Advaita is an inner revolution. If you are serious and sincerely seeking truth then you have to drop what is not needed in pursuit of truth.
If you say you are Self-realized then you are not Self-realized because only an ignorant person declares he is self-realized. You are simply hallucinating that you are Self- realized.
Self-realization is possible only when you realize the ‘Self is not you but the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness. The Soul is not an individual to get Self-realization. You and the world in which you exist is the product of ignorance. Only when the ignorance vanishes then only the 'Self 'appears.
A Gnani never identifies himself as Gnani. A Gnani shares only Gnana. A Gnani is the fountainhead of Gnana.
Ashtavakra Samhita: ~ "The man of knowledge (Gnani), though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him and only those like him understand his state.
A Gnani can point at the sky, but the seeing of the star is the seeker's own work.
You are struggling to realize the truth because you are caught up in the prison of your emotions and sentimentally involve with the physical Guru. Until you remain in the prison of the emotion you will never be able to cross the threshold of the dualistic illusion. Your physical Guru belongs to the dualistic illusion.
You have to transcend the dualistic illusion. If you hold anything of the dualistic illusion as divine or scared then you will not be able to dualistic illusion (matter) into consciousness (Spirit).
If you are seeking truth then you have to keep away from this Gurudom. If you hold physical Guru as God and worship him then you are worshipping the illusion. You should not hold anything of the illusion as God. You do not require the grace of the physical Guru. You will get the grace of the inner Guru when you fix your attention of the Soul by realizing the Soul alone is real and all else is an illusion.
If you are seeking truth you should not indulge in glorifying Gurus and yogis. Guru worship is meant for the religious and yogic path, not for the Gnanic path. You and Gurus and yogi belong to the dualistic illusion. Thus, their blessings and grace are bound to be illusory.
Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread." (Select Works of Sage Sri, Sankara" also his commentary on Brihad)
Thus, the above passage proves that all those who were the sanyasin robes are wearing it for the sake of bread belongs to the religion; they are nothing to do with the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. There is no need to criticize and condemn the Gurus, yogis, and swamis because they are needed for the welfare of ignorant mass in the dualistic world.
The Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and the Guru is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known.
Guru is needed in the religious and the yogic path. There is no need for a Guru to acquire Self-knowledge.
Sage Sankara says the transparent Truth of the Self, which is hidden by the illusion, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, (Gnani)
~ Then why you are sticking a Guru who is not a Gnani wasting your precious life and time with half-baked knowledge. Why you are allowing them to play with your innocence, emotions, and sentiments.
Be courageous. You do not require a Guru to acquire Self-knowledge or Atma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
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.
A person who realized the ultimate truth or Brahman will throw off his religious robe and all religious identity and lives like a commoner. He never identifies himself as Gnani nor does he identify himself superior to others. He only shares his knowledge with fellow seekers.
A Gnani never identifies himself as a Guru or a Yogi or someone disciple. The one who accepts himself as a Guru or someone’s disciple is not a Gnani.
Yogis and Gurus are not Gods.
This idea of worshiping Guru as God is not a Vedic idea but adopted from Jainism and Buddhism.
Vedas bars human worship: ~
"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.)
Then why to 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.
God exists prior to the form, time, and space. The form, time, and space cease to exist as a reality when wisdom dawns. Thus, the Gods and Gurus have no place in the domain of the Advaitic reality. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, which is the real God. Thus, Self-realization is the only way to God-realization.
By worshipping the religious Gods and Gurus one will not get Self-realization or God-realization.
The Soul, the inner Guru reveals ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal” when the seeker is receptive and ready.
Remember:
A scholar is proud that he has accumulated so much knowledge; Gnani is humble that he knows no more.
Sage Sankara:~ 58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the scholar but are no good for Liberation.
Isa Upanishads indicates that: By worshipping Gods and Goddesses and going to the world of Gods after death is of no use. The time one spends in ritualistic practices is wasted; one can spend the same time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is the main goal. One cannot reach the nondual destination by glorifying God and Goddesses and by doing that, one goes deeper and deeper into darkness. It surely indicates the fact that the seeker of truth has to drop the worshiping God and Goddess in order to get Self-knowledge.
Sage Sankara as a rationalist philosopher. The orthodoxy projected him as a theologian.
Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is not even a philosopher dish cooked to suit exclusively the palate of one particular religion. Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is like the air and the water, the common food for the whole of humanity.
Advaitic wisdom is Science of the Spirit.
If rightly interpreted Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom as spiritual food for the whole of humanity. Advaitic wisdom is the universal wisdom par excellence. Advaitic wisdom is not just a not a philosophy, but not a science, but the Science of Truth.
Sage Sankara gave religious, ritual or dogmatic instruction to the mass but pure philosophy only to the few who could rise to it. Hence, the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.
The Upanishads says:~
Mundaka Upanishad 1:2:8:~ “Remaining in the fold of ignorance and thinking “we are extremely wise and learned,” the fools with boastful nature ramble about like the blind led by the blind alone.”
Mundaka Upanishad 3:2:3:~ “The weak and timid cannot realize the Self. Self-Realization is not possible through intellect or hearing the spiritual discourse. One who welcomes God in every activity, through a thorough controlled and disciplined life, to him also the Soul is revealed
Katha Upanishad 1:2:23:~ The Soul cannot be realized through hearing a scholarly explanation of the discourses, not even by the intellect.
Katha Upanishad 1:3:6:~ “Through the knowledge of the Soul God, one is pure and clean constantly.” Neither by reading the books nor by taking a bath at the holy place has one become pure. Inner purity is possible when one remains in constant touch with the Soul. Constant Soul Consciousness is real purity.
Kena Upanishad 2:4:~ When it is known through every state of cognition, it is rightly known, for (by such knowledge) one attains life eternal. Through one's own self, one gains power and through wisdom, one gains immortality.
Kena Upanishad 2:5:~ If here one knows it, then there is the truth, and if here one knows it not, there is a great loss. Hence, seeing the Real in all beings, wise men become immortal on departing from this world.
The scriptures are being added from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme.
The Upanishads are Self-contradictory. Every pundit even gives conflicting interpretations of them. The final authority, therefore, is using one’s own reason. One should apply his reason to them.
The scriptures are for ignorant masses, who wholly accept the material world as it presents itself. Gnana is for those who have begun to realize that things are not what they seem.
The Scriptures are of value only when dealing with persons who are incapable of understanding the Advaitic truth. They have no value as authority for those who use reason. I quote only verified citations from the scriptures. I need no scriptures but I quote then to help the seekers to realize the scriptures are saying
The Upanishads are the only scriptures in the world that says:~ It is impossible to find and realize the truth via religion and scriptural study.
Katha Upanishad: ~ This Atman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, nor by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Ataman reveals its own form. (Katha Upanishad Ch-II -23-P-20)
Mundaka Upanishad: ~ “This Atman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Atman—by him alone is Atman attained. It is Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. (3 –page-70 Upanishads by Nikilanada)
When the Upanishad says: ~ “The human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge and they indicate the personal Gods, scriptures, worship, and rituals are not the means to Self –Knowledge, then why anyone should indulge in it. The religion, concept of individualized God, belief in physical Guru, scriptures are a great obstacle to Self-realization because they are based on false Self. The seeker of truth has to search the ultimate truth without losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, through deeper Self-search and assimilate and realize it.
That is why Sage Sankara, indicated in Bhaja Govindam says:~ (Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena) - One without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.
Then it is no use going a roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and witness of the universe, which is in the form of mind. By tracing the source of the mind or universe one will be able to realize the Brahman.
Thus, Self-knowledge is meant only for those who have intense urge, and courage to accept the truth with humility and reject the untruth. Since people start comparing with their scriptural knowledge, it becomes impossible to assimilate and realize the non-dual truth. Therefore, there is no need to convince anyone other than our own selves to get the firm conviction.
So they clearly indicate rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for higher knowledge or wisdom. The path of wisdom is the only means.
The knowledge of both matter and spirit is True knowledge. The true knowledge is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar
