God has no name. It is no use in repeating the nameless God with forms and names, which is not God in truth.+

Sage Sankara:~ VC-61-For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one?

The mantra-yoga consisting of repeating the name of God, or even the AUM; thousands of times yield nothing. It can appeal only to the ignorant, to those who cannot think deeper. It is a mere religious fable. 

The real exercise is to think of the meaning of the name or the AUM and then only do you get something.

God has no name there is no use in repeating the nameless God with forms and names, which is not God in truth.  The forms and names belong to form, time and space. Form, time, and space belong to the dualistic illusion.  The dualistic illusion hides the Soul, which is the real God. Thus, it is necessary to realize ‘what God is supposed to be in actuality.

Religion breeds superstition because religion is based on blind belief. Whatever is based on blind belief is superstition.

God in truth is not a belief. One must know God in truth. Without knowing what God is supposed to be in actuality worshipping gods based on blind belief is superstition.

Worshipping superstitious Gods barred by Vedas. Know what God is supposed to be according to Vedas Upanishads Bhagavad Gita and Bible.

 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.

 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. 

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

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

The world in which you exist is the dualistic illusion created out of the ‘Self’ which is not you but the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness.   Whatever you have seen, known, believed, and experienced is within the dualistic illusion. Thus, your existence is bound to an illusion created out of consciousness, which is real and eternal.

Like an ornament made from gold is Gold, which is born out of consciousness is consciousness. Like gold is the permanent thing, in ornaments made of gold, similarly, the mind, which is in the form of the universe is born out of consciousness, is consciousness in its essence.

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

Bhagavad Gita Chapter:~ All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)

Sage Sri, 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.

God has no name because God is the Soul, the innermost Self. The Soul is a formless, timeless spaceless existence.

There is the use of repeating the God which keeps one in permanently remains in a state of ignorance.

 Gods with names and forms are not God in truth.  You must realize God in truth.

Only when the ignorance vanishes and the truth, which is hidden by the form, time, and space, will be revealed.

The sickness of not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine.

Ignorance does not vanish by merely repeating the name of God, which is not God in actuality. God must be realized.

Until you allow this apparent universe to transcend from your consciousness until you have realized the truth, which is hidden by the form, time, and space, how can you find God just by repeating the name of God, which is not God in actuality?

Until you realize the ‘Self’ is not you but the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness you will never be able to cross the domain of the dualistic illusion.  

You cannot become a Gnani by repeating the name of individual God repeating ‘OM’ or repeating the ‘I’ as propagated by some Gurus.

A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely repeating mantras. Without a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’,   the truth will not be revealed.

You must remove all the obstacles, which are blocking your realization. The truth of the Soul, the only God, which is buried under the dualistic illusion, comes only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

If you are desirous to realize the truth, which is hidden by the dualistic illusion then mentally, burn your accumulated knowledge by realizing the ‘Self’ is not you but the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness. 

Remember:~

Sage Goudpada:~ The non-dual Atman is realized when the individual Self  (Jiva) is awakened from its ignorance. Atman is unborn, dreamless, sleepless, and motionless, and is beyond duality. It is cognition at its purest. It is Brahman- Ayam Atma Brahma, this Atma is that Brahma; Thus epitomizing the core of Upanishad teachings.
 

Sage Gaudapada expands further on these states of consciousness. The Self is AUM. It represents the manifest and unmanifest aspects of Brahman. It is the single syllable that symbolizes and embodies Brahman, the Absolute Reality. It is the Pranava that pervades all existence and is our very life-breath.

Vaisvanara in waking the state is A the first part of AUM, One, who realizes this, attains his desires.

Teijasa in the dream state is U the second part of AUM. One, who realizes this, attains knowledge.

Prajna in deep sleep is M the third part of AUM, concluding the sounds of the earlier two parts. One, who realizes this, attains a compressive understanding of all.

The Syllable AUM in its entirety stands for the fourth state, Turiya the one beyond the phenomenal existence, supremely blissful and non-dual.

