Katha Upanishad :~ Neither by reading the book, nor by taking a bath at holy place has one become pure.+

All religions claim that their books are not man-made. Hindus claim that the Vedas are Aporsheya: not made by man but revealed by God himself; and Sanskrit is the divine language, not human.

All religions have the same type of claim. Muslims say the Koran has descended from God, and so with Jews and Christians. Everybody is trying to claim that their book is the sacred book and nobody bothers to look at the real divine book.

This is what the real Veda, the real Koran, the real Bible is. This is the book, and all other books are man-made. Only this universe is the book that is authored by God because God is hidden by the universe.

The universe is the real Veda, the real Koran, the real Bible is. The universe is the book, and all other books are man-made.

Only when you open the book of the universe the God hidden in the book will be revealed. When you finish reading the book of the universe then the universe will become an illusion and God alone prevails as the ultimate reality.

Sage Sankara says: ~ “What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead a person to the final goal. On the contrary, such acceptance will result only in evil, something which is detrimental to our spiritual progress. 

You are also part of the divine book of the universe! And whatever you have seen, known, believed, and experienced as an individual is part of it.

It is difficult to understand and assimilate Advaitic wisdom within a framework of some Gurus teaching or holding some philosophy as a yardstick.

We have to drop all our accumulated dross to understand and assimilate and realize the non-dualistic truth.

I am highlighting some scriptural citations only to show the seeker that the Advaitic Sages themselves declare that scriptures, religion, and ideas of God are unimportant in the pursuit of truth. It is easier to understand, assimilate and realize the ultimate truth or non-dualistic truth by rationalizing our views and understanding. 

Upanishads clearly declare:~

Katha Upanishad 1:2:23:~ The Soul cannot be realized through hearing the 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.

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."

Mundaka Upanishad 3:2:3:~   The Soul cannot be realized by the weak and timid.  

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~   VC-56. Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by work, nor by learning, but by the realization of one's identity with Brahman is Liberation possible, and by no other means.

58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the scholar but are no good for Liberation.

59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.

60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest that merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence,  men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.

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

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

63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.

64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneself of the splendor of the entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an emperor by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.

Until one knows the truth of his true existence, whatever he knows about God is mere belief. Belief is individual whereas the ultimate truth is universal every belief system has its own idea of God thus there is no universality in the belief system.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankara : Liberation comes only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way.+

Holding the blind religious belief as God keeps the Soul, the  Self permanently in ignorance. The ignorance keeps the Soul permanently in the prison of dualistic illusion. Illusion makes the Soul remain in the domain of form, time, and space. In the domain of form, time, and space the experience of birth, life, death, and the world is experienced as a reality.

If the seeker wants to realize the truth, then he has to discard all the religious beliefs and yogic practices, and scriptural studies. Nothing is needed in pursuit of truth other than an intense urge and receptivity to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

That is why Sage Sankara: ~ VC Let erudite scholars quote all the Scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity with the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together (verses-6)

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’s wisdom is nothing to do with religion and yoga. 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 more advanced seeker who seeks to know the truth beyond the form, time, and space. Religion and yoga are meant for the first audience, to help lead their followers along the way. Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom, with its emphasis on the Advaitic wisdom, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

First, you must know what God is supposed to be.

There is a clear-cut idea in the scriptures, of what is supposed to be God. And what not to worship in place of God then why worship the belief of God, which is not God in truth.

That is why Lord Krishna says Ch ~V: ~ “Those who know the Self 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)

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.

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

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. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Goudpada: the first historic Sage known to us to give a rational exposition of Advaita.+

Sage Goudpada: he was the first historic Sage known to us to give a rational exposition of Advaita. He says that whatever is seen, whether external or internal, whether by the ordinary persons or yogis is unreal.

Non-causality is of the highest importance; that is why Sage Goudpada puts it at the end of his book and devotes 100 slokas to it whereas the other subjects get less than 50 slokas.

Manduka Upanishad has no assumptions whatever. It is an honest and bold inquiry into the truth. It rises above scripture.

Manduka Upanishad is not meant for all, as it is based entirely on reasoning. Hence, only a few will be able to understand and assimilate it.

Manduka Upanishad:~

Atman is the highest Reality and its opposite: Note the word "and". Reality and illusion together make Brahman: nothing can be left out.  Page 51.

Brahman must be realized in the waking state when all objects are present in consciousness, otherwise, it is nonsense. Page 65: v.10.

"Sleep does not exist In Turiya”: This emphatically disproves the mystic use of sleep as an analogy for Brahman. Page 69.

This means that objects do not disappear, they are there, and yet they are non-dual. Disillusionment is not the same as appearance. Page 74. v. 17:

The essential message of Manduka is that the whole world, whatever is seen is only imagined.  points out that even though it is harder for them, still women can attain Brahman just as men. Page 351

"From their notion": Everybody has his own imagination about facts and starts from that, instead of discarding his personal idea and looking at the fact. Page 333. V. 83:

"Soundless and of infinite sounds"; means both the waking and sleep world must be known, and both objects and non-objects must be understood before the truth of Brahman is realized. Page 96. v. 29:

Manduka shows how one opinion may be used to contradict another so that both may be thrown away. Opinions are not for philosophy; they are mere, as Ashtavakra says, mere thoughts; it wants the truth.

In deep sleep and anesthesia, you have non-duality but no Gnana. Therefore there must be discrimination along with non-duality. Otherwise sleeping dogs would be Gnanis. ~ (P.219)

Existence means existence in the sense of the Drik. When you reduce everything to consciousness, Drik, Gnana, or even Mind, giving up all imaginations in truth it is unborn. You see a man's body comes and goes, but that is not the same as seeing him come and go, which you can never do. P.300. V.45.

Sage Sri, Goudpada 's 3^rd chapter is devoted to proving the existence of Atman to distinguish it from the changeable objects in this world, but in the final 4th chapter P.33, verse 83, he discards that position and rejects even the idea of Atmanic existence. He then declares we may assert nothing about it. Not even existence or nonexistence i.e. silence alone is demanded by the truth.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

If God is the creator then it is foolish to worship anything as God from his creation.+

All God propagated by belief systems are nothing but imaginations.  There is nothing so absurd that men have not worshipped in religion, every imaginable face has been given to God.  If God is the creator then it is foolish to worship anything as God from his creation because the creation is apart from God. 

Every belief system has its own idea and conviction of God.  Thus,  every belief system is based on the false self.  Therefore, whatever is based on the 'false self' has to be a falsehood? Thus, the idea of God in any belief system is mere imagination based on the false self.

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.

God is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. According to the Vedas,  God neither has any image nor God resides in any particular idol or statue. God cannot be seen directly by anyone. God pervades all beings and all directions.

 Mythological gods and Goddesses are based on blind belief. The belief is no God. The belief implies duality. From the ultimate standpoint,  duality is merely an illusion. Thus, whatever one sees, knows, believes, and experiences within the dualistic illusion is bound to be an illusion.

Mythological stories are a myth. Whatever is based on myth is merely a superstition.  Mythology was introduced in the past to the ignorant masses. It has to be discarded as one progresses in his spiritual advancement. 

All the mythological Gods are worshipped in the form of idols.  The belief system which propagated ideas of many Gods and Goddesses Bhakti is the only way to God is simply tries to lead the people to darkness with its dogma and idea of many Gods, which is apart from the Self.

Mythology breeds superstition, blind belief, senseless rituals, and the most irrational and gives them a divine outlook. Mythological stories are a myth. Whatever is based on myth is merely a superstition.  Mythology was introduced in the past to the ignorant masses. It has to be discarded if one has to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or  God in truth.

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).

When Bhagavad Gita says, God is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material then nothing has to be accepted other than consciousness a God.  

Lord Krishna says Ch ~V: ~ “Those who know the Self 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.

The dualistic worship of "God” is only for the ignorant populace. The God in the truth is only Atman, the innermost Self.   In reality,  there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

The Vedas confirm God is Atman (Spirit), the innermost Self.

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)

Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.

Rig Veda declares God is ‘ONE’ and God is Atman, then why believe and worship in place of real God.

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

When Upanishad itself declares: ~   Sarvam khalvidam brahma ~ All this (universe) is verily Brahman. By following back all of the relative appearances in the world, we eventually return to that from which it is all manifest – the non-dual reality (Chandogya Upanishad). 

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God in truth)  is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object as it is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other besides it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described because description implies distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not a distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman of Sage  Sankara is impersonal.

Sage Sankara: ~"That which permeates all, which nothing transcends and which, like the universal space around us, fills everything completely from within and without, that Supreme non-dual Brahman  (God in truth) ~ that thou art."

Sage Sankara: ~  VC Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated ~yet, without the realization of one‘s identity with the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not  even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together (verses-6)

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do with the orthodox belief systems. Some philosophers in the past dissented from this interpretation of Vedanta philosophy, holding that the incarnated Souls were separate from the Divine Essence and only finally merged with it after the cycles of birth. 

All these theoretical philosophies are based on the imagination based on the false self (ego or you) within the false experience (waking).  :~Santthosh Kumaar

It is of no use of renouncing the worldly life and become and Sanyasi or a Monk or Sadhu to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Brahma Gnana.+

A Gnani cannot have the idea of giving up, renouncing the world or some object or person in the world, because that would connote the idea of duality. Knowing no second thing at all there remains nothing to be given up.

A Gnani, on attaining realization, will not give up his vocation in life but will continue it as before. If he was a billniore, he continues so, if a peasant, he will remain one. He still does his duty, but he is fully aware of the fact that his practical life within the practical world is merely an illusion.

It is not correct to say that, a Gnani sees only good everywhere and never evil. He is fully aware of the evil things, he knows when he is being taken for a ride, but he remains unperturbed though acting as required. He recognizes what is bad and what is a good practical point of view and what is real and what is an illusion from the ultimate standpoint.

Sage Sankara page 482: On Gnani: ~ "The knower of Brahman wears no signs. Gives up the insignia of a monk's life…his signs are not manifest, nor his behavior."

Sage Sankara: ~ The Knower of the Atman or the knower of Brahman or Brahma Gnani.

When the knower of Brahman (Gnani) wears no signs it means he does not identify himself as Guru or yogi or teacher or Swami, because a Gnani sees the form, the time and space are one in essence. Thus, there is unity in diversity in his realization.

A Gnani is not a sanyasi or a Guru or swami or Sadhu or monk.  Gnani does not belong to any ashrams."  Both Gnani and the ignorant see the multiplicity, but Gnani does not take the differences, which he sees as being real. That is the difference between them. The Gnani sees the unity behind the differences within the realm of form, time, and space by knowing that form, time and space are one,  in essence.  A true Gnani can never renounce anything. It is impossible. He has only renounced the idea of a separation of form, time, and space.

Sage Sankara says the knower of Brahman wears no signs. Gives up the insignia of a monk's life then it is of no use of renouncing the worldly life and become and sanyasi or monk or Sadhu to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Brahma Gnana.

The seeker of truth need not renounce the worldly life run to the mountains or run behind the Gurus or Yogis to waste their precious life and fortune to get self-knowledge. If the seeker has an intense urge to realize the truth, then that very urge leads to realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The seeker of truth will follow whatever occupation. There are no prohibitions for him to follow any code of conduct. He may be a peasant or a billionaire his aim is to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. 

What is the use of renouncing anything within the dualistic illusion? By giving up anything, ignorance will not vanish. By hearing ornamental words from some guru wisdom will not dawn. Sticking to some Guru trying to get self-realization is trying to drain the sea drop by drop.

The path of wisdom is the inner path. The inner path is a mental path. Without stepping out of the boundary of form, time, and space, it is impossible to assimilate Advaitic truth. The Advaitic truth is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

This Path of wisdom is Soulcentric, therefore, it is very difficult to tread this path from an egocentric perspective. Even the yogis and saints have not come to understand the state of the Soul, the  Self.

By posing as a Gnani because he is some Gurus’ a direct disciple cannot be a Gnani. Those who pose themselves as Gnanis are not Gnanis.  A Gnani never poses himself as a Guru, a swami, a sadhu or a  yogi, or some Guru’s disciple.   

Gnanis have ignored the opinions of whole peoples in their independent search of the truth and questioned all beliefs, all scriptures, and all authorities until they could be proved to be true. 

Even the arguments that religions have been followed since time immemorial make no difference to them because if people have believed a false thing over thousands of years, the length of time does not prove it true.  The ultimate truth does not belong to the religion because the religion and its blind belief-based God and its scriptures are a reality within the scope of form, time, and space whereas the ultimate truth is beyond form, time, and space.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do orthodox Advaitic sect or religion.+

Religious upbringing is a major cause, which blocks one from realizing the Self hidden by ignorance. The orthodox people have a narrow-minded outlook because they think what religious samskaras they inherited from their forefathers as the ultimate truth.

The garbage of the religious beliefs dogmas superstition is confounded with the human imagination. The great reality of the glory of the religious Gods is hyped and obscured by so much tinsel and commercialism.

Spirituality is not theology. Advaita is not a philosophy but Advaita is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God. Advaita is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana or knowledge of the Spirit or God in truth

Hindus get samskara as Hindu. Christian gets samskara as Christian. Muslim get samskara as Muslims. Buddhist get samskara as Buddhists.

The seeker of truth should not start with the idea of God. The seeker does not know whether there is God or not. There is no proof. The seeker needs proof of God's existence.

There is need not doubt that people saw Shiva, Jesus, etc. That they saw visions may be an undeniable fact. But the question is “Was what they saw the Truth?" They no doubt had such visions but they never stopped to inquire if their visions be true.

Remember:~

After years of effort glorifying Christ when Christian closes his eyes and Christ comes to him.

After years of effort glorifying Krishna when a Hindu closes his eyes and Krishna comes to him.

After years of effort glorifying Buddha when a Buddhist closes his eyes and Buddha comes to him.

After years of effort glorifying Mahavira when a Jain closes his eyes and Mahavira comes to him.

Christ doesn’t come to a Hindu; Mahavira doesn’t come to a Christian. Buddha doesn’t come to a Jain: only the image projected in the subconscious will come. The image became almost solid. It became so real from constant repetition, from continuous remembering, that it seemed a projected deity was standing in from of him. No one was standing there.

Wherever is projected is merely an illusion created out of the consciousness. Any experience is possible only within the domain of form, time, and space. Whatever belongs to the form, time and space are merely an illusion.

The illusion is created out of single stuff and that single stuff is the consciousness. The knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

In reality, consciousness alone exists without the division of form, time, and space. There is no second here, no other. From the standpoint of the Soul, form, time and space are merely an illusion.

The seeker has to take all the facts, and then proceed to examine and analyze, how far is it true?”

To talk of seeking God is as meaningless as saying "seeking dog". It is only a hollow word. one must know God in truth. 

Remember:~

All sect-based beliefs are dualistic and unphilosophical nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. In spirituality, the ultimate truth is God. Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do with orthodox belief systems. 

Sage Sankara: ~ VC- Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated~ yet, without the realization of one‘s identity with the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together (verses-6)

In spirituality, the ultimate truth is God. The Atman is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God. 

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do with orthodox belief systems. Sage  Sankara is the only sage who has final authority on the Advaitic truth. The Advaitic truth is rational truth and scientific truth without dogma. 

The Advaitic orthodoxy is not the means to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Advaitic orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant populace that is unfit to grasp the highest truth. The Advaitic orthodoxy is nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman.

All sect-based beliefs are dualistic and unphilosophical nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. In spirituality,  the ultimate truth is God. Thus, the Advaitic orthodoxy is a sect is nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom of the Sage Sri, Sankara. The Advaitic orthodox sect is meant for the ignorant populace. 

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

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)

Mundaka Upanishads:~ So-called spiritual pundits and learned are called children because a child takes whatever it thinks as truth. The question never occurs to children “Is what I have seen or thought really the truth?" (P.334 line 9) 

Lord Krishna confesses that the oldest wisdom of India (our true Advaita philosophy) has been lost: people misinterpret and falsify it today as they did then. It is not yoga but the philosophic truth. But nobody knows it. The teachers of philosophy and leaders of mysticism or religion do not want to inquire into the truth and have no time for it. (Gita –Chap- IV-v.2) 

In Gita Chap.IV where Lord Krishna says:~ "This yoga has been lost for ages" the word yoga refers to Gnana yoga, not other yogas: the force of the word this is to point this out. 

Lord Krishna describes some of the other yogas but devotes this chapter separately to Gnana Yoga. So one sees even in those ancient days people did not care for Advaita; they wanted religion; hence Gnana got lost. That is why Krishna calls it "the supreme secret." Lord Krishna points out that yoga must-see "Brahman in action." 

Gita Chap.IV: "He who achieves perfection in Yoga finds the Self in time." This means that after his yoga is finished, he begins the inquiry into ultimate truth, and in due course this inquiry produces the realization of the universal spirit as the result. 

Lord Krishna says: ~ “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. ( Ch~ V)

Sage Sankara: ~ VC- Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated ~ yet, without the realization of one‘s identity with the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together (verses-6) 

The theosophist’s idea of the universe appearing and dissolving, days and nights of Brahma, entering into pralaya, etc. is intended for mediocre intellects, who cannot rise to the truth. It is a convenient fable representing the philosophic truth that the whole universe dissolves in your mind in deep sleep, thus entering pralaya, and rises again the next morning, i.e. it is all imagination, idea. The Brahman -God has nothing to do with it. 

Although Sage Sankara puts the mystic goal highest in his mystical books, he is careful to say that this goal leads to Brahman, not that it is the realization.:~Santthsoh Kumaar 

The oldest wisdom of India the Advaitic wisdom has been lost: people misinterpret and falsify it today as they did then.+

Lord Krishna confesses that the oldest wisdom of India (Advaita wisdom) has been lost: people misinterpret and falsify it today as they did then. It is not yoga but the philosophic truth. But nobody knows it. The teachers of philosophy and leaders of mysticism or religion do not want to inquire into the truth and have no time for it. (Gita ~ Chap ~IV~ v.2)

Why is the word Yoga used in so many different senses in the Gita? Because there are grades and the highest demands concentrated brains, not sitting mindless and imagining you are seeing God.

In Gita Chap.IV where Lord Krishna says: ~ “This yoga has been lost for ages" the word yoga refers to Gnana yoga, not other yogas: the force of the word this is to point this out.

Lord Krishna describes some of the other yogas but devotes this chapter separately to Gnana Yoga. So one sees even in those ancient days people did not care for Advaita; they wanted religion; hence Gnana got lost. That is why Krishna calls it "the supreme secret." Krishna points out that the yoga must-see is "Brahman in action."

Gita Chap.IV:~ “He who achieves perfection in Yoga finds the Self in time." This means that after his yoga is finished, he begins the inquiry into ultimate truth, and in due course, this inquiry produces the realization of the universal spirit as the result.

Understanding what is God is not so easy. Religious people can only imagine God based on their beliefs.

That is why Lord Krishna Says Ch ~V: ~ “Those who know the Self 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.

Lord Krishna himself says that he can do nothing to make a man intelligent straight away. The adepts give Prasad, blessing, initiations, mantrams, etc. only to confer temporary peace of mind, to help one to get rid of worries, but not to confer Gnana. The capacity to receive it must first be inborn in man by evolutionary degree.

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

Remember:~

Maha Gita: ~ Krishna's Gita is a hodgepodge containing everything; hence it suits everyone because there is something in it for everyone. It is difficult to find any tradition whose voice is not found in the Gita. It is difficult to find anyone who does not take solace from the Gita. But for such people, Ashtavakra's Gita will prove very difficult.

Ashtavakra is not for synthesis -- he is a man of truth. He speaks the truth just as it is, without any artifice or coloring. He is not concerned about the listener, he does not care whether his listener will understand or not. Such a pure expression of truth has never happened anywhere before, nor has it ever happened again.

People love Krishna's Gita because it is very easy to extract one's own meaning from it. Krishna's Gita is poetic: in it, two plus two can equal five, and two plus two can also equal three. No such tricks are possible with Ashtavakra. With him, two plus two are exactly four. Ashtavakra's statements are statements of pure mathematics. There isn't the least possibility for poetic license here. He says things as they are, without any sort of compromise.

Reading Krishna's Gita a devotee extracts something of which he can make a belief because Krishna spoke on bhakti, devotion. The karma yogi extracts his belief because Krishna has spoken on karma yoga, the Yoga of action. The believer in knowledge finds what he wants because Krishna has spoken on knowledge as well. Somewhere Krishna calls bhakti the ultimate, somewhere else he calls knowledge the ultimate, again elsewhere he calls karma yoga the ultimate.

Krishna's statements are very political. He was a politician, a perfect politician. Just to say he was a politician is not right; he was a shrewd politician, a real diplomat. In his statements, he considered and included many things. This is why the Gita suits everyone, why there are thousands of commentaries on the Gita. No one is concerned with Ashtavakra because to accept Ashtavakra you are going to have to drop yourself -- unconditionally. You cannot bring yourself along. Only if you stay behind can you come near him? With Krishna, you can bring yourself along. With Krishna, there is no need to transform yourself. With Krishna, you can fit just as you are.

Hence, the founders of each tradition have written commentaries on Krishna's Gita -- Sankara, Ramanuja, Nimbarak, Vallabha -- everyone. Each has extracted his own meaning. Krishna has said things in such a way as to allow multiple meanings; hence I call his Gita poetic. You can draw out any meaning you like from a poem.

Krishna's statements are like clouds surrounding you in the rainy season: you see in them whatever you want. Someone may see an elephant's trunk, someone sees the whole body of Ganesha, the elephant god. Someone may not see anything. He will say, "What nonsense you talk! They are clouds, vapor -- how is it you see forms in them?"

Krishna's Gita is just like this -- you will be able to see whatever is in your mind. So Sankara sees knowledge, Ramanuja sees bhakti, Tilak sees action -- and each returns home in a cheerful mood thinking that what Krishna says is the same as his belief.

This kind of suspicion often arises with Krishna too. Centuries have passed and commentaries on Krishna keep on coming. Each century finds its own meaning, and each person finds his own meaning. Krishna's Gita is like an inkblot... it is the statement of the perfect politician.

You cannot extract any beliefs from Ashtavakra's Gita. Only if you drop yourself as you move into it, will Ashtavakra's Gita become clear to you?

Ashtavakra's message is crystal clear. You won't be able to add even a small bit of your own interpretation to it. Hence, people have not written commentaries on Ashtavakra's Gita. There is no scope for writing a commentary; there is no way to distort or twist it. Your mind has no chance to add anything. Ashtavakra has given such an expression that no one has been able to add or take anything from it, even though centuries have passed. It is not easy to give such a perfect expression. Such skill with words is very difficult to come by. This is why I say we are starting off on a rare journey. ~OSHO

Remember:~

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 more advanced seeker who seeks to know the truth beyond the form, time, and space. 

Bhagavad Gita is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. The Ashtavakra Gita, with its emphasis on the Advaitic wisdom, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

Scientific knowledge is limited to form, time and space. Self-knowledge is beyond form, time, and space.  

The birth, life, death, and the world are within the domain of form, time, and space. The Soul, the Self, is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

Consciousness is ever-present. Without consciousness, the world, in which you exist ceases to exist. 

Consciousness is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny consciousness, because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. Consciousness is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. Consciousness is everything. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. :~Santthosh Kumaar