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

The Vedic pantheon of Gods is said, in the Vedas and Upanishads, to be the 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 Self-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 the Atman or the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness, is actually nothing but Brahman(God), 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 the mind and realize that the source is consciousness. The mind arises from consciousness as the waking or the dream and subsides as the deep sleep.  

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

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

Manduka 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? 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 color red; those who can sense it cannot explain or argue with those who have never sensed it.

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

In the 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, mantras 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, mantras 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, mantras 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 or Brahman 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 

God is present in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.+

There is neither Shiva nor Shakti but only consciousness. The consciousness is God in truth. All belief-based Gods are not God in truth.

Shiva and Shakti are religious concepts. Whatever is seen, known, believed, and experienced as a person within the dualistic illusion (world) is a falsehood. First, know what God is supposed to be according to your own scriptures.

God is Self-evident. God is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny God because God is the very essence of the one who denies it. God is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. God is within the universe in which you exist, the God is without the universe in which you exist.

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. 

Sage Sri, Sankara says: ~ Atman is Brahman. The Atman alone is real and is not religious truth. Sage Sri, Sankara declared this Advaitic truth, which is the ultimate truth to the whole world, many centuries back is the rational truth, scientific truth, and ultimate truth. 

Thus, the Atman which is present in the form of the consciousness is real and eternal, the world in which we exist is merely an illusion. 

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

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 in truth) 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)

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.

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

Vedas itself says: 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. 

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. 

Tattireya 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. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth.+

Everyone likes religion because it belongs to the world of sentiments and emotions. Religion changes as it appeals to different emotions. One will find at one pole the nude Sadhu is admired; at the other, the gorgeous life-styled Godman is revered. Belief in religious prohibitions arises out of fear of God's punishment.

The man himself suggests that there must be a God. It is autosuggestion.  To say that one knows God exists always implies, that he must also exist always. It would be correct to say at this point, he does not know about the existence of God because God's existence depends on individualized belief.

The universe in which you exist hides God. God is the Soul, the innermost Self.  The Soul is present in the form of the Spirit.

The religious Gods are man-made.  Every religion has its own idea of God. He who thinks God is one and the Soul, the Self is another can never be able to understand, assimilate realize the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth.  

God cannot be brought down to the domain of duality. There is only one being in reality and it is the Soul, the innermost Self.  The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states. 

Thus, the Soul or consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. Brahman is God in truth.  When one realizes the form, time and space are one,  in essence. And that essence is the consciousness, then he realizes there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. Thus, everything is consciousness. Thus, consciousness (Soul) is God in truth.

The Upanishads say in effect that: ~ If you believe that you are one and God is another you cannot understand Truth.

No conceptual God can exist, apart from consciousness. People are not aware of the fact that there is no individual God that can exist, apart from the Soul, which is in the form of consciousness. Thus, the Soul or consciousness is the true Self.   If there is no consciousness, then there is no-body, no ego, no universe, no religion, and no conceptual God.

Brihad Upanishad: ~ “If you think there is another entity, whether man or God, there is no truth."

People think that there must be a creator of this universe. If one thinks physical entity or ego as Self, then there is a creator, but if one thinks of the Soul as the Self, then there is nothing that exists other than the consciousness, which is the Self.

If one objectifies and sees a universe, then he is bound to see many things besides himself and postulate a God, the creator. The Body, the idea of the God and world rises and set together from, and into, the Soul or consciousness, the innermost Self. If God is apart from the ‘Self ‘, then He would be Selfless, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent.

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)

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~ God is Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions. Thus,   Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

Bible says: ~ “God is a Spirit, and they that worship God must worship God in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24)”,

Mythreyi Upanishad 2:26 says: ~ All those who desire to have salvation without taking several births, should worship God in spirit and truth.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul) 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)

Rig Veda: ~ 'Prajnanam Brahma'- Consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.

God in truth is the Atman, the Self. Atman is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not accept any other God other than Atman not worship other than Atman.

Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Nothing is real but God. Nothing Matters but love for God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything.

God in truth is hidden by the illusory universe. God in truth alone is and all else is an illusion. 

Remember:~

God is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.  Thus,  there is no scope for a form-based God. The religion and its ideas of Gods, and its theories of karma, heaven, hell, papa, Punya, rebirth, and reincarnation are based on the false Self (ego), within the false experience (waking). Therefore, they are meant for lower mindsets, they are of no use for those who are seeking higher truth as indicated in the scriptures.   

Remember:~

Advaitic wisdom is the Science of the Spirit.

A scholar is proud that he has accumulated so much knowledge; Gnani is humble that he knows no more.

Sage Sankara:~ 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.

Isa Upanishads indicate ~ 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 darkness. It surely indicates the fact that the seeker of truth has to drop the worshiping God and Goddess to get Self-knowledge.

Sage Sankara as a rationalist philosopher. The orthodoxy projected him as a theologian.

Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is not even a philosopher dish cooked to suit exclusively the palate of one particular religion. Advaitic wisdom of Sage  Sankara is like the air and the water, the common food for the whole of humanity.

If rightly interpreted Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom as spiritual food for the whole of humanity. Advaitic wisdom is the universal wisdom par excellence. Advaitic wisdom is not just a not a philosophy, but not a science, but the Science of Truth.

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.

The Upanishads declare:~

Mundaka Upanishad 1:2:8:~ “Remaining in the fold of ignorance and thinking “we are extremely wise and learned,” the fools with boastful nature ramble about like the blind led by the blind alone.”

Mundaka Upanishad 3:2:3:~ “The weak and timid cannot realize the Self. Self-Realization is not possible through intellect or hearing spiritual discourse. One who welcomes God in every activity, through a thorough controlled and disciplined life, to him also the Soul is revealed

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

Katha Upanishad 1:3:6:~ “Through the knowledge of the Soul God, one is pure and clean constantly.” Neither by reading the books nor by taking a bath at the holy place has one become pure. Inner purity is possible when one remains in constant touch with the Soul. Constant Soul Consciousness is real purity.

Kena Upanishad 2:4:~ When it is known through every state of cognition, it is rightly known, for (by such knowledge) one attains life eternal. Through one's own self, one gains power and through wisdom, one gains immortality.

Kena Upanishad 2:5:~ If here one knows it, then there is the truth, and if here one knows it not, there is a great loss. Hence, seeing the Real in all beings, wise men become immortal on departing from this world.

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

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

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

The Scriptures are of value only when dealing with persons who are incapable of understanding the Advaitic truth. They have no value as authority for those who use reason. I quote only verified citations from the scriptures. I need no scriptures but I quote then to help the seekers to realize the scriptures are saying

The Upanishads are the only scriptures in the world which declare:-

It is impossible to find and realize the truth via religion and scriptural study.

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: ~ “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 an individualized God, belief in a physical Guru, and scriptures are great obstacles to 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 Self-search and assimilating and realizing 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 a roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance, and witness the universe, which is in the form of the mind. By tracing the source of the mind or universe one will be able to realize the Brahman.

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 the firm conviction.

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

The knowledge of both matter and Spirit is true knowledge. The true knowledge is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

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