If God is a creator then why worship his creation?+

Religion can never make you know God. Only an intense urge to know what God is supposed to be in truth can make you realize God.  The Soul, the ‘Self is the Infinite God. Check yourself what God suppose to be according to your own scriptures.  According to Vedas,  you will suffer if you worship non-Vedic Gods. 

Religion propagates the creator and the creation theory hence people are forced to admit it.

People think that there must be a creator of this universe. If one thinks the Self is ‘I’   then there is a creator, but if one thinks the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness, then there is no second thing that exists other than the consciousness.

If one objectifies and sees a universe, then he is bound to see many things besides himself and postulate a God, the creator.

You, your body, and the world in which you exist rise and set together from, and into, the Soul or the consciousness.

If God is apart from the Soul, the ‘Self’, then God would be selfless, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent. 

No one has seen God creating the world. No one can claim that it was the first Knower of the first created things.  How was that first ‘known’ substance generated?

There got to be at the very beginning of the creation, someone or other who was the very first knower of the creation.  There cannot be something ‘known’ in the absence of a ‘knower.’ 

If at all we said that there was a ‘Seen’ or ‘known’ substance produced at the beginning of creation, you may legitimately question us about its origin.  But that has never been our argument.  We are consistent in our assertion that there has been no legitimate cause behind anything ‘seen’ at the beginning of creation or even later on at any time.  Hence there is no- thing ‘seen.’  Because there has been no- thing seen, the consciousness is forever without bondage.  Consciousness cannot be captured in words.

People are stuck believing in the creator and the creation theory thus they are stuck to the reality of the world in which they exist. Gods with form, name, and attributes are mere imagination based on the false Self. God is not a belief that you worship because the Soul itself is God in truth.

People are unaware of the fact that God in truth is not that which they believe and worship. whatever people believe and worship is not God in reality. Blind devotion to blind belief leads to hallucination.

Ish Upanishads: ~ 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 spent there is wasted because if you were not there you could have spent that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~ "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from him does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". (1. 4. 10)

Bhagavad Gita Chapter: ~ “All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)

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."

Kena Upanishad 2-5 mentions that God can be realized in one life. If you do not realize in one life, you are a great loser.

It is necessary to realize what God is supposed to be to realize God in truth.

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman 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 beside it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described because the description implies a 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

The God you see and meet and in your vision is not God in truth but a hallucination. How can you see and meet God without knowing what God is in actuality? Praying and meditating on God without knowing what God really is, leads to hallucination.    The world in which you exist hides God. Thus, Self-realization is necessary to realize ‘what God is in actuality.  

The Soul, the ‘Self is the Infinite God. 

The Soul is the Self. God in truth is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. God is the fullness of the consciousness without the illusory division of form, time, and space.  Therefore, there is nothing apart from it. 

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

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

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God) is 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 declares: May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman? Thus, to know the real God Self-realization is necessary. Self-realization is God-realization. Self-realization itself is real worship.

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)

How can you worship God? That implies two ~ the worshipper and the worshiped, whereas God is nondual. One can worship his idea of God only or realize his unity with it when he can’t worship it as apart.

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

God is the Supreme Being the One eternal homogeneous essence, indivisible consciousness, and intelligence, which is beyond form, time, and space. To which the Sages describe in a variety of ways through diverse words.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ ‘All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)

Only the path of wisdom leads the seeker of truth on his journey to the ultimate realization of the true nature of the Universal Essence, which is the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, worships ‘Self’ as~ Atman (God) alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare."

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 as God other than consciousness.

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 truth is only Atman, the innermost Self. In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

It is difficult for people to believe the truth of their own religion because they have sentimentally and emotionally involved in it and they refuse to accept anything else other than their inherited beliefs.  

If God is a creator then why worship his creation?

The religion including Orthodox Advaita is nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman because they worship idols, human worship, and symbol worship and indulge in non-Vedic rituals barred by Vedas. 

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

Translation 1.

They enter darkness, those who worship natural things (for example air, water, sun, moon, animals, fire, stone, etc).

They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc.) (Yajurveda 40:9)

Translation 2

"Deep into the shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti is intent."(Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith pg 538)

Translation 3

"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal Prakriti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the Prakriti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time."(Yajur Veda 40:9.)

So, Yajur Veda indicates that: ~

They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc (Yajurved 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 religion of the Veda knows no idols:

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

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

Thus, the present day’s worship of individual Gods, created things, nature, and humans are against Vedic teachings, and it looks like it has been fabricated and introduced by priestcraft. Since it has passed on from one generation to the next

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

There is no purpose of life because the Self’ is not you, but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is birthless and deathless.+

From the non-dualistic perspective, there is no purpose in life because the Self’ is not you but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is birthless and deathless because the ‘Self’ is the ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence whereas you are bound by the birth, lie, death, and the world.

If the ‘Self' is not you then the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion. If the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion then the purpose of life is a reality only within the dualistic illusion. There is no purpose of any sort because there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. then the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion. I

f the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion then the purpose of life is a reality only within the dualistic illusion. There is no purpose of any sort because there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Only on the dualistic perspective, there is a purpose of life because the experience of birth, life, death, and the world is considered as reality. But the duality is merely an illusion from the non-dualistic perspective.

It is erroneous to mix practical life and the practical world in the pursuit of truth. The ups and downs of the practical life within the practical world are nothing to do with the Soul, the Self.

In Self-awareness, nothing disappears on the dawn of wisdom, but the unreal nature of the waking is exposed in the midst of the duality. One sees his body as the consciousness, his ego as the consciousness, and the world as the consciousness. Thus, there is a unity in diversity in his understanding. 

In Self-awareness, the unknown restlessness disappears. Self-awareness brings stillness of the mind in the midst of action or duality.

Thus, searching the truth within illusion with the illusory Self, within the illusory world is bound to be an illusion. The illusion is created and sustained and finally dissolves as the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Since there is no second thing other than the Soul or the consciousness; the consciousness itself is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Advaitin sage and Maya:~

The King of the Hoysalas was a dualist and was greatly incensed at the doctrine taught Advaitin Sage that everything here below is an illusion. He wanted to teach the exponent of this doctrine a lesson. So he invited the then Advaitin sage to his palace. That Advaitin sage went there and stoutly maintained that everything in this world was an illusion. The king had arranged to let loose an infuriated elephant against, Advaitin Sage. The beast rushed at Advaitin Sage who took to a precipitate flight to save himself.

'Oh, Venerable Sir,' shouted the king, 'why do you run so fast seeing that the elephant is only an illusion?'

'Oh, king,' said Advaitin Sage in the course of his flight, 'my running too is an illusion. Everything in this world is an illusion.

Remember:~

Similarly, the practical life within the practical world is merely an illusion. All our hopes and desires or pleasure and pain are a reality within the illusion. We all are searching for truth within the illusion, not being aware of the fact that the illusion is created out of single stuff which is the Soul or consciousness. 

The Soul is the innermost Self. When the waking entity realizes it is not the Self in the midst of the waking experience it enters the nondual Self-awareness, which is free from form, time, and space.

A Gnani is fully aware of ‘what is the truth’ and ‘what is untruth’. A Gnani e is fully aware of the fact that the experiences the pleasure and pain of the waking experience is merely an illusion because the waking experience itself is an illusion.

Thus, life within the waking experience will go on, on its own. It is nothing to do with the Soul, the Self. The waking or dream is merely an object to the formless witness. The Soul is the Self. The Soul is the witness. The Soul the witness is nothing to do with the three states because it is the witness of the coming and going of the three states or illusion.

When you are part and parcel of the illusion then it is foolish to question what is the purpose of the illusion because whatever belongs to the illusion is bound to be an illusion. the illusion hides the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Remember: 

The life of a dream is a reality with the dream.  The dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Similarly, the waking becomes unreal when you realize the ‘Self is not you but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If the waking is unreal then your experience of birth, life, death, and the world within the waking experience also is unreal (illusion). 

The question is based on the waking entity (you or ego). Whatever is based on the waking entity (ego) is based on the dualistic perspective.

You have to learn to view the worldview from the non-dualistic perspective then only you will be able to have the Soulcentric view of the worldview. 

In Advaitic  Self-awareness, the ego is not considered as ego, even though the ego is present, the body is not considered as a body even though the body is present, the world which confronts him is not considered as world even though the world is present, the duality ceases even though the duality is present, because of wisdom everything is considered as consciousness. Thus there is conscious oneness.

Only in ignorance, the world in which we exist is an illusion created out of the Soul, the Self. 

Remember:~

The world is both real and unreal. It is real because it is a manifestation of consciousness, but is unreal, in the sense, that it is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself.

People's approach is more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the world, they take it as real. That is why all the confusion.

The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. In fact, our mental and intellectual conditions determine the world, observed and experienced. The commoner viewing the world will see differently from a Gnani viewing the same world. Each one interprets the world that they see in terms of their existing knowledge. The commoner sees everything based on the ego, therefore, experiences the birth, life, death, and the world as a reality, whereas a Gnani sees everything as consciousness and he is fully aware of the fact that, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul or consciousness. Thus, all the egocentric knowledge has to be bifurcated to realize the ultimate truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

The world in which we exist is nothing but an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The whole universe is nothing but the Soul. Therefore, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

It is not as if something that was not consciousness suddenly becomes consciousness. Rather, "knowing the truth” means a removal of the ignorance about one's own existence as the consciousness. Thus, to "know the truth” is to "be consciousness."

The 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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

No books can do more than help us to find it, and even without them, we can get all truth if you search the truth which is hidden by the world in which we exist.+

Interpretations of sacred texts, the force of scriptural mastery merit--none of these lead to the realization that the Self is hidden by the dualistic illusion or Maya.  

Ashtavakra or any other book is not final because it has been misinterpreted by different authors based on their egocentric outlook.  The Soulcentric knowledge cannot be grasped on the dualistic understanding.

Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verification.    What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead a person to the final goal.

The study of Upanishad was neither indispensable nor a necessary prerequisite for attaining the human goal, the moksha.

All that one was required to do was to get rid of ignorance.

There is no need to read books after books. You need to realize only the world in which you exist is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Knowledge of that single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is Advaitic Gnana.

No books can do more than help us to find it, and even without them, we can get all truth if we search for the truth which is hidden by the world in which we exist. 

You have the love for books without bondage to them; and read the books, but do not believe blindly because it well written with the ornamental world, but think for yourself. No blind belief can save you, work out on your own to find the truth, which is hidden by the form, time, and space. Think the Soul is your inner Guru - that Soul is an eternal help.

There is no need to read books to realize the truth which is beyond form, time, and space.

Like a servant who carries a lamp in front of you to find your way, and you have found it, so becomes the spiritual books to that person who has realized the Truth.  why should the seeker depend upon any book further?

Actual realization takes you beyond books. At a certain stage, books become a botheration.

Remember:~ 

All the books written on Advaita by eastern and western authors are based on the dualistic perspective and orthodox point of view. Thus, they do not have a Soulcentric vision of the truth.

Advaita is the nature of the Soul. There are so many books by many authors, but none will help the seeker to reach the ultimate understanding.

Advaitic Wisdom is not found in scriptures or books. There are only hidden parables here and there. There is no clear-cut wisdom whatsoever in the scriptures or philosophy. Mere words ~ are just a collection of words.

Advaitic Wisdom is hidden within the world in which we exist. The truth is not found in the world because the world is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. The Truth is hidden within the form, time, and space, but it is beyond the form, time, and space.

Sages of truth restrained themselves from parting the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana to the mass and only a selected few. It was hidden from the people who were not qualified and receptive to it.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana was not written down but was imparted orally to the chosen few. Thus, religion was given to the mass, and knowledge of the spirit is given to only selected a few. Thus, we find traces of the knowledge of the spirit in the religious books in the form of parables.

Remember:~ 

The books published by the Gurus and teachers of the east and west on Advaita made it still more complicated.

No amount of reading and understanding can lead to Self-realization. You must be made to see the truth hidden by ignorance.  When you get a firm conviction that the Self is not you but the Self is the Soul then the truth will start revealing itself. 

When the seeker goes to find his own answers independently he will be able to realize the truth hidden by the 'I'.

Religion and yoga do not satisfy the urge of the serious seeker for absolute truth.

Religion is in the grip of superstitions, dogmas, caste-system, and corruption. Gurudom is commercialized and the real purpose of the pursuit of truth has vanished.

The religion, mysticism, and yoga, high jacked by the Gurudom and the Advaitic wisdom got lost.

All the gurus of the east and west introduced their own theories and teaching and started playing with the sentiments and emotions of the innocent seekers for the sake of acquiring wealth.

Every human being will have a certain level of intellect enough to grasp the truth hidden by ignorance but the egocentric knowledge has made them non-thinkers. Advaitic truth is simple and anyone reading it with keen interest will be able to understand it to the core.

When the seeker realizes the Self is not ‘I’ but the ‘Self is hidden by the ‘I’ then whatever is based on the ‘I’ is bound to be an illusion. That is the world in which you exist itself is an illusion.

The world in which you exist is based on the ‘I’. The Advaitic wisdom frees the Soul, the 'Self' from the bondage of the ‘I’. Without ignorance, the Soul alone shines as the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.

When one is unable to quench his spiritual thirst from his guru or teaching, then he has to look elsewhere to clear the cobwebs of his understanding and move forward in his spiritual quest.

Remember:~

It is no use arguing with someone who has faith in his belief system because for him there can be no possible refutation of what he believes, so, rational argument is entirely useless. He clings to his belief so strongly that he makes no distinction between the truth and his belief. One has to know the fact that God cannot exist without his existence. The truth does not depend on God’s existence, but it entirely depends on man’s existence. Thus, it is foolish to venture into knowing the truth of God's existence without verifying the facts about his own existence. 

It is difficult for tradition-bound people to accept anything as truth other than what they inherited from them. 

 Only with an intense urge to know the truth and the courage to accept the truth after verification with better understanding one will be able to drop all his accumulated dross, which is the main obstacle to Self-realization. 

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ VC ~56. Neither by Yoga nor by Sankhya nor by good 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’.

65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it, and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the Self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

66. Therefore the wise should, as in the case of disease and the like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and deaths.

67. The question that thou hast asked today is excellent, approved by those versed in the Scriptures, aphoristic, pregnant with meaning, and fit to be known by the seekers after Liberation.

The seeker of truth has to direct the realization of the Soul, the Self, through wisdom and avoid losing precious time and effort losing him in philosophical studies.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

In the path of wisdom, the Karma theory becomes a great obstacle in realizing the truth.+

Karma (Action) will not dispel ignorance itself. Karma itself is based on ignorance Only Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana will destroy ignorance.

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 wisdom, the Karma theory becomes a great obstacle to realizing the truth. 

When Sage Sankara says clearly, the universe is not real. He says that Brahman and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the Self, which is one though appearing as many different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the Self is Real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearances, then it indicates the form (waking/duality/mind) is unreal the formless is real (Soul/spirit/consciousness). Therefore, only Atman is real because there is no second thing other than Atman.

Individuality is a reality within the illusory world. Therefore, all the theories created within the illusion on the base of the false self (ego), within the false experience(waking), have to be the part and parcel of the illusion. Thus, it is necessary to realize the fact that Atman is the innermost Self and all else is an illusion, to overcome the illusory concept of the cycle of birth, life, and death. Thus, to understand and assimilate Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom the seeker has to do his own homework through deeper self-search, without mixing the religion, the scriptures, the theories, the concept of God, and the yoga. 

The Karma theory is a reality only for those who believe their present physical identity (ego) as real, and the world as reality. When the 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 three states from the standpoint of the formless Soul, the innermost Self to overcome the duality, which he is experiencing as a reality. 

The rituals mentioned in the karmakanda of the Vedas are sought to be negated in the jnanakanda which is also part of the same scripture. While the karmakanda enjoins upon you the worship of various deities and lays down rules for the same, the jnanakanda constituted by the Upanishads ridicules the worshipper of deities as a dim-witted person no better than a beast.

 This seems strange, the latter part of the Vedas contradicting the former part. The first part deals with karma, while the second or concluding part is all about Jnana. Owing to this difference, people have gone so far as to divide our Scripture into two sections: the Vedas (that is the first part) to mean the karmakanda and the Upanishads (Vedanta) to mean the jnanakanda.

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 of 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, since 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 into two absurdities but will also run the risk of forgoing the Vedantic conclusion. So one should accept those Shrutis 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 body and the universe as reality. When one becomes aware of the fact that, the true Self is the 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 birth, life, and death as a reality, Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is impossible.

The path of religion, the theory of karma, the path of yoga, and the path of wisdom were intended for different classes of people. The wisdom is for the advanced seekers of truth. It deals with the nature of the ultimate Truth and Reality. It is meant for superior aspirants who have an inner urge to know the truth and it is not for those who are immersed in earthly desires. 

Remember: 

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 Wisdom, 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, not 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 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 Sri, 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 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. Thus, it is high time to discard the lower knowledge and move ahead to realize the ultimate truth, which is Brahman or God in truth.

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 is the formless Soul, which is in the form of consciousness. : ~Santthosh Kumaar