The Human goal is to realize Atman as God. Atman is present in the form of the consciousness as Self.+

The Vedic God is said, in the Vedas and Upanishads manifestations of Brahman (consciousness). For this reason, "ekam sat" (all is one), and all is Brahman (consciousness).

Rig Veda: ~ 'Prajnanam Brahma'- Consciousness 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 or God in truth.  The ultimate truth itself is God in truth. 

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) 

Bible says: ~ “God is a Spirit, and they that worship God  must worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24)”, 

The Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the Soul, the 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. 

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

There is a clear-cut idea of God in the Vedas, Upanishad,  and Bhagavad Gita. And also, there is a clear-cut idea of what not to worship as God in place of real God. 

That is why 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.

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. 

The Human goal is to realize Atmanas God. Atman is present in the form of consciousness as Self.  If Atman or the consciousness is nothing but Brahman and by realizing Atman (consciousness) as Brahman or ultimate truth is truth- realization or Self-Realization, then there is no need to follow the religion, study scriptures or glorify 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.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ The Self is indeed Brahman, but through ignorance, people identify it with intellect, mind, senses, passions, and the elements of earth, water, air, space, and fire. This is why the Self is said to consist of this and that and appears to be everything. 

Yajurveda says if one worships 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 in 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 Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshiped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers of Buddhism and Jains.  There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme Self i.e. Atman or Soul but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.

That is why 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

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 names are being propagated as Vedic Gods. Why these conceptual Gods are introduced when the Vedic concept of God is free from form and attributes.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Realize the fact that ‘I’ is the cause of ignorance. Therefore, getting rid of the ‘I’ is getting rid of the ignorance.+

Chandogya Upanishad:~ One who meditates upon and realizes the 'Self' discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantrams and meditation--all come from the Self. 

To know this simple truth is very difficult because people are intoxicated in the prison of dualistic illusion. This intoxicating stuff is ‘I’. ‘I’ intoxicate 5000 times more than LSD or any other intoxicating stuff.  

To realize ‘what is Gnana (Advaitic wisdom) one must realize ‘what is Ajnana (ignorance). Without realizing what is Agana, it is impossible to realize ‘what is Gnana.

A deeper self-search reveals the fact that the ‘I’ itself is Agnana (ignorance). 

If the ‘I’ is ignorance then the mind also is ignorance. 

If the mind is ignorance then the universe also is a state of ignorance. 

If the universe is ignorance then waking also is the state of ignorance.  

If the waking is ignorance then the individual experience of birth, life, death, and the world also is the state of ignorance. 

If the individual experience of birth, life, death, and the world is a state of ignorance then the duality also is a state of ignorance. 

Realize the fact that ‘I’ is the cause of ignorance. Therefore, getting rid of the ‘I’ is getting rid of ignorance. 

Without realizing what is this ‘I’ it is impossible to get rid of ignorance without getting rid of the ignorance Advaitic wisdom will not Dwan.  

Remember:~

What is Advaitic Gnana? Advaitic Gnana is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

Advaitic Gnana is knowledgeable of the single stuff. The stuff is consciousness. The consciousness is only one. One becomes many and many become One. That is the Soul (Self) becomes the mind (universe) and the mind becomes the Soul.   

The universe is present in the form of matter and the Soul is present in the form of the Spirit. The Spirit becomes the matter and matter becomes the Spirit. The matter and the Spirit are one in essence. The matter is unreal and impermanent.  

The Spirit (consciousness) is real and permanent. There is no second thing other than the Spirit. The Spirit is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.  

The Spirit (Soul or consciousness) is the Self. Therefore, The Soul, the Self is Brahman or God in truth. 

Sage Sankara says:~ Atman is Brahman. The Atman alone is real is not religious truth. Sage Sankara declared this Advaitic truth, which is the ultimate truth to the whole world, many centuries back is the rational truth, scientific truth, and ultimate truth. 

Thus, the Soul ( Atman ) which is present in the form of the consciousness is real and eternal, the world in which we exist is merely an illusion.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory.+

If he remains inactive like the yogi in a cave can never realize the ultimate truth of Brahman.

The true meaning of "kill doubt" is not to refrain from inquiry as Pundits, yogis and religionists say, but to tackle every doubt and to go on until you answer or solve it satisfactorily and thus the doubt disappears.

Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to fight is misrepresented by half-Vedantins as an order to kill other human beings, because they are mere Ideas, Illusory, whereas whole Vedanta says these ideas too are Brahman, and the Self and hence no killing really occurs. Only when you see all individuals, especially the Self as imagined ideas, can you rise to see them later as Brahman? Thus, there are two stages. You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory. ~ CH.2 v.16

Bhagvad Gita gives dualistic worship of "God” only for the lower minds; it also teaches Advaita for the more evolved.

Likewise, thinkers and poets of the Age of Devotion (Bhakti) of the 16th century believed in a God with attributes who became very tangible when incarnating as Avatar and was attainable simply through love and devotion rather than scholastic and intellectual meditation.

For the religious people, the Bhagvad Gita became the main vehicle of inspiration with its qualified and deistic Monism, rather than the scholastic and esoteric path shown by Sage Sankara’s Advaitic path.

Devotional prayer (Bhakti) is valued only for the ignorant who believe the world in which they are born is real. But for the seeker on his journey to the ultimate realization of the truth beyond the form, time, and space, the devotional path becomes an obstacle.

People worship God in various ways, not knowing the Truth. At different levels, at different epochs, in different lands, people have different conceptions of God. They have quarreled because they did not know the truth about God.

The conflict of opinions among mystics and religionists proves that all are imagining God as they like, not knowing God.

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)

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 non-dual reality (Chandogya Upanishad). 

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God) 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.

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  (Godin truth)."

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

Without realizing what is this ‘I’ supposed to be in actuality you will never be able to get rid of the ignorance.+

By just thinking that you are this or that the ignorance will not vanish.  When the ‘Self ‘ is not you but you are the birth entity then what is the use of saying I AM THIS or ‘I AM THAT’.

If you get stuck to the idea of saying ‘I AM THIS’ or ‘I AM THAT’ without realizing what is this ‘I’ supposed to be in actuality then you will never be able to get rid of the ignorance. 

The seeker has to come out of his mental junkyard of accumulated knowledge by realizing the ‘I’ based teachings will not help him to unfold the mystery of the ‘I’.

There is nothing that exists prior to consciousness. The ‘I’ cease to exist without consciousness. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

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

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.

The consciousness is ever-present. Without consciousness, the world, in which you exist ceases to exist. Consciousness is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny consciousness because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. Consciousness is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. Consciousness is everything. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

Remember:~ 

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  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, 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 it 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

If you are seeking the truth, there is no need to discuss no need to argue. Read and think and reason deeply the truth will start revealing on its own.+

From the standpoint of the formless Soul, the ‘Self’:~  

There is nothing to accept

Nothing to reject

Nothing to hold on to

Nothing to let go of

Nothing to grasp

Nothing to spurn

Nothing to embrace

Nothing to relinquish

Nothing to dissolve.

This is the  Advaitic truth. 

The seeker has to make sure his views and judgment based on the ego will not yield truth hidden by the ‘I’, which is the dualistic illusion.  The seeker has to learn to view and judge the worldview on the standpoint of the Soul, the ‘Self’ then only he will be able to unfold the mystery hidden by the dualistic illusion(universe) 

What is there to discuss and argue and exchange opinions? If one is seeking truth there is no need to discuss no need to argue but read and think and reason deeply the truth will start revealing on its own. Be an independent thinker. Do not accept anything without verification the seeker should not argue and waste his time. The argument will not yield truth. 

Only the intellectuals argue to exhibit their intellectual wealth. The intellectual argument is based on ego. The egocentric intellectuality is limited to form, time, and space. The truth you are seeking is based on the Soul. The Soul is beyond form, time, and space. Thus, what is the use of egocentric argument in the soulcentric discussion? 

That is why Bhagavan 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 judge to be true

Wisdom consists in knowing the truth, that everything (mind or physical existence) is consciousness. The freedom (ultimate truth) is always there yet one does not know it. But to those whose reason is turned away from physicality and who have attained the serenity of the Soul or the consciousness, the innermost Self, is quite near to realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

Ashtavakra: ~ Diamonds are not many; only pebbles and rocks are so common. A single diamond is enough. 

Intellectuals argue, if everything is the consciousness, how can one give up anything? Can you give up anything? These types of questions are speculation based on the waking entity (ego), which is the false self within the false experience. Without knowing the ‘Self is not the form but the ‘Self’ is formless it is impossible to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space. 

All their speculation is limited to the domain of the form, time, and space whereas the truth is beyond the form, time, and space. They are incapable of understanding and assimilating truth, which is the ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. they refuse to verify and they want the truth on their own terms.

Agreeing and disagreeing is nothing to do with the Soul, the Self. Agreeing and disagreeing are possible from the dualistic perspective.

Self-knowledge will not arise from the exchange of views and opinions and arguments. The accumulated knowledge is not a yardstick, to realize the truth beyond the form of time and space.

The words that mean different things to different people take it or leave it, it matters not to me. It is what's behind the words, between the lines that matter. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is meant for the class, not for the mass. Advaitic path is not suited for those who indulge in an unnecessary argument from their own standpoint and indulge in the provocation. 

In the path of wisdom discussion of the unimportant subject matter is a great hindrance. The path of truth is the path of verification. Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verification. Agreeing to disagree causes unnecessary friction.

Remember:~ 

Sharing is giving info for the sake of goodness. As with all things, achieving a balance of peaceful communications is established with respect, humility, understanding, and patience. Balancing an achievement is harder.

The seeker has to stop passing unimportant opinions in this Atmic path. Atmic path is not the path of discussion, but the path of realization of the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

The Seeker has to think deeply instead of passing an opinion on his own point standpoint and he has to drop the judgmental attitude, which bars the realization of the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

Intellectual discussion is a great hindrance in the pursuit of truth because intellectual knowledge is limited to the domain of form, time, and space.

There is no fear of losing anything because only ignorance vanishes and one becomes fully aware of ‘what is real and ‘what is unreal’ in the midst of the unreal waking experience.

This will ensure that one has reached the right path of progress and will eventually get the knowledge of the Self. A true seeker should seek only truth, nothing but the truth. His sincerity and urge to know the truth will lead him, not his mental decisions.

The seeker should be aware of everything untrue and stick to the truth hidden by the untruth.

Advaitic wisdom consists in knowing the truth, that everything (mind or physical existence) is consciousness. Freedom (truth) is always there yet one does not know it.  But to those whose reason is turned away from physicality and who have attained the serenity of the Soul, the Self (consciousness) is quite near to the ultimate truth. 

There are two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the most advanced seeker who seeks to know the truth beyond the form, time, and space. The Bhagavad Gita is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. The Ashtavakra Gita, with its emphasis on the Advaitic wisdom, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

What is the use of arguing on the base of the birth entity, which is not the Self?

What is the use of knowing what happens after death when the Self is birthless? 

What is the use of thinking of heaven and hell when the ‘Self ‘is not an individual and it is never born and never dies? 

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

What is there to discuss and argue and exchange opinions?  If you are seeking the truth, there is no need to discuss no need to argue.   Read and think and reason deeply the truth will start revealing on its own.  

Be an independent thinker. Do not accept anything without verification the seeker should not argue and waste his time. The argument will not yield truth. Only intellectuals argue to exhibit their intellectual wealth.  

The intellectual argument is based on ego. The ego-based intellectuality is limited to form, time, and space.  The truth you are seeking is based on the Soul. The Soul is beyond form, time, and space.  Thus, what is the use of egocentric argument in the soulcentric discussion?

Intellectuals argue, if everything is the consciousness, how can one give up anything?  Can you give up anything?  These types of questions are speculation based on the waking entity (ego), which is the false self within the false experience. Without knowing the ‘Self is not the form but the ‘Self’ is formless it is impossible to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

All their speculation is limited to the domain of the form, time, and space whereas the truth is beyond the form, time, and space.    They are incapable of understanding and assimilating truth, which is the ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.  they refuse to verify and they want the truth on their own terms.

Remember 

If you keep on reading my posts and blogs old as well as new, all your doubts and confusion will vanish.

It takes time for the seeker to gain the perfect understanding of ‘what is the truth’ and ‘’what is untruth’. It takes time for the Soul, the innermost Self to wake up from the sleep of ignorance, and it takes time for one realizes the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

The body, the ego, and the world together are the mind. If the mind is there then only the body, the ego, and the world are present. The body, the ego, and the world appear together and disappear together. That is the mind that is present in the form of the ‘I’ appears and disappears. 

The one which witnesses the coming and going, of the ‘I’ (mind), is the Soul, the  Self. From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self the mind (the universe in which we exist) is non-existent as a reality.

The mind cannot be purified because the mind itself is an illusion. Till one thinks the mind is within the body, he will not be able to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, because the body and the world are within the mind. And the mind is within the Soul.

Ignorance is the cause of duality. The duality is the cause of the illusion (Maya). The illusion is the cause of experiencing birth, life, death, and the world as a reality.

Self-knowledge leads to Self-awareness. The quest for truth is not the quest for acquiring the dualistic truth within the world. The seeker must have an intense urge to realize the truth which is beyond the form, time, and space.

The dualistic knowledge hides the truth beyond form, time, and space. The practical life within the practical world is nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The dualistic knowledge within the dualistic illusion is not Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

This vast cosmos with all its contents (atom, molecule, sun, moon, planet, and star) all 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.

The Soul is the Self. the Soul is present in the form of consciousness. Awareness is the nature of the Soul or consciousness. Consciousness is existence itself.

Consciousness is ever-present. Without consciousness, the world, in which you exist ceases to exist. Consciousness is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny consciousness because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. Consciousness is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. Consciousness is everything. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. : ~Santthosh Kumaar