Brahman is the root source and Divine Ground of everything that exists.+

The mind is virtually the universe. The universe appears as a waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).  Efforts should be made to understand the mind. Advaitic is wisdom is an ancient truth preserved as a secret by sages of truth. 

                                                    

We are within the illusion. Whatever we have seen, feel, known, believed, and experienced is also within the illusion. The formless substance and witness of the illusion is the Soul of the Self.

In Self-awareness, the substance and witness are one in essence. That essence is the Soul which is present in the form of the consciousness (Spirit).      

Sage Sankara:~ 'like a servant who carries a lamp in front of you to find your way, and you have found it, so becomes the Veda to that person. What is the Veda? -- utterances of those who have known the Truth. Here is one who has known the Truth; why should he or she depend upon the Veda further? Actual realization takes you beyond books. At a certain stage, books become a botheration. The Upanishad itself says that the 'words are only so much of distraction for such minds'.

Ish Upanishads:~  Vidya and Avidya both are hindrances to Self-knowledge, but Vidya is even worse than Avidya. The word Vidya is used here in a special sense; here it means worshipping Gods and Goddesses. By worshipping Gods and Goddesses you will go after death to the world of Gods and Goddesses. But will that help you? The time you spend there is wasted because if you were not there you could have spent that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of Gods and Goddesses, you cannot do that, and thus you go deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Avidya is Karma and therefore a hindrance. You perform Avidya ~i.e., you perform Agnihotra and other sacrifices. This is a roundabout way of purifying the mind, and it is also groping in the dark. But it may not have as heavy a toll on your time and energy as the other.

Ishopanishad:~ "They are steeped in ignorance and sunk into the greatest depth of misery who worships the matter, instead of the All-Pervading God and those who worship things born of matter like trees, animals, man, etc. are sunk deeper in misery."

Katha Upanishad says: ~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. (Ch II-5 P-14 Upanishads Nikhilananda)

It indicates that the ignorant one (darkness) of the Soul, the innermost Self (Atman) searches for truth by accumulating knowledge of every path and practice and is uncertain about the truth, and thinks every path leads towards reality. The ignorance of the true 'Self' leads one towards unreality or hallucination.

Bhad Upanishad:~ This Self is dearer than a son, dearer than wealth, dearer than everything else because It is innermost. If one holding the 'Self' dear were to say to a person who speaks of anything other than the Self as dear, that he, the latter, will lose what he holds dear—and the former is certainly competent to do so—it will indeed come true. One should meditate upon the Self alone as dear. He who meditates upon the Self alone as dear—what he holds dear will not perish. (8-p- -211)

It is the first instance of monism in organized religion. Vedic religion remains the only religion with this concept. To call this concept 'God' would be imprecise.  The closest interpretation of the term can be found in the books. 

Taittariya Upanishad (II.1):~ Where Brahman is described in the following manner: Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahman - "Brahman is of the nature of truth, knowledge, and infinity". Thus, Brahman is the origin and the end of all things, material or otherwise. Brahman is the root source and Divine Ground of everything that exists and does not exist. It is defined as unknowable and Satchidananda (Truth-Consciousness-Bliss).

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

The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.   Consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states.  The three states are nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness.  Thus, consciousness is all-pervading.

One should understand that the Soul is the cause of the form, time, and space and it itself is uncaused. The form is consciousness. Time is consciousness and space is also consciousness. Therefore, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Atman is Brahman. Brahman is alone real.+

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.

Several mahā-vākyas, or great sayings, indicate what the principle of Brahman is:~

prajnānam brahma(1)

            "Brahman is knowledge"

ayam ātmā brahma(2)

            "The Self (or the Consciousness) is Brahman "

aham brahmāsmi(3)

            "Self is Brahman"

tat tvam asi(4)

            "Self is that"

sarvam khalv idam brahma(5)

            "All this that we see in the world is Brahman",

sachchidānanda brahma(6)(7)

            "Brahman is existence, consciousness, and bliss".

Why go round and round, by various tortuous paths. 

When the Vedas and Upanishad declare that Consciousness or Atman is actually nothing but Brahman, then why go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. One has to realize the fact that, the mind is in the form of the universe.  Trace the source of mind and realize that the source is consciousness. The mind arises from consciousness as the waking or the dream (duality)  and subsides as the deep sleep (nonduality).  

In Mandukya Upanishad Brahman and Atman are defined as 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 colour red? Is any amount of thinking or reasoning on his part ever going to make him understand the sensation of the colour red? In a similar fashion, the idea of Brahman cannot be explained or understood through material reasoning or any form of human communication. Brahman is like the colour 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. (brahmano hi pratisthaham, (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 the consciousness, which is in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth.  Thus to realize the ultimate truth is the prime goal.   A well-directed inquiry, analysis, and reasoning will lead one to his nondual destination.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

This universe comes forth from Brahman and will return to Brahman. Verily, all is Brahman.+

As indicated in Isa Upanishad:~' The human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana therefore,  why one has to indulge in rituals and glorifying the conceptual Gods, Goddesses, and Gurus to go into deeper darkness. Instead spend that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is one’s prime goal.    

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

This clearly indicates that religion, which is based on individual conduct, prescribes karma and Upaasana to people of lower and middling intellect, therefore religion is for the lower intellect.  

Advaitic wisdom is for those who are capable of inquiring into their own existence to know and realize the ultimate truth, which is Brahman. Therefore, if one is seeking truth he has to know his true self is not physical but it is the Atman, which is in the form of the consciousness. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge.  Therefore, there is no use in studying the Vedas and other scriptures to acquire nondual wisdom.  That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage  Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of God, and the scriptures. 

There is only one Reality to be known, the same for all seekers, but the ways to it, are hidden by the religion.  Self-discovery is the only way, toward non-dual Absolute without any religious doctrines, which will help the seekers to unfold the mystery of the illusion in which we all are searching for the truth of our true existence. 

The beliefs of God, religion, and yoga are based on the false self and is nothing to do with the mental (inner) journey.   

The religious rituals, worship, prayers, and glorifying Gods, and Guru may be useful in worldly life, for those who believe in birth, life, death, and the world as a reality, but they are not useful tools in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, everything other than the Soul or the consciousness is a mere illusion.  Thus, man and his experience of the world and his belief in religious God and religion are part and parcel of the mirage created out of consciousness.   

There is no use in taking the strain to understand and assimilate the conceptual divisions invented by teachers of philosophy through their excessive analysis. There are more and more doubts and confusion if one tries to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth through scriptures. 

Why follow the path of doubts and confusion by losing oneself in the labyrinths of philosophy, when one can realize the ultimate truth without them.  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 waking or dream and subsides as deep sleep.  The mind raises from consciousness and subsidies as consciousness.  Therefore, there is a need for a  perfect understanding of the assimilation of non-dualistic truth.  

There is no need to renounce worldly life to get Self-Realization. Any householder can attain it if he has the inner urge. 

There is a need to study the scriptures. One has to self-search the truth and realize it without the scriptures. And then when he reads the scriptures he becomes aware the scriptures are also saying the same thing, but everything is misinterpreted.    

That is why 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 that merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence, men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.

61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one?

62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utters the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realization one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman. 

There is nothing more rational, more intelligible, and more un-dogmatic insights of Sage Sankara is to drop all the theistic non-duality or orthodox  Advaita which is meant for those who are incapable and not receptive to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.  If one merely theorizes, tries to understand through his intellect and there contended he cannot become a Gnani, but he becomes a scholar or pundit. 

Seeker of truth must make what he has understood and assimilated has to be realized, to get a firm conviction of the non-dualistic truth or ultimate truth or Brahman, then only he can transcend all the limitations of the experience of form, time, and space.   

The existence beyond limitations of form, time, and space is known as Moksha or Nirvana. Spiritual freedom or self-realization is the goal of every seeker of truth. 

Chandogya Upanishads:~  This universe comes forth from Brahman and will return to Brahman. Verily, all is Brahman. A person is what his deep desire is. It is our deepest desire in this life that shapes the life to come. So let us direct our deepest desires to realize the Self.

If one is seeking truth then it is necessary to bifurcate and drop the traditional Advaitic path which is not the means to self-knowledge and move ahead without the traditional baggage to get direct realization on his own as suggested by the great Sages of truth.

Thus, the seeker of truth has to know what this universe? What is this ultimate truth or Brahman? to realize the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth?   

No one can escape the waking experience which is the very basis of physical existence. What was the waking experience before it appeared? Was their existence before the appearance of the waking experience?  When the waking perishes, does the soul or consciousness survive alone?  Is there a self or soul?  The seeker has to find answers to all these doubts to realize ‘what is the truth’ and ‘what is untruth’.   

The Self is the formless substance and witness of the three states. And the formless substance and witness of the three states are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness.  If the formless substance and witness are one in essence, then there is a second thing that can exist, other than consciousness?  Thus,  the consciousness alone is real and all else is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, the 'Self', which is present in the form of the consciousness. 

Remember 

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ “The universe rises from the Soul, the innermost Self like bubbles from the sea. Thus know the ‘Self’ to be One and in this way enter into the state of dissolution."

Sage Sankara said: ~A.A~ 88. When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman (consciousness), and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that the body is Atman?

That is why Sage Sankara Says: ~ VC-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.

What is the use of saying ‘I AM THAT’ -without knowing what the ‘Self’ is in actuality? Without knowing the truth of the Self, without realizing the truth of the world in which you exist it is impossible to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space. By a mere utterance of the word ‘I AM THAT', the truth will not be revealed.

Sage Sankara: ~VC~ if the universe be true, let it then be perceived in the state of deep sleep also. As it is not at all perceived, it must be unreal and false like dreams.

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ “Brahman is the truth The World is Unreal everything is Truly Brahman and nothing else has any value.

Sage Sankara says: ~ ‘What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead to the final Goal. (Commentary on Vedanta Sutra)

Sage Sankara says: ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation, then why you are indulging in other types of meditation.

Those who tell you that Brahman is unity, that you can get it only by intuition, that you should not reason, you should not question or inquire, are deluding you. Verification must come by thought. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Upanishads ridicules the worshiper of deities as a dim-witted person no better than a beast.+

The orthodoxy has to be dropped if one has chosen the path of wisdom. The orthodoxy is a great hindrance in the pursuit of truth because it makes the inborn samskara(I) more and stronger. Till this inborn conditioning prevails it is impossible to grasp, assimilate and realize the non-dual truth. The orthodoxy is egocentric and egocentricity is the greatest obstacle in the path of truth.  

 The orthodoxy indulges in all non-Vedic rituals and because of add-ons and adulteration and such rituals lead one nowhere and it is a waste of time and effort.   Thus orthodoxy is not for those who are seeking truth nothing but the truth.  Mixing orthodoxy and preaching non-duality is a  foolish venture.

Rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for the Brahman or ultimate wisdom.  

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

Thus,  the Orthodox Advaita is not meant for those seeking ultimate truth or Brahman but orthodoxy is meant for people of lower and middling intellect.  Those who are seeking Advaitic truth have to drop orthodoxy in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Advaitic orthodoxy blocks the realization of ultimate truth or Brahman. Thus, if one wants Advaitic truth or wisdom he has to drop the path of Advaitic orthodoxy, which is meant for the traditionalists who take the practical life within the practical world as a reality. 

The Advaitic path of wisdom is nothing to do with religion, scriptures,  and conceptual Gods.  The self, which is the form of consciousness is Brahman or ultimate truth, is beyond form, time, and space or birth, life, death, and the world.  Thus one has religion, scriptures and conceptual God has to be bifurcated from the path of Gnana or Advaitic wisdom. 

The rituals mentioned in the karmakanda of the Vedas are sought to be negated in the jnanakanda which is also part of the same scripture. While the karmakanda enjoins upon you the worship of various deities and lays down rules for the same, the jnanakanda constituted by the Upanishads ridicules the worshipper of deities as a dim-witted person no better than a beast.

This seems strange, the latter part of the Vedas contradicting the former part. The first part deals with karma, while the second or concluding part is all about Jnana. Owing to this difference, people have gone so far as to divide our Scriptures into two sections: the Vedas (that is the first part) to mean the karmakanda and the Upanishads (Vedanta) to mean the jnanakanda.

Lord teaches us in the Gita and in it, he lashes out against the karmakanda. 

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 dying repeatedly. Where is it going? Thus, you follow up your inquiry into what you can lay your 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 in the end.

Mundaka Upanishad condemns rituals.  The Para or Higher knowledge is the knowledge of the Supreme Being while the Apara or Lower Knowledge is that of following sacrificial rites and ceremonies. (1/2/ 1 – 6)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 immersed themselves in ritualistic oriented lifestyles 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).   

The orthodox Advaita is not the means to acquire Self –knowledge or nondual wisdom.  Those who are seeking the truth have to do their own homework in order to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. :~Santthosh Kumaar  

Advaita is unconsciously known as deep sleep in ignorance and it is consciously is known through wisdom as consciousness.+

The theory of fate (Prarabdha) is for the ignorant one because those who accept the waking entity (you)  as self and the waking world as a  reality will remain in believing in the theory of birth, death, and rebirth.    The waking entity (ego)  and the waking world are a  reality within the waking experience. The waking experience itself is an illusion from the ultimate standpoint. 

The body being in this universe does not also exist because the world is merely an illusion from the ultimate standpoint., and due to this, Prarabdha also does not exist, Though the Vedas speak of Prarabdha, For the understanding of the ignorant.

The Mundaka Upanishad tells that:~ Ksheeyanthethasyakarmanithasmindrushte cha paravare, Bahuthwam than nishedarthasruthyageetham cha yathsphutam. 98

The body being in this world does not also exist and due to this, Prarabdha also does not exist, though the Vedas speak of Prarabdha, for the understanding of the ignorant.

All actions of man including Prarabdha perishes when one can see, Brahman which is in the higher and also lower, Thus, tell the Vedas with clarity,*Cause and effect. If fate does not get destroyed, ignorance gets never destroyed and spiritual realization never comes.

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 )

Sage Sankara says in Aparoksh Anubhuti on Prarabdha Karma: ~

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

89. O enlightened one; pass your time always contemplating on Atman while you are experiencing all the results of Prarabdha; for it ill becomes you to feel distressed.

90. The theory one hears of from the scripture, that Prarabdha does not lose its hold upon one even after the origination of the knowledge of Atman, is now being refuted.

91. After the origination of the knowledge of Reality, Prarabdha verily ceases to exist, since the body and the like become non-existent; just as a dream does not exist on waking.

92. That Karma which is done in a previous life is known as Prarabdha (which produces the present life). But such Karma cannot take the place of Prarabdha (for a man of knowledge), as he has no other birth (being free from ego).

93. Just as the body in a dream is superimposed (and therefore illusory), so is also this body. How could there be any birth of the superimposed (body), and in the absence of birth (of the body) where is the room for that (i.e., Prarabdha) at all?

94. The Vedanta texts declare ignorance to be verily the material (cause) of the phenomenal world just as the earth is of a jar. That (ignorance) being destroyed, where can the universe subsist?

95. Just as a person out of confusion perceives only the snake leaving aside the rope, so does an ignorant person see only the phenomenal world without knowing the reality?

96. The real nature of the rope being known, the appearance of the snake no longer persists; so the substratum being known, the phenomenal world disappears completely.

97. The body also being within the phenomenal world (and therefore unreal), how could Prarabdha exist? It is, therefore, for the understanding of the ignorant alone that the Shruti speaks of Prarabdha.

98. “And all the actions of a man perish when he realizes that (Atman) which is both the higher and the lower”. Here the clear use of the plural by the Shruti is to negate Prarabdha as well.

99. If the ignorant still arbitrarily maintain this, they will not only involve themselves in two absurdities but will also run the risk of forgoing the Vedantic conclusion. So one should accept those Shrutis alone from which proceeds true knowledge.

The above proves that the karma theory is a reality only on the base of false Self (ego or you), where one thinks body and the universe as a reality. When one becomes aware of the fact that, the ‘Self ‘is the formless Soul, then the karma theory becomes part and parcel of illusion.

If one accepts the karma theory as a reality, he will never be able to come out of ignorance. And ignorance makes him believe the cycle of birth, life, and death or pain and pleasure as a reality. Thu, s the freedom which one is seeking will remain a distant dream.

For the one who accepts the experience of birth life, death, and the world as a reality, Self-knowledge is impossible.

Thus, the seeker of truth must know the fact that the body which is born, lives, and dies is not the Self. Since he is taking the body to be the Self, he is experiencing the duality as reality within the waking experience.

Taittiriya Vartika, verse-24:~ There is also another reason for rejecting this view. Karma involves duality in the form of means and end, doer and deed. The perception of duality is ignorance. Further, it is only a person who has the desire to perform karma. Since he is ignorant of the non-dual Self, he thinks that there are objects other than the Self which he should strive for and that there are persons for whom he should suffer in his body. "He struggles to desire something for himself, something else for his son, the third thing for his wife and so on and gets involved in the cycle of births and deaths." (Brh. Up. Sage Sankara's Commentary, 4-4-12) 

In short, karma presupposes desire, involves duality, and is, therefore, a product of Avidya. If so, how can it destroy Avidya, the root cause of bondage, and thereby cause liberation? 

One has to destroy ignorance together with its effect, the mind (phenomenal universe). One has to discriminate between ultimate Truth (consciousness) from untruth (mind or universe).  For the easy understanding of those who have an intense urge to know and realize the truth.

The objects of knowledge, viz., sound, touch, etc., which are perceived in the waking experience are different from each other because of their peculiarities; but the consciousness of these, which is different from them, does not differ because of its homogeneity. Similar is the case in the dream. Here the perceived objects are transient and in the waking experience, they seem permanent. So there is a difference between them. But the (perceiving) consciousness in both the states does not differ. It is homogeneous.

In waking experience, the waking entity awake from the deep sleep, consciously remembers its lack of perception during that experience. Remembrance consists of objects experienced earlier. It is therefore clear that even in deep sleep ‘want of knowledge is perceived.

This consciousness (in the deep sleep experience) is indeed distinct from the object (here, ignorance), but not from itself, as is consciousness in the dream experience. Thus in all three states,  consciousness (being homogeneous) is the same. It is so on other days too.

Through the many months, years, ages, and world cycles, past, and future, consciousness is the same; it neither rises nor sets; it is self-revealing. This consciousness, which is the true Self, is formless and eternal in its nature.  It is established by reasoning that the self is not physical, but the self is consciousness, which pervades in everything and everywhere in all three states.

If the non-dual peace, which is the nature of the true Self, is not known, there cannot be the highest love for it. It is ever-present. If it is known consciously, there cannot be an attraction for worldly objects because the whole universe with its contents becomes merely an illusion. 

Advaita is known yet unknown. Non-duality is unconsciously known as deep sleep in ignorance and it is consciously is known through wisdom as consciousness. :~Santthosh Kumaar