Sage Sankara says:~ Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one? +

Mundaka Upanishad: ~ The study of the Vedas, linguistics, Rituals, astronomy, and all the arts can be called lower knowledge. The higher Is that which leads to Self-realization. The eye cannot see it; the mind cannot grasp it. The deathless 'Self' has neither caste nor race, neither eyes nor ears nor hands nor feet. Sages say this Self is infinite in the great And in the small, everlasting and changeless, The source of life.

Ish Upanishad says:~Those people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge have thus committed suicide.

Sage  Sankara says:~  Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one?

For one who wants to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the mantas will not help to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

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?

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

A sickness of not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying “I am a king.”

A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual disciplines but never by subtle arguments.

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)

As per the scriptures, the three "Ashrams" or stages in life were originally intended for three grades of intelligence thus:

v             Religion: low intellects had to do 'karmas' works, ritual actions, chanting of mantras and indulging in bhajans and prayers, etc.

v             Middle intellects:  Yoga: taking yellow robes, going to caves, ashrams, etc.

v             High intellects: wisdom who wanted the truth is concerned with no external rites no prayers or sanyasa but depend solely on the Soulcentric reasoning for their path.

Thus, the seeker has to choose his path,  according to his choice.  Without an intense urge to know the truth and sharpness to grasp the truth, it is difficult to tread the path of wisdom never mix different paths with each other, and make a cocktail because it leads to all sorts of doubts and confusion.  

Katha Upanishad says:~ Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. (Ch~ II-5 P-14) 

Sage Sankara: ~   VC Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about our own Self.  The firm experience of the nature of the Self is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advice of the wise. (13) 

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.

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 religious robes 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.

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 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, and 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 

Perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ helps to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.+

All accumulated knowledge is mental Garbage is no use in the quest for truth. The seeker has to discard all the accumulated knowledge and start afresh.

A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ through deeper thinking and reasoning helps to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

You are not the ‘Self’. You are bound by birth, life, death, and the world. Without realizing ‘what the ‘Self’ is supposed to be, simply saying ‘I AM THAT’ shows are merely imagining the ‘Self’. 

Your knowledge is based on imagination is not Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.   

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the 'Self'.

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. 

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

The form, time, and space are connected to the ‘I’.

The experience of the birth, life, death, and the world is connected to the ‘I’.

The waking experience is connected to the ‘I’.

The dream is connected to the ‘I’.

The universe in which you exist is connected to the ‘I.

The mind is connected to the ‘I’.

The Self is not the ‘I’.

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The ‘I-LESS Soul is permanent because it is formless, timeless and spaceless existence.

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

Why are you struggling to find out who you are? You will never find the answer if you get stuck to the ‘I’. Find out ‘what is this ‘I’, which appears and disappears. What is that is aware of the coming and going, of the ‘I’?

Without realizing ‘What is this ‘I’?,  you will never be able to realize the mystery of the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is the most intoxicating stuff. Those who use the word ‘I’ for the ‘Self ‘will never be able to cross the threshold of the dualistic illusion.

The ‘I’ based teachings will not transport the seeker to the ultimate end of understanding.

The ‘I’ is the cage for the Soul. ‘I’ is the cause of ignorance. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is the only weapon to get rid of ignorance.

The ‘I’ based teachings will not transport the seeker to the ultimate end of understanding. Perfect understanding of ‘what is this ‘I’ leads to the realization of the truth beyond the form, time, and space.

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. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

The word, “dharma “found in the karikas, which means Atma in Advaita Vedanta.+

In Tattireya Upanishad:~ "satyaM vada. dharmaM cara." Speak the truth, practice dharma. Now if you want to practice dharma, you should first know what it means. (1.11.1)

~ The word, “Dharma “is found in the karikas, which means Atma in Advaita Vedanta.

Advaita is the nature of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread." (Select Works of Sage Sri, Sankara" also his commentary on Brihad)

Thus, the above passage proves that all those who were the sanyasin robes are wearing them for the sake of bread belong to the religion; they are nothing to do with the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. There is no need to criticize and condemn the gurus, yogis,  and swamis because they are needed for the welfare of the ignorant masses in the dualistic world. 

There is no need to condemn the religion, the concept of God, and scriptures or indulge in criticizing the religious Gurus, but there is a need to highlight how they become a hindrance in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

Deeper Self-search reveals the fact that the body is not the Self. The religion is based on the body as the Self because it speaks of birth, death, and rebirth whereas the Self is birthless and deathless because it is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.  

Ignorance is the cause of experiencing birth, life, death, and the world as reality. Once the ignorance is dropped then one becomes aware of ‘what is the truth?‘, and what is the untruth?. 

All the conceptual divisions were invented by Gurus of their orthodox attitude. Where do all these concepts end? Why should confusion be created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the garbage of superstition and dogmas but goes straight to the Source from which ‘I’ arises concepts end? Why should confusion be created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the garbage of superstition and dogmas but goes straight to the Source from which ‘I’ arises.

Ignorance is the cause of experiencing the duality (universe or waking) as a reality. Thus eradicating ignorance is necessary. And this is possible only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.   

Thus, there is no other road to freedom other than Gnana.  There is no other entrance other than Gnana.  The ignorance will vanish only when the nondual wisdom dawns. Detachment to attachment is impossible without the Advaitic wisdom. 

Only when one realizes the fact that the Self is not the form but the Self is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence then only it is possible to detach the ‘Self’ from the false attachment. 

That is Sage Sankara, in Bhaja Govindam says: One without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.

The Advaita does belong to any religion. Advaita belongs to the whole of humanity.  The Advaitic wisdom is universal,  irrespective of any religion of faith one belongs to. Religion is not the means to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  Sage  Sankara’s Advaita minus orthodoxy is true Advaita. 

Sage Sankara: ~ VC- All this universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman which is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought

Sage  Sankara: ~ VC- Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about our own Self.  The firm experience of the nature of the Self is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advice of the wise. (13)

The ‘Self’ is the formless, timeless, and spaceless Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The world in which we exist is created out of the formless, timeless, and spaceless stuff. That stuff is consciousness.  When the world,  in which you exist, is created out of consciousness, then everything is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  

The Soul is hidden within the illusory form, time, and space, but it is without the form, time, and space.  The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Reason as means to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.+

The truth is beyond the scriptures and egocentric intelligence. Thus, in order to grasp, assimilate and realize the Advaitic truth the seeker to employ soulcentric reasoning faculty. The reason as a means to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
 
That is why Sage Sankara says in the commentary in Vedanta-sutra that what is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead a person to the final goal. On the contrary, such acceptance will result only in evil, in something which is detrimental to our spiritual progress.

Thus, the seeker of truth should not believe blindly in traditional Orthodox nonduality without verifying all the facts from every angle. One has to reflect through reasoning over and over again without getting tired of the process.

There is no need to study the scriptures. One has to self-search for the truth and realize it without the scriptures. And then when he reads the scriptures he becomes aware the scriptures are also saying the same thing but everything is misinterpreted. 

Mundaka Upanishad:~ This Atman cannot be attained through the study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Atman ~by him alone is Atman attained. It is the Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. (3 page70upanhsds by Nikilanada)

It means the ultimate truth is beyond the scriptures and egocentric intelligence. Thus, in order to grasp, assimilate and realize the Advaitic truth the seeker to employ soulcentric reasoning faculty. 

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ VC ~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.

There is nothing more rational, more intelligible, and more un-dogmatic insights of  Sage Sankara is to drop all the theistic nonduality or Advaita which is meant for those who are incapable and not receptive to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

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

In chap. 10 of the  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). 

There is no need for any philosophy in pursuit of truth because they take the seeker nearer to the truth, but they create more doubts and confusion.

 
Sage Goudpada: ~ To establish the truth of Nonduality by sheer reasoning alone. He begins by defining "What is real?" "What is unreal?" etc, because that is the right way to discuss or teach. People must first know what they are talking about. (Manduka Karika)

The reasoning is interpretable in two ways. The egocentric interpretation is to apply it only to the 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. 

As we keep digging deeper and deeper, the truth will shine as pure awareness in the midst of the duality (waking).:~Santthosh Kumaar 

We have one key from Sage Sankara and to be applied to every statement or assertion or speculations.+

Sage Sankara says you must first know what is before you. If you cannot know that, what else can you know or understand? If you give up the external world in your inquiry, you cannot get the whole truth.

Emptiness is the nature of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Emptiness is the fullness of consciousness without the division of form, time, and space.

We have one key from Sage Sankara and to be applied to every statement or assertion or speculations: It is “Is this true?” “Where is the proof?”

Opinions belong to scholasticism, not to philosophy. Vedanta has no use for opinions.

Sage Sankara has declared Advaitic truth centuries back.  The seeker has to reach the inner destination with soulcentric reasoning.    Until one mentally reaches the final conclusion and the conviction of the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space, the Advaitic wisdom, will not dawn. 

Without realizing the fact that, the Self is not the ‘I’ but the Self is ‘I-LESS Soul, the truth will not reveal. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman.  

The Soul, which is present in the consciousness, is real and eternal and all else is a myth, which Sage Sankara declared as the world is myth Brahman alone is real.

It is no use arguing Bhagavan Buddha is wrong or Sage Sankara is right, but the seeker has to find out where he is going wrong in his understanding of the nondualistic or Advaitic truth, what is blocking him to realize the truth propagated by the great Sages of the past.  The seeker has to find out what are the obstacles?

Some say, that without the Sunyavada, Advaita philosophy could not have come into existence because Advaita starts from where Sunyavada ends. That is why they say it is the extension of Buddhism. If Advaita existed prior to Buddha, he would not have advocated Sunyavada at all because Advaita is final and the ultimate truth.

Since the Buddhist and the Vedic scriptures have been passed down by hearing, they were written down only relatively late so one wouldn't know whether to rely on the times they give. Also, a lot depends on the translation. Each 'Sloka' or sutta is open to many layers of interpretation.

Sage 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.

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’s Supreme Brahman is Nirguna (without the Gunas), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without attributes), and Akarta (non-agent). He is above all needs and desires.

Sage Sankara says:~  "This Atman is Self-evident. This Atman or Self is not established by proofs of the existence of the Self. It is not possible to deny this Atman, for it is the very essence of he who denies it. Atman is the basis of all kinds of knowledge. 

The Self is within, the Self is without, the Self is before and the Self is behind. The Self is on the right hand, the Self is on the left, the Self is above and the Self is below".

Satyam-Jnanam-Anantam-Anandam,  are not separate attributes. They form the very essence of Brahman. Brahman cannot be described because the description implies a  distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than He.

The objective world-the world of names and forms has no independent existence. The Atman alone has real existence. The world is only phenomenal.

Sage Sankara was the exponent of the Advaitic truth. His wisdom  can be summed up in the following words:~

Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithya,

Jeevo Brahmaiva Na Aparah

Brahman alone is real, this world is unreal; the Jiva is identical to Brahman.

The critics who declare Sage Sankara's philosophy as negative (because of his Neti, Neti) do not know that this is applied only to the witnessed (three states), the critic ignorantly believes that it is also applied to the formless witness (Soul). The seeker should never negate the formless witness, only the witnessed.

Advaitic wisdom is nothing to do with the Advaitic orthodoxy.  The orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant populace whereas wisdom is meant for those who are seeking the higher truth.

According to Advaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the more advanced seeker who seeks to know Brahman. Thus, the Purva mimam. sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, the Vedanta, with its emphasis on the Jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

There is a need to do deeper Self-search to know the true essence of Advaitic wisdom propounded by Sage Sankara, and Sage Goudpada and the emptiness of Bhagavan Buddha.

In Brahma Sutras Sage Sankara says that Brahman is the cause of the world, whereas in Mandukya he denies it. This is because he says that at the lower stage of understanding, the former teaching must be given, for people will get frightened as they cannot understand how the world can be without a cause, but to those in a higher stage, the truth of non-causality can be revealed.

Brahma Sutras, i.e. "Vedanta Sutras" by Badarayana, are intended for those of middling intellects, not for those who have the best brains:  it is a semi-theological, semi-philosophical work; it starts with the assumption that Brahman exists.

The opening sentence is "All this is Brahman." But nobody knows or has seen Brahman.

If one says "All this is gold" and shows a piece of gold, the words are understandable. Suppose one has never seen gold. Then what is the use it becomes meaningless when the object indicated is seen by none.

Hence, the Brahma Sutra opening is equivalent to "All this is Brahman". Both have no meaning so long as they are not understood if we take them as the data to start from. It is for this reason, the Brahma Sutra is intended for theological mindsets because it begins with dogma although its reasoning is close. For it starts with something imagined.

The critics who declare Sage Sankara's philosophy as negative (because of his Neti, Neti) do not know that this is applied only to the witnessed (three states), the critic ignorantly believes that it is also applied to the formless witness (Soul). The seeker should never negate the formless witness(Soul), only the witnessed(I).:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Imparting the Advaitic wisdom to the unprepared mindset would be ‘equivalent to giving sermons to the stone statues.+

Advaita is universal. Advaita is not for sale. Do not buy Advaita from the spiritual supermarket. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the innermost Self. The world in which you exist is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Advaitic wisdom. 

Advaitic truth is very simple, but it is very difficult to realize because you have accumulated mental garbage from different sources in the name of Advaita. Until you discard all the accumulated knowledge you will never be able to realize the Advaitic truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space. 
The Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the 'Self' shines on its own awareness when wisdom dawns. 

The Advaita is the Soul is the cause and the support of all that exists in the world in which we exist. Advaita is the nature of God, the innermost Self. 
The Advaita is present in the form of consciousness. Advaita is the root element of the universe. From the Advaita, the universe comes into existence. In the Advaita, the universe resides. And into the Advaita, the universe is dissolved. The Advaita is the parent of all that is there.

Katha Upanishad says:~ Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. (Ch~ II-5 P-14)

Those who indulge in the perverted argument from their own standpoint and opinion are not seeking the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.  They just want to exhibit their accumulated knowledge accumulated from here and there.  They think what they know is the ultimate truth.

They think whatever they propagate is the ultimate truth. The question never occurs to them, “Is what I know really the truth?:

Those who assert the world is reality are still in the elementary stages of the preliminary analysis. The world is a reality within the waking experience, but the waking experience is merely an illusion. In the same way, the dream world was a reality within the dream experience. The dream became unreal when the waking took place. In the same way, the waking becomes unreal when Advaitic wisdom dawns.
Remember:~ 

When the Self is not you, but the Self is the Soul. The yoga is based on you. You are the false self within the false experience. The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. If the Self is not you then what the use of arguing about yoga is, which is based on the false self (you) within the false experience (waking).

A person, who stamped his foot on the ground to refute to show the world, is real, ignores that in a dream he would do exactly the same--stamp his dream foot on the ground and assert it to be real. 

Imparting the Advaitic wisdom to the unprepared mindset would be ‘equivalent to giving sermons to the stone statues.

Everyone is not ripe enough to understand and assimilate the Nondualistic or Advaitic truth. Some people want to exhibit their intellectual wealth, but it has no value in the pursuit of truth.

The seeker must have enough patience, humility, and an intense urge to know the truth. Arguments and provocation will not yield truth. Perfect understanding of ‘what is what ‘leads to the realization of Nondualistic or Advaitic truth.

As the seekers' understanding of ‘what is what ‘grows, gradually the seeker gets a glimpse of truth. Whatever is based on the waking entity is a falsehood and whatever is based on the formless Soul, the Self is real and eternal. 

Thus, it is necessary for the seeker of truth to make sure the waking entity (ego) is not the Self but the Self is formless Soul in order to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

The seeker has to have an inner urge to know the truth seriousness, patience, and humility in order to reach the ultimate end of understanding. A man of truth will not indulge in an argument he keeps his distance with such a mindset. :~Santthosh Kumaar