Sage Sankara gave religion and scholasticism and yoga no less than philosophy, to the seeking world. He was great enough to be able to do so. His commentary on Manduka is pure philosophy, but many of his other books are presented from a religious standpoint to help those who cannot rise up to philosophy.
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.
The Advaitic orthodoxy is not the means to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Advaitic orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant populace that is unfit to grasp the highest truth. The Advaitic orthodoxy is nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman.
Orthodoxy is the home of mysticism and deification that is why they are not keen on the rational truth. Thus, Sage Sankara is the Jagadguru to the religious followers and he is a Brahma Gnani to the seeking world. One should not mix the orthodox path with the Atmic path.
The Orthodox Advaita tradition follows the system of pancayatana puja, where Vishnu, Siva, Sakti, Ganapati, and Surya are worshipped as forms of saguna Brahman. Vishnu and Siva, the Great Gods of Hinduism, are both very important within the Advaita tradition.
Orthodox Advaitins believe that the distinction between the worshipper and God, the object of worship, is ultimately transcended and that the act of worship itself points to this identity.
Orthodox Advaitins believe in the theory of karma, which sets the cycle of rebirths into motion. All actions, good or bad, create their own karmic residues called vasanas, which exhibit their results over a period of time. The karma which has already started taking fruit is called Prarabdha Karma. This is the karma that is responsible for the current birth. The accumulated karma which is yet to take fruit is called sanchit karma. As long as the cycle of rebirth continues, more karma will be done in the future, and this is called Agamin karma. Liberation (moksha) is the way out of this endless cycle.
In Brahma Sutras Sage Sankara takes for granted, and assumes that a world was created: He there mixes dogmatic theology with philosophy.
That God created the world is an absolute lie; nevertheless, you will find Sage Sankara (in his commentary on Vedanta Sutras) clearly says this! He has to adapt his teachings to his audience, reserving the highest for philosophical minds.
The Brahma Sutras are based on religion and dogmatism, but in the commentary, Sage Sankara geniusly introduced some philosophy.
If it is objected that a number of Upanishads are equally dogmatic because they also begin by assuming Brahman, but a few Upanishads do not but prove Brahman at the end of a train of proof.
The causality and creation, but these are for religious people only. Religion is only for those who are unable to understand truth beyond form, time, and space. Religion is not final. It only gives satisfaction to the populace. The Self - knowledge is for the whole of humanity to free them from experiencing birth, life, death, and the world as a reality.
People of small intelligence follow religion and believe that the world was created by God. But how do they know that He did so? When a pot is created, one can see both pot and its maker, but not in the case of the world.
Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is meant only for those who have an intense urge, and courage to accept the truth with humility and reject the untruth. Since people start comparing their scriptural knowledge, it becomes impossible to assimilate and realize the Advaitic truth. Therefore, there is no need to convince anyone other than our own selves to get a firm conviction.
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)
The identity of Atman and Brahman is a matter of absolute truth, not just a temporary ritual identification.
Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do with the orthodox belief systems. Some philosophers in the past dissented from this interpretation of Vedanta philosophy, holding that the incarnated Souls were separate from the Divine Essence and only finally merged with it after the cycles of birth.
All Gurus and paramparas belong to the orthodoxy. Orthodoxy is nothing to do with Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom.
Identifying the Atman as Self is the most important in the Atmic path. The consciousness is the substratum on which the dualistic illusion is experienced. The consciousness is hidden by the dualistic illusion. The consciousness that dwells in everything and everywhere in the universe, is the dualistic illusion.
The innermost Atman, the real Self. Atman is present in the form of consciousness. The whole dualistic illusion is nothing but the consciousness, the consciousness alone is real and eternal.
The orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant populace.
Genuine philosophy must be independent of religion, that in Sage Sankara himself the Saguna Brahman or a personal God is only a part of the phenomenal (if not illusory) world, and the Nirguna Brahman (God) is the only reality and has nothing to do with religion.
Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God in truth) is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent).
Brahman is above all needs and desires.
Brahman is always the Witnessing Subject.
Brahman can never become an object as it is beyond the reach of the senses.
Brahman is non-dual, one without a second.
Brahman has no other besides it.
Brahman 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 distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes.
The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sankara is impersonal.
Sage Sankara: ~"That which permeates all, which nothing transcends and which, like the universal space around us, fills everything completely from within and without, that Supreme non-dual Brahman (God) ~ that thou art."
Sage Sankara, Upanishads, and Vedas say 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 or worship other than the Atman.
Sage Sankara says: ~ Atman is Brahman. The Atman alone is real and is not religious truth. Sage Sankara declared this Advaitic truth, which is the ultimate truth to the whole world, many centuries back is the rational truth, scientific truth, and ultimate truth.
Thus, the Atman which is present in the form of the consciousness is real and eternal, the world in which we exist is merely an illusion. ~Santthosh Kumaar
