It really depends on his inborn natural capacity of the seeker to understand and assimilate Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom.+

Religious Scholars or pundits believed it is enough to read, to accumulate knowledge from books. They think they have mastered Vedas and Upanishads and the other scriptures, and they looked upon other people as ignorant, as illiterate people who are not studied Vedas and Upanishads.  

In one sense, you can say   Gnani is illiterate because his Gnana is nothing to do with scriptural mastery. If you consider a scholar as literate, as a well-educated man, then a Gnani is definitely illiterate.

But of what value is the scholar’s accumulated knowledge? A scholar will go on and on about the immortality of the Soul but when death approaches you will find him trembling and weeping and wailing. All this talk of immortality will crumble into nothingness because he has not known it.

The garbage of religious beliefs dogmas superstitions is confounded with the human imagination. The great reality of the glory of the religious Gods is hyped and obscured by so much tinsel and commercialism.

Spirituality is not theology.  Advaita is not a philosophy, but Advaita is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God. Advaita is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana or knowledge of the Spirit or God in truth.

The word “Advaita” is one without the second.  Advaita essentially refers to the Atman and the whole existence. Advaita is the fullness of consciousness without the division of form, time, and space.

Remember:~

Theology is nothing to do with spirituality. Advaita is pure spirituality. The theological Advaita is nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom, which is based on the Spirit the Atman. 

Theological Advaita is conceptual having its own doctrine is nothing to do with the Gnanic Advaita because Gnanic Advaita is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Both approaches are not workable together because the theological Advaita is based on the birth entity (ego)   Gnanic Advaita is based on the Atman (Soul). Thus, the theological Advaita has to be discarded without mercy to get Advaitic Gnana.   

“Advaita” is a term used variously to express the unity of reality.  Advaita is unity in diversity.  

The seeker has to begin by defining "What is real?" "What is unreal?   to establish in Advaitic reality by sheer reasoning alone.   The reasoning is the right way to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. People must first know what is the truth. and what is untruth’.  

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is not teaching but universal wisdom. Advaitic wisdom is neither a teaching nor a theory, but it is mere guidance to those who are seriously seeking the ultimate truth or Brahman. Grasp the ultimate truth anytime, at any age, if the seeker has the spiritual maturity and capacity to grasp it. 

Sage Sankara says: ~ VC-47   All the effects of ignorance, root, and branch, are burnt down by the fire of knowledge, which arises from discrimination between these two—the Self and the not-Self.

It really depends on the inborn natural capacity of the seeker to understand and assimilate Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom.   Sage Sankara’s wisdom is a Self-examiner, to test oneself to discover how near to Gnana he has approached and what progress has already been made on the path, and what still remains to be done.  It sets up a criterion for Self-judgement.   There are millions in search of truth, but one in million will be able to grasp it.

Without Sage Sankara, there is no Advaita (nonduality).  Since it was mixed up with orthodoxy there is a lot of confusion. I am highlighting all the obstacles, which is blocking one from realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman. There are so many non-dualistic masters of the east and also from the west who expound Advaitic or non-dualistic knowledge, but none of them are helpful to reach the ultimate end.

One has to know and realize his innermost Self is the Soul and identify it as his true identity to find liberation from the bondage of the illusion of birth, life, death, and the world(duality).   The goal of our life is to find and realize our identity with our Soul, which is the real Self. 

Sage Sankara said:~ Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way.(1) Vivekachoodamani v 56, pg. 25

To come to a more precise understanding of what non-duality is or might mean, we must return to the original linguistic and philosophic backgrounds from which the word has been translated into English.

 If we limit a probe of the meaning of non-duality to Hindu Sanskrit literature, we find that the most frequently used term is “Advaita.

Advaita” is not a religious concept.  Advaita is the nature of the existence hidden by form, time, and space.   The seeker has to attempt to rule out from the start a false understanding of reality by a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’.

The Advaita is hidden by the dvaita. Advaita is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Dvaita is the universe.

Advaita is basically a denial; it is literally the negation of the dvaita.  That means whatever remains by negating the universe by realizing the universe is created out of single clay and that clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  Consciousness is the cause of the universe and it, itself is uncaused. 

Remember:~

Sage Sankara strongly advocated the study of Upanishads, and at the same time cautioned that the study of Upanishads alone would not lead to moksha. In matters of such as spiritual attainment, one’s own realization was the sole authority and it cannot be disputed

Sage Sankara also said the study of Upanishad was neither indispensable nor a necessary prerequisite for attaining the human goal, the moksha.

Sage Sankara pointed out; that even those who were outside the Upanishad fold were as eligible to moksha as those within the fold were. He declared that all beings are Brahman, and therefore the question of discrimination did not arise. All that one was required to do was to get rid of ignorance (Avidya or duality).

Remember:~

That is why 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.

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.

63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.

64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneself of the splendor of the entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an emperor by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.

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.

66. Therefore, the wise should, as in the case of disease and the like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and deaths.

Then there is no need for the scriptures, religion, and idea of God. One has to be more rational to realize the Advaitic truth, which is the ultimate truth or scientific truth.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

The religious rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for the higher knowledge or wisdom.+

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~ "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from him does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". (1. 4. 10)

Religious Gods are based on blind belief. Belief is not God.  Religious God cannot be considered as the center because the Soul, the innermost ‘Self’ is the center of all that exists. Without the Soul the world in which you exist ceases to exist, it means the religious God is dependent on the Soul for his existence. God in truth is only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Even The Bhagavad Gita says: ~ 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. 

No mantras help to get rid of ignorance. All the mantras and worships are based on the belief of the non-Vedic personal Gods.  Non-Vedic gods are not God in actuality.

All the mantras and rituals 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 form, time, and space.

The rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for higher knowledge or wisdom.   Advaitic wisdom is the only means.

Ish Upanishad declares ~ “Those people who have neglected the attainment of “Self’ -knowledge and have thus committed suicide (10/11/12).

People who are incapable of inquiring and reason are tending to follow some philosophy without verification. Therefore, the more ignorant they are easier to get them into a religious fold. Religion is so strong and popular because it makes no demand on the most intelligent; it simply requires belief in Guru and his teachings.

It never strikes believers to doubt whether his inherited belief system is true. They never use their reason because they start and conclude that their belief system alone is true because they never question the validity of their inherited beliefs. 

For religion, one can interpret texts as he likes, in whatever way that pleases him, he simply imagine away.  The idea of god injected in the past and inherited by people and they refuse to verify the facts because they think it blasphemy even to question their inherited belief system. 

In pursuit of truth, the ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed. Pundits who take the scriptures for granted are not Gnanis.

Remember:~

Pundits teach that all is yourself’, but none of them can show that this is so, none has analyzed it scientifically, and none can prove it. The rational proof is needed so that one arrives at knowing truth i.e. wisdom; punditry is mere dogma, parrotism,  a repetition of what they read in scripture. The scripters are not yardstick and the scriptural truth is not proof.   Pundits take scripters as an authority.   Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

Pundits have to test truth in this world, not in the next world.  There is no proof other than blind belief based on the scriptures, belief is not the truth.  So, doctrines are not the means to realize the ultimate truth. There is no need to follow them.

Sage Goudpada says ~ “The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect while jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

So, he clearly indicates rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for higher knowledge or wisdom.   The path of wisdom is the only means. Thus, it proves that the Advaitic orthodoxy is not the means to acquire “Self’ -knowledge it is meant for lower and middling intellect.

All the orthodox Advaitins indulge and immerse themselves in the ritualistic oriented lifestyle and follow the path of karma and Upasana which is meant for lower and middling intellect and not for realizing the Advaitic truth.  Many chose these orthodox scholars as their Gurus. But these Gurus are good to learn the conceptual Advaita meant for those Orthodox who believe their conduct-oriented lifestyle leads to Moksha (liberation).   

Orthodox Advaita is not the means to acquire “Self’ - Knowledge.  Those who are seeking the truth have to do their own homework without scriptures in order to acquire “Self’ -knowledge OR Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Sages of truth restrained themselves parting the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana to the mass and it was given only selected a few.   It was hidden from the populace who were not qualified and receptive to it. 

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana was not written down but was imparted orally to the chosen few.  Thus, religion was given to the mass and knowledge of the spirit is given only selected a few.  Thus, we find traces of the knowledge of spirit in religious books in the form of parables.

Remember: ~

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)

**

Physical & mental discipline such as Karma, Mantra Yoga, and Yajna, Puja Japa Blind devotion to deity or Guru is not the tool for liberation or freedom from experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality. It is a dualistic cult including Advaitic orthodoxy propagates these disciplines. Such disciplines and code of conduct have no value if one is seeking ultimate truth or Brahman to get Nondualistic Self -awareness. 

Mysticism, scriptural knowledge, penance based Scholasticism are the great hindrance to ‘Self –realization’. Inherited blind belief with corresponding actions based on scriptures, worship, ritual faith that imply certain mental and physical discipline, or scripture supporting the belief, faith, creed, ritual, theological knowledge personal or opinion leads to hallucinated knowledge. All these become a great hindrance to grasping, understanding, assimilating and realizing the Advaitic or nondual truth.

Scriptural mastery including ancient Sastras, Tarka, and Samkhya disciplines to support Karmas & belief Bhakti Argument & interpretation with the help of logic, grammar, etc.

to support beliefs, revelations, prayers, etc. In addition, dogmas, theological or other based on authorities.

That is why Sage Sankara said: -Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way. (1) Vivekachoodamani v 56, pg~25

Sage Sankara says:~ The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.-Adhyasa Bhashya 

Sage Sankara:~ (11) As regards the rituals, Sage Sankara says, the person who performs rituals and aspires for rewards will view himself in terms of the caste into which he is born, his age, the stage of his life, his standing in society, etc. In addition, he is required to perform rituals all through his life. However, the 'Self' has none of those attributes or tags. Hence, the person who superimposes all those attributes on the changeless, eternal Self and identifies Self with the body is 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.

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 

Sage Sankara: ~ Atman, the Self is verily Brahman (God), being equanimous, quiescent, and by nature absolute Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss. Atman is not the body which is non-existence itself. This is called true Knowledge by the wise.

Everyone’s inner work is on. The Soul is the Self. The Soul the inner Guru guides us all till we get the stillness of its Advaitic true nature. It is the Soul that is in ignorance it is the Soul that has to wakes from the sleep of ignorance. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

Second-hand knowledge of the Self-gathered from books or Gurus can never emancipate a man until its truth is rightly investigated and applied.+

Tripura Rahasya: ~ Second-hand knowledge of the Self-gathered from books or Gurus can never emancipate a man until its truth is rightly investigated and applied; only direct realization will do that. Realize yourself, turning the mind inward. (18: 89) 

Sages of truth restrained themselves parting the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana to the mass and it was given only selected a few.   It was hidden from the populace who were not qualified and receptive to it. 

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana was not written down but was imparted orally to the chosen few.  Thus, religion was given to the mass, and knowledge of the spirit is given only selected a few.  Thus, we find traces of the knowledge of the Spirit in religious books in the form of parables.

Most people are still in a primitive stage of mentality. They talk of a Soul leaving the body at the death when a civilized man knows that nobody has ever seen this Soul. Experience shows that God has been unable to do anything for anyone either as individuals or for the world. In the olden days, men were primitive in their thought so that a man having little knowledge was considered a genius. 

Remember:~

Katha Upanishad: ~ This Atman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, nor by much hearing of sacred books. 

Nowadays our knowledge is so advanced that the genius of those days would be an ordinary man of today. Therefore, if one finds the truth, free his Self’  from the tyranny of environment and tradition, not by condemning them, but by examining and testing them by deeper inquiry, analysis, and reasoning to find out whether they be true or not. Accept nothing on the authority of a god-man or genius of the past or present,  but only if it proves true after the examination. 

The people with the same mindset are always willing to examine the facts and judge them calmly whereas the religious scholars and intellectuals will be immune to all facts and hold hard to their delusions. Such people do not want the truth,  but only what pleases them. This is because the ego in them is so strong.  Their attitude is “What pleases them is the truth, what they dislike is false. 

The worship or glorifying Gurus does not free one from ignorance. The rewards are none of them, the reward achieved in their lives are of consequence and not the result of worshiping and glorifying the Gurus. 

People always need some sort of hope when they have not realized the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.    The 'Self’ is closer to man than his own veins." "With the “Self’ – Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, one will begin to know the ultimate truth, so as to finally realize the fact that, the “Self’ is not physical and becomes conscious that the true “Self’ is the Spirit."

Most people lack the patience and perseverance in investigating and collecting all the data before judging: hence they assume Gurus are Godmen are great because other people say so, or that he is wise because he, himself’ says so, or that what he teaches is true because it attracts them. Such an attitude and easy assumptions become an obstacle to fold the truth and it requires some trouble to put into effect. 

Religious pundits say the scriptures are incapable of making a mistake, but the Sages of the truth of truth scriptures are considered as only the book of words. 

Sage Sankara:~  "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?

However many books you read. However many gurus you follow, However, many Gods you worship what good will they do you if you do not realize the fact that the ‘Self is not you but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

You have to drop all your accumulated knowledge accumulated from different sources as inadequate and useless. You will realize the truth hidden by ignorance only after you drop your accumulated knowledge, which is blocking your realization of the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Remember:~

The Advaitic truth has to be proved not assumed. The gurus of the east and west have not proved the   Sage Sankara’s Advaitic truth because their knowledge of Advaita is based on the dualistic perspective.  Seekers of truth have to realize how this practical life within the practical world is unreal. And on ‘what standpoint it is unreal.

It is foolish to cling to the unreality because the reality is hidden by the unreality.  The people have stuck by the reality of the world and they stop there.

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

Unless you exercise your reason (Buddhi) -there is no chance of getting the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

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.

 It is impossible to see if the scripture-writers thoughts are founded in fact or not. All concept of the heavens/paradise is imagined and physically-based (‘I’).  Where obedience to authority leads to the loss of one is thinking power, it is being overdone and harmful. Thinking must be combined with obedience. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Ishopanishad:~ "They are steeped in ignorance and sunk into the greatest depth of misery who worships the matter, instead of the All-Pervading God. +

Know God in truth

Religious Gods are based on blind belief. Belief is not God.  Religious God cannot be considered as the center because the Soul the ‘Self’ is the center of all that exists. Without the Soul the world in which you exist ceases to exist, which means the religious God is dependent on the Soul for his existence. God in truth is only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

The Soul is the  Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.  The Soul is the cause of the universe and it itself is uncaused.  The Soul is the ultimate truth or Brahman. Brahman is God in truth.

The universe hides God in truth in waking (duality) and God in truth hides the universe in deep sleep (nonduality).

God in truth is the Soul or Atman, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Advaita means the Soul, the innermost Self, which is the best. The Soul, which is present in the form of the Spirit or the consciousness, is the ultimate truth, Brahman, or God. Advaita is the nature of God, the innermost Self. Advaita is God. Advaita is the fullness of consciousness.

Vedas and Upanishads confirm Atma is God in truth.  

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.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul or Spirit) is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman, the Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

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

Upanishads say in effect that ~ Of you believe that the Soul is one and God (Brahman) is another you cannot understand Truth.

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

Ish Upanishads:~

MANTRA 10

Vidya and Avidya both are hindrances to Self-knowledge, but Vidya is even worse than Avidya. The word Vidya is used here in a special sense; here it means worshipping Gods and Goddesses. 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 darkness.

Avidya is Karma and, therefore,  a hindrance. You perform Avidya ~ i.e., you perform Agnihotra and other sacrifices. This is a roundabout way of purifying the mind, and it is also groping in the dark. But it may not have as heavy a toll on your time and energy as the other.

Ishopanishad:~  "They are steeped in ignorance and sunk into the greatest depth of misery who worships the matter, instead of the All-Pervading God and those who worship things born of matter like trees, animals, man, etc. are sunk deeper in misery."

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad declares: "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from him does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". (1. 4. 10)

When Upanishads itself says they are steeped in ignorance and sunk into the greatest depth of misery who worships the matter, instead of the All-Pervading God(Atman)  and those who worship things born of matter (illusion)  are sunk deeper in misery then why worship God in place of the real God., which is Ataman.

The dualistic worship of personal “Gods” is only for the ignorant populace. The God in truth is only Atman, the Self.   In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

The Vedas confirm God is Atman (Spirit), the Self.

Rig Veda: ~ 'Prajnanam Brahma'- Consciousness (Spirit) is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.

