Upanishads ridicule the worshipers of deities as a dim-witted person no better than a beast.+

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)

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

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

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

Sage Sankara criticized severely the ritualistic attitude and those who advocated such practices.

Ceremonials and sacrifices lead men round and round, and not to the ultimate goal to which an understanding of the Self alone can lead. Worshipping of the non-Vedic Gods will not yield any fruit.  The Vedas confirm God is Atman (spirit), the Self.

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.

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)

God and Goddesses worshipped in India today are non-Vedic Gods.   Such Gods and Goddesses cease to exist without the dualistic illusion. Whatever belongs to the dualistic illusion is bound to be a falsehood.

Rig Veda clearly declares that God is Atman and never accepts another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman.   Then why worship any other God in place of the Atman, the real God.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God) is considered the all-pervading consciousness (Spirit), 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 (Spirit) 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 Self.   In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

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

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.

Yajurveda says God is Supreme Spirit has no 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. Therefore, why worship the Gods when they cease to exist without the dualistic illusion.

Yajurveda warns  people those who worship  non~Vedic Gods  in place of  Vedic 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 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 throughout 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.

Remember:~ 

Dogmas and beliefs, rituals, and ceremonies are the essences of the religion, not of the spirituality. Religion has become merely a matter of external rituals and ceremonies. Religion hides the truth beyond form, time, and space.  Until the form, time and space are present the duality is present. The duality creates the illusory prison to the Soul, the  Self.

Religious rites and rigid ceremonies were passed down from one generation to the next as a practice or set customs and tradition and performed automatically with blind faith. Such worship based on the belief of God does not reach God.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homas, havans, or any other forms of ritual are meant for the ignorant populace.

Belief in God without knowing God in actuality holds the worshiper more firmly in the grip of ignorance. 

All worship and the ceremonies and rituals performed on the base of non-~Vedic Gods will not yield any fruits.  A deeper self-search reveals the fact that worshiped, the worship and worshiper, and the world are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homas, havans, or any other forms of ritual formal observance have long since set in. 

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa, havans, or any other forms of ritual are meant for the ignorant populace. In the Atmic path, the seeker has to discard what is not needed to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa, havans, or any other forms of ritual formal observance have long since set in.

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

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

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

Sage Sri, Sankara said:~ Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many Gods as you please, observe ceremonies, and sing devotional hymns, but liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

That is why  Sage Sankara:~ (11) As regards the rituals, Sage Sankara says, the person who performs rituals and aspires for rewards will view himself in terms of the caste into which he is born, his age, the stage of his life, his standing in society, etc. In addition, he is required to perform rituals all through his life. However, the 'Self' has none of those attributes or tags. Hence, the person who superimposes all those attributes on the changeless, eternal Self and identifies the Self with the body is a confusing one for the other; and is, therefore, an ignorant person. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.- Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara:~ (11.1) This ignorance (mistaking the body for Self) brings in its wake a desire for the well-being of the body, aversion for its disease or discomfort, fear of its destruction, and thus a host of miseries(anartha). This anartha is caused by projecting karthvya(“doer” sense) and bhokthavya (object) on the Atman. Sankara calls this adhyasa. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are, therefore, he says, addressed to an ignorant person. -Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara:~ (11.2) In short, a person who engages in rituals with the notion “I am an agent, doer, thinker”, according to Sage Sankara, is ignorant, as his behavior implies a distinct, separate doer/agent/knower; and an object that is to be done/achieved/known. That duality is Avidya, an error that can be removed by Vidya. -Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara: ~ (12) Sage Sankara affirming his belief in one eternal unchanging reality (Brahman) and the illusion of plurality, drives home the point that Upanishads deal not with rituals but with the knowledge of the Absolute (Brahma Vidya) and the Upanishads give us an insight into the essential nature of the Self which is identical with the Absolute, the Brahman. -Adhyasa Bhashya

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

The thoughts arise only in the domain of the form, time, and space.+

Some Gurus say simply ask yourself: ~

To whom do these thoughts come? Find out the source of your thoughts?

All these thought-based teachings will not yield Advaitic wisdom because they are only knowledge based on form, time, and space. the Advaitic truth is beyond form, time, and space. 

The thoughts arise only in the domain of form, time, and space. The thoughts come to you because you exist within the domain of form, time, and space. You are the thinker. You are the false self within the false experience. Without you, the thoughts will not arise.

In the dream, the thoughts come to the dream entity. The dream entity is a thinker within the dream. The dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place. Similarly, the waking becomes unreal when Advaitic wisdom dawns. The Advaitic wisdom dawns when you realize the ‘Self’ is not you, but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If the ‘Self’ is not you then what is the use of asking yourself,  To whom do these thoughts come? Find out the source of your thoughts?. 

The thoughts come to you, not to the Soul, the ‘Self’ because the Soul is the ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the form, time, and space are merely an illusion.

If the form, time, and space are merely an illusion then you, your thoughts, and the world in which you exist are merely an illusion. 

Thus, what is the use of finding out about the thoughts which come to you, not to the Soul, the Self’?

Thus, Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is necessary to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. 

Remember:~ 

Thoughtlessness is not wisdom. The thinker, thoughts, and the world are part of the illusion. The thought will not arise without form, time, and space. The form, time, and space will not arise without the mind. The mind ceases to exist without the Soul which is in the form of the Spirit. Therefore, there is a need to know the “Self” is not limited to the physical entity (you), but it pervades everything and everywhere in the experience of diversity (waking or dream). 

Deep sleep is the state of thoughtlessness, silence, wordlessness, silence but it is not considered a  state of oneness because anyone can take a sleeping pill and will be able to get the state of Oneness. 

Thus, trying to imitate the state of oneness in duality by observing silence, thoughtlessness, wordlessness, or by yogic Samadhi or surrendering to the physical Guru, the Advaitic wisdom will not dawn. Without the Advaitic wisdom, ignorance will not vanish. Thus, getting rid of ignorance through wisdom is the only way to realize the ultimate truth, or Brahman.   : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Some modern Gurus talk of surrendering to God without knowing what God supposed to be in truth.+

Some modern Gurus talk of surrendering to God without knowing what God supposed to be in truth. Just by saying open your heart and surrender nothing happens. Playing with the words and playing with the emotions leads only to hallucinations. 

  

The Guru who pretends he to be Self- realized and plays with the emotions and sentiments of the seeker is a fraud,  not a Gnani.

Only a perfect understanding of what is 'what’ leads to truth realization. The truth-realization is Self-realization. Self-realization is God-realization.

If you are seeking truth nothing but the truth then you must not get stuck to any Guru or yogi. Those who are seeking truth need not follow any Guru or any teaching.

Yoga Vasistha says:~ Self-knowledge or knowledge of truth is not had by resorting to a Guru (preceptor) nor by the study of scripture, nor by good works: it is attained only by means of inquiry inspired by the company of wise (Gnani). One’s inner light alone is the means, naught else. When this inner light is kept alive, it is not affected by the darkness of inertia. 

There is no need to condemn Gurus, but there is a need to highlight how they become an obstacle in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

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

The Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and Guru is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known.

A Guru is needed in religious and the yogic path.  There is no need for a Guru to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

Remember:~ 

People talk of surrendering the mind. How can you surrender the mind without knowing what the mind supposed to be in actuality?

Surrendering to something of the dualistic illusion keeps the Soul, the Self in the grip of the ignorance. The Advaitic wisdom will not dawn by surrendering to any idea propagated by the Gurus. Surrendering is a religious fable.  Surrendering is nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

The mind is virtually the universe. The universe appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears from deep sleep (nonduality).  Efforts should be made to understand the mind. Advaitic is wisdom is an ancient truth preserved as a secret by sages of truth. 

                                                    

We are within the illusion. Whatever we have seen, feel, known, believed and experienced are also within the illusion. The formless substance and witness of the illusion is the Soul, the Self.

