To realize the ultimate truth is the prime goal.+

In Manduka Upanishad Brahman and Atman are defined as the same:~

सर्वं ह्येतद् ब्रह्मायमात्मा ब्रह्म सोयमात्मा चतुष्पात् / sarvam hyetad brahmaayamaatmaa brahm soyamaatmaa chatushpaat ~

Mandukya Upanishad, verse-2

Translation:~

sarvam(सर्वम्)- Whole/All/Everything; hi(हि)- Really/Just/Surely/Indeed; etad(एतद्)- This here/This; brahm(ब्रह्म)- Brahm/Brahman; ayam(अयम्)- This/Here; aatmaa(आत्मा)- Atma/Atman; sah(सः)- He; ayam(अयम्)- This/Here; chatus(चतुस्)- Four/Quadruple; paat(पात्)- Step/Foot/Quarter

Fragmented Verse:~

सर्वम् हि एतद् ब्रह्म अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म सः अयम् आत्मा चतुस पात् / sarvam hi etad brahm ayama aatmaa brahm sah ayam aatmaa chatus paat

Simple Meaning:~

All indeed is this Brahman; This Atman is Brahman; He, this Atman has four steps/quarters.

While Brahman lies behind the sum total of the objective universe, some human minds boggle at any attempt to explain it with only the tools provided by reason. Brahman is beyond the senses, beyond the mind, beyond intelligence, beyond imagination. Indeed, the highest idea is that Brahman is beyond both existence and non-existence, transcending and including time, causation, and space, and thus can never be known in the same material sense as one traditionally 'understands' a given concept or object.

Imagine a person who is blind from birth and has not seen anything. Is it possible for us to explain to him the meaning of the color red? Is any amount of thinking or reasoning on his part ever going to make him understand the sensation of the color red? Similarly, the idea of Brahman cannot be explained or understood through material reasoning or any form of human communication. Brahman is like the color red; those who can sense it cannot explain or argue with those who have never sensed it.

Bhagavad Gita:~ brahmano hi pratisthaham - Brahman is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (14.27)

In Advaita Vedanta:~ Brahman is without attributes and strictly impersonal. It can be best described as infinite Being, infinite Consciousness, and infinite Bliss. It is pure knowledge itself, similar to a source of infinite radiance. Since the Advaitins regard Brahman to be the Ultimate Truth, so in comparison to Brahman, every other thing, including the material world, its distinctness, the individuality of the living creatures and even Ishvara (the Supreme Lord) itself are all untrue. Brahman is the effulgent cause of everything that exists and can possibly exist. Since it is beyond human comprehension, it is without any attributes, for assigning attributes to it would be distorting the true nature of Brahman. Advaitins believe in the existence of both Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman; however, they consider Nirguna Brahman to be the absolute supreme truth.

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, mantram and meditation--all come from the Self.

So, it clearly says the one who meditates upon the self (consciousness) discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantram and meditation--all come from the Self. Therefore, there is a need to know the fact that, the true self is not physical, but the soul in order to realize the fact that:  the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantram and meditation--all come from the Self, which is in the form of consciousness.

Atman is Brahman. Brahman is alone real; this waking is unreal, and the three states are non-different from Brahman.

Whatever is, is Brahman. Brahman itself is absolutely homogeneous. All difference and plurality are illusory."  Brahman is not a person, as the Absolute is not this. But if one wants to call it God or ParamAtman, then fine. But it is not a person. Personifying it can make it difficult to understand the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.   

To realize the ultimate truth is the prime goal. 

All the scriptures indicate that Atman is Brahman, and Brahman is the ultimate truth. Therefore consciousness, which is in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth.  Thus realizing the ultimate truth is the prime goal.   A well-directed inquiry, analysis, and reasoning will lead one to his nondual destination. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The nature of the Atman (Soul) is formless, timeless and spaceless existence. +

 Brahman or God in truth. 

The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. The ultimate truth or Brahman is God. Realize that to be Brahman which is Existence, Knowledge and Bliss Absolute, which is non-dual and infinite, eternal and One, and which fills all that exists.

Kena Upanishad (6) Chapter I:~  That which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

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

Kena Upanishad (8) Chapter I:~  That which cannot be heard by the ear, but by which the hearing is perceived-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (9)- Chapter I:~ That which cannot be smelt by the breath, but by which the breath smells an object-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~ The Self is indeed Brahman, but through ignorance, people identify it with intellect, mind, senses, passions, and the elements of earth, water, air, space, and fire. This is why the Self is said to consist of this and that and appears to be everything. ~ 

Yajurveda says: - if one worships God:~ 

Translation 1.

They enter darkness, those who worship natural things (for example air, water, sun, moon, animals, fire, stone, etc.).

They sink deeper in darkness than those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc.) ~(Yajurveda  40:9)

Translation 2.

"Deep into the shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti is intent.~("Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith pg 538)

Translation 3.

"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.)

So, Yajur Veda indicates that:~

They sink deeper into darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc ~(Yajurved 40:9)

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.)

The Hindus believed in polytheism, believing all of their Gods to be separate individuals, which were introduced much later by the founders of Hinduism which contains diverse beliefs caste, and creed. 

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.

Sage Gaudapada expands further on these states of consciousness. The Self is AUM. It represents the manifest and unmanifest aspects of Brahman. It is the single syllable that symbolizes and embodies Brahman, the Absolute Reality. It is the Pranava that pervades all existence and is our very life breath.

Vaisvanara in waking the state is A the first part of AUM, One, who realizes this, attains his desires.

Teijasa in the dream state is U the second part of AUM. One, who realizes this, attains knowledge.

Prajna in deep sleep is M the third part of AUM, concluding the sounds of the earlier two parts. One, who realizes this, attains a compressive understanding of all.

The Syllable AUM in its entirety stands for the fourth state, Turiya the one beyond the phenomenal existence, supremely blissful and non-dual.

AUM in its integral whole stands for the fourth state which is transcendental, devoid of phenomenal existence, and is the source of all existence. AUM represents Ultimate Reality. AUM is thus verily the Self itself. One who realizes this merges into that Self. Meditate on AUM as the Self.

In Vedas, God has been described as:~

v  Sakshi (Witness)

v  Chetan (conscious)

v  Nirguna (Without form and properties).

v  Nitya (eternal)

v  Shuddha (pure)

v  Buddha (omniscient)

v   Mukta (unattached).

The nature of the Atman (Soul) is:~

   

v  Witness

v  conscious

v  Without form and properties

v  eternal

v  pure

v omniscient

v  unattached

Thus, it refers to the formless and attributeless God, which is the Atman (Soul), the Self.  It indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are merely imaginations based on the false self.  Thus Atman or Soul, the Self is God in truth.

The mind is present in the form of the universe.  The universe appears as waking or dreaming. From the ultimate standpoint, the universe is merely an illusion. Whatever the universe contains is merely an illusion.  

The whole illusion is created, sustained, and finally dissolves as consciousness; therefore there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. Thus, consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states. Hence, it is nondual.  Thus,  limiting the Self to the waking entity or ego is the cause of ignorance.  And ignorance is the cause of duality. Duality is the cause of experiencing the illusion as a  reality.

Orthodoxy accepts the concept of god in many forms. Sages of truth declare the Atman is Brahman.  That is the  Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.  That is the ultimate truth is God.  And the ultimate truth itself is worthy of Godhood. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Yajur Veda says: ~Those who worship visible things, born of the prakrti, in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness.+

The famous peace invocation of Isa Upanishad says: ~

Om Purna- madah, purna-midam purnat-purnam-udacyate  Purnaysa purna-madaya purna-meva-vasisyate

This means ~ All this is full /from fullness, fullness comes when fullness is taken from fullness/ fullness still remains.

 This belief is all- comprehensive and all-absorbing. There is nothing that is not God.

One of Sage Sankara’s missions was to wean people away from 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 Sankara as the rallying force of the doctrine.

Avadhuta, the one who has cast off all concerns and obligations, like the Self, is the typical teacher of wisdom. He does that in a highly unconventional manner. He has no use for social etiquette; he has risen above worldly concerns. He is not bound by sanyasi dharma either. He roams the earth freely like a child, like an intoxicated or like one possessed. He is the embodiment of detachment and spiritual wisdom.

The concept of God with attributes and attributeless Gods was not of Vedic origin, because 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. 

It clearly indicates that: -If the human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana then why one has to indulge in rituals and glorifying the conceptual gods and goddesses to go into deeper darkness. Instead, spend that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is one’s prime goal.  

Since it is eternal and infinite, it comprises the only truth. The goal of Vedic religion, through the various yogas, is to realize that the consciousness (Atman) is actually nothing but Brahman.

The Vedic pantheon of gods is said, in the Vedas and Upanishads, to be only higher manifestations of Brahman. For this reason,- "ekam sat" (all is one), and all is Brahman.

Kena Upanishad (1) Chapter II:~  If you think: "I know Brahman well," then surely you know but little of Its form; you know only Its form as conditioned by man or by the gods. Therefore Brahman, even now, is worthy of your inquiry.

Kena Upanishad (2) Chapter II:~  The disciple said: I think I know Brahman. The disciple said: I do not think I know It well, nor do I think I do not know It. He among us who knows the meaning of "Neither do I not know nor do I know-knows Brahman.

Kena Upanishad (3) Chapter II:~ He by whom Brahman is not known, knows It; he by whom It is known, knows It not. It is not known by those who know It; It is known by those who do not know It.

Kena Upanishad (4) Chapter II:~ Brahman is known when It is realized in every state of mind; for by such Knowledge one attains Immortality. By Atman one obtains strength; by Knowledge, Immortality

Kena Upanishad (5) Chapter II:~ If a man knows Atman here, he then attains the true goal of life. If he does not know It here, great destruction awaits him. Having realized the Self in every being, the wise relinquish the world and become immortal

Thus, the goal is to realize the Atman (consciousness).  The Atman (consciousness) is nothing but Brahman. By realizing Atman (consciousness) as Brahman (ultimate truth) is truth realization or Self-Realization. 

There is no need to follow the religion, study the scriptures or glorify the Gods and the Gurus and follow the path of doubts and confusion by losing oneself in the labyrinths of philosophy in order to get Self-realization when there is an easier path.  

By mentally tracing the source of the mind, from where it rises and subsides, one becomes aware of the fallacy of the mind, which rises as the duality (universe or waking or dream) and subsides as the nonduality (deep sleep).  The mind raises form the consciousness and subsides as the consciousness.

The essence of Mundaka is: Do not be satisfied with rituals, yoga, etc. which are good in their own way, but inquire. Into what? Brahman and Atman are things you can never see. So do not inquire into them. Inquire into the world around you, which you can see. Science tells you it is passing away every second. Everything is repeatedly dying. Where is it going? Thus you follow up your inquiry into what you can lay hands on. How can you inquire into Atma which you cannot see? So first we deal with the known and seen, this inquiry leads up to the unknown at the end.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Holding the Self as the ‘I’ and trying to assimilate Advaitic truth is like trying to drain the ocean drop by drop.+

Make sure ‘I’ is not the Self. If the  ‘I’ is not the Self then whatever you have seen, known, believed, and experienced as an individual is bound to be a falsehood.

If the Self is not ‘I’ then there is no other ‘I’ because the ‘I’ exist only in the domain of the duality. The Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The nature of the Soul is ‘I’-less. The ‘I’ is an illusory nature of the ‘I’. The ‘I’ appears and disappears.

Holding the Self as the  ‘I’ and trying to assimilate Advaitic truth is like trying to drain the ocean drop by drop.

What is this “I”? The ‘I’ is the mind. The body and the world together are the mind. If the mind is there, then only you and your experience of the world are there. If the mind is not there, then you and your mind cease to exist.

The mind is present in the form of the universe’ the universe appears as the waking or dream(duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).

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.

A deeper self-search reveals the fact that by inquiring the Who Am I?  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.

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

Until one gets convinced that the ‘I’ is not the Self, he will remain in ignorance of the formless  Soul of the innermost Self. If the  Self is formless, then the experience of birth, life, death, and the world is bound to be an illusion. Therefore, it is necessary to know and realize the fact that,  the Self is not the form, but it is formless before indulging in the inner (mental) journey.

The inquiry is not the set of questions but clearing all the doubts and confusion through deeper reasoning on his own.   There are no scope arguments in pursuit of truth because it is a personal journey that starts within the illusion (waking) and ends in realizing the truth. 

Thus, the arguments based on the false self will not lead one toward the non-dualistic goal. The seeker of truth has to share assimilation of knowledge and help and inspire fellow seekers and divert their attention from outer to inwardness.

  
The inquiry is to realize:~

v  “With what one knows himself and his experience of the world?

v  How he and his experience of the world have come into existence and with what? 

Until one becomes aware of that, that, which is responsible for him to function as a person and perceive the world, he will not become aware of the fact that the true Self is a formless, nameless identity. 

It cannot be called anything and it cannot be approached because it exists prior to waking or dream. And prior to the appearance of waking and dream, there is nothingness or emptiness.  That emptiness or nothingness itself is the Soul or Spirit, which is the formless substance and the witness of the three states.

Without this formless substance which is in the form of consciousness, nothing can exist. The Soul, the Self is the center of physical existence.  When the center is aware of the objects (waking or dream) it becomes the mind or the ‘I’.  When the center is aware of its formless non-dual true nature, it is the Soul, the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Remember:~

First, know what this 'I' suppose to be in actuality. 

 What is this ‘I’?

The ‘I’ is not a thought. The ‘I’ is the mind. The mind is the whole universe. The universe appears as the waking or dream (duality and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality). The one that appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality),  is the Soul, the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states.

Without knowing what the mind is, it is impossible to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. People think the mind is within the body, but deeper self-search reveals the fact that the world in which you exist itself is the mind. 

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

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

Till you hold the ‘Self ‘as the ‘I’ you will never be able to get Self-realization.

‘I’ hides the Soul, which is the Self. ‘

I’ is ignorance.

‘I’ is the duality.

‘I’ is form, time, and space.

‘I’ is the universe.

‘I’ is the waking.

‘I’ is the dream.

‘I’ is the illusion.

‘I’ is the experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

Remember:~

Without the ‘I’ there is no ignorance.

Without the ‘I’ there is no duality.

Without the ‘I’ there is no form, time, and space.

Without the ‘I’ there is no universe.

Without the ‘I’ there is no waking.

Without the ‘I’ there is no dream.

Without the ‘I’ there is no illusion.

Without the ‘I’ there is no experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

The ‘I’ hides the truth of the whole. The ‘I’ hides the truth.

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

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

Those Gurus who expound ‘I-centric’ knowledge is propagating ignorance. The seeker has to be aware of the fact that the ‘I’ itself is ignorance. The truth is hidden by the ‘I’.  

Bhagavad Gita: ~ “You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory. ~ CH.2 v.16

If you stick to ‘I-centric Gurus and their teaching you are sticking up to ignorance. By following ‘I-centric’ teaching even after a hundred years you will never realize the ‘Self’ hidden by the ‘I’.  If you are seeking truth then you should not waste your precious time and fortune by attending the Satsangha and retreats.

That is why 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.

It takes time for the seeker to gain the perfect understanding of ‘what is the truth’ and ‘’what is untruth’. It takes time for the Soul, the  Self to wake up from the sleep of ignorance, and it takes time for one realizes the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Advaita (non-duality) and dvaita (duality) is the state of the Soul, the Self.+

Advaita (non-duality) and dvaita (duality) is the state of the Soul, the innermost  Self. It is not some intellectual theory. Orthodox Advaitins believe the Atman (Soul) is Brahman, and the world is an illusion. Religious dvaitins believe, the body as the Self, they believe the world is a reality, and they believe in creator and creation theory.   

In India Advaita and Dvita is mere 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, that is mixing the individual life, and the 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.

The Buddha must have verified religion, the Vedas, and the concept of God and found them inadequate and useless in the pursuit of truth and rejected them and he got enlightened without the aid of religion, the 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 Orthodox Advaita, they accept 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 in 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 a reality.

Sage Sankara says:~ Karma is not competent to remove ignorance, for it is not opposed to it. It does not matter in what way we characterize ignorance, whether as the absence of knowledge or as doubt, or as erroneous knowledge. It is always removable by knowledge, but not by action in any of its forms, for there is no contradiction between ignorance and karma. (Commentary on   Brah.3-3-1 )

Birth, life, and death are part of the waking experience, which is merely an illusion from the standpoint of the true self.  It is no use of saying that, we are not born, we do not die 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 the 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 is nothing to do with the religious-based Advaita, which is based on non-Vedic beliefs.  :~Santthosh Kumaar