The seeker has to investigate the truth about the ‘I’ which appears and disappears.+

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

                                         

When the Self is not the ‘I’ is, then why do you still hold the ‘I’ as the Self. ‘I’ is the duality. The duality is an illusion. Holding the ‘I’ as the Self is blocking the realization of the truth beyond the form, time, and space.

It is foolish to say I AM THIS or I AM THAT’ because the ‘Self ‘is not ‘I’.  The ‘Self is the Soul, which witnesses the ‘I’.

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

Even after knowing the ‘Self’ is not ‘I’ people are stuck to ‘I’ based on teaching and Gurus. Those who are stuck with ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ will never be able to get rid of ignorance.   

It is very difficult for those who strongly believe in the ‘I’, as the Self to realize the truth. Most of the spiritual paths hold the ‘I’, as the Self, and spin their imagination on the base of the ‘I’, which leads them to hallucination.  People mistake that Self as “I” whereas the gross bodies are many. So ‘I’ cannot be the Self. 

  

The serious seeker should constantly reflect on the Self through deeper Self-search.   The Soul, the innermost Self is in the form of consciousness.   Realizing the Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the  Soul, which witnesses the ‘I’. Self-knowledge is the only tool for the acquisition of final freedom from experiencing the illusory duality as a reality.

Instead of finding fault and arguing on unimportant subject matters, the seeker has to investigate the truth about the ‘I’ which appears and disappears.

Honest introspection will reveal the truth, which is beyond the ‘I. The ‘I’ is bound by form, time, and space. Those who are stuck up with ‘I’ will never be able to drop their accumulated knowledge based on the ‘I’ or ‘I AM’.

The ‘I’ know attitudes block the relation of the truth beyond the form, time, and space.

The seeker's egocentric attitude blocks him from accepting the truth other than his accumulated knowledge from here and there. 

The seeker has to develop a Soulcentric attitude and rectifying his reasoning base from ‘I’ to ‘I –LESS’ base will change his perception of the world in which he exists.

Arguing with religious believers is fruitless. Belief in tradition and the scripture as if they were true or factual quite clearly is delusion, but the payoff for holding such delusions is, for those who hold them, extremely compelling ~ the avoidance of the "wrath of God," the hope of heaven or salvation, or the imagined "end of suffering."

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

The Soul is the ultimate Truth or Brahman. The Soul is in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the 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, which is present in the form of consciousness (Spirit), is the ultimate truth or Brahman.  Brahman is God in truth.

What is existence, nonexistence, unity, or duality? What needs us there to say more? Noting from the Soul because whatever seems to emanate from it, is non-different from itself. There is no second thing other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. One should not mistake Self (Soul) for the ‘I’.

Those who assert the world is a reality, are still in the elementary stages of the preliminary analysis. 

The world is a reality within the waking experience, but the waking experience is merely an illusion. In the same way, the dream world was a reality within the dream experience. The dream became unreal when the waking took place. In the same way waking becomes unreal when Advaitic wisdom dawns.:~Santthosh Kumaar  

Sage Sankara says:~ the rituals are meant for ignorant people.+

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)

**

Physical & mental discipline such as Karma, Mantra Yoga, and Yajna, Puja Japa Blind devotion to deity or Guru is not the tool for liberation or freedom from experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality. It is a dualistic cult including Advaitic orthodoxy propagates these disciplines. Such disciplines and codes of conduct have no value if one is seeking ultimate truth or Brahman to get Nondualistic Self-awareness. 

Mysticism, scriptural knowledge, penance based Scholasticism are a  great hindrance to ‘Self –realization’. Inherited blind belief with corresponding actions based on scriptures, worship, ritual faith that imply certain mental and physical discipline, or scripture supporting belief, faith, creed, ritual, theological knowledge personal or opinion leads to hallucinated knowledge.  All these become a great hindrance in grasping the understanding, assimilating and realizing the Advaitic or nondual truth.    

 Scriptural mastery including ancient Sastras, Tarka, and Samkhya disciplines to support Karmas & belief Bhakti Argument & interpretation with the help of logic, grammar, etc. to support beliefs, revelations, prayers, etc. In addition, dogmas, theological or others are based on authorities.

That is why Sage Sankara said:~ Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way. (1) Vivekachoodamani v 56, pg~25

Sage Sankara says:~ The scriptures dealing with rituals, and rewards are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.  

Sage Sankara says:~ The scriptures dealing with rituals, and rewards are therefore addressed to an ignorant person. Thus, the rituals are meant for ignorant people.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread."

~ This shows he was wearing the religious robe only for the sake of bread." Thus, it means those who are wearing religious robe for the sake of bread.

All the rituals based on the false belief of Gods will not yield any fruits and they are meant for the ignorant populace who are unable to grasp the God beyond the form, time and space.

One of Sage Sankara’s missions was to wean people away from a ritualistic approach advocated by Mimamsakas and to project wisdom (jnana) as the means of liberation in the light of Upanishad teachings.

Sage Sankara criticized severely the ritualistic attitude and those who advocated such practices. However, the orthodox texts that combined rituals with wisdom (jnana_karma_samucchaya) more in favor of the Mimamsaka position came into vogue, projecting Sage Sri, Sankara as the rallying force of the doctrine. 

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 Sri, 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  Self is verily Brahman (God in truth), 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. 

Everyone’s inner work is on.  The Soul is the Self. The Soul the inner Guru guides us all till we get the stillness of its Advaitic true nature. It is the Soul that is in ignorance it is the Soul that has to wake from the sleep of ignorance. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

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