Sage Sankara:~ Ignorance will not vanish by mere book-knowledge, howsoever well-read in the philosophy of Vedanta.+

Bookish knowledge is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.

The truth you are seeking is not dependent upon books or upon any guru. The ultimate truth you are seeking is hidden by ignorance. No books or teachers can do more than help us to find it, and even without them, you can get the truth hidden by ignorance without bondage to them. Think and reason to understand, assimilate to realize the ultimate truth. . No blind belief can save you, work out your own salvation.

There is no need to read books after books. You need to realize only the universe in which you exist is created out of consciousness. Knowledge of consciousness is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Without knowing the cause of the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the ‘Self’ how is one to achieve Liberation by bookish Knowledge.

Sage Sankara:~ Ignorance will not vanish by mere book-knowledge, howsoever well-read in the philosophy of Vedanta, so long as one does not give up the false identification with the dualistic illusion (I).

Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the labyrinths of bookish knowledge, but he tries to get a direct realization of truth hidden by ignorance.

Sage Sankara does not believe in the book. Sage Sankara denies the authority of any book over any other book. Sage Sankara denies emphatically any one book containing all the truths about Brahman or God, Soul, the ultimate reality.

It is impossible to realize the Self through bookish knowledge. A feeling of profound respect for physical Guru is still more difficult to uphold. If you are seeking truth know must not cling to any physical Guru or his teaching.

Remember:~

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is Advaita. No books can do more than help us to find it, and even without them, we can get all truth if we search the truth which is hidden by the world in which we exist. You have the love for books without bondage to them; and read the books, but do not believe blindly because it well written with the ornamental world, but think for yourself. No blind belief can save you, work out on your own to find the truth, which is hidden by the form, time, and space. Think the Soul is your inner Guru - that Soul is an eternal help.

There is no need to read books to realize the truth which is hidden by ignorance.  

There is no need to buy books of Sage Sankara in order 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 in order to get nondualistic Self-awareness 

Many people believe by accumulating mastering the knowledge from the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the other scriptures and mastering the Sanskrit language makes one a Gnani. 

The scholars who mastered the knowledge of the Vedas the Upanishads and the other scriptures and mastered the Sanskrit language looked upon other people as ignorant or as illiterate. The religious scholars think people who have no knowledge of Vedas, the Upanishads, and the other scriptures and do not know the Sanskrit language are not qualified for higher truth. 

Mastering the Vedas the Upanishads and the other scriptures and mastering the Sanskrit language does not qualify one to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

These religious scholars immersed in ignorance in various ways, flatter themselves, saying: We have accomplished life's mission. Because these performers of karma do not know the Advaitic Gnana owing to their accumulated knowledge they will never be able to cross the ocean of dualistic illusion. 

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 in order to acquire non-dual wisdom. 

That is why Bhagavan Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of God, and the scriptures. 

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 of distraction for such minds.' 

Scriptures mastery, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth or Brahman. The ultimate truth is revealed in the clear understanding and realization of ‘what is truth and ‘what is the untruth. When one realizes the untruth (universe) is created out of single stuff, Self-awareness rises in the midst of duality exposing the unreal nature of the form, time, and space. 

The ultimate truth has to be realized first then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying. I do not require any 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 the truth of our true existence. 

Sage Sankara:~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 come 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 perverse arguments. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

Most of the Gurus and Yogis s approach was more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the 'I', they take it as real.+

Most of the Gurus and Yogis s approach was more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the 'I', they take it as real. 

All their teachings of Advaita are based on the dualistic perspective. They describe marvelously the goal but do not indicate the steps to be taken: their recurring phrases "unified consciousness" and "let go" and "'love alone" are not a roadmap. Such teaching will not yield the truth of the whole.

Many Gurus describes to perfection is the awakening to Reality ~the realization that pure Consciousness alone is, that the perpetually fluctuating and evanescent contents of the mind derive from it. This awakening effectively happens in an instant. But in order for the lightning flash to take place, resulting in a firm and unshakable certitude, long labor is necessary, which they seem to underestimate. “Truth is formless is their answer.

Many Guru's teaching seems essentially negative, potent but bitter medicine for those imprisoned by institutional cults. They break the disciple's bonds but then lead him to a vast desert where they abandon him.

The ‘I’ is blocking your realization of truth. The ‘I’ based teachings have to be discarded in order to realize the Advaitic reality.

The seeker has to make sure what is this ‘I’ supposed to be? The seeker has to make sure the unreal nature of the ‘I’ which comes and goes in order to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

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

The ‘I’ hides the truth of the whole.

Where there is ‘I’ there is ignorance.

Where there is ignorance there is separation.

Where there is a separation there is duality.

Where there is duality there is an illusion.

Where there is an illusion there is the mind.

Where there is the mind there is the universe.

Where there is the universe there is waking or dream.

Where there is the universe there is waking or dream there is form, time, and space

But remember:~

Where there is no ‘I’ there is no ignorance.

Where there is no ignorance there is no separation.

Where there is no separation there is no duality.

Where there is no duality there is an illusion.

Where there is no illusion there is no mind.

Where there is no mind there is no universe.

Where there is no universe there is no waking or dream.

Where there is no waking or dream there is no form, time, and space

When there are no divisions of form, time, and space, there is the Advaitic reality.

Perfect understanding of ‘what is what' leads to the realization of Advaitic truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space. :~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara's path of wisdom is the right path for the modern mindset.+

Sage Sankara clearly says:~ Neither studying philosophy nor by mastering scriptures by worship as many gods nor observe ceremonies nor by singing devotional hymns nor by uttering mantra nor by mastering the scriptures liberation comes without realizing the Oneness.

Adyathma or spirituality is only for seekers of truth and it is not suited for religious and yogic mindsets. 

Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is pure spirituality or Adyathma do not make it a philosophic sect. 

Sage Sankara’s path of wisdom is the independent search for truth. Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom deals with the practical bearing of philosophy to remove initial prejudice that it is remote from life.

Some scriptures have presented fragments of truth imbedded in the covering of stories, histories, and picturesque touches of mysticism.

The seeker should not mix religion, mysticism, and yoga with the path of wisdom. All the Gurus of the east and west touch on mysticism to make it more attractive to feed the crowd.

It is necessary to reach larger numbers of serious seekers who care for truth alone.

Seeker of truth has to deal with the ultimate truth, not mere words, not this Guru's or that Guru's interpretation.

The key to it is, for a  Gnani to be "ever the same." This means he sees and knows only one thing, the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of Consciousness

All the interpretation of different scriptural scholars is an arena of conflicting interpretations.

All the gurus of the east and west interpret Advaita from a dualistic standpoint or orthodox point of view and they are still dealing with words, not truth.  It proves that they have not understood the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.

Gnani inwardly atoned in perfect understanding of the ultimate truth Brahman or God in truth.

Criticism can only arise, disagreement can only happen, contradictory interpretation can only occur when men have failed to grasp Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom.     

It all depends on seekers' capacity to grasp the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara, which is above words and above "interpretation."

 Remember that only a few of those who have understood Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom for them contradictory interpretations will never arise.

There will be no two among them, only one. The only test of the correctness of any interpretation of Sage Sankara is whether it tends towards non-duality or not, whether its author has grasped non-duality or not. 

Remember:~  

People are intoxicated with the theory of karma; some are with the theory of cause and effect, some with love alone, some with humanism, some with service, and some with rituals, worship, some with glorifying and surrendering to the guru, some with their logical and intellectual conclusions, some with their orthodoxy and some with their Yogic Samadhi. But all these are the biggest hindrance, not the qualification to acquire Advaitic wisdom.

It is a waste of time to convince these people because they have already had accepted something else as truth. Thus, they will not have any urge to know the ultimate truth. Therefore, it is no use discussing with such a crowd and it is better to avoid such a mindset if one seriously seeking the truth.

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (10):~ “Ignorant fools, regarding sacrifices and humanitarian works as the highest, do not know any higher good. Having enjoyed their reward on the heights of heaven, gained by good works, they enter again this world or a lower one.

It is high time to stop judging who is right and who is wrong in this unreal world instead spend the same time acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana to realize the world (Samsara) is unreal the Brahman alone is real.

According to Advaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the most advanced seeker, who seeks to know Brahman. Thus, the Purva mimam. sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, the Vedanta, with its emphasis on the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

The orthodox people are ordinary people. Thus the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices. The karma kanda of the Vedas is meant for the ordinary audience, to help lead its followers along the way.

A modern mindset is more advanced and capable of reasoning and discriminating. Thus, the modern mindset is the most advanced which seeks to know the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

It is high time for the orthodox highly educated noble Advaitins to realize their religious-based orthodox path chosen path was meant for the ignorant in the past; therefore, it is outdated not suited for the modern mindset.

The right path for the modern mindset is the path of the wisdom of Sage Sankara.

The orthodox religious Advaitic path is nothing to do with ultimate truth or Brahman. Thus getting stuck with the religious path is getting stuck with duality. Getting stuck with duality is getting stuck with the falsehood. Getting stuck with the falsehood is accepting the experience of birth, life, death, and the world as a reality. Thus, the people who want freedom or Moksha right here right now in this very life and in this very world must follow the path of wisdom or Soulcentric reason.

Orthodoxy is the path of ignorance because it recognized the experience of birth, life, death, and the world as reality whereas Sage Sankara says the world is an illusion.

It is high time to stop judging who is right and who is wrong in this unreal world instead one has to spend the same time to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana by realizing ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal’.: ~Santthosh Kumaar

God in Vedas is not the God people believe in and worship. God in the Bible is not the God people believe in and worship.+

People's ambition is to acquire wealth and enjoy practical life within the practical world. They are looking for an advantage in the world, to take care of their daily life.

Thus, to get what they want in practical life they indulge in the numerous paths of dogmas and rituals prescribed by the Gurudom expecting their daily life goes on comfortably.

The so-called Gurus and yogis focus their ambition on acquiring wealth by making the mass more and more dogmatic oriented.

No one inquires why they are in this hell. This begging to God and Guru goes on and on. If their wish is fulfilled, they indulge more, and more if the wish is not fulfilled they indulge again and again because of fear of getting curses of God and Gurus.

Thus, in order to get rid of this path of begging one has to know the truth of his true existence.

That is why Swami Vivekananda:~ The masses in India cry to sixty million gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods? Knowing this, stand up and fight! Not one step back that is the idea. ... Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us! Death means only a change of garment. What of it? Thus, fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards. ... Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. You have cried to all the Gods in the world. Has misery ceased? The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods? ... The Gods come to help you when you have succeeded. So what is the use? Die game. ... This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself to your own mind does not befit you, my Soul. You are infinite, deathless, and birthless because you are the infinite spirit, it does not befit you to be a slave. ... Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight! Die if you must. There is none to help you. You are the entire world. Who can help you? - Swami Vivekananda (Delivered In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900) -The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita II

Sage Sankara said:~ Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many Gods as you please, observe ceremonies, and sing devotional hymns, but the liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

Remember:~

God in Vedas is not the God people believe in and worship. God in the Bible is not the God people believe in and worship.

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

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~ It has been said that God Supreme or Supreme Spirit.

Vedas and Upanishad confirm the Soul, the innermost Self, is present in the form of the Spirit or consciousness.

If God is  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 Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the Soul, the  Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. From the Spirit, the universe comes into existence. In the Spirit, the universe resides. And into the Spirit, the universe is dissolved. The Spirit is the parent of all that is there is.

The Spirit is present in the form of consciousness. Everything is consciousness. All the moments are within the dualistic illusion. Whatever happens within the dualistic illusion is bound to be an illusion created out of consciousness. Thus,  consciousness alone is real and all else is merely an illusion.

“Spirit is my father and I and my father are one.”

If the Spirit is the father the son is bound to be the Spirit. The Spirit, the beloved alone is real and all else is merely an illusion.

There is no God in the dualistic illusion because the dualistic illusion is created out of God, which is present in the form of the Spirit or the consciousness. Thus, God alone is real.

Spirit is prior to Love. Love implies duality. The love hides God. When love disappears God appears. Find the Self, and Love the Self and rest in God, which is the Spirit.

Search for the God. God is not within your body but it is hidden within the world in which you exist.

God is not in any mosque, temple, or church. The religious Gods are not God in truth.

Remember:~

The dualistic worship of "God” only for the ignorant populace and Advaitic wisdom, unfolds the mystery of the real God.

Lord Krishna himself 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.

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

It proves that the all-pervading Atman, which is present in the form of consciousness, is God. Thus, worshipping the form-based Gods is meant for the ignorant populace who are incapable of realizing the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.

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 innermost self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

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.

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

Remember:~

People who are saying ‘I Am GOD’ are hallucinating that they become God. First, you must know what is God.

That is why Ashtavakra Gita 16:10:~ If you desire liberation, but you still say "mine," If you feel the ‘Self’ is the ‘I’, You are not a wise man or a seeker. You are simply a man who suffers.

If one thinks the Advaitic truth is the ultimate truth, then he has to drop all theories based on the ‘I’. All the theories based on the ‘I’ are based on the dualistic perspective. How can one realize the non-dualistic truth on the dualistic theories?

The ‘I’ hides the Advaita, which is the ultimate truth. Thus, why glorify the ‘I’ which is the cause of ignorance. The seeker has to make sure and accept only the uncontradictable truth.

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

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self, which is the cause of the universe. 

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.

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take 'I' as real because some Gurus have propagated the ‘Self’ is the ‘I’. is no need to convince such a mindset. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth nothing but the truth.

Advaita is not a theory.

Advaita is the nature of the truth.

Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the ‘Self’.

Advaita is the Soul itself.

Advaita is the nature of God because Rigveda says the Soul itself’ is God in truth.

Advaita is nothing but God in truth.

Thus, it is time to realize the world in which we exist is created out of the Soul, which is the ‘Self’.

The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the cause of the world in which we exist and it, itself is uncaused.

The Soul alone is real and eternal. The eternal Soul itself is God in truth. There is no other God other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Realize the Soul, the Self is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness itself is God in truth.

Consciousness is the cause of the world in which you exist. And the consciousness itself’ is uncaused.

Truth -realization itself is God-realization because the ultimate truth is Brahman or God in truth. The ‘Self’-realization is God-realization, and God-realization is real worship.

Nothing has to be accepted as God other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Atman is Brahman means the Soul alone is God. Atman is the Advaitic God or God in truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Tattireya Upanishad: ~ “The Self in man and in the sun is one.+

The ‘Self’ does not reside in the human heart, and one will not find the ‘Self’ in the human heart if he searches for it. The Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in the world in which we exist. Limiting the ‘Self’ to the human heart is erroneous. The truth is not belief propagated by the belief system.

Tattireya Upanishad: ~ “The Self in man and in the sun is one. Those who understand this see through the world and go beyond the various sheaths of being to realize the unity of life”.

Holding the ‘I’ as the ‘Self’ is the main mistake. People refuse to rectify the mistake because they are sentimentally attached to their Gurus and their teaching. Such people are like stagnant water in the dirty pound. Rectifying the mistake will unfold the mystery of the whole world.

The sun is simply bright. It does not correct anyone. Because it shines the whole world is full of light. The Soul is the fullness of consciousness. 

The universe exists because of the Soul. Without the universe the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness alone exists. The universe is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Realize consciousness is the cause of the universe and it itself is uncaused.

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ “The universe rises from the ‘Self’ like bubbles from the sea. Thus, know the Self to be One and in this way enter into the state of dissolution."

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?"

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana frees the Soul from the cage of the illusory form, time, and space.

Due to ignorance, the Soul, the Self is in forgetfulness of its own true nature in the dualistic illusion. When the Soul wakes up from its sleep of ignorance, the unreal nature of the world, in which you exist, is exposed. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

The reincarnation theory based on the false self within the false experience is bound to be a falsehood.+

 

From The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharishi

Edited by David Godman

Question:- is reincarnation true?

Ramana Maharshi: - Reincarnation exists only so long as there is ignorance. Ignorance is the cause of the experience of the illusory birth, life, death, and the world as reality.

There is really no reincarnation at all, either in the present or in the past. Nor will there be any in the future. This is the truth.

[Note: Comments by David Godman: Most religions have constructed elaborate theories which purport to explain what happens to the individual soul after the death of the body. Some claim that the soul goes to heaven or hell while others claim that it is reincarnated in a new body.

Ramana Maharshi taught that all such theories are based on the false assumption that the individual self or soul is real; once this illusion is seen through, the whole superstructure of after-life theories collapses. From the standpoint of the Self, there is no birth or death, no heaven or hell, and no reincarnation.

As a concession to those who were unable to assimilate the implications of this truth, Sri Ramana would sometimes admit that reincarnation existed. In replying to such people he would say that if one imagined that the individual self was real, then that imaginary self would persist after death and that eventually, it would identify with a new body and a new life. The whole process, he said, is sustained by the tendency of the mind to identify itself with a body. Once the limiting illusion of mind is transcended, identification with the body ceases, and all theories about death and reincarnation are found to be inapplicable.]

Santthosh Kumaar:~ People who are caught up with the idea of reincarnation and rebirth theories are not qualified for Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because they accepted duality as reality.

People who believe in reincarnation and rebirth theories are unaware of the fact that their belief is based on the waking entity (ego), which is the false self within the false experience. The waking entity itself is a false self within the false experience, it means the present experience of birth, life, death, and the world is falsehood. Thus whatever is seen, known, believed, and experienced as the waking entity is bound to be falsehood because the soul or consciousness the innermost self is birthless because it is formless. Therefore the rebirth and reincarnation theory based on the false self is bound to be a falsehood.

Accepting rebirth and reincarnation theory as reality is accepting false self (waking entity or ego) as real self and false experience (waking) as reality. 

Self-realization is an impossibility if one accepts the present waking entity as real self because the self is neither the waking entity nor the self is a dream entity but the self is a formless soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states without the physical apparatus.

The three states are impermanent but the soul or consciousness, which is the witness of the three states, is permanent and eternal. in reality, the three states are one in essence. and that essence is consciousness. Therefore there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. Thus consciousness (Soul) is second to none.

A deeper self-search reveals the fact that the waking experience itself is an illusion. It means the present experience of birth, life, death, and the world is an illusion. 

Thus the reincarnation theory based on the false self within the false experience is bound to be a falsehood. When the waking entity is not the self then whatever theories are based on the waking entity imagined theory.

This imagined theory based on the waking entity or ego is for those lower minds set who are incapable of grasping the ultimate truth or Brahman.

People who are caught up with the idea of reincarnation and rebirth theories are not qualified for Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because they accepted duality as reality. Birth implies duality and duality is falsehood from the ultimate standpoint. :~ Santthosh Kumaar 

Centuries have passed since Sage Sankara appeared, yet it is very hard to find his wisdom understood anywhere in the world.+

 

Centuries have passed since Sage Sankara appeared, yet it is very hard to find his wisdom understood anywhere in the world today. It is because so few could rise to his level. Hence dualistic cults and devotional sects came into existence prospered.

The Advaita wisdom of Sage Sankara is a rigorous, absolute one. According to Sage Sankara, whatever is, is Brahman. Brahman, Itself is absolutely homogeneous. All differences and plurality are illusory.

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.

Sage Sankara says: ~ “VC-47 All the effects of ignorance, root, and branch, are burnt down by the fire of knowledge, which arises from discrimination between these two—the Self and the not-Self.

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.

Select Works of Sage Sankara (also his commentary on Brihad): "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread."

Sage Sankara himself said: ~ A Gnani "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).

Thus, it proves that the religious gurus and yogis who identify themselves as holy people have nothing to do with Advaitic Gnana.

Sage Sankara says: ~ “V C: ~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.

Keeping Sage Sankara's words in when one goes into the deeper self-search through the mental microscope he finds Advaitic wisdom is nothing to with Advaitic orthodoxy. And the truth will not reveal by studying the philosophy of Vedanta.

Some thinkers hold views of Maya which are entirely incorrect and untenable. They do not know Sage Sankara's Upanishad Bashya, but only the Brahma Sutra Bashya. The followers of Sage Sankara have constituted a religious sect. Thus, all movements ultimately degenerate.

Sage Sankara gave religious, rituals, and dogmatic instruction to the ignorant populace but Advaitic wisdom only to the few who could rise to it.

Sage Sankara believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality, and can, therefore, dispense with Shruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason.

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God) is Nirguna (without the Gunas), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without attributes), and Akarta (non-agent). God is above all needs and desires.

Sage Sankara: ~ “This Atman is Self-evident. This Atman or Self is not established by proofs of the existence of the Self. It is not possible to deny this Atman, for it is the very essence of he who denies it. Atman is the basis of all kinds of knowledge. The Self is within, the Self is without, the Self is before and the Self is behind. The Self is on the right hand, the Self is on the left, the Self is above and the Self is below".

“Satyam-Jnanam-Anantam-Anandam” ~ are not separate attributes. They form the very essence of Brahman. Brahman cannot be described, because description implies a distinction Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than Brahman.

The objective world-the world of names and forms-has no independent existence. The Atman alone has real existence. The world is only phenomenal.

Sage Sankara said:~ Just as the snake is superimposed on the rope, this world and this body are superimposed on Brahman. 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 innermost 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.

The Veda serves only at the starting point. What one has to learn from Veda must be understood through the exercise of reason, as far as reason might go. And what one has understood must be realized in one’s life.

It is not that one should pore over the ancient scriptures. There is no need to study first then realize. One has to realize first then only he will know ‘what is the truth’ and ‘what is untruth’. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar