Only in ignorance there is duality. In wisdom there is only nonduality.+

There is no second thing other than the Spirit (Soul or the consciousness) because everything is made of the same stuff.   Whatever splits and multiplies are part of the dualistic illusion. 

From the non-dualistic perspective,  the illusion has no value. Whatever prevails without the illusion is the ultimate Truth or Brahman or God.

The Soul is present in the form of consciousness is the ultimate Truth or Brahman. The universe is not real.  There is no difference between Brahman and the universe because the universe is a mere illusion created out of the consciousness which is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God. 

Only in ignorance,  there is duality. In wisdom,  there is only non-duality. The Soul, the innermost Self is one without the second. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness (spirit).  

It is the same consciousness (Soul) that manifests as the whole universe. Consciousness itself is the ultimate Truth or Brahman. Consciousness is the ultimate cause of the universe and it itself is uncaused.  The seeker of truth must convince himself of this truth by soul-centric reasoning. 

Non-duality does not need the support of any Scripture or revelation like the Vedas. Advaitic truth is based not upon the varying theological fancies, which are as numerous as the sands of the sea, but upon reason, the common heritage of all mankind, irrespective of color or creed or clime. 

Thus, Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is meant only for those who have an intense urge, and courage to accept the truth with humility and reject the untruth. Since people start comparing their scriptural knowledge, it becomes impossible to assimilate and realize the Advaitic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. 

There is no need to convince anyone other than our own selves to get a firm conviction of the Advaitic truth. 

I am not trying to prove my views, but it is for every seeker who is on the path of truth to prove himself to know “What is the truth?, “and “What is untruth?” to assimilate the Self -knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

Karma, Bhakti, and Raj yoga are not the means to the path of wisdom. And mixing them up and trying to assimilate the ultimate truth is an impossibility. 

There is no need to practice devotion, karma, and raja yoga because they are not the means to acquire non-dual wisdom.   There is no practice as such, but perfect understanding is needed.   

The deeper inquiry, analysis,  and reasoning reveal the fact that the Self is not the form but the Self is the Soul. Therefore, all the accumulated knowledge, experiences, and understanding based on the physical self (ego or you) are based on the false self within the false experience (waking).   Thus, whatever is based on the waking entity is bound to be a falsehood because the waking experience itself is a falsehood.  

 Since many teachers and teachings are based on the false self (ego or body as Self) and they consider the false experience (three states) as a  reality, they are incapable of grasping the witness of the three states. 

The Soul is the witness of the three states. the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is hidden within the three states, but it is without the three states.

Thus, the formless knower of the three states has to be grasped mentally and realize the fact that, all the three states, which come and go, are mental.  They are impermanent. The formless witness r of the three states is the Soul, which is permanent and eternal.  

There is a need to understand “What is the Mind?” “What is the substance of the Mind?”  and 'What is the source of the mind" in order to understand and assimilate the Advaitic truth.

For this one has to drop all his accumulated knowledge, which he is using as a yardstick, and lands himself in pursuit of an argument without reaching anywhere.  

One has to think deeper and analyze and verify everything and accept only the uncontradictable truth.  Nothing has to be accepted as truth because some great thinker says it.   

Those who,  lack the intelligence to discriminate between formless witness (subject) and three states (object) will not be able to grasp what is real and what is unreal. Both the subject and the object are consciousness, not the subject alone.

The truth can never change. The nature of truth is, it can never be changed under any circumstances. It may be misrepresented. It must apply to the whole of existence, to the whole of the universe. deeper analysis reveals:~ It is in the object (three states) alone that one has all changes. 

The subject (formless witness) remains unchanged. The subject (formless witness), as such remains immortal. It can never die for it never changes. The body and the world are an object and go, but the subject or the witness of the body and the universe can never go. 

The seeker has to take this principle as his guiding thread and non-dual truth becomes easy to grasp. The formless witness can never be subject to the changes of the object; it is unchanged. The mistake usually made is that the subject becomes the object, or that object is the subject.

If one wants to have the absence of contradictions, the absence of duality, there must be one entity, one being. If one has experience which is an object (mind), there is a contradiction between subject and object.   the "mind” is an object.

Remember:~

The duality is a  reality, from the standpoint of the ego. The ego is the false self within the false experience (waking)   The duality is merely an illusion from the standpoint of the Soul, the  Self.  

The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. This understanding comes only to the serious seeker, who has a real urge to know the ultimate truth, which is beyond all the teachings and teachers. There is neither teaching nor the teacher nor the student in the realm of truth.  

Different paths will not converge to the same Ultimate Reality because they are based on the false self. They are not different stages on the same path. People fight about the differences and greatness of their chosen paths but only through  Advaitic wisdom one can realize the Ultimate Reality.

One has to have perfect understanding and march ahead, surely and steadily, towards that Ultimate Reality. the ultimate reality is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness  One becomes limited to the concepts, names, and forms within waking or the dream. The waking or the dream originates from the Soul, the  Self. 

Realizing Soul as the Self is truth realization.  The Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness is formless, limitless, permanent, unchanging, and by its nature non-dual and universal. The consciousness is the formless knower of the illusion (universe) which comes and goes.

Realize Brahman or the ultimate truth or God here and now, in this very life, not in the next life and in the next world by realizing the fact that,  this life within this waking world itself is an illusion.  :~Santthosh Kumaar 

The ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is cause of ignorance. Ignorance is physical prison.+

An object exists because of the subject. The thinker, thoughts, and the world are an object to the subject. In the realm of truth, the object and subject are one in essence. That essence is consciousness.  Consciousness alone is. There is neither an object nor the subject in Nondualistic reality.

'I' is an object to the 'I'-less subject. those who hold the 'I' as the subject because some sage has said it in the past or it is generally held or it is written in some book or someone else said it. But believe only what you yourself judge to be true after deeper verification through reasoning.

The ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is the cause of ignorance. Ignorance is physical prison.

If ‘I’ is neither the waking entity nor the ‘I’ is a dream entity, then what is ‘I’ without waking or dream?

‘I’ is not limited to ego or physical self because ‘I’ is the whole physical existence or universe. Limiting the ‘I’ to the physical self is erroneous. Without realizing this truth it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.   

Since the sense of ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present and it disappears along with the mind. The seeker will come to conclusion after thoroughly verifying this fact through deeper self-search and then come to a firm conviction that ‘I’ is mind.

 ‘I’ is mind.  The mind is present in the form of the universe.  And the universe appears as a waking or dream. Thus ‘I’, Mind, universe, waking, and dreams are one and the same thing. 

Remember:~

It is wrong to identify the Self as he or she because it refers to physicality. The Self is genderless because it is formless. Identifying “Self” as he or she leads to all sorts of doubts and confusion.  When the Self is identified as 'he or she becomes a physical self or ego.  The ego exists only when the mind exists. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe is a product of ignorance. When ignorance vanishes through wisdom the unreal nature of the universe is exposed.

When the ego is not the Self, it is erroneous to judge the truth on the base of the ego or physical Self and pass the judgment. Judging the truth on a physical base (ego) is erroneous because the truth is the prior appearance of the physical existence (universe). Thus, the truth has to be judged from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, not on the base of what appeared later on.

Man has been conditioned to think and be and behave and believe and live as an individual separate from the world. Therefore, the Self has been identified with the physical body with the name within the waking experience.

The ‘mind’ is the Waking or dream experience. The waking or dream is not the experience of the physical body but of the Soul, the Self. The man and his world are within the mind; therefore the mind is not within the brain. This has to be understood to assimilate Self-knowledge. Without understanding, this fact assimilation is an impossibility.  

Remember:~

The nature of the Self is formless non-dual.  The nature of the mind is duality or diversity. The self is the formless substance of the mind (duality /diversity). Therefore, the whole experience of diversity is created out of single stuff.  There is no division in the ultimate standpoint is the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. Viewing the three states on the base of the physical self is the cause of division and separation.  

When the seekers become aware of the fact that the true Self is not physical but the formless soul, he becomes aware of the fact that the mind is merely an illusion.   The one who is ignorant of the true self experiences the duality as reality.

A person perceives the world within the mind. Absent of mind is absent of waking or dream. Thus waking or dream is the mind.

One thinks he is an individual separate from the world within the mind. He is unaware of the fact that the mind is not within his brain, but he and his experience of the world are within the mind.  

Thus, he thinks he is born in this world and the world that existed prior to him. Thus this conviction makes him believe that birth, life, and death are a reality.  Until this conviction is there he will view and judges the three states on the physical base, which is the cause of ignorance of the fact that, the Soul, the Self.

Remember:~

This ignorance of the true Self is the main hurdle in the pursuit of truth. Therefore, it is very much necessary to rectify the seeking base from physical (form) to spirit (formless) before proceeding further in pursuit of truth.

If the seeking base is not rectified it will lead one towards hallucination. When the mind itself is a myth than the man and his experience of the world, are bound to be a myth. Therefore a perfect understanding of the mind will help one to unfold the mystery of the mind.  

It is impossible to unfold the truth on the base of the false self within the false experience because the truth is prior to the appearance of the falsehood.  And falsehood creates ignorance.

Seeker has to burn down the ignorance by rectifying the base of reasoning by realizing the fact that the Self is not physical but it is formless consciousness.

 ‘I’ OR ‘I AM’ IS THE CAUSE OF IGNORANCE. One has to get rid of ignorance by overcoming the intoxication of ‘I’ or I AM which intoxication stuff, which is the cause of experiencing the illusion (duality) as reality. 

That is why Sage Sankara says:~ 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?

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.

People who are yearning for spiritual truth will not find it through intellectualism. Intellectual truth is individual truth. Love implies duality and love is individual feelings within the falsehood. 

Love is necessary and valuable in the state of ignorance but it is not the means to acquire wisdom.  Love is a religious tool to lead a life in the practical world.  And Religious truth is individual truth and it is not universal truth because religion is based on individuality. :~Santhosh Kumaar 

Moksha is freedom from experiencing the illusion as reality.+

The path of wisdom is nothing to do with yoga and religion. The path of religion, the theory of karma, the yogic path, and the path of wisdom were intended for different classes of people. 

Advaitic wisdom is for the advanced seekers of truth. It deals with the nature of the ultimate Truth and Reality. Advaitic wisdom is meant for superior aspirants who have an inner urge to know the truth and it is not for those who are immersed in earthly desires.

As per the scriptures, the three "Ashrams" or stages in life were originally intended for three grades of intelligence thus:~

Religion:~  low intellects had to do 'karmas' works, ritual actions, chanting of mantras and indulging in Bajans and prayers, etc.

Middle intellects: Yoga:~ taking yellow robes, going to mountains, ashrams, etc.

High intellects: wisdom who wanted the truth is concerned with no external rites or sanyasa but depends solely on the intelligent inquiry for their path.

The real Moksha or freedom is to realize the fact that the  ‘I’ consciousness is mere physical awareness.  Physical awareness is not self-awareness. The Self –awareness is when the formless Soul remains in its own awareness. 

Moksha is freedom. Freedom is becoming free from experiencing the dualistic illusion or Maya as reality by realizing the fact that, the Self is not the form, but the Self is formless. 

 It is possible to realize this without realizing the fact that, the individual self or ego is a reality within the false experience.  Thus, all the knowledge accumulated by judging on the base of the false self is false knowledge.    

People believe in old myths propagated by their religion. Every religion has propagated its own myth. Every religious belief contradicts other beliefs. It is merely a blind belief accepted as the truth without verification and evidence.  This causes division.

Modern science has exposed many Religious dogmas as a myth. All these dogmas were introduced in the primitive era before people had the benefit of modern science. Science attempts to objectively discover how life works, and religion makes one blindly believe and cast his burden on the blind belief without verification,  to live in peace and harmony in THE  practical life within the practical world. 

Orthodox and pundits have an “I know” attitude, therefore, they think others know nothing.  They pretend to be listening, but they think others are primitive people who could not possibly have anything to share with them.” This type of outlook is a great obstacle in the pursuit of truth. The orthodoxy is the greatest hindrance to realizing the Advaitic truth. 

The seeker's main aim is to investigate both the dual and the non-dual experiences to find and define the underlying truth in everything, thereby realizing what the ultimate truth is. Because of so many beliefs propagated by the belief system, people think seekers of truth are atheists because they do not accept the belief blindly. The seekers of truth believe the religious believers and atheists both are believers because religious believers believe in the belief of God and atheists believe in the belief of no God.   

The Pursuit of truth is all about accepting uncertainty and open questions and seeking the things that are a certainty.  The believers and the nonbelievers will not accept anything other than their inherited belief system or accepted truth.  Atheists feel there is no proof of God's existence. So,  atheist chooses to just believe there is no such thing called God. And religious believers just believe in the existence of their conceptual God.  

A Gnani is one who is fully aware of the fact that the existence or non-existence of God cannot be proven on the base of the physical self.  Therefore deeper understanding is necessary to understand and assimilate the truth about God's existence to know what is supposed to be God in truth.  

In Vedas, God has been described as:~

  Sakshi (Witness)

  Chetan (conscious)

  Nirguna (Without form and properties).

  Nitya (eternal)

  Shuddha (pure)

  Buddha (omniscient)

   Mukta (unattached).

All this the above is the nature of the Soul, the Self.  Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of Consciousness is God in truth.   That is Atman is Brahman.  

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

When Vedas itself says consciousness itself is Brahman or God in truth then all other Gods you believe and worship are not Gods in truth.

Bhagavad Gita says: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God in truth) 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.

In Advaita Vedanta:~  Brahman(God in truth) 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. 

The Atman is the real self.   The Atman is present in the form of the consciousness is the ultimate truth and it is God.   

The Atman is within the mind (universe) and the mind (universe) is within the soul. The universe) is within the self and the Self is within the universe. The chicken is in the egg and the egg is in the chicken. The tree is in the seed and the seed is in the tree. The same thing that was told by the Vedas was repeated by Saint John (10-38)? Father is in me and I am in Father. Thus the father (Soul, the Self) is our immediate, neighbor- love thy neighbor. 

Therefore, one has to love the Soul in order to become one with the Spirit (God in truth), which is the creator, sustainer, and dissolver of the world (duality).   

Self-realization is necessary in order to realize the ultimate truth or god.  Self-realization is the real God-realization. 

People are ignorant and they are unaware of the reality of their true existence. Man and his experience of the universe is simply an illusion created out of consciousness.   the  Soul or the consciousness is the real Self. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.

Mundaka Upanishad:~ The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing The sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross The sea of samsara on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their own ignorance, yet wise In their own esteem, these deluded men Proud of their vain learning go round and round Like the blind led by the blind. 

All the scriptures indicate that the Atman is Brahman, and Brahman is the ultimate truth. Therefore the soul, which is in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth. Realizing the ultimate truth is the prime goal.   A well-directed inquiry, analysis, and reasoning will lead one to his non-dual destination.  

Self-Realization is a direct realization of the ultimate truth or the real God, in contrast with the traditional paths, which are indirect. And the other paths cannot lead to the ultimate destination,  because they are based on the false self (ego), which they hold as the real Self, and the false experience (waking) as a reality. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Even the Bhagavad Gita does not have the majesty found in the Ashtavakra Samhita.+

Even the Bhagavad Gita does not have the majesty found in the Ashtavakra Samhita:~

We are embarking on a rare journey. The man has many scriptures, but none comparable to the Gita of Ashtavakra. Before it the Vedas pale, the Upanishads speak with a weak voice. Even the Bhagavad Gita does not have the majesty found in the Ashtavakra Samhita -- it is simply unparalleled.

The most important thing is that neither society nor politics nor any other institution of human life have had any influence on the sayings of Ashtavakra. They are such a pure expression -- transcending emotion, transcending time and death -- there is nothing comparable. 

Perhaps this is why Ashtavakra's Gita, the ASHTAVAKRA SAMHITA, has not had much impact. Krishna's Bhagavad Gita has been very influential. The first reason is that Krishna's Gita is a synthesis. He is more concerned with the synthesis than with truth. The desire for synthesis is so strong that if necessary Krishna doesn't mind sacrificing the truth a little.

Krishna's Gita is a hodgepodge containing everything; hence, it suits everyone, because there is something in it for everyone. It is difficult to find any tradition whose voice is not found in the Gita. It is difficult to find anyone who does not take solace from the Gita. But for such people, Ashtavakra's Gita will prove very difficult.

Ashtavakra is not for synthesis -- he is a man of truth. He speaks the truth just as it is, without any artifice or coloring. He is not concerned about the listener, he does not care whether his listener will understand or not. Such a pure expression of truth has never happened anywhere before, nor has it ever happened again.

Before we enter the sutras, it is necessary to understand a few things about Ashtavakra. Not much is known as he was neither a social nor political man, so no historical record exists. Only a few incidents are known -- and they are just wondrous, hardly believable. But if you understand them deeply the significance will be revealed.

The first incident happened before Ashtavakra was born. Nothing is known of what came afterward, but this is an incident while he was still in the womb. His father, who was a great scholar, would recite the Vedas every day while Ashtavakra listened from the womb. One day a voice came from the womb saying, "Stop it! This is all nonsense. There is no wisdom whatsoever in this. Mere words -- just a collection of words. Is wisdom found in scriptures? Wisdom is within oneself. Is truth found in words? Truth is within oneself."

Naturally, his father was enraged. First of all, he was a father and on top of that a scholar. And his son hidden in the womb was saying such things! Not even born yet! He exploded in anger, became engulfed in the fire: The father's ego had been hit. And a scholar's ego... he was a great pundit, a great debater, knowledgeable in scriptures...

In anger, he uttered a curse: When born, the boy would be deformed; his limbs would be bent in eight parts. Hence, his name: Ashtavakra means one whose body has eight bends. He was born crippled in eight places; eight places hunchbacked like a camel. In a rage, his father deformed his son's body.-- Maha Gita. -By Osho

Upanishads say: ~ If you believe that you are one and God is another you cannot understand Truth.+

Bhagavad Gita says: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God in truth) 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 ‘Self is not you but the Self is the Soul. The Self does not die, only you die, because you are bound by birth, life, death, and the world.

The birth, life, death, and the world takes place within the domain of form, time, and space.

The Soul, the Self does not die because it is birthless and deathless because it is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

Form, time, and space are merely an illusion created out of the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If form, time, and space are an illusion then the universe is an illusion.

If the universe is an illusion then the individual experience of birth, life, death, and the world is bound to be an illusion.

The Soul, the Self is the reality hidden by the illusory universe because the Soul is the cause of the illusory universe.

God stands here for the ultimate truth or Brahman. All that is needed then is to realize the fact that, that self is not the body (you), not the mind, but the Soul, the Self. The soul is present in the form of consciousness (Spirit).

Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. Brahman is God.   Firm conviction about the soul as the 'Self' leads to Advaitic Self-awareness. Self-awareness is God-awareness.

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 that is non-existence itself. This is called true Knowledge by the wise. 

God is the soul, the  Self.  The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. God is not within you, but you and your experience of the world are within God.  

Self-realization is God-realization because the Soul, the innermost Self itself is God.  When you and your experience of the world disappear then God alone prevails as a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.  

People are not aware of the fact that there is no God that can exist, apart from the Soul, the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. If there is no consciousness, then there is no-physical body, no world, and no belief in the religious idea of God. 

People think that there must be a creator of this universe. If one thinks of the body or as the Self, then there is a creator, but if one thinks of the Soul as the true Self, then there is nothing that exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If one objectifies and sees a universe, then he is bound to see many things besides himself and postulate a God, the creator. Body, God, and world rise and set together from, and into, the Soul, the Self.  The Soul is the source from where the mind (universe) rises and subsides.

If God is apart from the Soul, the Self, then He would be Selfless, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent. The mind (universe) and its substance and its source (Soul)  are one in essence.  That essence is consciousness.

 Consciousness alone is real all else is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. The ultimate truth is God in truth.  

Upanishads say: ~ If you believe that you are one and God is another you cannot understand Truth.

No conceptual God can exist, apart from consciousness. People are not aware of the fact that there is no individual God that can exist, apart from the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

The Soul is the Self. If there is no consciousness, then there is no- physical body, no ego, no universe, no religion, and no conceptual God. 

No conceptual God can exist, apart from consciousness. People are not aware of the fact that there is no individual God that can exist, apart from the Soul, which is in the form of consciousness. Thus, the Soul, the Self is present in the form of consciousness. If there is no consciousness, then there is no physical -body, no ego, no universe, no religion, and no conceptual God.

The ‘Self is not you but the Self is the Soul. The Self does not die, only you die, because you are bound by birth, life, death, and the world.

The birth, life, death, and the world takes place within the domain of form, time, and space.

The Soul, the Self does not die because it is birthless and deathless because it is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

Form, time, and space are merely an illusion created out of the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If form, time, and space are an illusion then the universe is an illusion.

If the universe is an illusion then the individual experience of birth, life, death, and the world is bound to be an illusion.

The Soul, the Self is the reality hidden by the illusory universe because the Soul is the cause of the illusory universe.

People think that there must be a creator of this universe. If one thinks physical entity or ego as the Self, then there is a creator, but if one thinks of the Soul as the Self, then there is nothing that exists other than consciousness. 

If one objectifies and sees a universe, then he is bound to see many things besides himself and postulate a God, the creator. The body, the idea of the God and world rise and set together from, and into, the Soul, the Self. If God is apart from the ‘Self' then God would be Selfless, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent.

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)

Yajurveda: ~   God is  Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions. Thus,   Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas. ( chapter- 32) 

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

Mythreyi Upanishad 2:26 says: ~ All those who desire to have salvation without taking several births, should worship God in spirit and truth.  

In Vedas, God has been described as: ~

Yajurveda: ~   God is  Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions. Thus,   Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas. ( chapter- 32) 

Rig  Veda:~  The Soul is the cause;  the Soul is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the soul, the innermost self. May ye never accept another God in place of the soul, nor worship him."( 10:48, 5).

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

When Vedas itself says consciousness itself is Brahman or God in truth then all other Gods you believe and worship are not Gods in truth.

The nature of God in truth is:~

v  Sakshi (Witness) 

v  Chetan (conscious)

v  Nirguna (Without form and properties).

v  Nitya (eternal)

v  Shuddha (pure)

v  Buddha (omniscient)

v  Mukta (unattached).

So, it clearly indicates that God is formless thus there is no scope for a form-based God. The religion and its ideas of gods, and its theories of karma, heaven, hell, papa, punya, rebirth, and reincarnation are based on the false self (ego), within the false experience (waking). Therefore, they are meant for a lower mindset, they are of no use for those who are seeking higher truth as indicated in the scriptures.   : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Going beyond Veda, religion and religious god means going beyond illusion that is the end of the Vedas (Veda –antha).+

Everyone likes religion because it belongs to the world of sentiments and emotions. Religion changes as it appeals to different emotions. One will find at one pole the nude Sadhu is admired; at the other, the gorgeous life-styled Godman is revered. Belief in religious prohibitions arises out of fear of God's punishment.

The people themselves suggest that there must be a God. It is an auto-suggestion.  To say that one knows God exists always implies he must also exist always. It would be correct to say at this point, he does not know about the existence of God because God’s existence depends on individualized belief. The individualized belief is ignorance because the universe itself is a product of ignorance. 

People magnify every minor coincidence or every petty fact where yogis or Good men were concerned, and they see the miraculous or the esoteric significance therein.

Religion is “believers Truth”; the Spiritual truth is "universal truth .” This means a believer takes his feeling and sentiments as truth,  whereas a Gnani takes his reasoned judgment, which will be the same under test everywhere in the universe.

A Gnani says he has not seen God and he does not know his capacities, what God can do, and what God cannot do. Therefore, he thinks any statement he might make about God would only be a lie. A Gnani does not wish to tell a lie. Therefore, he does not accept the religious belief in God because he is very firm in his conviction the religious god does not exist in reality.

Each sect concocts a God to suit its own purposes. Belief in such concocted Gods is a great hindrance in the pursuit of truth.  The man himself suggests that there must be a God. It is an auto-suggestion. Prayers and sacrifices belong to a premature stage of development. When no answers come to prayers for their belief in God, then doubt arises about the existence of such God. Belief in religion weakens as man pays more attention to the facts of his practical life within the practical world.

People who argue that truth is only in their religion are vain logicians based on mere ideas, and imaginations.  Religions that say "If one follows the religion they will go to heaven, while others “go to hell," are stories invented on the base of the false self within the false experience.

Religious truth is individual truth, not the ultimate truth because it always shows a contradiction. A contradiction arises because a different person's interpretations may disagree with others.

Religions place God as the unknown reality”.  Every religious believer has a different idea of God. Every man has a different idea of reality. Hence the need for definition before the study.

Dualists’ sages have written big volumes about the soul. Yet they are quite ignorant of the fact that the ‘I’ about which they write itself comes and goes and has no permanent existence, is only an idea after all.

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

Mythreyi Upanishad 2:26 says, “Pashanalogamani moonmayavigrahashi pooja punarjanana bohahari mumusho tasmatati: swahdayarja nameva kuyarta hayacharam parihareta punarbhavaya”- All those who desire to have salvation without taking several births, should worship God in spirit and truth.  

In religious literature, we find the OM as sound arising from Hiranyagarbha or Ataman.   Thus, Hiranyagarbha or Ataman is the source of the OM sound, thus it is the second thing.   The Atman is in the form of consciousness prior to the sound OM.  The sages in the past prescribed OM for those people who are not receptive to the higher truth.  Those who are seeking ultimate truth or Brahman have to go beyond divine sound, divine light, and divine vibration,   to realize that form, time and space are merely an illusion created out of the consciousness(Atman), which is the innermost self.   

Holding the symbol means holding on to religion. Religion belongs to physicality.  The soul has no religion,  it is ever formless. 

In the past, spirituality was treated not as a separate subject,  but as a part of religion, but it is not so. Religion is based on form and spirituality is based on formless. Therefore, spirituality is nothing to do with religion.  Spirituality is a rational inquiry regarding all that is known to exist. Everyone, each to the extent to which one's reasoning power admits, is by nature free to exercise this faculty, at whatever stage one may be. One is able to devote himself exclusively to a pursuit of the highest Truth, by means of reason.

In ancient times, religious, Yogic, or mystic disciplines, which were not an end in themselves, were considered to be a means for self-realization. But such discipline is an almost impossible task for the modern man to adopt. Day by day modern man is becoming aware of the fact that religion and yoga are nothing to do with the pursuit of truth.

As one goes deeper into the annals of history, it indicates the fact that somewhere someone has added the Puranas in the name of Veda Vyasa the grandmaster of the  Vedas. It is impossible to accept and believe that Veda Vyasa authored and introduced the Puranas which have all conceptual gods because:-

In Vedas, God has been described as:~

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

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

Do not accept any other truth other than consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth. Nothing is real but consciousness. Realize consciousness as the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. Consciousness is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Yajur Veda also says, “Nathasya prathima asityasya nammahastha (32.3)”, God has no image and God's name is Holy.

Yajur Veda – chapter- 32:~ God is Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions.

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

Yajurved says:~ 

Translation 1.

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

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

Translation 2.

"Deep into the shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti is 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 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.)

So, Yajur Veda indicates that:~

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

Those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, and 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.)

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.

Who introduced the concept of God with attributes and attributeless Gods, when Yajur Veda says: -   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. Therefore, all these add-ons prove that the form and attribute-based concepts are introduced by some sages of the past with a new belief system and code of conduct in the name of Vedas. 

This clearly indicates the nature of the Soul, the Self. Sage  Sankara says: - Atman is Brahman. That is the Soul, the Self is God in truth. All the gods with form and attributes are mere imaginations based on the false self.  Thus, there is adulteration and add-ons in the past, which have to be bifurcated if one wants pure Vedic essence.  

Sruti is made the final or exclusive authority in apara Vidya and for supporting the tenet of the CAUSAL relation or creatorship of Brahman, Nirguna Brahman = the "Absolute beyond qualities," which can be defined only in a negative way. For the Shankarian school = the Ultimate Reality, higher than the Lord. i.e. of Saguna or apara Brahman ... The support of Scriptural Revelation is, therefore, absolutely necessary for this hypothesis of cosmology, this Saguna or apara (= inferior) Brahman, but not for the absolute truth of Nirguna Brahman.  The Sruti itself says: "This Atma is NOT to be attained by a study of the Vedas.  (Katha Upanishad I, 2, 23.)   

        

Therefore, all the add-ons and attribute-based knowledge, which are inferior, have to be bifurcated and excluded to know the ultimate truth.  The seeker of truth has to drop all the inferior knowledge based on the attributes and go beyond the Vedas to understand assimilate and realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

One has to go beyond Vedas means to go beyond religion. Going beyond religion means, going beyond the concept of god.  Thus, going beyond Veda, religion and conceptual god means going beyond illusion. That is the end of the Vedas (Veda –antha). :~Santthosh Kumaar