The ‘I’ is not the witness. The Soul is the witness.+

How you are able to see various objects, scenes, and persons during dreams? If the dream is experienced without the physical apparatus then what is it that witnesses the dream?  Therefore, there must be an invisible witness of the dream. This witness is the same witness that is witnesses the waking experience as a whole without the physical apparatus. Therefore, the waking experience and dream, both are witnessed by the same witness without the physical apparatus.

 You are unaware of this existence of the formless witness, which is apart from the three states. The world in which you exist is the product of ignorance.  The witness of the coming and going,  of the three states, is not you but the Soul, the Self. the Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

 The world in which you exist appears in the form of the waking experience (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).   

Thus, you are not a witness because you exist within the waking experience. the witness is the Soul, which witnesses the waking experience as the whole, same way as it witnesses the dream as a whole.

The Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness, is hidden within the three states and it is apart from the three states. It is within the three states as their formless substance and it is apart from the three states as their formless witness.  

Only in ignorance, the three states are a reality. In reality, the substance and witness of the three states are one in essence.  That essence is consciousness. Consciousness alone is real and eternal the three states are merely an illusion created out of the consciousness.

Since you consider ‘I’ as the ‘Self’ you are caught up in the web of ignorance.    The ‘I’ is not the witness. The Soul is the witness. The Soul witnesses the coming and going,  of the ‘I’. 

The ‘I’ appears as the waking or the dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality). The ‘I’ is the dualistic illusion which appears and disappears.  The illusion is not permanent but the substance and witness of the illusion, which is the Soul is permanent and eternal.

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

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self.

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.

You are dwelling in darkness, but thinking yourself as wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind.

Swami Vivekananda: This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself to your own mind does not befit you, the Soul. Self is infinite, deathless, and birthless. Because the Self is infinite Spirit, it does not befit you to be a slave. ... Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight! Die if you must. There is none to help you. Self is the entire world. Who can help you? 

People are caught up with the Gurus and their teachings they refuse to verify. They sit glorifying their Gurus thinking their Gurus grace will lead them to the final destination. If you are seeking truth nothing but the truth then you should not stick up to any guru or their teaching.

That is why 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.”

A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed. Only an intense urge to know the truth, humility sincerity, and patience are the only qualifications to realize God in this very life and in this very world.

Drop your entire accumulated knowledge drop all the physical Gurus, the Soul the inner Guru, is waiting for you to take the first step for you to realize there are no more steps.

You will realize your body and your experience of the world are nothing but consciousness thus you will realize the God (Soul) is the fullness of consciousness. 

Everything is God nothing but God. Do not waste time attending sermons and Satsang. Real Satsanga is reflecting on Soul, which is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.  You should not stop seeking until you realize the ultimate truth.

It takes time for the seeker to gain the perfect understanding of ‘what is the truth’ and ‘’what is untruth’.

As you raft upon which you cross the swift river to get to the other side; once you are on the other side of the shore; there is no longer any need to carry the raft. The far shore is the reality when you reach, you can see quite clearly that there was never any river at all.

The inner Guru is guiding you to get rid of ignorance.:~Santthosh Kummar  

Sage Sankara Atman or Brahman cannot be reached by any path other than that of reason.+

In ancient times, the religious Yogic discipline was considered to be a means for Self-realization. But such discipline is almost an impossible task for the modern man to adopt. Day by day people is becoming aware of the fact that religion and yoga are nothing to do with the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

 The modern mindset is pre-eminently scientifically owing to the great progress that science has made. And the best method of freeing the mind from its inaccurate ways of thinking is to imbue it as fully as possible with the scientific spirit. It is therefore only one who possesses a clear knowledge of its methods and results i.e., who can make the reason as the highest means of inquiry that would be fit for Self-knowledge.

Remember:~ 

Vedanta itself admits its highest Truth that is, Atman or Brahman cannot be reached by any path other than that of reason and unless the reason is sharper than the ‘Edge of a razor'.

One may feel satisfied with the religion, theology, or mysticism in which one believes, but they are based on ‘I’ which itself is an illusion. Thus, they are imagined on the base of the false self (ego) and false experience (waking).  

Religion, theology, mystic practice and yoga are not the means to acquire Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  the Absence of the reason is the absence of wisdom. 

The aim of every seeker should be to reach this highest level of Reason, by continued deeper Self-search.

Soul-centric reasoning largely covers the preliminary, indicating directly the way to the final, i.e., the rational means of attaining the goal.

Remember:~ 

 All religious, yogic, and theoretical paths rely on the authority of intuitive Revelation and mystic experiences or the Yogic ecstasy of Samadhi.

The most advanced seekers take the path of reason which helps them unfold the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Some have no patience to pursue till to the end. For such a mindset believe firmly that the highest stage to attain is only the theological based on authority or the mystic based on intuition and not the rational.  The highest order of Reason has to be reached with much patience.

The Soul is realized through soul-centric reasoning.  After this is attained, he realizes the fact that the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all the three states. Thus, all three states are nothing, but the illusion created out of consciousness.

Soulcentric Reason is the highest means of attaining Self- knowledge of Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  

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

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, something which is detrimental to our spiritual progress.

Thus, a 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 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 Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. (3 page70upanhsds by Nikilanada)

It means the ultimate truth is beyond scriptures and egocentric intelligence. Thus, to grasp, assimilate and realize the Advaitic truth the seeker to employ the 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 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). 

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 confusions.

 
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 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 

Where is the ‘I’? Where is the ego? Where is the body? Where is the mind? Where is the world in which you exist? +

If the 'Self' is not ‘I’ but the 'Self' is the Soul then from the standpoint of the Soul, the  Self:~

 
Where is the ‘I’? 

Where is the ego? 

Where is the body? 

Where is the mind?

Where is the world in which you exist?

Where are the form, time, and space? 

Where is the waking experience?

Where is the duality? 

Where is void?

They are or have become one with the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present only when the world is present. The world is present only when there is the waking experience. 

A deeper self-search reveals the fact that the waking experience is not considered different from the world. The world is not considered different from the mind. The mind is not considered different from the’ I’. This truth has to be assimilated. 

The ‘I’ is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. ‘I’ is not the subject. The ‘I’ is an object to the Soul, which is the formless, timeless, and spaceless subject. 

Remember:~ 

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then three states, are bound to be an illusion. 

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the form, time and space are bound to be an illusion. 

If the 'I’ is an illusion then the individual experience of birth, life, and death is bound to be an illusion. 

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the words and thoughts are bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the duality is bound to be an 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 Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

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 as real because some Gurus have propagated the Self is the ‘I’. is no need to convince such a mindset. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth nothing but the truth. 

That is why Sage Sankara says: - VC-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.

People refuse to accept anything other than Their Guru's words. For them, their Guru's words are the ultimate truth. They do not accept anything else other than their accepted truth. There is no need to convince such a mindset. 

Such a mindset is not fit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seekers of truth accept only the truth nothing but the uncontradictable truth. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankara says:~ what is accepted without proper inquiry will not lead a person to the final goal.+

The truth is beyond 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 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, a 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 Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. (3 page70upanhsds by Nikilanada)

It means the ultimate truth is beyond 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 which 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 Sri, 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 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). 

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 confusions.

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 the 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 

It is time to discard the ‘I’. Never use word the ‘I’ or I AM for the Self.+

It is erroneous to identify the Soul the  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 ‘I’ is ignorance. Till one hold the ‘I’ as the Self, it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  Thus,   the seeker has to get rid of the ignorance, which is present in the form of ‘I’, to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

What is this ‘I’?

The ‘I’ is not a thought.  The ‘I’ is the mind. The mind is the whole universe.  The universe appears as waking or dream (duality and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).  The one that appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality) is the Soul, the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states.

Without knowing what is mind, it is impossible to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.  

People think the mind is within the body but deeper self-search reveals the fact that the world in which you exist itself is the mind. When the ‘I’ is there then only the mind is there. If the mind is there then only the universe is there. 

If the universe is there then only the waking is there.  Thus, it is very much necessary to realize the ‘what ‘I’ is in actuality.  Without knowing ‘what is this ‘I’ it is impossible to realize the ‘I-less’ truth, which is beyond the form, time and space.

Till you hold the ‘Self ‘as the ‘I’ you will never be able to get Self-realization.  ‘I’ hides the Soul, which is the Self. ‘

'I’ is ignorance.

‘I’ is the duality.

‘I’ is form, time, and space.

‘I’ is the universe.

‘I’ is the waking.

‘I’ is the dream.

‘I’ is the illusion.

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

But  remember:~

Without the ‘I’ there is no ignorance.

Without the ‘I’ there is no duality.

Without the ‘I’ there is no form, time, and space

Without the ‘I’ there is no universe.

Without the ‘I’ there is no waking.

Without the ‘I’ there is no dream.

Without the ‘I’ there is no illusion.

Without the ‘I’ there is no experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

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)

It is time to discard the ‘I’. Never use the word the ‘I’ or I AM for the Self.   :~Santthosh Kumaar 

All mantras are based on non-Vedic Gods and such mantras based on non-Vedic Gods will not help to get rid of ignorance.+

All mantras are based on non-Vedic Gods. non-Vedic Gods are imaginary Gods based on the false self (ego) within the false experience(dualistic illusion). 

Realizing the real God is real worship. Whatever based on the false God yields no fruits. It is necessary to realize what God supposed to be in actuality. 

God is not physical. God is present in the form of the Spirit. The Spirit is the cause of the world and the Spirit itself is uncaused. 

From the standpoint of the Spirit, the form, time, space and name are merely an illusion. The spirit alone is real and all else is an illusion. In reality, the spirit (God) matter (the world in which we exist) are one. 

The Vedas confirms 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 present 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 says: 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 innermost 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. 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 God s. (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) 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.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV-13:~ ‘As a mass of salt has neither inside nor outside, but is entirely a mass of taste, thus indeed, has that Self neither inside nor outside but is altogether a mass of Knowledge. Just as a lump of salt has inside as well as outside one and the same saltish taste, not any other taste, so also that Brahman (consciousness) has inside as well as outside one and the same intelligence. Inside and outside are mental creations only. When the mind melts in silence, ideas of inside and outside vanish. The sages’ cognizes one illimitable, homogeneous mass of consciousness only.

Causality taught in the Upanishads is only to enable us to understand the supreme truth of no-origination. The world is not different from the consciousness and the consciousness is not different from the Soul, the Self, and the Soul is not different from the ultimate truth or Brahman. That the consciousness appears as the diverse world is only an illusion. If it really became diverse than the immortal would become mortal.

The dualists who seek to prove the origination of the unborn, by that very enterprise try to make the immortal, mortal. Ultimate nature can never change - the immortal can never become mortal and vice versa.

Sage Goudapada quotes from the Upanishads: ~ "There's no plurality here"; "The Soul through its powers appears to be many"; "those who are attached to the creation or production or origination go to utter darkness"; "the unborn is never reborn, for what can produce it?” 

Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”. 

Rig Veda declares God is ‘ONE’ and God is Atman, then why believe and worship in place of real God. 

Brihad Upanishad: ~ “If you think there is another entity, whether man or God there is no truth." 

When Upanishad itself declares: ~ Sarvam khalvidam brahma ~ All this (universe) is verily Brahman. By following back all of the relative appearances in the world, we eventually return to that from which it is all manifest – the nondual reality (Chandogya Upanishad). 

All the mantras and rituals based on the religious Gods are meant for the ignorant populace, which strongly believes, the world in which he exists as a reality. 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 the form, time, and space. 

That is why Sage Sankara VC~.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?

VC- v6~ 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 

Sage Sankara goes on to say: ~ 'A sickness is 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 perverted arguments.

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)."

Thus, truth realization is Self-realization. Self-realization is God-realization.  God-realization itself is real worship. :~Santthosh Kumaar