AUM in its integral whole stands for the fourth state which is transcendental, devoid of phenomenal existence, and is the source of all existence. AUM represents Ultimate Reality. AUM is thus verily the Self itself. One who realizes this merges into that Self. Meditate on AUM as the Self.

Ignorance is the cause of the duality.   The duality is the cause of the illusion. 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.   

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.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Katha Upanishad says ~ Fools go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind.+

If you want to know what is this world in which you exist in actuality then you must know its illusory nature.

If you change your ‘I know' attitude’ and indulge in deeper self-search you will be able to discover the truth, which is hidden by the world in which you exist. 

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

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

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

You have stuck up some Gurus and their teaching you are like stagnant water of the dirty pond. Until you are stuck up with the idea that you get instant enlightenment from some enlightenment then you are hallucinating.

That is why Swami Vivekananda said: ~ “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher, but your own Soul.”

Sage Sankara says ~ VC-162- There is no liberation for a person of mere book knowledge, howsoever well-read in the philosophy of Vedanta, so long as one does not give up the false identification with the body, sense organs, etc., which are unreal.

People dwelling in ignorance, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round by various blind beliefs and tortuous paths and practices, like the blind led by the blind.

Come out of your prison of emotion. Be independent. Sit think, reason, and reflect deeply.

You need to read or hear the words of wisdom of Advaita. Remember, the Soul is the only reality and the world in which you exist is an illusion.

Reason and reflect upon the words of wisdom of Advaita constantly. Give up all further argumentation and realize the truth. 

This realization comes from being certain that the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness alone, is real and the world in which you exist is an illusion created out of consciousness. Thus, the Soul is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

That is why Sage Sankara's declaration: ~ “Brahman is the truth The world is unreal everything is truly Brahman and nothing else has any value.

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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Only in ignorance, the Soul is bound by the illusory experience of the birth, life, death and the world.+

Bhagvad Gita: ~ “You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory. ~ CH.2 v.16

The ‘I’ itself is the illusory bondage because the ‘I’ itself is the cause of ignorance. Only in ignorance, the Soul is bound by the illusory experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

In reality,   there is no second thing exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If the Soul is free from the ‘I’ then it is free from ignorance.

If the Soul is free from ignorance then there is no bondage of the form, time, and space.  The bondage is present only when the ‘I’ is present.  

When the Soul is free from the ‘I’ then it is free from the bondage of the form, time, and space.

If the Soul is free from the bondage of the form, time and space then it is free from the bondage of the universe.

If the Soul is free from the bondage of the universe then it is free from the waking experience.

If the Soul is free from the waking experience then it is free from the experience of the birth, life, and death.

 If the Soul is free from the experience of the birth, life, and death then it is free from the dualistic illusion.

If the Soul is free from the dualistic illusion then it is in its own awareness. A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is required.  

Gnani can point at the sky, but the seeing of the star is the seeker's own work. 

It is necessary to reflect on the same truth again and again until it becomes a reality. One needs to constantly reflect on the subject until he gets a firm conviction of what is what. Words are needed until one gets a firm conviction of ‘what is what’. People need reading and hearing the words of wisdom to think reason and reflect deeply and reach the ultimate end. 

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 the form, time, and space. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The ‘I’ is the cause of forgetfulness of the reality.+

A  Gnani imparts Self-knowledge and encourages the seeker to seek the truth. A  Gnani helps the seeker to drop all the accumulated knowledge.  

The only thing worth remembering is the Soul, the Self. The ‘I’ is the cause of the forgetfulness of reality. The ‘I’ hides the reality, which is beyond form, time, and space.  

The ‘I’ itself is form, time, and space.

The form, time, and space itself are the universe.

 The universe itself is the waking experience.

The waking experience itself is the mind.

 The mind itself is the ‘I’.

The ‘I’ itself is a dualistic illusion.

The dualistic illusion hides the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Stick to the Soul, which is the ultimate truth, or Brahman and drop the ‘I’, which is the dualistic illusion. Whatever prevails without the ‘I’ is the Soul, which is the fullness of the consciousness without the division of the form, time, and space. 

