Find out: ~ ‘What is it that appears as the waking?’ “What is it that appears as a dream?’ ‘What is it that disappears as deep sleep?+

Without Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana there the ignorance will not vanish. Without getting rid of ignorance wisdom will not dawn. 

All other paths do not lead finally to Gnana because they are egocentric.  The path of truth or path of wisdom is the only means to liberation from experiencing the illusion as reality.  

Only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the waking entity realizes through knowledge its identity with the universal soul or consciousness, the innermost Self. 

You cannot think beyond form, time, and space without a perfect understanding of what is what.

Without knowing ‘what is real?’  and ‘what is unreal’ ?it is impossible to realize the truth which is hidden by the ‘I’.

The seeker must realize how this ‘I’ is an illusion and from what standpoint the ‘I’ is an illusion.

The form, time, and space are present only when the world is present. The world is present when you are present. You and the world are present only when the mind is present. 

The mind is present only when ‘I’ is present. ‘I’ is present only when there is ignorance. Thus getting rid of ignorance is necessary to realize that form, time and space are one in essence. That essence is the formless soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Thus the consciousness is the ultimate truth of Brahman

To leave out one of these parts is to prevent attainment of the Advaitic wisdom. "Who am I” is useful no doubt, it has a certain value in its place, and gives some knowledge of self as, the Witness. But what about the witnessed? The three states are merely objects to the witness. It must also be looked at. If the witnessed (three states)  is ignored, then "Who am I” cannot give the full truth.

“Who am ‘I’” is the yogic enquiry; not the spiritualistic; the latter deals with the whole of life,  whereas the former deals with a part only.

"Who am I” inquiry is limited only to the physical entity because there, is no person in truth but only in the illusion of mystics.  ‘It should be "What is  I?"

The question "Who am I” is a religious, not a spiritualistic question. It is the most selfish one. It is on a par with "What shall I be after death?" and "What shall I get in return for my good  karma  in the next life?" It is purely egocentric, and it is based on the false self.

Only the people who are serious about knowing the truth can lift their thoughts above ego and ask "What is the mind?"  All  the three states are put together to make the soul, the innermost self, not merely the ego questioning itself ''What is the   I.”

You are not different from the ego because you are the ego. The ego, body, and the world appear together as waking or dream (duality) and disappear together as deep sleep (nonduality). The dream is a parallel waking experience and the waking experience is a parallel dream.

We need not focus our attention on the ego but we have to find the truth of the whole waking experience (universe).

The seeker has to find out: ~

‘What is it that appears as the waking?’

“What is it that appears as a dream?’

‘What is it that disappears as deep sleep?’

A deeper self-search reveals the fact that whatever appears and disappears is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The witness to the appearance and disappearance of the three states is also the Soul.

All three states are created out of single clay. And that single clay is the consciousness. in reality, the witness (Soul) and the witnessed (three states) are one in essence.

The knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

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

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

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

WHO AM ‘I’ and ‘I AM THAT’ teachings  - are only for a lower stage where one gives up externally in order expose the false nature of the ego, which is not the full truth. To get the ultimate truth one has to inquire into the nature of the mind, which is in the form of the universe.  Inquiring into nature the mind or universe is higher.  Thus, ‘WHO AM ‘I’? and ‘I AM THAT’ -  will not reveal the truth of the whole(form, time, and space) thus the journey is incomplete.  

 WHO AM ‘I’ and ‘I AM THAT’- teachings serve only at the starting point. What one has learned from the teaching of the sages be understood through the exercise of reason as far as the reason might go?  And what one has assimilated must be realized. There are stages in the seeker's goal. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Vedic religion or Santana Dharma has no founder, whereas the Hinduism is identified with its founders.+

Hinduism has a multiplicity of Gods and Goddesses.  Hinduism abjures all divides and separates. Hinduism is a group of sects with different beliefs and ideologies founded by different founders in different regions of India.

India has never attacked any other country in past history but has been invaded again and again and again.

Hindus believe in the doctrine of reincarnation. This is the belief that each of us has a soul and that our souls are involved in a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. 

Reincarnation is tied closely to the doctrine of karma. Karma is the belief that the actions during the previous life determine the conditions of each person's birth.  

Hinduism is the only religion that has not reduced itself to one man, one scripture, and one faith because it has many sects, diverse beliefs and many founders of the sect in different regions of India.20% of the people on this planet are Hindus.  Hinduism is non-Vedic. "Know Thyself"  is the quintessence of Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.  

Vedic religion or Santana Dharma has no founder, whereas Hinduism is identified with its founders.

Vedic religion or Santana Dharma is the world's oldest religion. Sanatana Dharma encourages people to seek the ultimate truth and each individual must realize this truth through his or her own systematic effort. The Upanishads are based on the insights of the sages and seers and serve primarily as a guidebook. One has to accept Ultimate reality as Brahman or God.

The Aryans of North India were later influenced by the Dravidic-Mundic natives giving birth to Hinduism. Of course, in later centuries other peoples also invaded/migrated bringing other influences/mixing. 

The Aryans associated with the Rig Veda and Sapta Sindhu were definitely not Hindu because they did not follow the Hindu caste system, they ate beef, sacrificed cows, culturally were closer to Avestan Iranians, and forbade idolatry, etc. Also, not a single Hindu idol/temple has been excavated from the Rig Vedic Aryan period. 

As per Prof. Norman Brown:~ “The evidence of the Rig Veda shows that during the centuries when the Aryans were occupying Punjab and composing the hymns of the Rig Veda, the northwest part of the subcontinent was culturally separate from the rest of India. The closest cultural relations of the Indo-Aryans at that period were with the Iranians, whose language and sacred texts are preserved in the various works known as the Avesta, in inscriptions in Old Persian, and in some other scattered documents. So great is the amount of material common to the Rig Veda Aryans and the Iranians that the books of the two peoples show common geographic names as well as deities and ideas”.

AS per A. L. Stravrianos on the non-Hindu nature of Rig Vedic Aryans:~ "The word Veda means knowledge. There were originally four Vedas, but the most important is the Rigveda, which is also the oldest. The Rigveda is a primary source for the study of the early Aryans; it is, in essence, a collection of 1028 hymns arranged in ten books. Per the Vedas, Aryans worshiped elements of nature in personified forms, and idolatry was forbidden. 

 "In Rig Veda, the Gods of Dyaus are the same as the Greek Zeus (Roman Jupiter), Mitra is the same as the Graeco-Roman Mithras, Ushas is the same as the Greek Eos (Roman Aurora), and Agni is the same as the Graeco-Roman Ignis. 

"The image of the Aryans that emerges from Vedic literature is that of a virile people, fond of war, drinking, chariot racing, and gambling. Their god of war, Indra, was an ideal Aryan warrior: ‘he dashed into battle joyously, wore golden armor, and was able to consume the flesh of three hundred buffaloes and drink three lakes of liquor at one time. 

"When they first arrived in South Asia the Aryans were primarily pastoralists. Their economic life centered around their cattle and wealth was judged based on the size of herds. As the newcomers settled in fertile river valleys, they gradually shifted more to agriculture. They lived in villages consisting of many related families. Several villages comprised a clan, and several clans a tribe, at the head of which was the king. The king’s authority depended on his personal prowess and initiative and was limited by the council of nobles, and in some tribes by the freemen. 

"The outstanding characteristic of this early Aryan society was its basic difference from the later Hinduism. Cows were not worshiped but eaten. Intoxicating spirits were not forsaken but joyously consumed. There were classes but no castes, and the priests were subordinate to the nobles rather than at the top of the social pyramid. In short, Aryan society resembled much more the contemporary Indo-European societies than it did Hinduism that was to develop in later centuries in the Gangetic Valley."

 
Further supports how a few Aryans who later migrated eastward towards India slowly became Hindu because of Dravidic-Mundic influences: - ”The castes were hardened by the time the Aryans occupied the middle land i.e., the Gangetic Valley and distinguished themselves from their brethren in Sind and the Punjab who were despised by them for not observing the rules of caste .... and for their non-Brahmanical character.” (Sindhi Culture, By U.T. Thakur)

 “While some Aryans had by now expanded far into India, their old home in the Punjab, Sind, and the Northwest was practically forgotten. Later Vedic literature mentions it rarely and then usually with disparagement and contempt, as an impure land where sacrifices are not performed.” (The Wonder that was India, By A.L. Bhasham) 

Dr. Gurupdesh Singh: ~ "From geographical information in the Rig Veda, the Vedic Period (1500-500 BC) was confined to the northwest. The hymns composed by Vedic mystics/poets of the Northwest (Saptha Sindhva) tell that the Vedic peoples worshipped non-Brahmanical Gods (Indra, Varuna, Mitra), ate cows, elected their chiefs, drank liquor, considered the Punjab rivers to be sacred, and refer to people living in the south in the Gangetic region as 'Dasyas'! None of the Gangetic Brahmanical Gods (e.g Ram, Krishna, Vishnu, Brahma, etc.) are mentioned in Rig Veda hymns nor do they appear in connected Aryan Avestan texts and Hittite tablets. Avestan terms for soldiers ('rathaestar') and citizens ('vastriyo') are similar to Vedic-derived terms (Kshatriyas, Vaishyas) but the Avestan term for the priest ('athravan') is not even close to 'Brahmanas'. Moreover, central Gangetic religious texts like the Mahabharata and VarnaAshramDharma of Manu call the Vedic Aryans in Saptha Sindhva 'mlechas', 'Sudra' and 'vratyas'; 'forbid Brahmins' from even visiting the northwest country ('Vahika-desa'), and depict dark Dravidian Gods like Krishna fighting and defeating Vedic Aryan Gods like Indra (Mahabharata). Similarly, the Rig Veda contains taboos and injunctions against the 'dasya-varta' region to the south of Saptha Sindhva and praises Indra (god of the thunderbolt) for victories over 'dasya-purahs' (dasya cities).

"Both early Rig Vedic and Gangetic Puranic sources clearly point to ethnic, cultural, and religious differences and a 'clash of civilizations and nations' at the Ganga indicating that the Vedic people and culture of the Northwest did not accept the Gangetic priests, their Gods, Shastras, religion, culture and Brahmanical caste ideology. The eastern Gangetic heartland is not only historically a separate region, but geographically resides over 1500 miles to the southeast of the Saptha Sindhva country. Uptil the advent of Mohammed Ghori in the 13th century, the northwest was politically unified with South Asia for only 92 years under the Mauryas (out of 27 centuries) since the start of Saptha Sindhva’s Vedic period (1500 BC).

"A few Vedic tribes from Saptha Sindhva broke Rig Vedic norms and migrated southward. These numerically outnumbered groups expanding into the Trans-Gangetic region near the end of the Vedic period (8-6th century BC) tried to use the indigenous Dravidian priesthood to entrench themselves as the new ruling order. Within a few generations of acquiring control over the foreign Gangasthan, the minority Vedic tribes were usurped by the indigenous 'borrowed' priesthood; their Aryan religion, Gods, and customs were mostly deposed and supplanted with indigenous Gangetic Gods and mythologies,  and their new social order (varna or color based) replaced with the pre-existing profession (jati) based Brahmanical caste system ('chatur-varna' ). Through religious manipulation and intrigue, the Vedic in-comers to Gangasthan were usurped and made to surrender their political rule and soon pigeon-holed into becoming the loyal obedient chowkidars of their 'superior' Dravidic Brahmanas." 

Now coming to idolatry which is an integral part of Hinduism, there is clear evidence of early Aryans rejecting it:~

 “They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti~the material cause of the world~in place of the All-pervading God, but those who worship visible things born of the Prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time.”~Yajur Veda 40:9. 

Yajur Veda 32:3:~The Supreme Spirit that pervades the universe can have no material representation, likeness, or image. 

Also, early Aryans had a Monist belief in worshipping elements of nature (in non-idolatrous personified forms): “There is only one God, worship God in truth” (Rig Veda, Vol. 6, Hymn 45 vs 16) and “Do not worship anyone besides God ” (Rig Veda Bk. 8, Hymn 1, Vs 1)

Then there is clear evidence in the Rig Veda that Aryans regularly ate beef and sacrificed cows for religious purposes which are strictly forbidden in Hinduism:~

Hymn CLXIX of the Rig Veda says: ~ "May the wind blow upon our cows with healing; may they eat the herbage ... Like-colored various-hued or single-colored whose names through sacrifice are known to Agni, Whom the Angirases produced by Ferbvour - vouschsafe to these, Parjanya, great protection. Those who have offered to the Gods their bodies whose varied forms are all well known to Soma" [The Rig Veda (RV), translated by Ralph H. Griffith, New York, 1992, p. 647].

In the Rig Veda (RV: VIII.43.11):~ Agni is described as "fed on ox and cow" suggesting that cattle were sacrificed and roasted in the fire. 

Rigveda (10/85/13) says:~  “On the occasion of a girl’s marriage oxen and cows are slaughtered”, and Rigveda (6/17/1) states that:~ “Indra used to eat the meat of cow, calf, horse, and buffalo.” 

Quoting from Rigveda, historian H. H Wilson writes, “The sacrifice and consumption of horse and cow appear to have been common in the early periods of the Aryan culture.”

 Conclusion:~

Every religion is identified with a set of beliefs and customs making it distinct and recognizable from others, including Hinduism.

Different people and different religions can claim their beliefs and customs evolving, but when a change occurs it represents a new identity. For example, Catholic Christianity is not the same religion as ancient Roman Paganism. Therefore, since the Vedic religion or Sanatana Dharma was very different from Hinduism's beliefs and customs, Vedic people cannot be Hindus. Hinduism was born in later centuries.  Vedic people never call themselves Hindus. 

Hinduism is based on myths and thus people of India are unaware of the facts of their inherited religious history. The Vedic Culture and Vedas are complete in themselves, but Hinduism which is a non-Vedic belief system with all rituals and conduct-oriented practices has been contributed largely by the Orthodox priests to suit their convenience!

Vedas are in the Vedic language which was a high-class language. Rig Veda (excluding chapters II and X) were written before the Christian Era in the Vedic language.  Vedic language is not Sanskrit.  It is the same language in which the Zoroastrian Scripture Zend Avesta is written – a form of Persian language.  All the other scriptures of India are written in Sanskrit.  

These include Rig Veda Chapter II and X and the Upanishads, Brahmanas, Puranas, and the Vedantas.  These were written during the Christian Era after the Thomas ministry. As the use of this language diminished, it became a tough language for the commoners. The priests, who were supposed to be an expert in this language, translated it into the Sanskrit language and manipulated the meanings in time, and gradually, all the practices changed.

The DaVita, Vedanta borrows the concept from Abrahamic religions, such as Eternal Damanation (of certain souls destined to hell forever) which goes against the belief of most Vedanta schools, which state that soul attains liberation. 

It looks like the creator-creation theory is also borrowed from Abrahamic religion and on the base, a new belief system has been introduced giving it a Vedic outlook and propagating all non-Vedic rituals and worships by someone in the past.  

St. Thomas is said to have come to India to spread Christianity in the first century AD. It first spread among the people of the Malabar coast and in areas near present-day Madras.

There is a total discontinuity in the concept of God before and after the entry of St, Thomas.  As one goes in deeper into the annals of religious history then we become aware of the fact that the Vedic gods were personifications of Nature and their worship essentially sacrifices to these Natural Forces to appease them.  All of a sudden by the first century, we encounter Vedantas.  Vedanta literally means “End of the Vedas,” though it is today interpreted as "the essence of Vedas."

 Vedanta, which appeared as theological discourses, presents a supreme Godhead, “Para Brahman’.  Such an idea was not even remotely conceivable in the Vedic context.  

New Gods like Maheshwar and Vishnu appeared.  The concept of Maheshwar.  Vishnu means Sky or Heavens.   Vishnu simply means God of Heaven lies or one who pervades everything.   Then we have the concept of incarnation – God taking flesh in human form to save humanity.  All these suddenly appeared after the entry of St, Thomas.

This was also the time when most of the Vedic gods passed into oblivion. Their place was taken by the trinity of gods, with Brahma as the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. It is believed that when evil is rampant, various incarnations of Vishnu enter the world of men to save them. Krishna is one such 'avatar'. 

There are many contradictions, Brahma Vishnu and Maheshwar are the three main GODs but they are one. Brahma is the creator of this universe (Generator), Vishnu is responsible for the smooth conduct of the same (sustainer), & Maheshwar is the Destroyer! But if you go and read Vishnu Purana, he is characterized as the supreme power.

Further, due to many castes and sub-castes prevailing in the society, some more rules and principles were added for the benefit of these priests. Can you imagine how would you get rid of the sin you committed by killing a cat? You will have to make a golden cat weighing equal to the dead cat and hand over this golden cat to the priest chanting for the purification of an individual soul! Hinduism is different from the Vedic religion.

Vedic religion was modified and reintroduced with new add-ons by Sage Sankara a great Advaita  Sages to uplift the Vedic culture, and Santana Dharma (Hinduism), which was in ruins in the clutches of Buddhism. 18 Puranas are introduced in the name of  Sage Veda Vyasa. 

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 Vedas. It is impossible to accept and believe that Veda Vyasa authored and introduced Puranas which have all conceptual Gods, because,:~

The Vedas confirm God is Atman (Spirit), the  Self.

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.

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 Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

Vedas itself declares: May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman? Thus, to know the real God Self-realization is necessary. Self-realization is God-realization. Self-realization itself is real worship.

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

People, who worship the belief of God, are hallucinating that they become one with such God.

God is the Supreme Being the One eternal homogeneous essence, indivisible consciousness, and intelligence, which is beyond form, time, and space. Which the Sages describe in a variety of ways through diverse words.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ ‘All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)

Only the path of wisdom leads the seeker of truth on his journey to the ultimate realization of the true nature of the Universal Essence, which is the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, worships ‘Self’ as~ Atman (God in truth) alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare."

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 consciousness.

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. 

Remember:~

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.

The Vedas reveal ONE GOD whereas Hinduism is filled with 33crores of gods Vedas reveals God as Spirit (Atman or Brahman) and no form whereas Hinduism worships God in the form of various non-Vedic idols of gods and goddesses are barred by Vedas.

Vedas say that God does not have any form and exists as light, but in Hinduism, people idol worship their inherited personal God. 

It indicates clearly all the gods with form and attributes are mere imaginations based on the false self.  The ideas of conceptual gods are a reality on the base of the false self within the false experience.  Thus, all the belief systems are based on the false self. Thus, their idea of God is merely a belief based on their religious doctrine. In Advaita Lord means Atman and Atman mean Brahman.
  

If people who indulge in god or guru glorification are not Advaitins because they have accepted the belief of God as true God and they forget the true God is Atman their true identity, which exists without the body and the experience of the world.

If God exists, as he does for religionists and yogis, and exists separately from them, then there is duality, which always implies a contradiction. From the ultimate point of view God is merely a belief or an idea, a thought, or an object, therefore the self or witness, contradicts God.

When there are two, one thought contradicts another for one thought comes at one moment, and the other at another moment, both moments contradict; one cannot say they are identical. He cannot find non-contradiction in this universe.

One the ultimate point of view the individualized God does not exist, because his existence implies that one is different from Him. Any kind of difference means contradiction. Nothing whatsoever other than the consciousness exists thus for non-dualists the consciousness itself is the ultimate truth and the ultimate truth is God. Nonduality means the negation of all thought.

The truth is not only that which is beyond contradiction but also that in which is no possibility of contradiction. Such a state can only be realized as non-duality, where there is no second thing other than consciousness. The illustration for that is deep sleep but sleep is not the ultimate reality. It is merely an analogy.

Brihad Upanishad says:~ "If you think there is another entity whether man or God there is no truth." This is the teaching since time immemorial of those who have inquired into the truth.

The consciousness alone which is permanent and eternal, unchanging in the changing world is a  reality. People hear of Brahman or the ultimate truth. People can only imagine it. One requires words only to distinguish between is there and not there, but he can’t posit either of Reality because his saying so is only an idea, not reality. The ultimate truth is beyond words. Words are of use, however, as a thorn to pull out the thorn of other words that hinder knowledge.

Intellectually knowing the truth is only an imagination, whereas realizing the truth is knowing it as such.

The religious orthodoxy misleads the seekers of truth, therefore, the seeker of truth has to verify the truth on his own by reason based on the consciousness as the Self and then only accept the uncontradictable truth.  

When the religion of the Veda knows no idols then why so many gods and goddesses with different forms and names are being propagated as Vedic gods. Why these conceptual gods are introduced when the Vedic concept of God is free from form and attributes. 

Who introduced the concept of God with attributes and attributeless Gods, when Yajur Veda says: -   those who worship visible things, born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like), in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness. Therefore, all these add-ons prove that the form and attribute-based concepts are introduced by some sages of the past with a new belief system and code of conduct in the name of Vedas. 

To be considered an orthodox Hindu one need only accept the authority of Shruti, however, there is no universal agreement among Hindus what constitutes Shruti. Vedantins consider the Vedanta, i.e., the Upanishads as Shruti but also include the Bhagavad-Gita and Brahma Sutras as authoritative. For some Vaishnava, the Bhagavata Purana is to be considered Veda. Some consider the Tantras are considered Veda. Thus, we find that there is ample scope for different philosophies and practices under the very broad umbrella of Hinduism. And all Hindus indulge in non-Vedic practices barred by the Vedas introduced by the different founders of the different sects of Hinduism.

 Sruti is made the final or exclusive authority in apara Vidya and for supporting the tenet of the CAUSAL relation or creatorship of Brahman, Nirguna Brahman = the "Absolute beyond qualities," which can be defined only in a negative way. For the Sankarian school = the Ultimate Reality, higher than the Lord. i.e. of Saguna or apara Brahman ... The support of Scriptural Revelation is, therefore, absolutely necessary for this hypothesis of cosmology, this Saguna or apara (= inferior) Brahman, but not for the absolute truth of Nirguna Brahman.

The Sruti itself says: "This Atma is NOT to be attained by a study of the Vedas.  (Katha Upanishad I, 2, 23.)     

Therefore, all the non-Vedic add-ons and attribute-based knowledge, which is inferior, have to be bifurcated and excluded to know the ultimate truth.  The seeker of truth has to drop all the inferior knowledge based on the attributes and go beyond Vedas to understand assimilate and realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.  

One has to go beyond Vedas means to go beyond religion. Going beyond religion means, going beyond the concept of God.  Thus, going beyond Veda, religion and conceptual God means going beyond illusion.   That is the end of Vedas (Veda –antha). :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Reason applied only to practical life within the practical world is called logic.+

Bhagavan Buddha said:~Believe nothing because a wise man said it. Believe nothing because it is generally held. Believe nothing because it is written. Believe nothing because it is said to be divine. Believe nothing because someone else said it. But believe only what you, yourself judge to be true.

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• Sandeep Mann Mentor, André Shackleton, Alan E Kennedy, and 2 others like this.
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  Sandeep Mann Mentor Would rather believe what many others are saying backed with logic.

  
  
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  Santthosh Kumaar  Logic is misunderstood. People cannot distinguish between reasoning and intellect as a Gnani does. Egocentric Reason applied only to practical life within the practical world is called logic, and intellect. Soulcentric reason is the spiritualistic reason necessary to unfold the truth of the whole (three states). : 

  
  

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  Sandeep Mann Mentor Illustrate, please. Through an example.

  
  
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  Santthosh Kumaar Logic implies duality. The duality is merely an illusion. we are discussing duality, which is an illusion. How can anyone use logic where there are no two. The whole world in which we exist is created out of single stuff. That stuff is the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. When there is no second thing exists other than consciousness, the question of logic does not arise.

People think everything is energy but without the consciousness, how can one know it is energy. It is only intellectual speculation.+

People think everything is energy but without consciousness, how can one know it is energy.  It is only intellectual speculation.

The sun, the moon, the stars, planets shine because of the Soul or Spirit. The Soul shines and all things else shine as a result. Everything in the universe reflects but that light of the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. Merely knowing the truth is not enough to escape from the tangle of illusion.

The mind is in the form of the universe. From the standpoint of the Soul the innermost Self the universe is merely an illusion.  The illusion arises from ignorance. Enlightenment comes with detachment from the illusion by realizing the experience of the form, time and space are one in essence.

Chandogya Upanishad:~ One who meditates upon and realizes the 'Self' discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantrams and meditation--all come from the Self.

Ignorance prevents one from knowing the truth which is beyond form, time, and space. The form, time, and space are the product of ignorance. The form, time, and space are present in the form of the mind. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as the waking or dream. Until one holds the 'Self' as ‘I’ he is in the grip of ignorance.

 If ignorance is present then the duality is present. If duality is present then the illusion is experienced as reality. If the illusion is experienced as reality then one is stuck with the reality of the practical life within the practical world.  

It is not that human memory is the cause of ignorance. The human memory is limited to form, time and space. The one which is in ignorance is not the waking entity, but the formless Soul. 

It is foolish to think you are in ignorance because you and your experience of the world are the product of ignorance.  Thus, without deeper self-search, it is impossible to realize ‘what is the truth’ and ‘what is untruth’. Without knowing ‘what is the truth’ it is impossible to know ‘what is untruth’.

People are stuck with some teaching or some teacher and hold them, as yardsticks which is the greatest hindrance in the pursuit of truth. People believe that guru or mystic or priest has got so many followers and therefore there must be some truth in their teaching, is a common fallacy accepted by the mass due to their inherited samskara or conditioning. It proves only an ignorant can find a number of greater ignorant to follow him.

That is why Buddha said:~Believe nothing because a wise man said it.  Believe nothing because it is generally held. Believe nothing because it is written. Believe nothing because it is said to be divine. Believe nothing because someone else said it. But believe only what you yourself judge to be true.

A true seeker is not content with the knowledge of spiritual realities based on hearsay... he insists on the direct knowledge."

Katha Upanishad 1:2:23:~ The Soul cannot be realized through hearing a scholarly explanation of the discourses, not even by the intellect.

A permanent view of the world as unreal can come only after soul-centric reasoning; such knowledge cannot change. Were the seeker is sufficiently sharp enough,  he could grasp the unreal nature of the world by soul-centric reasoning alone.  To know the whole truth, one must know the whole universe, otherwise, he gets only half-truth.  

The Soul is the formless substance and the witness of the three states. If the formless witness,  witnesses the waking experience and its attention are fixed to the waking experience then the waking experience is experienced as reality.

If the formless witness,  witnesses the dream and its attention, is fixed to the dream then the dream is experienced as reality. If the attention of the soul is on itself then it is called deep sleep in waking experience, which is the state of ignorance. If the soul consciously remains in its formless non-dual true nature in the midst of waking experience through wisdom it is called Self-awareness. 

The three states are an object to the formless soul which is the subject.  The three states are a state of ignorance. In all three states the soul, the innermost self is in ignorance of its own formless non-dual true nature. This forgetfulness is the cause of ignorance. Ignorance is the cause of experiencing the three states as a reality. 

The three states are the cause of experiencing individuality as a reality.  Individuality is the cause of experiencing birth, life, death, and the world as a reality. 

The three states are one in essence. In the realm of truth, the three states are non-existent.  In self-awareness, the three states are non-existent because they are one in essence.   

The seeker has to pursue this quest until all his doubts are cleared and all his confusions disappear and his conviction about the soul, the innermost self becomes crystal clear.

Doubt is the beginning of knowledge. One must verify his own ideas and concepts. He must put his imagination aside, and let the truth be verifiable by others.

The scholastic like all believers has to start with an assumption that there is some unseen Being or Power or World, and then they start to interpret this assumption. Whereas deeper self-search starts with the world, going up from the objective world to the truth by inquiry and soul-centric reasoning.

No assumption, no faith, is needed in pursuit of truth, the ultimate truth demands deeper thinking. People do not want to think: it is too troublesome. Why to worry about the ultimate truth, they say. This is their excuse, an alibi for being too lazy or incompetent to think. They do not want to be bothered to inquire and reason.

The reasoning is interpretable in two ways. The egocentric interpretation is to apply it only to the waking experience(mind). The soul-centric interpretation is to apply it to the three states. The latter leads to a final settlement of the problems because it takes all data into consideration. 

When the ultimate truth is rightly known and one attains eternal life thereby. Through soul, the innermost self he gains strength and through its knowledge immortality.

 Not by intellectual speculation, but only by an awakening to the reality of his true existence,  he gets the soul-centric vision. Soul, the innermost self’s nature is like a state of deep sleep.

Religion, yoga, and intellectualism are not the means to acquire self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  Without getting rid of the ignorance and trying to get self-awareness through religion and yoga is like a sleeping man trying to know what he is about, without waking up. As sleep is to waking, so is ordinary life to the state of realization.:~Santthosh Kumaar