God is ‘ONE’ and God is Atman.+

The religious God is based on blind faith or blind belief. From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the belief is often shown to be unreliable and false. The world itself is an illusion there is no use in having just a belief in the Soul, but one must realize the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the very basis of his existence. 

Religious people are unaware of the fact that their inherited religion is of superstition and dogmas based on imagination. They think whatever they have inherited from their forefathers as the ultimate truth.

After the  2nd century,  there were many adulteration and reforms in Indian societies and there were saints who formed their own religious sects and castes and codes of conduct, and many new belief systems were formed within India. Each sect has its own founder. Thus, the whole Indian society was divided into many sects and creeds creating separation in society. All these diverse groups of caste, sect, and creed together are called Hinduism. The Vedic religion or Santana Dharma does not exist today. The followers of Vedas today indulge in non-Vedic activities barred by Vedas in the name of Vedas.

The seeker of truth has to be free from all the baggage of religious superstition and dogmas.   The Orthodox people impose and brainwash their orthodox ideas on their children.  Orthodoxy is the  Self-imposed prison. 

Orthodox people are ignorant people. There is no truth in orthodoxy, which is based on the false self (ego or you) within the false experience (waking).   

Orthodox people without realizing the fact that, they are on the wrong path and they think they are on the right path to Moksha because it is written in their scriptures. All these dualistic scriptures and mythological stories are nothing but imagination.

How can you see and meet God without knowing what God is in actuality? By praying and meditating on God without knowing what God really is, leads to hallucination.    The world in which you exist hides God.

Religious Gods are not God in truth. One must know God in truth.

That is why Lord Krishna says Ch. V:~ “Those who know the Self in truth.". The last two words (tattvataha) are usually ignored by pundits, but they make all the difference between the ordinary concept of God and the truth about God.

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

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.

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

God in truth is the Atman, the Self. Atman is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not accept any other God other than Atman not worship other than Atman.

Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Nothing is real but God. Nothing Matters but love for God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything.

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

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 nondual reality. (Chandogya Upanishad). 

No conceptual God can exist, apart from the Atman, which is present in the form of consciousness. Thus, the consciousness is God in truth.

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 or   Consciousness is the true Self.   If there is no consciousness, then there is no physical body, no ego, no universe, no religion, and no conceptual 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 lower mindsets, they are of no use for those who are seeking higher truth as indicated in the scriptures.  

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

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, which is the innermost  Self.

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 rises and set together from, and into, the Soul or consciousness, the innermost Self. If God is apart from the ‘Self ‘, then He would be Selfless, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent.

Remember:~

Religion is nothing to do with Advaita. Advaitic sect belongs to religion. Advaita is pure spirituality. Advaitic sect is dualistic is nothing to do with the Advaitic truth which is hidden by the illusion.

Mixing religion and spirituality is like mixing oil and water.

Religion is regarded as sacred and real by the common people, by the wise as false, and by the political as useful.

The religion and its sects are based on form, time, and space whereas the Spirituality is based on the Atman the formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

Religions hold birth, life, death, and the world as a reality. From the ultimate standpoint, the world in which we exist is an illusion created out he the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

 The seeker must know the difference between religion and spirituality. Many people think the religion itself as spirituality.

Spirituality leads to discovering the truth which is hidden by the form, time, and space.

Advaita is universal. Advaita is not for sale. Do not buy Advaita from the spiritual supermarket. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the innermost Self.

The world in which you exist is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Advaitic wisdom.

Advaitic truth is very simple, but it is very difficult to realize because you have accumulated mental garbage from different sources in the name of Advaita. Until you discard all the accumulated knowledge you will never be able to realize the Advaitic truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

The Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the 'Self' shines in its own awareness when wisdom dawns.

The Advaita is the Soul is the cause and the support of all that exists in the world in which we exist.

The Advaita is present in the form of consciousness. Advaita is the root element of the universe. From the Advaita, the universe comes into existence. In the Advaita, the universe resides. And into the Advaita, the universe is dissolved. The Advaita is the parent of all that is there is. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

All accumulated knowledge is of no use to realize the Advaitic truth beyond the form, time and the space.+

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 more advanced seeker who seeks to know the truth beyond the form, time, and space. 

The religious and yogic path is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. The path of wisdom is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

There is no need to study Advaita Vedanta or Buddhism to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  All accumulated knowledge is of no use to realize the Advaitic truth beyond the form, time, and space.

There is no need to study Advaita Vedanta to realize the Advaitic truth beyond form, time,  and space. Advaita is not a theory or a philosophy. 

Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the  Self.  There is no need for any theory or philosophy or scriptures to acquire Self-knowledge. Only a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed.

There is no need to buy books of Sage Sankara to acquire Self-knowledge. A perfect understanding of what is what' is needed. Nothing else is needed other than realizing the fact that, the form, time, and space are one in essence and that essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness to get nondualistic Self-awareness.

Self-knowledge cannot be attained by the study of the scriptures and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge.  Therefore, there is no use in studying the scriptures and other scriptures to acquire the Advaitic wisdom.  That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sri, Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of God, and scriptures.

There is only one Reality to be known, the same for all seekers, but the ways to it, are hidden by the religion.  Self-discovery is the only way, towards non-dualistic absolute without any religious doctrines, which will help the seekers to unfold the mystery of the illusion in which we all are searching for the truth of our true existence.

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

The citations from scriptures are not proofs.  The ultimate truth has to be proved without the scriptures.  The ultimate truth is the universal truth and it does not belong to any religion.  Religion causes diversity in unity, whereas, the ultimate truth brings unity in diversity. 

That is why Sage Sankara himSelf says: ~ VC 59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.

60. The Scriptures, consisting of many words are a dense forest that merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence, men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.

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

It is not that one should pore over the ancient scriptures.  There is no need to study first, and then realize. One has to realize first, then only he will know ‘what is the truth’ and ‘what is untruth’. One has to make his discoveries through the process of rational thinking.

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.

He who has not rectified his reasoning base from the ‘I’ (form) base to Soul(formless) base and one who does not have the intense urge to know the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth,  and who is not tranquil and subdued and whose mind is not receptive, cannot acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

To acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. You need not study the scriptures, you don't need any philosophy.+

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.

Mundaka Upanishad 1.3:~ Complete knowledge includes knowledge of the phenomenal world, the spirit behind it, and the source of both of them.  When the cause of all causes becomes known, then everything knowable becomes known, and nothing remains unknown.” 

Sage  Sankara:~ 'Like a servant who carries a lamp in front of you to find your way, and you have found it, so becomes the Veda to that person. What is the Veda? ~ utterances of those who have known the Truth. Here is one who has known the Truth; why should he or she depend upon the Veda further? Actual realization takes you beyond books. At a certain stage, books become a botheration. The Upanishad itself says that the 'words are only so much distraction for such a mindset.

'
The Soul, the  Self, is your Guru. Do not search for a Guru outside of you. Do not waste time in search for a Guru within the world in which you exist. 

The same time can be utilized to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space. The Guru is hidden by the world in which you exist. If you have an intense urge to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space then the inner Guru will start revealing the truth.

You don't need a Guru to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. You need not study the scriptures, you don't need to study any philosophy, there is no need to hear any sermons,  there is no need to indulge in yogic samadhi.

Sage Sankara: ~ Atman, the Self is verily Brahman (God in truth), 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. 

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

Katha Upanishad says: ~ This Atman is attained by him alone whom It chooses. (II -23-P-20)

Thus, those who have taken the path of wisdom are chosen ones.  The chosen one will get the grace of the Soul the inner Guru. The path of wisdom is the Soulcentric path, whereas all other paths are egocentric.  All egocentric paths are leads to hallucination.

The Soul, the 'Self' reveals ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal” when the seeker is receptive and ready.

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

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

Gurudom is playing with words because maybe the meaning is floating somewhere in between the spaces of words...

People who think themselves to be in a position to air their knowledge forget one basic fact, namely that they go by mere appearances. Someone expounds knowledge and the one who receives it begins to ape the person from whom he has received the knowledge. They never question the validity of that knowledge.

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)

It indicates that the one who is ignorant (darkness) of the true Self [Atman] searches for truth by accumulating knowledge of every path and practice and uncertain about the truth, and thinks every path leads towards reality. The ignorance of the true 'Self', leads one towards hallucination. 

Bhagavad Gita says: ~ Among thousands of men, scarcely one strives for perfection; and of those who strive and succeed, scarcely one knows the ‘Self’  in truth.

The path of wisdom attracts only those who are in search of truth and they appreciate it greatly.   The ignorant are not spiritually matured to receive Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  The ignorant indulge in argument and provocation and personal attack, which hinder their own realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman

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

Mundaka Upanishad: - The study of the Vedas, linguistics, Rituals, astronomy and all the arts can be called lower knowledge. The higher is that which leads to Self-realization. The eye cannot see it; the mind cannot grasp it. The deathless 'Self' has neither caste nor race, neither eyes nor ears nor hands nor feet. Sages say this Self is infinite in the great and in the small, everlasting and changeless, the source of life.

There is no higher or lower goal. There is only one goal, Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana.

Your intense urge to know the truth will take you to the ultimate end, but your accumulated knowledge will block you from realizing the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

All the paths and practices have become merely a matter of external they will not help to discover the inner reality, which is beyond the form, time, and space. , it has become a cage for the Soul, the Self.

So-called spiritual Gurus learned to take whatever they have inherited and accumulated knowledge as the ultimate truth, such accumulated knowledge is not Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

That is why 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)

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

If you remain inactive like the yogi in a cave can never realize the ultimate truth of Brahman or God.+

If you remain inactive like the yogi in a cave can never realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

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

Bhagavad Gita gives the dualistic worship of "God” only to 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 Bhagavad 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) has value 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, and in different lands, people have different conceptions of God. They 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 nondual reality (Chandogya Upanishad). 

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God in truth) 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 besides 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 dibetweeninction of 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  (God in truth)."

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

Self-knowledge knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana cannot be transmitted neither from the outside nor from any Guru.+

The Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness is primordial Guru, shows the ways to merge with it. There is no other Guru other than the Soul.

There is no need for a Guru in the path of wisdom.  The Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and Guru is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known.

If you indulge in worshipping and glorifying Gurus of the past or present,  surrendering to Guru, blocks you from realizing the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.       

Vedas bars human worship: ~

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.)

Then why worship and glorify the Gurus and Yogis (human form)   in place of God when Veda bars such activities and it also warns people who indulge in such activities are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time.

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.”

People study  Advaita under some guru and they under the delusion and conclude that they declare:~   "I-Am-Brahman",   but they fail to realize the fact that   Brahman is everywhere and in everything! The existence of Brahman is not limited to his physical identity, because, it is the very essence of form, time, and space.

That is why Buddha said: ~ Believe nothing because a wise man said it, Believe nothing because it is generally held. Believe nothing because it is written. Believe nothing because it is said to be divine. Believe nothing because someone else said it. But believe only what you, yourself judge to be true. (from The Mystic Vision Compiled by Andrew Harvey and Anne Baring)

Sage Sankara clearly indicates in Viveka Chudamani (2) that the Knower of the Atman (A Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).  

A Gnani wears no signs which means he does not identify himself as Guru or teacher or Swami. 

Thus, one should not go behind these the Self-declared Gurus and yogis who speak of ripeness and effort, of merits and achievements, of destiny and grace; all these create addiction and yield only a hallucination. Instead of helping, they become an obstruction to realizing the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.  

Sage Sankara page 482: On Gnani: "The knower of Brahman wears no signs. Gives up the insignia of a monk's life…his signs are not manifest, nor his behavior." 

When the knower of Brahman (Gnani) wears no signs it means he does not identify himself as Guru or yogi or teacher or Swami. 

Thus, those who identify themselves as holy men are not Gnanis. Thus, those Gurus who promise Self-realization are taking the seekers for a ride.  

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

Self-knowledge knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana cannot be transmitted neither from the outside nor from any Guru. Guru of everyone is only the Soul, the Self that is always revealing on its own.

The grace of the Guru is only that Self-awareness that is the nature of the Soul. It is the inner consciousness by which it is unceasingly revealing its existence. This revelation is always going on naturally in every serious seeker." 

Self-knowledge knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is given neither from the outside nor from another person. It can be realized by the seeker himself. The Gnana Guru of everyone is only the Soul the innermost Self, that is always revealing its own is the seeker who is receptive and serious in quest of truth.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Without Sage Sankara there is no Advaita.+

India is the home of mysticism and deification and very few are keen on rational Advaitic truth. Indian populace is most interested in their caste and creed propagated by different founders in different regions of India.  Very few are interested in Advaitic wisdom. The Atmic path has no place for an extra-cosmic God or for anything supernatural. 

Without Sage Sankara, there is no Advaita. Without Advaita,  it is impossible to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Sage Sankara’s whole wisdom can be summed up in one sentence, ‘There is nothing else but Brahman. He says that Absolute Existence, Absolute Knowledge, and Absolute Bliss are real. The universe is not real. He says that Brahma and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the Self, which is one though appearing as many different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the Self is real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearances. 

Genuine philosophy must be independent of religion, that in Sage Sankara himself the Saguna Brahman or a personal God is only a part of the phenomenal (if not illusory) world, and the Nirguna Brahman is the only reality and has nothing to do with religion.  

Sage Sankara pokes fun at ascetics and points out that all their austerities do not cause desires to go (Altar Flowers" Page 205, v.2 P.207 v.4)

The Brahma Sutras together with  Sage Sankara's commentary thereon do not contain the higher wisdom. They are intended for those who are incapable of thinking rationally.

Sage Sankara's commentary on the Brahma Sutras is not on a philosophical basis, but on an orthodox and mystic basis, with an appeal to the Vedas as a final authority.

In Brahma Sutra Sage Sankara takes the position that there is another entity outside us, i.e. the wall really exists separately from the mind. This was because Sage  Sankara explains in Manduka that those who study the Sutras are orthodox minds, intellectual children, hence his popular viewpoint to assist them. These people are afraid to go deeper because it means being heroic enough to refuse to accept Sruti, and God's authority, in case they mean punishment by God.  A Gnani says the scriptures for children, but wise seekers will think rationally.

In Brahma Sutras Sage Sankara takes for granted, and assumes that a world was created: He there mixes dogmatic theology with philosophy.

That God created the world is an absolute lie, nevertheless one will find Sage  Sankara (in his commentary on Vedanta Sutras) clearly says this! He has to adapt his teachings to his audience, reserving the highest for philosophical minds.

The text of Brahma Sutras is based on religion and dogmatism, but in the commentary Sage Sankara cleverly introduced some philosophy. If it is objected that a number of Upanishads are equally dogmatic because they also begin by assuming Brahman, only a few Upanishads do not but prove Brahman at the end of a train of proof.

Scholars' translation of Brahma Sutras in Sacred Books of East must be read cautiously as he has not understood its highest sense, e.g. for Advaita, they wrongly put "Unity" instead of “Non-duality."

Sage Sankara gave religion and scholasticism and yoga no less than philosophy, to the seeking world. He was great enough to be able to do so. His commentary on Manduka Upanishad is pure philosophy, but many of his other books are presented from a religious standpoint to help those who cannot rise up to philosophy.

Orthodoxy is the home of mysticism and deification that is why they are not the keen rational truth. Thus, Sage  Sankara is the Jagadguru to the religious followers and he is a great Sage (Gnani) of the highest order to the seeking world. :~Santthosh Kumaar