witness.  The formless substance and witness, which is our true self (true identity). Without knowing the true self-mere saying, we are not born, we do not die is not knowledge, that has come from the depth, it is mere bookish knowledge.

 When Sage  Sri, Sankara says:  The world is unreal. He never said the body is unreal. He would have said only birth and death are unreal, but he did not say that he said the world is unreal.   He meant the world including the body because the body and world appear together and disappear together (waking/dream).  Then we have to think, about what remains without the body and the world as reality. How can the birth, life, death, rebirth, and reincarnation, which take place in the unreal world (waking or dream), can be true.   The one, that is aware of the birth, life, death, rebirth, and reincarnation (illusion/unreal), is the formless reality, which is the soul, the innermost self.  The unborn Self is the true Self, which is birthless and deathless but it is the witness of the birth, life, and death, and rebirth (illusion/unreal).

 From the standpoint of identity, the birth, life, death, rebirth, and reincarnation theory is part of the illusion/unreal.  The body cannot reincarnate, the body and the world are created out of the same formless stuff. 

Until one views and judges on the base of flesh, bone, and blood (five elements), he will not be able to grasp the nondual truth.  Thus, one must know from what standpoint we are not born, and we do not die thoroughly, just by hearsay views, it will not lead anyone to the nondual destination.

The seeker has to learn to view and judge from the standpoint of a formless witness (Soul). Then he will never have any confusion.  When one thinks deeply then only the inner revelation starts and starts burning the dross (confusion/doubts). 

The seeker has enough material stored in one’s subconscious by reading these messages in my blogs; all will start yielding fruits and start revealing when he starts thinking very deeply.  This is the inner process every serious seeker experiences.  The inner dialogue will start, and one will start getting answers from the inner core of his existence.  :~Santthosh Kumaar 

The Advaitic wisdom as the true source of light +

Sage Sankara’s thought gave a new dimension to philosophy. He established the Advaitic wisdom as the true source of light. Sage Sankara put reason and discretion at the center stage and he pushed the orthodoxy away from the path of wisdom.

Sage  Sankara is therefore relevant even today. He values reason, encourages the Spirit of inquiry, and gives credence to subjective experience and therefore to freedom of one's thought and expression.

 Sage Sankara ushered in a new way of looking at the universe in which we exist. By soulcentric and egocentric view and judgment of the universe, one has the yardstick to realize ‘what is the truth? And ‘what is untruth?’.

He implores the seeker to recognize the essential unity of all beings and their oneness with the infinite space-time continuum. He explained the Universe is the manifestation of the Supreme Being.

Sage Sankara talked about the infinite and formless timeless and spaceless nature of the Soul, the Self, it was not in the sense of endless duration, but in the sense of completeness, requiring neither a before nor an after. 

When he referred to the unity of the Self he was not talking of putting two things together, but he used the term to mean the utter absence of all plurality in the Soul, the Self.

Sage Sankara gave credence to an individual’s subjective realization. He placed the personal realization of the truth beyond form, time, and space above all the other means of cognition.

A person’s individual experience could not be disputed.  Reality is the realization of the truth beyond form, time, and space. Realizing the Soul, the Self as the Supreme Being is within one’s realization.”

The seeker has to recognize the underlying oneness and the infinite nature of the universe. The Soul, the  Self is not the universe in which ‘one’ exists.  The Soul, the  Self is the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

The nature of the Soul, the Self, is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.  The relation between man and the universe is a reality within the dualistic illusion or Maya.  

From the ultimate standpoint, the duality is merely an illusion. The duality is an error in perception.

Sage Sankara’s wisdom comes as a remedy to get rid of ignorance. Ignorance is the cause of experiencing duality as a reality.

Sanyasa is not a condition precedent to the attainment of Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. There is no need to embrace sanyasa to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

Any householder who has an intense urge, receptiveness, and humility and is ready to drop all the accumulated knowledge and start afresh will be able to grasp, understand, assimilate, and realize the nondualistic or Advaitic truth.

Remember:~

Until the seekers, attention is fixed on the formless substance and witness of the three states the nondualistic or Advaitic truth will not be revealed.  

The seeker has to realize the fact that, the form, time, and space are one in essence, and that essence is the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Thus, the form is consciousness, the time is the consciousness and space is also consciousness.  Thus, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

The individual experiences of birth, life, death, and the world are unimportant because they are part of the illusion.   Without the Soul, the illusion ceases to exist. 

The individual experience of burden and bondage is a reality within the illusion, but they are unimportant subjects to discuss in Atmic discussion because from the standpoint of the Atman, birth, life, death, and the world are merely an illusion. 

Discussing the illusion within the illusion with the illusory identity will not reveal the nondualistic or Advaitic truth.    

All the individual experiences of riches and poverty, success and failure, pain and pleasure, and desires have nothing to do with the invisible Soul, the Self because they are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.  Due to ignorance, a person within the illusion experiences it as reality.   

Self–knowledge is necessary to realize the individual experience within the universe is a mere illusion created out of consciousness.   Thus, consciousness alone is real and eternal.

The Soul is the ocean of consciousness. People who ought to know better, people who seemed to be generally wise are hunting for pleasure without trying to know the Soul, which is the Self.

The Soul or consciousness is the formless substance and witness of the universe or Mind, which appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (non-duality). 

Thus, all three states are nothing but consciousness because consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states.     

No God can exist without the Soul, the  Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.  And the ultimate truth or Brahman itself is God in truth.

One has to renounce the three states mentally by realizing the three states and their substance and witness are one in essence. 

The seeker has to cling to the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  Consciousness is real and eternal.   The seeker has to realize the fact that, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

The seeker has to strengthen his conviction about the Soul, the Self, and by realizing the illusory nature of the three states is real renunciation. 

Reflecting constantly on the formless witness of the three states leads one to nondualistic self-awareness in the midst of the duality.

Remember:~

In Self-awareness, there is unity in diversity. In the unity or the oneness, there is neither the day nor the night nor the Sun,  nor the Moon,  nor the sky, nor the stars, nor darkness, nor light nor the air, nor the water, nor the animate, and the inanimate remains as reality; only those who have reached that realm,  realizes the fact that the three states are mere mirage created out of consciousness.

The Earth and the sky, that land is inhabited by people are a reality within the illusion. 

One who has accomplished Self-Realisation realizes that there is no truth in their physical existence within the universe.

Form, time, and space have no access there, nor do the sunshine and moonlight exist there but only formless nondualistic Self-awareness.

Self-awareness is not attainable through "hath-yoga" by hath-yogis nor by ascetics or performers of austere devotion who burn their bodies in the fire ascetic practices or self-mortification. Those who recognize the Soul, as true Self will be able to enter the nondualistic Self-awareness.

A Gnani clearly has realized the true nature of the three states. A Gnani is fully aware that all three states are mere an illusion created out of consciousness because the formless substance and witness of the three states is the Soul or consciousness.   

The consciousness alone is real, and all three states are a falsehood. By mentally clinging to the Soul, the Self,  and mentally dropping the three states, one enters   Self-awareness.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Advaita based on individualized God is not the means to acquire Self –knowledge or Brahma Gnana.++****

Surrendering is a religious fable. Surrendering to ‘what’ when there is only one. Devotion and surrendering are a reality on the base of the false self (ego or you) within the false experience. Thus, the guru, devotion, and surrendering are part and parcel of the illusion.  Surrendering implies duality. Realizing there is no duality leads to nondualistic self-awareness. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is the only tool to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

He who thinks God is one and the Soul, the Self is another can never be able to understand, assimilate and realize the non- dualistic or Advaitic truth.  

It is not the man, who has to be free, but it is the Soul, the  '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 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, seeing God are a reality within the dualistic illusion. 

On the Nondualistic perspective, there is, no second thing 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. 

Remember:~

Most of the Saints and Gurus of the past are mostly social reformers, thus, they are more concerned to humanism rather than the truth. Their contribution is very valuable to live in the practical world.  Thus, humanism is part and parcel of the universe, which is merely an illusion.  

People think love is the means to self-realization, but they are unaware of the fact that love and hate are made of the same stuff. Love is not a means of Self –realization. Love is very much necessary in practical life within the practical world. Love implies duality.  Whatever is of duality is a falsehood. Thus, love is a reality within the falsehood.  Lover and love cease to exist in reality,  because the experience of duality is not a reality.  The experience of practical life within the practical world is a reality within the waking experience,  but the waking experience itself is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Thus, the lover and love are one in essence. Thus,  the path of love is a religious path,  because religion is the path of individuality. the individuality belongs to the duality.  

The humanism is limited to practical life within the practical world.    The path of love is the path for humanity therefore, it is an individualized path. Thus, the path of love is limited to the physical structure, it cannot transport one to the ultimate end.  Thus, the seeker has to understand the fact that the practical life and practical world are part of the mirage from the ultimate standpoint. 

The simple reason is that the average person may have a desire for knowledge but when the whole society is immersed in the religion, and feeling himself out of place,  because of societal fear and surrounding circumstances and he thinks it unfits him to pursue the path of truth. 

The seeker of truth is one who is ready to verify and has the courage to accept and reject the truth when he finds out what is truth and what is the untruth. The meek will stick to their inherited conditioning remain, experiencing duality as reality.

Remember:~

When a yogi realizes that yoga is not the means to acquire Self-knowledge than takes up deeper self-search by dropping all the yogic discipline.  Yoga is inadequate and useless in quenching his inner thirst. By indulging in deeper self –search he realizes the Self is formless consciousness and the three states are merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Therefore, he attains Gnana.

The ignorance is the cause of experiencing all sorrow and calamities as reality. Thus eradicating ignorance completely is necessary. And this is possible only through self-knowledge or Gnana.   Thus, there is no other road to freedom other than Gnana.  There is no other entrance other than Gnana.  The ignorance will vanish only when the nondual wisdom dawns.

That is why Sri Sankara, indicated in Bhaja Govindam says:~ (Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena)~ One without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.

Then it is no use going a roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and witness of the universe, which is in the form of mind.  By tracing the source of the mind or universe one will be able to realize the Brahman.  

Thus, Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is meant only for those who have an intense urge, and courage to accept the truth with humility and reject the untruth. Since people start comparing with their scriptural knowledge, it becomes impossible to assimilate and realize the non-dual truth.   Therefore, there is no need to convince anyone other than our own selves to get the firm conviction. 

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 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). 

Orthodox  Advaita based on individualized God 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 

The whole Advaitic philosophy is an attempt to transcend the limitations of intelligence and thought.+

As one goes deeper into the annals of history, it indicates the fact that somewhere someone has added the Puranas in the name of Veda Vyasa the grandmaster of the Vedas. It is impossible to accept and believe that Veda Vyasa authored and introduced Puranas which has all conceptual gods because: ~

Genuine philosophy must be independent of religion, that is Sage  Sankara himself says that 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  Sankara did not claim to be an original thinker at all, and his philosophy took the form of commentaries on the generality of Hindu 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 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, is not applicable to Advaitism intelligence,  and thoughts are based on the 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 the Advaitictruth is neither realism nor idealism; it is beyond both these.

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

Philosophy does not begin with the ultimate truth. 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. The rational proof is required so that one arrives at knowing the ultimate truth or Brahman i.e. Gnana.  Theirs is mere dogma, parrotism, a repetition of what they read in scripture.  Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness knows everything, that it sees. The consciousness alone remains after one gets rid of all thoughts and ideas by identification with the Self. The consciousness is only the seer; it is not Brahman that is an error. It becomes Brahman only after soulcentric reasoning.

