On Vedic perspective, Lord Krishna is not Vedic God because Rig Veda says:~May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman.+

People all over the world think that Hinduism is a Religion. As one goes into the annals of the religious history one finds: - that Hinduism has drifted miles away from the Vedic faith,  the two seem to be two distinct faiths. When we carefully examine the two faiths, it is not difficult to discover that there is no noticeable continuity of Hinduism from the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma. Hinduism of today cannot be traced to the Vedic literature.

Although the Vedas are revered as sacred texts, many people in India do not know what ‘belief in the Vedas’ means. In most cases, the acquaintance of the Hindus with the Vedas is limited to the few hymns that are recited in temples and household liturgies.

The Vedas as a body of scripture contains many contradictions and they are fragmentary in nature. For Hindus of today, scriptures like the Bhagavad-Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas are more attractive and appealing than the Vedas.

The Gods and Goddesses they worship differ considerably from the Vedic ones. The collection of hymns called Vedas that are written in praise of certain deities by poets over several centuries does not seem to have much significance for the Hindus of today.

All Hindus indulge in non-Vedic practices barred by the Vedas introduced by the different founders of the different sects of Hinduism at different times, whereas the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma is ancient and has no founder.

All Hindu Gods are Puranic Gods.  Puranas deals with symbols Puranas are not history; it is concerned with objective reality. Puranas are not concerned with subjective reality. These Puranic  Gods do not exist outside the physical existence,  but they have a psychological existence and that psychological existence is a great hindrance to the realization of the reality beyond form, time, and space.

So, the first thing to be understood is that Puranic Gods are not real persons in the world, but they are merely beliefs. The belief creates a barricade and hides the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Lord Krishna says: ~ “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. (Ch~ V.)

“Know me in truth”: ~   It means to know God without the form, time, space, and name.

From the Vedic perspective, Lord Krishna is not a Vedic God because Rig Veda says:   May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?"

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)

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

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

When Upanishads and Vedas declare that, “God is in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself” then why accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman.

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

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshiped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers of Buddhism and Jains.  There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme Self i.e. Atman or Soul but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.

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.)

The Hindus believed in polytheism, believing all of their Gods to be separate individuals, which was introduced much later by the founders of Hinduism which contains diverse beliefs caste, and creed.  

When the religion of the Veda knows no idols then why so many Gods and goddesses with different forms and names are being propagated as Vedic Gods. Why these conceptual Gods are introduced when the Vedic concept of God is free from form and attributes. 

Hindus do idol worship while Vedas bars idol worship. According to Vedas, God pervades everything and everywhere.

To be considered an orthodox Hindu one need only accept the authority of Shruti, however, there is no universal agreement among Hindus on what constitutes Shruti. Vedantins consider the Vedanta, i.e., the Upanishads as Shruti, but also include the Bhagavad-Gita and Brahma Sutras as authoritative. For some Vaishnavas,  the Bhagavata Purana is to be considered Veda. Some consider the Tantras are considered Veda. Thus, we find that there is ample scope for different philosophies and practices under the very broad umbrella of Hinduism. And all Hindus indulge in non-Vedic practices barred by the Vedas introduced by the different founders of the different sects of Hinduism.

According to Yajur Veda: ~ They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, idol, etc. - (Yajurveda 40:9)

Those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time."- (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

Then why indulge in idol worship which is not God when Rig Veda clearly says:  “May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

Worshipping non~Vedic Gods in place of real God they fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time (Yajur Veda 40:9.).

Truth realization is Self-realization. Thus, Self-realization is God-realization. Self-realization is real worship. There is no other worship other than Self-realization. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

A Gnani can point at the sky, but the seeing of the star is the seekers own work.+

A Gnani knows that there's neither unity nor plurality - the world is neither one nor many. Just as a piece of rope is mistaken for a snake, the Atman is mistaken for this diverse world. Duality is an appearance and the non-dual Atman is the real truth. 

A Gnani does not spend his life sitting in meditation as a sanyasi or giving sermons, but he shares Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana to the seeking world. 

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. 

A Gnani can point at the sky, but the seeing of the star is the seeker's own work. 

 The ultimate truth does not belong t the religion because the religion and its belief in a religious 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. 

The Gnani will follow whatever occupation he wishes according to circumstances. There are no prohibitions for him. He may be a peasant or a billionaire

Gnanis do not perform miracles to attract attention to the truth.  If anyone performed Miracles in a dream the dream, becomes unreal when the waking takes place. Similarly, the waking becomes unreal when Advaitic wisdom dawns. 

Advaitic Wisdom dawns when the waking entity (you) realizes it itself is not the Self, but the Self is the  Soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states. The witness of the three states and the three states are one,  in essence.  That essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Gnani accepts the sameness in pleasure and pain because he is fully aware of the fact that pleasure, pain, and the world are made of the same stuff and that stuff is the Soul or the consciousness.   Without consciousness, there is no pleasure, pain, or world. 

Gnani’s position is that if enjoyment comes, he accepts it; if it does not, he keeps quiet. Even when he is taking pleasures, however, they do not delude him and he regards them as a game he is playing for he knows their unreality: he does not take them seriously.   

A Gnani is always there to remind us of the Truth and gives the correct guidance. The ultimate truth is that the seekers have to do their own homework and no God will come to do it. Sadly this is not acceptable to many.

A Gnani will never advertise.  A Gnana is like a flower. People reach them following the fragrance.

People can only lecture by giving out falsehood, but it is a waste of time that delivers a public lecture by giving out the truth.   The illusions that appeal to the taste of the audience because they are ignorant of the world in which they exist are merely an illusion, from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self.

A crowd at a venue will contain men of varying capacities to understand, of whom only one or two might be receptive to receive Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

If one wants to interview a Gnani then he must be ripe enough to understand what a Gnani is pointing at.    A Gnani will be withholding the truth because he is aware of the fact that, the unready people will not understand what he is saying.  The path of wisdom is not the path of argument. The argument is possible only from the standpoint of the ego, which is the false self within the false experience.

That is why Bhagavad Gita says: ~ "Don't unsettle the minds of the ignorant by revealing the esoteric truth.”

A Gnani may travel provided he actively engaged there in helping the serious seekers. For the benefit of those who think from the lower standpoint of the world of duality, the Gnani tells them to follow their chosen path and when they are convinced that their chosen paths are inadequate and useless in quenching their inner thirst then only they take the path of wisdom.  A Gnani will open up the knowledge treasure to a genuine seeker.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

The one who identifies himself as a Swami, a Guru or a Yogi is not a Gnani.+

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

A Gnani does not consider himself as wise and others are less wise. No one is wise or less wise in the pursuit of truth. The inner revolution starts within and ends within. Gnani is neither a scriptural scholar nor he is a philosopher. A  Gnani is neither a teacher nor he has any teaching.  He silently works and helps his fellow seekers inspiring them and guiding them towards inner reality in his own way.

The scholar will remain as scholars and philosophers will remain as philosophers and intellectual remains as intellectuals arguing their point of view. A  Gnani never propagates any philosophy because philosophy is nothing to do with the pursuit of truth but he points out, the obstacles, which is blocking everyone’s realization.   

Ashtavakra Samhita: ~ "The man of knowledge, though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him and only those like him understand his state.

Sage Sankara's commentary:~  "The knower of Brahman (Self-realized or Gnani) wears no signs.  Page 489

Page 500 asks in effect "Tell us what you know, show it, and let us examine it under the mental microscope." It means we must bring notions and beliefs out of vagueness into clearness. It also criticizes the mystics who claim superior knowledge but who cannot communicate it for purposes of verification.

Sage  Sankara clearly indicates in Viveka Chudamani (2) that the Knower of the Atman (A Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).  

Sage Sankara page 482: On Gnani: ~ "The knower of Brahman (Gnani) 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 is the 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.

The one who identifies himself as a Swami, Guru, or Yogi is not a Gnani. A Gnani never identifies himself as a Swami or a Guru, Pundit or Yogi.  The Swami or Guru or Pundit or Yogi belongs to the religious and the yogic path,  not to the path of Wisdom.  

Sage Sankara:~  “Sometimes he (a Gnani)  appears to be a Fool, sometimes a wise man. Sometimes he seems splendid as a king, feeble-minded. Sometimes he is calm and silent. Sometimes he draws men to him. Sometimes people honor him greatly, sometimes they insult him. Sometimes they ignore him.

For Gnani, the world is an illusion. Viewed from the absolute, there's neither birth nor life nor death, neither the appearance nor the disappearance, neither the production nor the destruction, neither the bondage nor the liberation. None neither seeks for freedom nor is there any who is liberated - this is the highest truth.

A Gnani knows that there's neither unity nor plurality - the world is neither one nor many. Just as a piece of rope is mistaken for a snake, the Atman is mistaken for this diverse world. Duality is an appearance and the non-dual Atman is the real truth.

The 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.

A person who realized the ultimate truth or Brahman will throw off his religious robe and his religious identity and becomes an Avadhuta, and live as he wishes.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankara: ~Karma cannot destroy ignorance.+

Sage Sankara: ~   Action (Karma) cannot destroy ignorance, for it is not in conflict with or opposed to ignorance. Knowledge does verily destroy ignorance as light destroys deep darkness. -Atma Bodha

The Karma Theory is meant for those who are immersed in worldly life thinking the individual life within the particle world as a reality. In the path of truth, the Karma Theory becomes a great obstacle to realizing the truth. 

When the Self is neither the body nor the ego, neither the waking entity nor the dream entity, then how the karma based on the false self within the false experience can yield fruits.  Therefore, karma is a religious fable.

The Karma Theory is a reality only for those who believe their present physical identity (ego) as real, and the world as a reality.

When Sage Sankara declares the world itself is an illusion, and Brahman is real, then what value the karma theory has when the world is an illusion, because man is part and parcel of the illusory world. Therefore, one has to view and judge the worldview from the standpoint of Brahman (Atman) to overcome the duality, which he is experiencing as a reality.

Individuality is a reality within the illusory world. Therefore, all the theories created within the illusion on the base of the false entity, within the false experience, have to be the part and parcel of the illusion. 

Thus it is necessary to realize the fact that, the Soul, the Self is real and eternal and all else is an illusion, to overcome the illusory experience of birth, life, death, and the world.  Thus to understand and assimilate Sage Sankara’s Advaitic truth, the seeker has to do his own homework through inquiry, analysis, and reasoning on the true base, without mixing religion, scriptures, theories concept of God, and yoga.

Sage Sankara says in Aparoksh Anubhuti: ~ 88. When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman, and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that the body is Atman?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The above proves that karma is a reality only on the base of the false self, where one thinks of the body and the universes as reality. When one becomes aware of the fact that, the true Self is the formless Soul, then the karma becomes part and parcel of illusion.   

My point is that, if one accepts the karma theory as reality, he will never be able to come out of ignorance. And ignorance makes him believe the cycle of birth, life, and death as a reality.  Thus,  the freedom which one is seeking will remain a distant dream. For the one who accepts the birth life, and death as a reality, Self-knowledge is impossible.

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.

It means the people who follow the religion and the worship of the Guru and the conceptual Gods and believe in Karma Theory are lower and middling intellect.  But in this modern world, people are sharp enough to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

Thus, it is high time to discard the lower knowledge and move ahead to realize the ultimate truth, which is Brahman or God untruth.  

They alone in this world are endowed with the highest wisdom and are firm in their conviction of the sameness and birthlessness of Ataman. The ordinary man does not understand their way. (Chapter IV — Alatasanti Prakarana 95-P-188 in Upanishads by Nikilanada)

Therefore, if one is seeking the truth, he has to know his true Self is not physical, but it is the Soul, which is in the form of consciousness. :~Santthsoh Kumaar 

No Guru can transmit the Advaitic Gnana.+

Tripura Rahasya: ~ Second-hand knowledge of the Self-gathered from books or Gurus can never emancipate a man until its truth is rightly investigated and applied; only direct realization will do that. Realize yourself, turning your attention inward. (18: 89)

The  Seekers from all over the world visit India in the quest for the truth by spending their hard-earned money, energy, and time visiting ashrams and spiritual centers of such fake Babas and Gurus.

India has become fertile ground for fraudsters in the guise of Gurus to thrive in the name of yoga with diverse paths and practices.

Superstition, dogmas, blind faith, miracle, and fortune-seeking followers are the ones who help such fake Gurus to prosper in India. Most Indian populace is innocent sincere and emotionally involved in their inherited beliefs.   

There is no need to condemn the religious gurus, yogis, and swamis they belong to the path of ignorance to serve the ignorant populace.   The seeker has to be very careful about the fraudster in the guise of Guru, swamis, yogis, sanyasis, and Godmen.

No Guru can transmit the Gnana.  The seeker can realize the truth without a Guru.  No blind belief can save you, work out your own salvation. Have only one idea that God is Atma - that He is an eternal help. 

Swami Vivekananda said: ~ “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, and none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher, but your own Soul.”

The Gurus who advise getting rid of ignorance first must realize the fact that it is not the man who is in ignorance, but it is the Soul, which is in ignorance. Thus, it is necessary to realize ‘what is what’ to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space. 

The Gurus who think the Self is within the body are propagating half-baked knowledge. Their views and judgment of Advaita or nonduality are based on the dualistic perspective. Only those who can view and judge the three states from the non-dualistic perspective are perfected knowledge.

Remember:~  

All accumulated Advaitic knowledge accumulated from different Gurus will not yield truth because they are not verified the truth.  The seeker has to do his homework to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space. Some Gurus declare that “Just by sitting quiet and knowing Self is without the words, nothing else has to be done,  and shortly one arrives his natural state”.

 Such a declaration does not lead one to Advaitic Self-awareness. Such acts will not destroy, ignorance. Without getting rid of ignorance, wisdom will not dawn. Only Advaitc wisdom leads to Self-awareness,  in the midst of the duality. Only perfect understanding and realization of ‘what is what leads to Advaitic  Self-awareness. 

The Guru is needed on the path of religion and yoga. A guru is not needed in the path of wisdom.  The Gurudom is nothing to with the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The one who thinks of himself as a Guru and the one who thinks of himself as a chela (disciple) will not be able to get Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because both of them accepted themselves as the body. And all their understanding, practices, and knowledge are based on the false self.  

The Guru –Shisya concept is a great obstacle in the pursuit of truth.  That is why a Gnani never accepted himself as a Guru or accepted anyone as his disciple because he was fully immersed in his true Self, which is formless consciousness. There was no division in his consciousness, even though he was in the midst of the division or the duality.  

  

The one who claims himself as a Gnani is not a Gnani. A Gnani never claims himself as Gnani, he guides the seekers, not posing himself as a Guru, and he does not force his wisdom on others.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Gnani is not opposed to God, he is not an atheist, but he wants God free from the imagination, as God is in truth.+

A Gnani sees only unity in diversity, just like a goldsmith is estimating the gold in various items of jewelry sees only gold. When one identifies the Self with the form, then only the form, time, and space are present. But when one transcends form, time, and space the duality never remains a reality.

Yoga-Vasistha: ~ He (a Gnani) may be stealing in the company of rogues, killing in the company of butchers, but always he will be amongst them to elevate them; to lift them up gradually to a higher ethic. But not separating himself from them, by being like them and among them for a time, he can improve them and make them better.

Gnani is not opposed to God, he is not an atheist, but he wants God free from the imagination, as God is in truth, as he exists apart from human imaginations. Imagined Gods is not God of reality.  

A  Gnani does not say God is not there, God is, but not as one imagines God. God is above all imaginations. God exists as truth. Hence, in the path of wisdom do not use the word, God. It will be misunderstood.  Thus Brahman, which means the ultimate truth, is the right word.

Gnani does not talk about methods to become a millionaire overnight. Neither does a Gnani have no mantras to find the hidden treasures or provide a miracle cure for the diseases. A Gnani also does not recommend any worship to find a place in the religious idea of heaven and paradise.

 A Gnani does not recommend glorifying Gurus and personal Gods, and above all A Gnani does not predict the future. A Gnani helps to get rid of ignorance. Ignorance is the cause of experiencing the world in which we exist as a  reality. 

Once ignorance vanishes the world in which we exist is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.   Thus, all our human experience of pain and suffering is nothing but an illusion. 

Manduka Upanishads: ~    Even the Gods cannot find out who is a Gnani because he bears no external mark. Neither nudity nor the religious robe has anything to do with him.

Sage Sankara clearly indicates in Viveka Chudamani (2) that the Knower of the Atman (A Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).  

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.:~Santthosh Kumaar