Do not accept any other God other than the Soul. The Soul is God in truth,  Nothing is real but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Nothing matters but realize  God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

God in truth is hidden by the illusory universe. God in truth alone is real and eternal and all else is an illusion.

Brahman is merely a word to indicate the ultimate truth of God in truth.  The ultimate truth itself is God in truth. 

How can you worship God? That implies two ~ the worshipper and the worshipped, 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.

Why worship and glorify the Gurus and Yogis (human form)   in place of God when Veda bars such activities and it also warns people who indulge in such activities 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

Vedas bars human worship: ~

Translation:~ "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 prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, 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.)

Sage Sankara says: 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. 

Remember 

Bhagavad Gita says: ~ “Brahmano hi pratisthaham - Brahman (God) is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material (Gita 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 other than consciousness a God.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter: ~ “All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse)

Vedas, Upanishad, and Bhagvad Gita Bible confirm the Soul, the innermost Self, which is the present in the form of the Spirit or the consciousness is God.

It is for every seeker who is seeking truth must first know what God is supposed to be in actuality according to Vedas and Upanishads and reject all non-Vedic Gods to realize the Atman is real God.  

The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth of Brahman or God.

All those whose intelligence has been stolen by ignorance believe God as an individual and separate from their own existence.

Sage Sankara says: ~ “Brahman (Soul) is the truth The World is Unreal everything is Truly Brahman (Soul) and nothing else has any value.

God is universal because God is impersonal. God does not belong to any religion because religious Gods are personal.

How can you see God without knowing what God is in actuality?  When the ‘Self not you how can you find God within you? God is not within you. Those who say God is within you just propagating half-baked knowledge.

First, realize the ‘Self is not within you. You are bound by the experience of birth, life, death, and the world whereas the ‘Self is birthless and deathless because it is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

The Soul is the innermost Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The consciousness is the cause of the world in which you exist and it itself is uncaused.  The consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

From the standpoint of the Soul, the innermost Self the world in which you exist is merely an illusion.  Thus, the world in which exists hides the Soul, which is God in truth. 

Till you think the ‘Soul, the innermost Self’ is within you, you will never be able to realize God. God is not limited to you but it pervades in everything and everywhere in the world in which you exist.

Bhagavad Gita says: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham Brahman (God) is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material (Gita 14.27)

If God is the formless Spirit, then how does man know God created the world? There is no proof. If man had seen God creating the world, he could admit it, but how could he have seen God before he came into existence? (i.e. were created).

The Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the Soul, the innermost Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. From the Spirit, the universe comes into existence. In the Spirit, the universe resides. And into the Spirit, the universe is dissolved. The Spirit is the parent of all that is there is. 

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

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object as it is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other beside it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described because the description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not a distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman of Sage  Sankara is impersonal.

The God you see and meet and in your vision is not God in truth but a hallucination.

How can you see and meet God without knowing what God is in actuality? Praying and meditating on God without knowing what God really is, leads to hallucination.    The world in which you exist hides God in truth. Thus, Self-realization is necessary to realize ‘what God is in actuality.

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

Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme ‘Self’ in i.e. Atman or Soul. Vedas indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imagination based on the false ‘Self’.

God is neither personal nor impersonal because God is not dualistic. God is ever free from the dualistic limitation of form, time, and space.

From God's perspective, form, time, and space are non-existent as reality. 

If the form, time, and space are non-existent then the ‘I’ is non-existent

If the ‘I’ is non-existence then the mind is non-existent

If the mind is non-existent then the universe is non-existent

If the universe is non-existent then the waking is non-existence

If the waking is non-existent then God alone is real and eternal.

God is hidden by the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is the dualistic illusion. You are part and parcel of the dualistic illusion. 

The Soul is the cause of the dualistic illusion but the Soul itself is uncaused. The dualistic illusion is present in the form of form, time, and space. The form, time, and space are present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).

Your existence is limited to the illusory form, time, and space. The form, time, and space are made of the same clay. That clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Knowledge of the single clay is Self –knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Self–knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana helps the seeker to unfold the truth (God) hidden by the ‘I’, which is the dualistic illusion.

You have to draw your attention back every time it turns worldliness (I) and fix it in the Soul the Brahman or God in truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar