It is impossible to find and realize the truth via religion and scriptural study. Even Upanishads confirm this.+

It is impossible to find and realize the truth via religion and scriptural study. Even Upanishads confirm this. 

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

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

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

The religion, concept of individualized God, and scriptures are the greatest obstacle to realizing the  Advaitic truth because they are based on a false self.  The seeker of truth has to search for the ultimate truth without losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, through deeper self-search and assimilate and realize it.

Many people follow both Bhakti as well as Jnana.   Orthodoxy saints and poets in the past composed numerous hymns for various Gods and Goddesses by mixing both dual and non-dualistic ideas.

Many sages used to illustrate, that the formless (Nirakara God) ocean water under the cold currents of bhakti freezes to take a shape as the ice (Saakar God). The same ice (Saakar God) under the heat of Gnana dissolves and again becomes the formless ocean (Nirakara God).

All the orthodox  Advaitins believe in God and Goddesses (Vidya) and performing rituals and other sacrifices(Avidya) both are a hindrance to Self-knowledge according to Ish Upanishads,  then why the seeker of truth needs worshipping of  God and Goddesses when the essence of Advaita is Atman is Brahman (Soul is the ultimate truth or God in truth).

Isa Upanishads indicate that:~  By worshipping Gods and Goddesses and going to the world of Gods after death is of no use.  The time one spends in ritualistic practices is wasted; one can spend the same time moving forward toward Self-knowledge, which is the main goal. One cannot reach the non-dual destination by glorifying God and Goddesses and by doing that, one goes deeper and deeper into the darkness. It surely indicates the fact that the seeker of truth has to drop the worshiping God and Goddess to get Self-knowledge.

It also indicates that Religious Rituals (Avidya) are Karma (action) and therefore, a hindrance. Performing Agnihotra and other sacrifices (Avidya) is a roundabout way of purifying the mind, and it is also groping in the dark.

Also, it indicates that karma is limited only to the religious rituals, not to the whole human life. This karma theory based on human conduct must have been adopted from Buddhism and other theories based on human conduct. 

When it says: Perform the obligatory karmas without any attachment to the fruits, and at the same time worship Gods and Goddesses, again without any desire to go to heaven - then you can get the benefit of both, liberation and bliss. 

For those who are not yet ready to renounce, this path is recommended, it means that the religion and its idea of God and Goddesses and code of conduct, and its rituals are meant for the mass who are incapable of thinking of the beyond.

Also, it speaks of heaven the abode of Gods, where one goes after death, and it speaks of rebirth, In this contradiction, the seeker has to conclude that religion, rituals of God, and its code of conduct are meant for the mass that is not receptive to Self-knowledge. 

Sage Goudpada says: Sage Goudpada says:~  The merciful Veda teaches Karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

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. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Max Müller says:~ "The religion of the Veda knows no idols.+

The religion of the Vedas knows no idols:~ 

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. 

Max Müller says:~ "The religion of the Veda knows no idols; the worship of idols in India is a secondary formation, a degradation of the more primitive worship of ideal Gods."

Therefore, there was no individual God or temples and worships in Vedic religion, which existed prior to Buddhism.  Thus, the individualized Gods and temples must have been built later on, when the worships of the idol were introduced.  Thus,  the Vedic religion which existed in the past was free from idol and nature worship and idol worshiping rituals. 

Thus, the present day’s worship of individual Gods, created things, nature, and humans are against Vedic teachings, and it looks like it has been fabricated and introduced by priestcraft. Since it, has passed on from one generation to the next it is hard for the people to believe the truth of their own religion, because they have sentimentally and emotionally involved in it and they refuse to accept anything else other than their inherited beliefs.   

Even Lord Krishna Says Ch ~V: ~ “Those who know me 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.

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

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)

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

That is what Yajurveda says:  not to worship the things which are part of the falsehood. 

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 those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc.) (Yajurved 40:9)

Translation 2.

"Deep into the shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti are 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 Prakriti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the Prakriti, 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 in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc (Yajurveda 40:9)

Those who worship visible things born of the Prakriti, 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.)

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

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. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

If cause and effect are one what is the difference between the two? +

The Soul or consciousness appears as the diverse universe is only an illusion. If it really became diverse then the immortal would become mortal. 

The dualist’s thinkers who seek to prove the origination of the unborn, by that very enterprise try to make the immortal, mortal. 

Ultimate nature can never change - the immortal can never become mortal and vice versa. There's no plurality in the nature of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

  

Consciousness appears to be many”; "those who are attached to creation or production or origination are in ignorance because their approach is more practical, and they are stuck with the reality of the universe (waking) and take it as real.

The dualist thinkers’ arguments are based on false Self (ego or you) and false experience (mind or waking or dream or universe)    to show the weakness of the position of the dualistic viewpoint.  They are at their wits end to explain.

 Existence cannot be a cause and effect at the same time, from the point of view of the dualists, but deeper Self-search shows that Existent is no two and causality can’t rise at all. Dualistic Theory says that whatever was in the cause was also in the effect. They say that the gold brick, the gold medal, and the gold ornaments --are in the seed--the gold. 

Deeper Self-search reveals the fact that, if cause and effect are one what is the difference between the two? 

Remember:~

The man remains as part of the objective world and tries to discover the ultimate truth, not realizing the fact that, he and his experience of the dualist universe is an object to the nondual subject. He applies it to things seen as an individual. This is because he is ignorant of the relation between the formless subject (Soul) and the object (mind or universe). He judges everything on the base of the object as the subject and tries to realize the ultimate truth on the base of the objectified subject. Whatever objects are known by the ego, are objects within the object (universe).

Thoughts are also objects because it is part of the objective universe. The thoughts will not rise without the form, which is an object. Whether the objects are there or not, consciousness will always be there, even in deep sleep

Remember:~

The difference between mind (universe) and Soul (consciousness) is only when one considers the waking entity (ego or you) as the Self. From the ultimate standpoint,  there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul, which is present in consciousness because the formless substance and witness of the mind or universe is consciousness.   The mind and Soul are one,  in essence.

Psychologists say that if the object is not there to draw one's attention, then there is no consciousness. The latter, therefore, insist on consciousness being a relation between one who is aware and an object of which he is aware. It is obvious that we differ in the meaning of the term consciousness.

Ultimate truth means the knowledge of the non-relation, and the relation whereas psychology as well as in religious or pseudo-Vedanta Consciousness is only witnessing.

Psychologists have analyzed much as far as subject-object relation i.e. the mind plus object equals the consciousness and then stopped. But they have to analyze still further in the direction of noting that all objects are constantly changing, illusion, which implies that there is a constant standard of reference, something that notes the changes because it keeps unchanged itself. That something is consciousness.

The idea of change presupposes the existence of something unchanging, how does one distinguish this change from changelessness? 

By what means does one have to know that change has occurred? There is, there must be a changeless knower of the ever-changing; whilst, all changes the consciousness remains unchanged.

Thoughts are arising within the mirage and pass away every moment. Every object is an idea within the dualistic illusion. Hence, every object has no more value than that of thought because both are part of the mirage.

The moment is time. Time creates division in consciousness (Soul), which is the innermost Self. The past, present, and future exists within the myth and so also this and that.

Self-Realization is necessary to know what truth is and what is the untruth. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Just because we can't see the Soul it doesn’t mean it doesn't exist.+

Just because we can't see the Soul, it doesn’t mean it doesn't exist, although this is a common way in which people deny the existence of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  

People think the Soul does not exist because their master says so or some teaching says so or some scriptures say so.  First, they must know the fact that the Soul is not an individual, but is universal. 

The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness pervades the whole universe as its formless substance. 

The Soul is One without a Second 

The Soul is Self-evident.  It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny the Soul, because It is the very essence of the one who denies It. The Soul is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs.  

The Soul is hidden by the 'I', the Soul is without the 'I'.The Soul is the cause of the 'I'. The Soul itself is uncaused. 

The whole universe in which you exist is nothing but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Thus, the Soul alone is real and the universe is merely an illusion created out of the Soul.

 The Soul is not an object, as it is invisible, beyond the reach of the physical eyes. Hence, the Upanishads declare: “Neti Neti—not this, not this....” This does not mean that the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is a negative concept or a metaphysical abstraction, a nonentity, or a void. 

It is not another. It is all-full, infinite, changeless, Self-existent, Self-delight, Self-knowledge, and Self-awareness.  The Soul is the essence. It is the substance and witness of the three states, which come and go.

 If God is apart from the Soul, the innermost Self, then He would be Self-less, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent. 

The mind (universe) and its substance and its source (Soul) are one, in essence.  That essence is consciousness. Consciousness alone is real all else is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate Truth or Brahman. The ultimate truth is God in truth.  

The Soul or consciousness appears as the diverse universe is only an illusion. If it really became diverse then the immortal would become mortal. 

The dualist’s thinkers who seek to prove the origination of the unborn, by that very enterprise try to make the immortal, mortal.  

The ultimate nature can never change - the immortal can never become mortal and vice versa. "There's no plurality in the nature of the Soul." Consciousness appears to be many”; "those who are attached to creation or production or origination are in ignorance because their approach is more practical, and they are stuck with the reality of the universe (waking) and take it as real.

The dualist thinkers ’ arguments are based on false Self (ego you) and false experience (mind or waking or dream or universe)    to show the weakness of the position of the dualistic viewpoint.  They are at their wits end to explain. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

If one is seeking truth, nothing but truth one has to drop the worshiping the physical Gurus, sticking to the Gurus emotionally.+

There are two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the most advanced seeker who seeks to know the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

The Guru and Guru paramparas are meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, there is no need to follow any parampara and follow any Guru for those who wish to realize the truth which is beyond form, time, and space.

We should not mix religion with spirituality because religion is based on the ego and spirituality is based on the Soul.

Religion is concerned with its paramparas, not truth whereas spirituality is concerned only with the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. Religion is not spirituality.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread." (Select Works of Sage Sri, Sankara" also his commentary on Brihad)

Thus, the above passage proves that all those who were the sanyasin robes are wearing them for the sake of bread belong to the religion; they are nothing to do with the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

There is no need to criticize and condemn the Gurus, yogis, and swamis because they are needed for the welfare of the ignorant masses in the illusory dualistic world.

Sage Sankara in Viveka Chudamani (2), states that the Knower of the Atman (i.e., a Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).

It means the Gurus, Swamis, and Yogis who identify themselves as holy people are not Gnanis.

Those who are seeking truth need not follow any Guru or any teaching.

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

Remember:~  

The Gurus, Yogis, and Swamis are not Gnanis. The Gurus, Yogis, and Swamis are nothing to do with the ultimate Truth or Brahman. In the path of Wisdom, the Guru is not necessary. 

Advaitic truth is very simple, but it becomes very difficult if one wants to realize it through some Guru or some teaching. To realize this simple truth one need not go to any Guru, one need not lose himself in a labyrinth of philosophy; one need not spend his lifetime and indulge in glorifying Guru or Gods, one need not search for truth in the books, one need not renounce his family life. One has to be in the world, but not of the world. 

It is because of our inherited samskara or conditioning, that we are carrying the baggage of the mental junk. We have to burn all the junk, which is blocking our realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

If one is seeking truth, nothing but truth one has to drop the worshiping the physical Gurus, sticking to the Gurus emotionally. Glorifying the Guru and God is for those who are not seeking the truth. 

Vedas bars human worship: ~ 

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 Prakriti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the Prakriti, 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.)

Then why worship and glorify the Gurus and Yogis (human form) in place of God when Veda bars such activities and it also warns people who indulge in such activities 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.

By worshiping the gurus as Gods, the wisdom will not dawn. The person who indulges in such activities will not be able to cross the threshold of dualistic illusion. One has to understand, assimilate and realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Mundaka Upanishad says: ~ The Sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge.+

By criticizing the religion, religious God, religious Gurus, and religious rituals, the wisdom will not dawn. The seeker has to realize that religion, religious God, religious Gurus, and religious rituals are not the means to acquire Self-knowledge. There is no need to indulge in criticizing the religion religious God, religious Gurus, and religious rituals, but there is a need to realize, That religion, religious Gods, and Gurus are meant to serve the ignorant populace. They are not the means to Self-realization. 

The religion religious God, religious Gurus, and religious rituals are nothing to do with the ultimate Truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

The religion, religious God, religious Gurus, and religious rituals are a great hindrance to realizing the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space. 

Mundaka Upanishad says: ~ The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing the sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross the sea of samsara on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their own ignorance, yet wise in their own esteem, these deluded men Proud of their vain learning go round and round like the blind led by the blind.

There is a need to drop the ignorance. Once the ignorance is dropped than one becomes aware of judging ‘what truth is, and what is untruth. 

It is impossible to find and realize the truth via religion and scriptural study. Even Upanishads confirm this. 

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

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

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

Religion, the concept of a personal God, and scriptures are the greatest obstacle to realizing non-dual truth or Self-realization because they are based on a false self. 

The seeker of truth has to search for the ultimate truth without losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, through deeper, inquiry, analysis, and reasoning, and assimilate and realize it. 

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

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

Thus, Self-knowledge is meant only for those who have an intense urge, and courage to accept the truth with humility and reject the untruth. 

Since people start comparing their scriptural knowledge, it becomes impossible to assimilate and realize the non-dual truth. Therefore, there is no need to convince anyone other than our own selves to get a firm conviction. 

So they clearly indicate rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for higher knowledge or wisdom. The path of wisdom is the only means.:~Santthosh Kumaar  

Ish Upanishad declares:~ Those people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide.+

Ish Upanishad says:~ Those people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide (10/11/12).

People who are incapable to inquire and reason are tending to follow some philosophy without verification. Therefore, the more ignorant they are easier it to get them into a religious fold. 

Religion is so strong and popular because it makes no demand on intelligence; it simply requires belief in Guru and his teachings.

It never strikes believers to doubt whether their inherited belief system is true. They never use their reason because they start and conclude that their belief system alone is true because they never question the validity of their inherited blind belief.

For religion, one can interpret texts as he likes, in whatever way that pleases him, he simply imagines away. The idea of God was injected in the past and inherited by people and they refuse to verify the facts because they think it blasphemy even to question their inherited belief system.

In the pursuit of truth, the ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed. Pundits who take the scriptures for granted are not Gnanis.

Pundits teach that all is yourself, but none of them can show that this is so, no one has analyzed it scientifically, and none can prove it. The rational proof is needed so that one arrives at knowing truth i.e. Wisdom; punditry is mere dogma, parrotism, and a repetition of what they read in scripture. 

The scriptures are not a yardstick and scriptural truth is not proof. Pundits take the scriptures as an authority. Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

Pundits have to test the truth in this world, not in the next world. There is no proof other than blind belief based on the scriptures, belief is not the truth. So, doctrines are not the means to realize the ultimate truth. There is no need to follow them.

Sage Goudpada says:~ The merciful Veda teaches Karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

So they clearly indicate rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for higher knowledge or wisdom. The path of wisdom is the only means.

All the orthodox Advaitins indulge and immerse themselves in the ritualistic oriented lifestyle and follow the path of Karma and Upasana which is meant for lower and middling intellect and not for realizing the Advaitic truth. 

Many chose these orthodox scholars as their Gurus. But these Gurus are good to learn the conceptual Advaita meant for those Orthodox who believe their conduct-oriented lifestyle leads to Moksha (liberation). 

But religious-based Advaita is not the means to acquire Self –knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Those who are seeking truth have to do their own homework to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.:~Santthosh Kumaar