Remember:~ 

 The form, time and space are present when the ‘I’ is present.  The ‘I’ is present when the mind is present. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality). 

If there is no ‘I’ then there is no mind. If there is no mind, then there is no form, time and space. If there is no form, time and space, then there is no universe. If there is no universe, then there is no waking or dream. Thus, the ‘I’, the mind, the universe, the waking or dream are one and the same thing. 

 The ‘I ‘or the mind or the universe,  the waking or the dream,  the duality are one and the same thing. Since ‘I’ is identified as the Self all the confusion. And taking ‘I’ or ‘I AM’   as the Self is the cause of confusion. Taking ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as self is blocking the realization of ultimate truth.  The ‘I’ or universe is an object to the formless subject. 

Thus, it is necessary to include the universe in the inquiry to realize the unreal nature of the ‘I’ or the universe. 

When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be consciousness, which is the Self and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that the body is the Self? 

Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve. 

Religious or yogic gurus propagate that, once a seeker identifies a Guru, he must totally surrender to the Guru and then from there onwards, the spiritual journey is fully  Guru's responsibility, not his... Hence, the importance of choosing the right Guru is necessary, but in pursuit of truth, the guru is not necessary, because the truth is not theoretical.  Truth has to be ascertained by the seeker on his own through a well-directed inquiry, analysis, and reasoning based on the true self, which will lead the seeker to his destination. 

Remember:~ 

People who worship the guru as God in human form and there is a danger that they might establish a regular religious sect in his name.  This is an unhappy development of the religious movement.

It is better to take guidance from a Gnani and try to attain the same realization which he had, rather than spend their energy in defying him. Let us remember that to deify a Gnani is to defy  the wisdom”

 Hindu religious literature is full of such aphorisms as ' there is no higher deity than the Guru; the Guru is the ultimate truth and deity. God and  Avatars (incarnations) are secondary to the Guru in importance; there is no higher refuge, no higher target, no higher destination than the Guru; the Guru is God Himself; God and the Guru are one; he who makes a  distinction between the Guru and God is ignorant and stupid,  and scores of similar others. They abound both in Sanskrit and in modern Indian languages.

People born in different sect, and they remain as its follower. Most of the sect is founded by some gurus, thus the Indian belief system is a Guru Cult, i.e. believes in the worship of the Guru as the Supreme Deity.

When a seeker could not get full enlightenment from his inherited belief system, then only he searches elsewhere. And tries to get enlightened himself further to clear the cobwebs of his understanding and seeks guidance to his progress.

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

Katha Upanishad:~   This Atman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, nor by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals Its own form. (Katha Upanishad Ch-II -23-P-20)

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

When the Upanishad says:~  The human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge, and they indicate the personal gods, scriptures, worship, and rituals are not the means to Self –Knowledge, then why anyone should indulge in it. 

The religion, concept of individualized god and scriptures are the greatest obstacle to realize non-dual truth or Self-realization because they are based on the false self.  

One has to search the ultimate truth without losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, he should indulge in deeper, inquiry, analysis and reasoning and assimilate and realize it.  

The seeker's goal is towards Self-knowledge and noting other than it. The guru is needed in religious and yogic paths are meant for the people who are not searching for truth, but are searching for worldly comforts and temporary peace in this physical existence. 

People fear losing their physical identity and all that is connected to the physical identity. When one realizes the physical identity (ego) is the false self and the true identity is the Soul, the Self, which is in the form consciousness, then he realizes that the fear factor is limited to the false self (ego) within the false experience(waking state). 

When the Self is not physical then all the burden and bondage of the duality is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is necessary to know that the universe, which appears is in the form of the mind and disappears as nothingness (nondual) is merely an illusion created out of nothingness, which is consciousness.  

Consciousness is the source and witness of the universe or mind, which comes and goes. It is necessary to know the formless witness of the three states to know the fact that, the true self is apart and free from the illusion, which is in the form of birth, life, death, and the universe.  The seeker must make sure that the three states are merely an illusion. 

Remember:~

The body and the world are a reality within the waking experience,  but the waking experience is merely an illusion, in the same way as the dream body and the dream world were a reality within the dream. The dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place; similarly, the waking experience becomes unreal when the non-dual wisdom dawns. 

The one who thinks of himself as the Guru and the one who thinks of himself as Chela (disciple) will not be able to get Self-Knowledge because both of them accepted themselves as the body. And all their understanding, practices, knowledge is based on the false self.  Therefore, the Guru –Shisya concept is a great obstacle in the pursuit of truth.

Thus, by surrendering to any Guru or Godmen is not the means to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  

The Soul, the Self is the true guru. The seeker has to surrender to the Self by realizing that, the Self is not physical but the Self is invisible Spirit. 

By realizing the self is not physical, he will be able to drop all the accumulated knowledge and the  inherited conditioning in the midst of duality, and he finds freedom from experiencing the duality (waking) as a reality.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Only by getting rid of ignorance one can get rid of the inborn samskara or conditioning.+

Self–awareness is not physical awareness. Physical awareness is present as the waking or dream experience. And physical awareness disappears as deep sleep, which is also a state of ignorance. 

Self-awareness or Brahmic awareness arises when wisdom dawns.  Wisdom dawns when Soul, the Self becomes aware of itself in the midst of the form, time, and space (duality or waking) by realizing the form, time, and space are one in essence.  

Self-realization is the direct realization of the ultimate truth or real god, in contrast with traditional paths, which are indirect. 

The other paths cannot lead to the ultimate destination because they are based on the false self, which they hold as the real Self, and false experience as reality. 

The Self is unborn. The Self cannot be named. The one, who is born, lives, and dies has a name.   

The Self is beyond form, time, and space.  When the Self is formless, timeless, and spaceless it is erroneous to inquire “WHO AM ‘I’?  -because the self is not he or she because it is genderless because it is formless.

The self is nothing to do with you because you are the false self (ego or waking entity) within the false experience (waking).  

Thus, the Self has nothing to do with your birth, life, death, and the world because the self is ever birthless and deathless. After all, it is formless.

The Self is not you but the Self is the formless Soul, which witnesses you and the world together.

Realizing all three states are created out of single stuff and that single stuff is consciousness (soul) is freedom or Moksha.  

Until and unless one overcomes physical shackles it is impossible to understand and assimilate the nondual truth, which is beyond the physical existence or the universe. 

Consciousness itself is lord of itself though not of the universe. And having nothing it has all.

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

It is only those who based on ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as the Self, argue and quarrel amongst themselves. 

People who are fully aware that form, time, and space are merely an illusion created out of consciousness have no reason to quarrel, because for them everything is consciousness, and no second thing exists other than consciousness. 

People try to overcome their inherited religious conditioning, but by getting rid of the religious conditioning one will not be able to overcome the physical shackle.  One has to get rid of the inborn samskara or conditioning itself by realizing the fact that ‘I’ or ‘I AM’   is not the Self.

Only by getting rid of the ignorance one can get rid of the inborn samskara or conditioning.

v  What is the use of arguing on the base of the birth entity, which is not the self?

v  What is the use of knowing what happens after death when the self is birthless? 

v  What is the use of thinking of heaven and hell when the self is not an individual,  and it is never born and never dies?

But he is unaware of the fact that he and his experience of the world are within the waking experience.  

The waking experience appears and disappears, in the same way as the dream. When there is the dream then there is no waking. When there is waking then there is no dream.  

When there is neither the dream nor the waking it is identified as deep sleep in the waking experience.   One is aware of the dream or deep sleep only in waking.  

The one which is aware of the coming and going of the three states is neither the waking entity nor the dream entity but the formless witness of the three states. :~Santthosh Kumaar