 In Self-awareness, the substance and witness are one in essence. That essence is the Soul which is present in the form of the consciousness (Spirit).
     

The dream entity and the dream world are within the dream. Similarly, you and your experience of the world are within the waking experience.  The witness of the dream is not the waking entity.  Similarly, the witness of the waking experience is not the waking entity. The Soul is the witness of the coming and going of the three states.   The three states are nothing to do with the Soul, the Self because, on the standpoint of the Soul the Self,   the three states are non-existent as reality. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Advaita is not a theory or a philosophy. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the Self.+

There is no need to study Advaita Vedanta or Buddhism to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  All accumulated knowledge is of no use to realize the Advaitic truth beyond the form, time, and space.

There is no need to buy books of Sage Sankara in order to acquire Self-knowledge. A perfect understanding of 'what is what' is needed. Nothing else is a need other than realizing the fact that, the form, time, and space are one in essence and that essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness in order to get the Advaitic Self-awareness.

  

Self-knowledge cannot be attained by the study of the scriptures and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge.  Therefore, there is no use in studying the scriptures and other scriptures in order to acquire non-dual wisdom.  That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of God, and the scriptures.

Sage  Sankara:~  VC~.63 says: "Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know the Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world.

There is no need to study Advaita Vedanta to realize the Advaitic truth beyond form, time, and space. Advaita is not a theory or a philosophy. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the Self.  There is no need for any theory or philosophy or scriptures to acquire Self-knowledge. Only a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed.

Fortunate is the one who does not lose themselves in the labyrinths of philosophy. All the Advaitic teaching available in India are conceptual divisions invented by different Gurus and thinkers by their excessive analysis. these concepts teaching create more confusion explained but they hold no water because they are based on the dualistic perspective.   

There is only one Reality to be known, the same for all seekers, but the ways to it, are hidden by the religion.  Self-discovery is the only way, toward the non-dualistic absolute without any religious doctrines, which will help the seekers to unfold the mystery of the illusion in which we all are searching for the truth of our true existence.

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

The citations from scriptures are not proofs.  The ultimate truth has to be proved without the scriptures.  The ultimate truth is the universal truth and it does not belong to any religion.  Religion causes diversity in unity, whereas, the ultimate truth brings unity in diversity. 

That is why Sage Sankara himself says: ~ VC 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?

It is not that one should pore over the ancient scriptures.  There is no need to study first, and then realize. One has to realize first, then only he will know ‘what is the truth’ and ‘what is untruth’. One has to make his discoveries through the process of rational thinking and soulcentric reasoning.

That is why Sage Sankara says:~ V C:~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.

He who has not rectified his reasoning base from the ‘I’(form) base to Soul (formless) base and one who does not have the intense urge to know the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth,  and who is not tranquil and subdued and whose mind is not receptive, cannot acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

Mediocre minds waste their time arguing about unimportant matters. Accumulation of scriptural knowledge is dangerous in the pursuit of truth. The seeker has to establish the truth of Non-duality by sheer reasoning alone. The seeker has to begin by defining "What is real?" "What is unreal?" etc, because that is the right way to discuss, understand and assimilate Self-knowledge. Thus, the seeker has to remove all the hindrances in order to acquire Self-knowledge.  : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

People who are emotionally stuck with some Guru or his teaching stop their journey without reaching anywhere.+

People who are sentimentally and emotionally stuck with some Guru and Gurus teaching and thinking themselves wise and erudite stop their journey without reaching anywhere. 

To realize this truth the seeker has to realize first ‘What is the truth?’  to realize ‘What is untruth?’ without knowing ‘what is the truth?” how can one know “what is untruth?’.

All accumulated bookish, scriptural knowledge is not wisdom. Holding some Gurus teaching as wisdom without verification blocks the realization of the Advaitic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

 That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead to the final Goal. (Commentary on Vedanta Sutra)

Sage Sankara:~  VC-63 - Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know the Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world. 

Jesus said: ~"Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you." (THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS- Saying 5)

Who am ‘I’?  or ‘I AM THAT’- are only for the beginners on the inner journey.  The journey is not over with Who am ‘I’? ‘I AM THAT’ teaching.  There is much more required to reach the ultimate end of understanding.

That is why Jesus said: ~"Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all." (Gospel of Thomas 2)

If you are a seeker of truth, then you have to from the dualistic illusion to the nondualistic reality,  you have to move  From ignorance to wisdom you have to move  From death to Immortality.

What is it that appears as the ‘I’ and disappears as the ‘I-less? It is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not make the mistake of holding the ‘I’ as the Self because it is not permanent. ‘I’ disappears and becomes ‘I’-less.

 ‘I’ is an illusion and the ‘I-LESS’ is real and eternal. The ‘I-LESS ‘appears as ‘I’ and ‘I ’‘disappears as I-LESS.

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

The ‘I’ hides the truth of the whole.

The Soul is considered the all-pervading consciousness, which is the basis of the universe in which you exist.  The Self is not the ‘I’ because it is prior to the

The ‘I’ disappears as deep sleep, so what is the use of being attached to it? It is impermanent and illusory because ‘I’ is physical awareness. Physical awareness is not Self-awareness. ‘I-less awareness is Self-awareness.

It is erroneous to identify the Soul the innermost Self as 'I' or 'I AM' because the Soul the innermost Self is not 'I' or I AM’. The Soul the innermost Self, is that witness of the 'I'.

To understand the false nature of the ‘I’, the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is necessary.

The Self is not ‘I’, but the Self is the Soul which is the witness of the ‘I’. Holding the ‘I' as the 'Self' leads to hallucination based on the imagination.

The earliest ancient sages used the word ‘I’ to the witness of the three states not to the ego as moderns use it and think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand the fact that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the witness of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is eternal. 

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

Remember:~ 

It is for the seeker to go on his own and remove all the obstacles, which is blocking the realization of the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space

The greatest hindrance is mixing religion, God, scriptures, and yogic theories. Moreover, attachment to scriptures, personal God, and religious code of conduct keep one permanently in the grip of the dualistic illusion.

Embark on the journey of the truth; it frees the Soul from the illusion of form, time, and space.

When you finally realize the ‘Self ‘ is not you but the ‘Self’ is the Soul then you will realize the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

Self-inquiry is to realize the ‘Self’ is not ‘I’ but the ‘self is the ‘I-LESS Soul’, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

Remember: ~

You are not the ‘Self.

You are bound by form, time, and space.

 You are bound by the experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

 You are never free because the world in which you exist is the product of ignorance.

It is not you who is in ignorance but it is the Soul, which is in ignorance of its own true nature.

When the Soul wakes up from its sleep of ignorance and remains in its own awareness the world in which you exist becomes one with Soul-awareness.

When ignorance vanishes through wisdom then the world in which you exist never again prevails as a reality.

The world in which you exist is created out of single clay. That single clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the innermost Self. The Soul is not ‘I’. The Soul is the witness of the ‘I’ which appears and disappears.

The Soul is the only permanent thing and the ‘I’ is merely an illusion. If you do not understand this truth you will never be able to cross the ‘I’, which is the dualistic illusion.

The seeker has to make sure what is this ‘I’ supposed to be? The seeker has to make sure the unreal nature of the ‘I’ which comes and goes.

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

The ‘I’ hides the truth of the whole.

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand the fact that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the witness of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is eternal.

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

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take 'I' as real because some Gurus have propagated the Self is the ‘I’. is no need to convince such mindsets. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth nothing but the truth.

Advaita is the true nature of existence. The ‘I’ hides the Advaitic reality. Realize the ‘I’ is merely an illusion created out of the consciousness, which is Advaita. The consciousness is Advaita because it is second to none. The world in which you exist is the dvaita (duality) is merely an illusion created out of the consciousness, which is Advaita. The Advaita (non-duality) is real and eternal the dvaita (duality) is merely an illusion.

Holding ‘I’ as the ‘Self’ is the cause of ignorance. Realize the ‘I’ is merely an illusion. Stop identifying the Self as ‘I’ or ‘I AM’. Till you identify the Self as ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ the Soul will remain in the cage of ignorance. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Reason as means to reality.+

The reasoning is interpretable in two ways. The egocentric interpretation is to apply it only to the practical purpose (waking experience). The Soulcentric interpretation is to apply it to the three states. The latter leads to a final settlement of the problems because it takes all data into consideration.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Reason as means to reality. (Chap.18 verse 37)

In chap. 10 of in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says: ~ I cannot save you, but I can give you Buddhi (reason). (chap. 10)

In chap. 10 of in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says: ~ "I have given you the most secret teaching, now reflect over it all" Krishna plainly says reflect, think. (Verse 63 of Chap. 18)

Mundaka Upanishad says: ~  Both states are harmful and take you away from the path of inquiry into truth. (Page 234)

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ It is not the absence of Buddhi (Reason) that can grasp Advaita but the man who possesses the highest intellect. Brains are necessary. Such a man, by merely hearing the truth mentioned will know it. (Page~ 224).

Brihad Up.: To see Him whole mystics may have similar ideas of the "universe in a dew-drop," but Advaitic truth demands proof. (Page 78)

Upanishad says: ~ Atman the innermost Self is known by Reason alone, by the sharpened and purified intellect. Yet still, people worship Yoga and mysticism as the sole means of attaining Atman.

The universe in which you exist is an illusion and there is no substance in its reality.  Self-knowledge or Brahma knowledge is the end of all egocentric knowledge. Egocentric knowledge is dualistic knowledge, whereas Self-knowledge is Soulcentric knowledge.

Advaitic wisdom is nothing to do with orthodox Advaita, which is dualistic. Orthodox Advaita is a sect, which blindly accepts and follows dogmas and superstitions.

Sage Sankara says: ~ What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead to the final Goal. (Commentary on Vedanta Sutra). 

Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verification. 

Sage Sankara himself had often said that his philosophy was based on Sruti or revealed scripture.  This may be because Sage Sankara addressed the ordinary man, who finds security in the idea of causality and thus, in the idea of God ~ and Revelation is indispensable to prove the latter.  He believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need for this idea of divine causality, and can, therefore, dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason. 

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.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Self-realization is the goal of Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.+

Self-realization is God-realization.  Self-realization is real worship. Self-realization is the goal of Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.

Since it is eternal and infinite, it comprises the only truth. The goal of Vedic religion, through the various yogas, is to realize that consciousness (Atman) is actually nothing but Brahman (God).

The Vedic pantheon of Gods is said, in the Vedas and Upanishads, to be the only higher manifestations of Brahman. For this reason, "ekam sat" (all is one), and all is Brahman.

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.

Bhagavad Gita itself declares: ~ 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).

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. 

The Vedas confirm God is Atman (Spirit), the 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 innermost self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

Individualized Gods and Goddesses are religious concepts.  Whatever is seen, known, believed, and experienced as a person within the dualistic illusion (world) is a falsehood.

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

Thus,  it refers to formless and attributeless God, which is the Atman (Soul), the Self within the false experience. Thus, it indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imagination based on the false self.  Thus, the  Atman or Soul, the Self is God.

Thus, the goal is to realize Ataman (consciousness).  If Atman (consciousness) is nothing but Brahman and by realizing Atman (consciousness) as Brahman (ultimate truth) is truth realization or Self-Realization, then there is no need to follow any religion,  the study scriptures or glorify Gods or  Gurus and follow the path of doubts and confusion by losing oneself in the labyrinths of philosophy, when there is an easier path.  

By mentally tracing the source of the mind from where it rises and subsides one becomes aware of the fallacy of the mind, which rises as waking or dream and subsides as deep sleep.  The mind raises from consciousness and subsides as consciousness.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~ The Self is indeed Brahman (God), but through ignorance, people identify it with intellect, mind, senses, passions, and the elements of earth, water, air, space, and fire. This is why the Self is said to consist of this and that and appears to be everything. :~Santthosh Kumaar