The essence of Mundaka is:~Do not be satisfied with rituals, yoga, etc. but inquire. Into what? Brahman and Atman are things you can never see. So do not inquire into them. Inquire into the world around you, which you can see.+

Who am I?- inquiry is not Self-inquiry. Self-inquiry is finding out the ‘Self’ which is hidden by ‘I’.

The ‘I’ is present in the form of the world, in which we exist. By inquiring ‘Who am I?’, the ignorance will not vanish.

Without getting rid of ignorance, the Advaitic wisdom will not dawn.

Without the Advaitic wisdom, it is not possible to realize the truth, which is hidden within the world in which we exist.

The seeker has to make sure what is this ‘universe supposed to be?

The seeker has to make sure the unreal nature of the universe comes and goes to realize the truth, which is hidden by the universe.

The Soul is permanent is always there, only the transient universe comes and goes.

Sage Sankara says: ~ ‘What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead to the final Goal. (Commentary on Vedanta Sutra)

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

The universe hides the truth of the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

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.

People refuse to accept anything other than their Gurus words. For them, their Gurus words are the ultimate truth. They do not accept anything else other than their accepted truth. There is no need to convince such a mindset.

Such a mindset is not fit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seekers of truth accept only the truth nothing but the uncontradictable truth.

That is why Sage Sankara Says: ~ VC-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.?

What is the use of saying ‘I AM THAT’- without knowing what the ‘Self’ is in actuality? Without knowing the truth of the Self, without realizing the truth of the world in which you exist it is impossible to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space. By a mere utterance of the word ‘I AM THAT', the truth will not be revealed.

The essence of Mundaka is: Do not be satisfied with rituals, yoga, etc. which are good in their own way but inquire. Into what? Brahman and Atman are things you can never see. So do not inquire into them. Inquire into the world around you, which you can see. Science tells you it is passing away every second. Everything is dying repeatedly. Where is it going? Thus you follow up your inquiry into what you can lay hands on. How can you inquire into Atma which you cannot see? So first we deal with the known and seen, this inquiry leads up to the unknown in the end. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar