In Samadhi the yogi knows nothing, sees no universe; so if there is nothing but blankness.+

Sage Sankara says ~  VC  56. Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by good work, nor by learning, but by the realization of one's identity with Brahman is Liberation possible, and by no other means. 

Brih Upanishad: page 32. "Yoga does not yield truth or liberation."

One who is in Samadhi will not know that this universe as the consciousness; therefore yoga is not the means to Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

 In Samadhi the yogi knows nothing, sees no universe; so if there is nothing but blankness. The blankness is not the Advaitic wisdom.

The yogi does not know the nature of the universe. If the universe is not seen in the Samadhi then there is no need to use the word Atman and Brahman.  The yogi is unaware of the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. 

By shutting his eyes in Samadhi, the yogi does not know the universe, which confronts him. Hence, the universe can't be known as the Soul or the consciousness through yoga.

One is in a non-dual condition in deep sleep or Samadhi, One without a second, true, but he did not know it at the time. He says only in the waking experience afterward. Hence, there must be an inquiry so that you find non-duality whilst you are awake so that you can see nonduality at the time not afterward. Hence, too the need for inquiring into the nature of the universe and knowing it as the Soul or the consciousness whilst one is awake, and not during sleep or Samadhi.

Advaitic truth is the ultimate truth.  Yogis, mystics, and religious teachers do not accept the path of wisdom because it pries into the truth, the source, and the validity of the knowledge they claim. Therefore, it is the most difficult part of the study of Advaita.

That is why Sage Sankara said:~VC-63- Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation. 

The universe in which we exist will not remain as reality when wisdom dawns. The universe is a mere mirage created out of consciousness and there is the conscious awareness of unity in diversity because there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

Lord Krishna confesses that the oldest wisdom of India (Advaitic wisdom) has been lost: people misinterpret and falsify it today as they did then. It is not yoga but the philosophic truth. But nobody knows it. The teachers of philosophy and leaders of mysticism or religion do not want to inquire into the truth and have no time for it. (Gita –Chap- IV-v.2)

In Gita Chap.IV where Lord Krishna says:~ "This yoga has been lost for ages" the word yoga refers to Gnana yoga, not other yogas: the force of the word this is to point this out.

Lord Krishna describes some of the other yogas but devotes this chapter separately to Gnana Yoga. So one sees even in those ancient days people did not care for Advaita; they wanted religion; hence Gnana got lost. That is why Krishna calls it "the supreme secret." Krishna points out that yoga must-see "Brahman in action."

Neither Yogic Samadhi nor bliss nor worldly pleasure should be allowed to draw one away from evenness; for neither can give the ultimate truth or Brahman. When one is distracted by either, either internal or external bliss, it should by effort be drawn back to steadiness, evenness. This state alone yields the ultimate truth or Brahman.  Intellectually knowing the truth is only an imagination, whereas realizing the truth knows it as such.

Yogis assume that thoughtlessness is wisdom. And the Samadhi is the bliss. Bliss is the ultimate experience.

Yogic theories are based on the false self (you) within the dualistic illusion (waking). The ‘Self is not the ‘I’,  but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.   

If the ‘Self’ is not ‘I’  but the formless, timeless and spaceless  Soul, then whatever is experienced on the base of ‘I’ is bound to be a hallucination within the dualistic illusion.

The yogic Samadhi is a reality within the domain of form, time,  and space, but from the standpoint of the Soul, the innermost self, yogic Samadhi is merely an illusion.

The yogi cannot keep out a portion of the consciousness.  It is utterly impossible. It thoughtlessness is not Self-realization.   The thoughts come to the thinker within the illusory dualistic world.   

The thoughts, thinker, and the world in which the thinker exists are created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is the only tool to get rid of ignorance.  Without getting rid of ignorance,  Self-realization is impossible.  Self-realization is possible only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

That is why Sage Sri Sankara, indicated in Bhaja Govindam says: ~ (Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena) ~ One without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.

Yogic Samadhi is an egocentric practice based on the false self within the dualistic world, which is an illusion created out of consciousness.

Buddha gave up yoga after practicing it for six years. He saw it could not yield truth.

Buddha gave up his austerities of yoga as impossible and useless. Thus,  Buddha got enlightenment only after he gave up Yoga. (Page.70/71 "Buddhism In Translation” by Warren)

Unless one exercise his Buddhi--reason--there is no chance of getting the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Buddhism has not proved the truth of Nonduality. Bhagavan Buddha pointed out the unreality of the world, we agree. He told people they were foolish to cling to it. But he stopped there. He came nearest to Vedanta in speech but not to Vedanta fully.

Only when we independently search for the truth without religion and its doctrine then we will be able to realize the truth beyond form, time,  and space. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Religion and yoga and all theories are nothing to do with Advaita.+

There are so many Godmen and Gurus with all their accumulated knowledge who will not get the realization of the Soul, which is the real Self.

Many are good at acrobatics with words, but their knowledge is limited to the physical Self. 

The inner work is in progress in every serious seeker of truth and the realization will happen as his conviction of the Soul, the  'Self' becomes firm.  

Everyone’s individual experiences are not the same.   Some are so much immersed in materiality, religion, and duty-bound towards their family and society, and they do not have an inner urge because they have accepted their present experience of birth, life, death, and the world as a reality. Because of this deep-rooted conviction,     they are not attracted to the path of the Advaitic wisdom. Some are interested intellectually knowing the truth.

Many are interested in arguing on the base of accumulated knowledge, but they do not understand the fact that neither arguing nor provoking wisdom will not dawn. The Path of wisdom does not need any support from any scriptures, philosophy, and words of the great people of the past because the path of wisdom is the path of verification, not the path of argument.  The seeker has to get all his doubts and confusion cleared by discussing.  The seeker should not hold his accumulated knowledge as a yardstick. The ultimate truth or Brahman cannot be compared with any other knowledge because it is not based on form, time, and space.  

The ignorance has to be eradicated to realize the Advaitic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.   Eradication of ignorance is possible only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.   There is no other road to freedom other than  Advaitic Gnana.  There is no other entrance other than Advaitic  Gnana.  The ignorance will vanish only when the Advaitic wisdom dawns.

That is why Sankara, indicated in Bhaja Govindam says:~ (Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena) - one without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.

There it is no use going a roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and the witness of the  ‘I’. The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. The mind is present in the form of the universe appears as the waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep(nonduality).

By tracing the source of the mind, you will be able to realize the source of the mind is the Soul. The Soul is the innermost ‘Self’. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The substance and the witness and the source of the mind are one, in essence.  That essence is consciousness. Thus, the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the ultimate truth or  Brahman.

Self-knowledge is or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana 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 with their accumulated knowledge from different sources,  it becomes impossible to assimilate and realize the  Advaitic truth.

Religion and yoga and all theories are nothing to do with Advaita.  Religion and yoga and all theories are egocentric knowledge based on form, time, and space, whereas the Advaita is based on the Soul which is formless timeless, and spaceless. Mixing religion and yoga with Advaita is like mixing oil and water.  

There is no need to convince anyone other than our own selves to get a firm conviction about the  Advaitic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says: - In that unitive state there is neither father nor mother, neither worlds nor Gods.+

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says: - In that unitive state there is neither father nor mother, neither worlds nor Gods nor even the Scriptures. In that state,  there is neither thief nor slayer, neither low caste nor high, neither monk nor ascetic. The Self is beyond good and evil, beyond all the suffering of the human heart.

Rig Veda: 1.164.46:~    Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti”  "The Reality (Truth) is One:  The Wise Call It by Various Names."

A  Gnani will easily appreciate the high flights of Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is one of the 'most majestic structures and valuable products of the Genius of man in his search for Truth.

In India, people think that religion as a stepping stone to higher truth,  but it is not so because religion is based on the false Self (waking entity or ego) within the false experience (waking or the world).

One must go beyond form, time, and space. The theistic tradition has been kept alive by the orthodoxy. The orthodoxy is the path of ignorance because it is based on ignorance.  The orthodoxy is nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. Thus,  it is not the path of ultimate truth or Brahman. People who are stuck to Orthodoxy never will be able to cross the prison of duality. Without crossing the prison of duality,  Self-awareness is an impossibility.  Thus Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana is necessary to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Each sect concocts a God to suit its own purposes. Such concocted Gods are merely a belief. The belief is not truth but a myth.

Faith in religion weakens as man pays more attention to the facts of life and this world. People, who argue that truth is only in their religion, are vain logicians, depending on mere ideas, imaginations based on inherited samskaras and conditioning.

To know the ultimate truth. There is nothing new to be acquired.  The truth is always there,  but it is hidden by the ‘I’, which is the dualistic illusion. The seeker has to be sharp enough to grasp and understand, assimilate and realize it when told about it. But there is a difference between understanding and realization.

Only mental effort is required for this understanding and assimilation of the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. Once the truth is realized then no special effort is needed to remember the realized truth.

To overcome all your doubt and confusion by the sword of self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The pundits say you should give up your doubts and blindly believe in God and the Saints' words.

 You should keep on thinking and reasoning about your doubts until they are solved, and you should not stop until this point is reached.

When all your doubts are cleared,  that is the doubts on every question. But this happy state could not have been reached if he had not begun by having doubts and asking himself questions and demanding proof.

Ashtavakra Gita (page 224):~  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.

 The Advaitic truth is the ultimate truth.  Yogis, Mystics, and religious teachers do not accept the path of wisdom because it pries into the truth, the source, and the validity of the knowledge they claim. Therefore, it is the most difficult part of the study of nonduality.

Katha Upanisad (1.2.5) says; -"Caught in the grip of ignorance, self-proclaimed experts consider themselves learned authorities. They wander about this world befooled, like the blind leading the blind.":~Santthosh Kumaar 

WHO AM 'I'? inquiry.+

The purpose of the pursuit of truth is to realize the truth. The seeker has to remove all the obstacle which is blocking his realization of the truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space.  

That is why Buddha said: ~ “Believe nothing because a wise man said it, Believe nothing because it is generally held. Believe nothing because it is written. Believe nothing because it is said to be divine. Believe nothing because someone else said it. But believe only what you yourself judge to be true.”

All the penances are external because they are based on individuality.  The Soul, the innermost Self is not an individual because it is formless.  Investigating the mind, alone leads to Self-realization. To know what is mind, profits much rather than searching the truth in the external world moving from one ashram to another and one Guru to another and one mountain to another.

Sage Goudpada: ~ To establish the truth of the  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)

 When one starts investigating the universe that confronts him will mentally move inwards and will reach the ultimate end and become fully aware- “What is the truth?”  and “What is untruth?” in his own home or city and establish in truth by realizing what is the untruth. 

The seeker has to overcome all the doubts and confusion in later stages in ‘Self’-inquiry.  The seeker finds some doubts and confusion, which cannot be overcome if the inquiry is practiced in the present format prescribed in the Self-inquiry book. 

Deeper Self-search reveals the fact that the ‘Self’-inquiry in the present format will yield only half-truth. 

Some of the doubts and confusion in WHO AM I?-teaching:~

 If the mind is the same as Atman (consciousness), how can it vanish--when the mind appears and disappears as Waking or dream?

How can one be certain when one leaves the external world--when the person is within the world?

Why leave the external world when everything is Brahman---when everything is Brahman why create division between the world and its perceiver?

How can the world alone cease to exist if one does not look at it—how can the person remain without the world and where he will exist without the world?

Who has the subtle mind projecting through the brain and senses? How can one see his subtle mind?--when the brain is also a piece of the gross matter? ---then how can the brain come into existence after the world is created if the later depends on the brain.

The heart is the idea created by the mind, how the mind can emerge from it---when the heart disappears along with the mind and reappears along with the mind, how the mind emerges from it.

In deep sleep, swoon, and trance, the mind turns inwards and enjoys its natural state--if so why should one inquire if one gets Atman in sleep. With the drug, one can get sleep and peace or bliss.

If sleep gives Brahman then why trouble with inquiry--better get it through pills. There are many seekers practicing inquiry for many years and waiting for something mystical to happen, why nothing happens, and why their inquiry does not yield fruits.

Since  Sage Ramana Maharishi is not present physically to guide us, the seeker to overcome these obstacles in the path of inquiry on his own. 

I was surprised to know David Godman’s interview with Mr. Sivapraksh Pillai(one of the close aid to Sage Ramana Maharishi) that even after 50 long years he was unable to achieve his goal through inquiry, hats off to his sincere and honest statement. 

In my honest opinion with all the due respect to every soul which was involved in recording and publishing the ‘Self’-inquiry which is a great treasure and which opens the golden gate to the seeker to enter into the spiritual world from the religious world, still, there is lots confusion and doubts which are impossible to get answer the way the inquiry is presented in the books. But one will be able to overcome the same after lots of research. 

It is impossible to do research in the present framework of the ‘Self’-inquiry. Since everyone is waiting for some mystical experience to happen and refuses to verify and accept the truth because of their conservative outlook. 

Even the intellectual- classes who have authored many books are viewed and judged Sage Ramana Maharshi from the mystic point of view were unable to deliver goods due to their inherited religious background. Sage Ramana Maharishi was mystic for the mass, but he was Gnani for the class.

 It also becomes evident that different people who have interviewed Sage Ramana Maharishi at different times had different backgrounds and mindsets. Therefore, it is necessary to bifurcate the religious views of Sage Ramana Maharishi from his spiritual views to get the hidden essence of Sage Ramana Maharishi’s teaching.  The great Sage  Ramana Maharishi has indicated many ways to realize the ‘Self’,  other than WHO AM "I?, therefore it is necessary for the seeker to go beyond  WHO AM 'I'?  inquiry to cross the threshold of dualistic illusion, which is present in the form of the 'I'. 

Sage Raman Maharishi: ~ He placed his right hand on his right breast and continued, "Here lies the Heart, the dynamic, spiritual Heart. It is called Hridaya and is located on the right side of the chest and is clearly visible to the inner eye of an adept on the spiritual path. Through meditation, you can learn to find the Self in the cave of this Heart." ~ Mercedes de Acosta, Here Lies the Heart

Santthosh Kumaar: ~ The spiritual heart is the Soul, the innermost Self, not the physical heart.   The world in which you exist is within the Soul, the spiritual heart. Mistaking the spiritual heart within the body is a great error. Even some Advaitic Guru says that the Self is within the spiritual heart. And the spiritual heart is on the left side.  Such a declaration is merely an imagination, based on the false Self. When the ‘Self’ is bodiless, then the question of the heart being left side or right side does not arise.  

The seeker must realize the Soul, the Self, itself is the spiritual heart.  The Soul the spiritual heart is ever formless. The Soul itself is the spiritual heart that is present in the form of the spirit or consciousness.

Without the form, time, and space, the Soul, the Self, becomes naked. The nature of the Soul, the innermost Self, is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.  

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

 

• Where is the ‘I’? 
• 
  
• 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. The consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

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. 

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. 

• 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 I’ is an illusion then the individual experience of birth, life, 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 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 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 Gurus words. For them, their Gurus 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

The ‘Self’ is not the body.+

Nothing is needed for acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana other than perfect understanding, assimilation, and realization of ‘what is what'. 

The dualistic illusion is present only when form, time, and space are present. The form, time, and space are one, in essence. The ego, body, and the world are one, in essence.   Birth, life, death, and the world are one, in essence. The three states are one, in essence. That essence is consciousness. The thinker thought and the world, are one, in essence.  Thus, there is no division in consciousness in reality. 

The ‘Self’ is not the body.

The ‘Self’ is not within the body.

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.

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 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. 

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. 

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 mindsets are 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

Swami Vivekananda:~ The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods? +

Swami Vivekananda:~ The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods?

Knowing this, stand up and fight! Not one step back that is the idea. ... Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us! Death means only a change of garment. What of it? Thus fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards. ... Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. You have cried to all the Gods in the world. Has misery ceased? The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods? ... The Gods come to help you when you have succeeded. So what is the use? Die game. ... This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself’ to your own mind does not befit you, my Soul. You are infinite, deathless, birthless. Because you are the 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. You are the entire world. Who can help you? ~ Swami Vivekananda  (Delivered In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900) -The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita II

As indicated in ISH Upanishads:~  By worshipping Gods and Goddesses you will go after death to the world of Gods and Goddesses. But will that help you? The time you spent there is wasted because if you were not there you could have spent that time moving forward towards ‘Self’-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of Gods and Goddesses, you cannot do that, and thus you go deeper and deeper into the darkness.

It clearly indicates that:- If the human goal is to acquire ‘Self’-Knowledge then why one has to indulge in rituals and glorifying the conceptual Gods, Goddesses, and gurus to go into deeper darkness. Instead spend that time moving forward towards ‘Self’-knowledge, which is one’s prime goal.   

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

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

Thus, the goal is to realize Atman (consciousness).  If the 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 religion, study scriptures or glorifying 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 arises from consciousness and subsides as consciousness.

Yajurveda says: - If one worships what is not God  

Translation 1.

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

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

Translation 2.

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

Translation 3.

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

So, Yajur Veda indicates that:~

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

Those who worship visible things born of the Prakriti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time.~(Yajur Veda 40:9.)

The Hindus believed in polytheism, believing all of their Gods to be separate individuals, which were introduced much later by the founders of Hinduism which contains diverse beliefs caste and creed.  

 When the religion of the Veda knows no idols then why so many Gods and Goddesses with different forms and name are being propagated as Vedic Gods. Why these conceptual Gods are introduced when the Vedic concept of God is free from form and attributes. 

Vedic Religion was modified and reintroduced with new add-ons by Sage  Sankara a great Advaita  Sage to uplift the Vedic culture, and Santana Dharma,  which was in ruins in the clutches of Buddhism and Jainism.

18 Puranas are introduced in the name of Veda Vyasa by someone else because the Puranic Gods are non-Vedic Gods. Worship of Such Gods barred Vedas.  

As one goes deeper into the annals of history, it indicates the fact that somewhere someone has added the Puranas in the name of Veda Vyasa the grandmaster of Vedas. It is impossible to accept and believe that Veda Vyasa authored and introduced Puranas which have all  non~Vedic  Gods. :~Santthosh Kumaar