Remember:~ 

All the Gurus glorified the ‘I’. Thus, it becomes very difficult to discard the ‘I’. Those who have accepted the ‘I’ based teaching refuse to accept anything other than their accepted truth.

Until you hold the ‘Self’ as the ‘I’, your knowledge remains skin deep.

What is it that appears as the ‘I’ and disappears as the ‘I-less? It is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not make the mistake of holding the ‘I’ as the Self because it is not permanent. ‘I’ disappears and becomes ‘I’-less.

‘I’ is an illusion and the ‘I-LESS’ is real and eternal. The ‘I-LESS ‘appears as ‘I’ and ‘I ’‘disappears as I-LESS.

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

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self.

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

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.

Remember this: “The ‘Self’ is not the ‘I’ but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, the witness of the ‘I’, which comes and goes.

There is nothing to realize other than realizing the fact that, you and the world in which you exist are created out of single stuff and that single stuff is the Soul, the  Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. 

You and the world in which you exist are nothing but consciousness. Thus, by realizing this truth the Soul becomes free from the cage of the illusory form, time, and space. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Upanishads declare ~ “Neti Neti—not this, not this, not that.” This does not mean that Brahman is a negative concept.+

Sag Sankara said: Just as the snake is superimposed on the rope, this world and this body are superimposed on Brahman or the Soul, the Self. If one gets knowledge of the rope, the illusion of the snake will vanish. Even so, if he gets knowledge of Brahman, the illusion of the body and the world will vanish.

The snake is only an idea: it disappears on inquiry but deeper Self-search reveals the fact that the rope is also an idea and its reality will be exposed when wisdom dawns. There is neither snake nor the rope in reality because from the ultimate standpoint the duality is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, the Self. 

The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.  Consciousness is the root element of the universe. From consciousness, the universe comes into existence. In consciousness, the universe resides. And into consciousness, the universe is dissolved.  Consciousness is the parent of all that is there is.  Consciousness is the only reality, and the universe too but an illusory manifestation. 

Consciousness is within, consciousness is without; consciousness is before, consciousness is behind;  consciousness is on the right,  consciousness is on the left;  consciousness is above and consciousness is below. Consciousness is not an object, as it is invisible, beyond the reach of the physical eyes.  Consciousness is the ultimate truth. And the ultimate truth is Brahman or God in truth.

The world in which we exist is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.  Therefore, hold on to consciousness which is real and eternal, and mentally negate the world in which we exist by realizing the world in which we exist is nothing but consciousness.  

Upanishads declare ~ “Neti Neti—not this, not this, not that.” This does not mean that Brahman is a negative concept, or a metaphysical abstraction, or a nonentity, or a void. It is not another. It is all-full, infinite, changeless, “Self’-existent, “Self’-delight, “Self’-knowledge, and “Self’-bliss. It is the essence. It is the essence of the knower and the known.

Sage Sankara said: - The Brahman is impersonal, without Gunas or attributes (Nirguna), formless (Nirakara), (without special characteristics (Nirvisesha), immutable, eternal and non-agent (Akarta). 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 the distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than it. In Brahman, there is not a distinction between substance and attribute.

Remember:~

In Manduka Upanishad Brahman and Atman are defined as the same:~

सर्वं ह्येतद् ब्रह्मायमात्मा ब्रह्म सोयमात्मा चतुष्पात् / sarvam hyetad brahmaayamaatmaa brahm soyamaatmaa chatushpaat –

Manduka Upanishad, verse-2

Translation:

sarvam(सर्वम्)- Whole/All/Everything; hi(हि)- Really/Just/Surely/Indeed;etad(एतद्)- This here/This; brahm(ब्रह्म)- Brahm/Brahman;ayam(अयम्)- This/Here; aatmaa(आत्मा)- Atma/Atman; sah(सः)- He;ayam(अयम्)- This/Here; chatus(चतुस्)- Four/Quadruple; paat(पात्)- Step/Foot/Quarter

Fragmented Verse:

सर्वम् हि एतद् ब्रह्म अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म सः अयम् आत्मा चतुस पात् / sarvam hi etad brahm ayama aatmaa brahm sah ayam aatmaa chatus paat

Simple Meaning:~

All indeed is this Brahman; This Atman is Brahman; He, this Atman has four steps/quarters.

While Brahman lies behind the sum total of the objective universe, some human minds boggle at any attempt to explain it with only the tools provided by reason. Brahman is beyond the senses, beyond the mind, beyond intelligence, beyond imagination. Indeed, the highest idea is that Brahman is beyond both existence and non-existence, transcending and including time, causation, and space, and thus can never be known in the same material sense as one traditionally 'understands' a given concept or object.

Imagine a person who is blind from birth and has not seen anything. Is it possible for us to explain to him the meaning of the color red? Is any amount of thinking or reasoning on his part ever going to make him understand the sensation of the color red? In a similar fashion, the idea of Brahman cannot be explained or understood through material reasoning or any form of human communication. Brahman is like the color red; those who can sense it cannot explain or argue with those who have never sensed it.

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

In Advaita Vedanta: - Brahman is without attributes and strictly impersonal. It can be best described as infinite Being, infinite Consciousness, and infinite Bliss. It is pure knowledge itself, similar to a source of infinite radiance. Since the Advaitins regard Brahman to be the Ultimate Truth, so in comparison to Brahman, every other thing, including the material world, its distinctness, the individuality of the living creatures, and even Ishvara (the Supreme Lord) itself are all untrue. Brahman is the effulgent cause of everything that exists and can possibly exist. Since it is beyond human comprehension, it is without any attributes, for assigning attributes to it would be distorting the true nature of Brahman. Advaitins believe in the existence of both Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman; however, they consider Nirguna Brahman to be the absolute supreme truth. 

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’.

So, it clearly says the one who meditates upon the “Self’ (consciousness) 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’. Therefore, there is a need to know the fact that, the true “Self’ is not physical but the Soul in order to realize the fact that:  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’, which is in the form of consciousness. 

Atman is Brahman. Brahman the Absolute is alone real; this waking is unreal, and the three states are non-different from Brahman. 

Remember:~

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

Sage Sankara: ~VC~ If the universe is true, let it then be perceived in the state of deep sleep also. As it is not at all perceived, it must be unreal and false like dreams.

The universe hides the Soul, the Self. If you realize the nature of the universe then you will know the truth hidden by the universe.

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ V.63 ~ "Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world.

In deep sleep there is nothing to observe when there is only the observer left, then the observer itself becomes the observed -- because there is nothing else to observe. Deep sleep is still a state of ignorance because we become aware of the deep sleep experience only in waking experience, which is the state of ignorance.

Only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana Self-awareness is possible.

In Self-awareness, the witness simply witnesses itself.

The Seer sees itself. There are no thoughts, no objects. The Soul becomes still; it simply becomes a light unto itself. There is nothing that it lights, it lights only itself, the Soul, the Self is surrounded by silence, surrounded by Stillness. It is the objectless awareness in the midst of objects.

The Soul becomes the Soul in Self-awareness. Self-awareness itself is enlightenment. The Soul consciously remains aware of itself in the midst of the dualistic illusion (form, time, and space).

The ‘I’ has dissolved as the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The ‘I’ has dissolved means the mind has dissolved as the Soul.

The mind has dissolved means the form, time and space have dissolved as the Soul.

The form, time, and space dissolved as the Soul-  means the universe has dissolved as the Soul.

The universe has dissolved means the waking has dissolved as the Soul.

The waking has dissolved as the Soul means the individual experience of the birth, life, death, and the world has dissolved as the Soul.

The individual experience of birth, life, death, and the world has dissolved as the Soul means the dualistic illusion is dissolved as the Soul.

The Soul alone exists as the formless, timeless, and spaceless eternal existence.

The seeker must first know the Soul is the only reality and that the world in which he exists is an illusion. The seeker must reason upon this truth from all points of view and up all further argumentation and realize the truth. 

This realization comes from being certain that Soul is the ultimate truth or Brahman or is real and the world in which he exists is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar