The Atmic path is meant for those who wish to go beyond the domain of form, time, and space.+

Many Gurus in the past glorified the ‘I’. People got emotionally stuck with their Gurus worshipping them, and got entangled with studying the life and happenings of their Guru when their Guru was alive.

,

They forgot their main goal of discovering the truth of their true existence. The following Gurudom trend is still continuing.

Yoga Vasistha says: ~ Self-knowledge or knowledge of truth is not had by resorting to a Guru (preceptor) nor by the study of scripture, nor by good works: it is attained only by means of inquiry inspired by the company of wise (Gnani). One’s inner light alone is the means, naught else. When this inner light is kept alive, it is not affected by the darkness of inertia.

There is no need to condemn Gurus, but there is a need to highlight how they become an obstacle to the realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman.

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.”

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.

A Guru is needed in the religious and the yogic path. There is no need for a Guru to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

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 form, time, and space.

The Gurudom is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. The Atmic path is meant for those who wish to go beyond the domain of form, time, and space.

Sage Sankara gave religious, ritual, or dogmatic instruction to the masses 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 Atmic path is straight. One travels from ignorance to wisdom by perfect understanding of ‘what is what’.

The search for the truth of our true existence ends in the discovery of the invisible Soul, the Self.

When the form, time, and space are created out of a single stuff, then there is no division in consciousness. The invisible Soul is the fullness of consciousness without the division of form, time, and space.

It is erroneous to identify the invisible Soul, the Self, as 'I' or 'I AM' because the invisible Soul, the Self, is not 'I' or I AM’. The invisible Soul, the Self, is that witness of the 'I'.

The ‘I’ is not the expression of the fullness of consciousness.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the division within consciousness.

The ‘I’ is ignorance.

The ‘I’ is the cause of experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the experience of birth, death, and the world.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the form, time, and space.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the universe.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the three states.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the mind.

But remember:~

Without the ‘I’, it is the fullness of consciousness.

Without the ‘I’, there is no division within consciousness.

Without the ‘I’, there is no ignorance.

Without the ‘I’, there is no dualistic illusion.

Without the ‘I’, there is no experience of birth, death, and the world.

Without the ‘I’ is there is no form, time, and space.

Without the ‘I’, there is no universe.

Without the ‘I’, there are no three states.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the mind.

People try all kinds of paths and practices to get Self-realization. Realizing the Self is not you, but the Self is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is ‘‘realization.

Consciousness is the cause of the world in which you exist, and it itself is uncaused.

Consciousness is pure, flawless, and full, beyond form, time, and space. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Consciousness is beyond all limitations of form, time, and space. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

The true seeker never indulges in argument, he calmly thinks, reasons and reflect on the subject matter and succeeds.+

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, all the attributes are illusory. There are no attributes because there is no second thing exists other than consciousness. There is only consciousness without the division of form, time, and space.

Only ignorant people who see the world in their dualistic lenses get confused. Such people are not seeking the truth. They waste their time in unnecessary arguments. And arguments lead to dualistic perversity.

The true seeker never indulges in argument; he calmly thinks, reasons, and reflects on the subject matter and succeeds.

The invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the only reality in which everything exists, to which everything belongs, from which everything has emerged and which is the cause of everything and which is everything.

Thus, there is a need to realize that the Self is not you, but the ‘Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The world in which we exist is nothing but consciousness.

When attributes are an illusion created out of consciousness, then consciousness alone is real. Hold on to the real and mentally drop the unreal.

When matter is an illusion created out of the Spirit, then the Spirit alone is real.

When the object is created out of the subject, then the subject alone is real.

When the world in which you exist is created out of consciousness, then consciousness alone is real.

The reality and unreality are created out of a single stuff because of the unreality (the world in which we exist) is experienced as a reality we are unaware of the reality hidden by the unreality.

There is no second thing that exists other than the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The dualistic illusion, which is present in the form of the ‘I’, hides the truth.

Stick to reality by mentally dropping the unreality.

All accumulated knowledge is mental Garbage is no use in the quest for truth. The seeker has to discard all the accumulated knowledge and start afresh.

Perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ through deeper thinking and reasoning helps to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Reading and reflecting on my blogs and postings gradually, the seekers will start assimilating and realizing ‘what is the truth’ and what the untruth is.

Repeated reading my blogs and postings makes the seeker, Soulcentric, and the inner dialogue will start and clear all the doubts and confusion.

When there is no doubt and confusion, then they have realized the truth that the form, time, and space are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness.

There is no use in wasting time in questioning and arguing same time and effort has to be used to make the seeker more independent, and without external spoon feeding,he can reach the inner core, which is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

In the Atmic path, discussion of the unimportant subject matter is a great hindrance. The path of truth is the path of verification.

Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verification. Agreeing to disagree causes unnecessary friction.

Truth is very simple but it is very difficult grasp because of ignorance. You have to only realize the world in which you exist is created out of a single clay. And that single clay is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, you and your body and the world in which you exist are nothing but consciousness because they are mere illusions created out of consciousness. Perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed.

A Gnani can point at the sky, but the seeing of the star is the seeker's own work.

It is necessary to reflect on the same truth again and again till it becomes reality. One needs to constantly reflect on the subject until he gets a firm conviction of what is what.

Words of wisdom are needed until one gets a firm conviction of ‘what is what’. People need to read and hear the words of wisdom to think, reason, and reflect deeply and reach the ultimate end. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

No conceptual God with form and attributes can exist, apart from consciousness.+

No conceptual God with form and attributes can exist, apart from consciousness.

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

Consciousness is the true self. If there is no consciousness, then there is no body, no ego, no universe, no religion, and no conceptual god.

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 consciousness or consciousness as the Self, then there is nothing that exists other than the consciousness, which is the true Self.

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 Self/consciousness. If God is apart from the Self/consciousness, then He would be Self-less, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent.

Mahaayaanists who say: Buddha, due to his excellent skill, pNo reached the truth in different ways depending on the aptitude of his disciples.

Gaudapada says that the merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.m So they clearly indicate rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for higher knowledge or wisdom.

Ish Upanishads:- Vidya and Avidya both are hindrances to Self-knowledge, but Vidya is even worse than Avidya. The word Vidya is used here in a special sense; here it means worshiping gods and goddesses. By worshiping gods and goddesses, you will go after death to the world of gods and goddesses. But will that help you? The time you spend there is wasted, because if you were not there, you could have spent that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of gods and goddesses, you cannot do that, and thus, you go deeper and deeper into darkness.

Avidya is Karma and therefore a hindrance. You perform Avidya - i.e., you perform Agnihotra and other sacrifices. This is a roundabout way of purifying the mind, and it is also groping in the dark. But it may not have as heavy a toll on your time and energy as the other.

Ishopanishad "They are steeped in ignorance and sunk into the greatest depth of misery who worship 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.

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 ignorant one [darkness] of the true self [Atman] searches for truth by accumulating knowledge of every path and practice, and is uncertain about the truth, and thinks every path leads towards reality. The ignorance of the true self leads one towards unreality or hallucination.

Bhad Upanishad: - This Self is dearer than a son, dearer than wealth, dearer than everything else because It is innermost. If one holding the Self dear were to say to a person who speaks of anything other than the Self as dear, that he, the latter, will lose what he holds dear—and the former is certainly competent to do so—it will indeed come true. One should meditate upon the Self alone as dear. He who meditates upon the Self alone as dear, what he holds dear will not perish. [Bhad Upanishad -8-p- -211]

It is the first instance of monism in organized religion. Vedic religion remains the only religion with this concept. To call this concept 'God' would be imprecise.

The closest interpretation of the term can be found in the Taittariya Upanishad (II.1):- where Brahman is described in the following manner: Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahman - "Brahman is of the nature of truth, knowledge and infinity".

Thus, Brahman is the origin and end of all things, material or otherwise. Brahman is the root source and Divine Ground of everything that exists and does not exist. It is defined as unknowable and Satchidananda (Truth-Consciousness-Bliss).

Since it is eternal and infinite, it comprises the only truth. The goal of Vedic religion, through the various yogas, is to realize that the consciousness (Atman) is actually nothing but Brahman.

The Vedic pantheon of gods is said, in the Vedas and Upanishads, to be only higher manifestations of Brahman. For this reason, "ekam sat" (all is one), and all is Brahman.

Several mahā-vākyas, or great sayings, indicate what the principle of Brahman is:~

(1)prajnānam brahma

"Brahman is knowledge"

(2) ayam ātmā brahma

"The Self (Atma) is Brahman "

(3) aham brahmāsmi

"Self is Brahman"

(4)tat tvam asi

"The Self that

(5) sarvam khalv idam brahma

"All this that we see in the world is Brahman",

(6)(7)sachchidānanda brahma.

"Brahman is existence, consciousness, and bliss".

Why go round and round, by various tortuous paths, when the Vedas and Upanishad declare that Consciousness or Atman is actually nothing but Brahman, then why go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. One has to realize the fact that the mind is in the form of a universe.

Trace the source of the mind and realize that the source is consciousness. The mind rises from consciousness as waking or dream and subsides as deep sleep.

In Manduka Upanishad Brahman and Atman are defined as same:

सर्वं ह्येतद् ब्रह्मायमात्मा ब्रह्म सोयमात्मा चतुष्पात् / sarvam hyetad brahmaayamaatmaa brahm soyamaatmaa chatushpaat –

Mandukya Upanishad, verse 2

Translation:

sarvam(सर्वम्)- Whole/All/Everything; hi(हि)- Really/Just/Surely/Indeed; etad(एतद्)- This here/This; brahm(ब्रह्म)- Brahm/Brahman; ayam(अयम्)- This/Here; aatmaa(आत्मा)- Atma/Atman; sah(सः)- He; ayam(अयम्)- This/Here; chatus(चतुस्)- Four/Quadruple; paat(पात्)- Step/Foot/Quarter

Fragmented Verse:

सर्वम् हि एतद् ब्रह्म अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म सः अयम् आत्मा चतुस पात् / sarvam hi etad brahm ayama aatmaa brahm sah ayam aatmaa chatus paat

Simple Meaning:-

All indeed is this Brahman; This Atman is Brahman; He, this Atman, has four steps/quarters.

While Brahman lies behind the sum total of the objective universe, some human minds boggle at any attempt to explain it with only the tools provided by reason. Brahman is beyond the senses, beyond the mind, beyond intelligence, beyond imagination. Indeed, the highest idea is that Brahman is beyond both existence and non-existence, transcending and including time, causation, and space, and thus can never be known in the same material sense as one traditionally 'understands' a given concept or object.

Imagine a person who is blind from birth and has not seen anything. Is it possible for us to explain to him the meaning of the colour red? Is any amount of thinking or reasoning on his part ever going to make him understand the sensation of the colour red? In a similar fashion, the idea of Brahman cannot be explained or understood through material reasoning or any form of human communication. Brahman is like the colour red; those who can sense it cannot explain or argue with those who have never sensed it.

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

In Advaita Vedanta, Brahman 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, 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, is 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.

Chandogya Upanishad:- One who meditates upon and realizes the self discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantram and meditation--all come from the Self.

So, it clearly says the one who meditates upon the self [consciousness] discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantram and meditation--all come from the Self. Therefore, there is a need to know the fact that, the true self is not physical but the soul to realize the fact that: the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantram and meditation--all come from the Self, which is in the form of consciousness.

Atman is Brahman. Brahman /Christ/the Absolute is alone real; this waking is unreal; and the three states are non-different from Brahman or God in truth.

Whatever is, is Brahman. Brahman itself is absolutely homogeneous. All differences and plurality are illusory."

Brahman/Christ is not a person, as the Absolute is not this. But if one wants to call it God/Paramataman, then fine. But it is not a person. Personifying it can make it easier to understand.

To realize the ultimate truth is the prime goal.

All the scriptures indicate that Atman is Brahman, and Brahman is the ultimate truth. Therefore, the consciousness, which is in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth.

Thus, to realize the ultimate truth is the prime goal. A well-directed inquiry, analysis, and reasoning will lead one to their non-dual destination.

Studying scriptures is not necessary:~

The Upanishads clearly indicate:-

it

This Atman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one, Atman reveals its own form. [Katha Upanishad Ch-II -23-P-20]

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 Mundaka Upanishad (Upanishads by Nikilanada)

Prastnatraya [Bagavat Gita.The Dasoponishad and the Brahma Sutra, all with commentaries, will not help for Self-realization.

All that is intellectual wealth, useful in explaining doubts and difficulties if others raise them, if you yourself encounter them in the course of thinking. But to attain realization, all that is not necessary. You want fresh water to drink, but you do not require all the water of the river Ganges to quench your thirst.

The Vedanta speaks of 15 pranas, the names and functions of it which the student is asked to commit to memory. Will it not be sufficient if he thought only one prana does the whole work of maintaining the body? Again, the antakaran is said to think, to desire, to will, to reason, etc. Why all these details? Has anyone seen antakarana, or all these pranas? Do they really exist? They are conceptual divisions invented by teachers of philosophy through their excessive analysis. Where do all these concepts end? Why should confusion be created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, but goes straight to the source from which they all arise.

The above passages further prove that: Self-Knowledge cannot be attained by study of the Vedas and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge. Therefore, there is no use in studying the Vedas and other scriptures to acquire the non-dual wisdom. That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of god, and scriptures.

They alone in this world are endowed with the highest wisdom who are firm in their conviction of the sameness and birthlessness of Atman. The ordinary man does not understand their way. [Chapter IV — Alatasanti Prakarana 95-P-188 in Upanishads by Nikilanada]

Therefore, there is no use in taking strain to understand and assimilate the conceptual divisions invented by teachers of philosophy with their excessive analysis. There are more and more doubts and confusion if one tries to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth through scriptures.

Why follow the path of doubts and confusion by losing oneself in the labyrinths of philosophy, when one can realize the ultimate truth without them? By mentally tracing the source of the mind from where it rises and subsides, one becomes aware of the fallacy of the mind, which rises as waking or dream and subsides as deep sleep. The mind rises from consciousness and subsides as consciousness. Therefore, there is a need for perfect understanding and assimilation of nondual truth.

There is no need to renounce worldly life to get Self-Realization. Any householder can attain it if they have the inner urge.

Ashtavakara: - "The man of knowledge, though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him, and only those like him understand his state.: .:~ Santthosh Kumaar

The jivanmukta is one who has realized the invisible and unborn Soul, the Self, hidden by ignorance.+

A Gnani consciously becomes one with the Soul before his physical death, whereas the ignorant unconsciously becomes one with the Soul after his death.

Sage Sankara: ~ “Action (karma) cannot destroy ignorance, for it is not in conflict with or opposed to ignorance. Knowledge does verily destroy ignorance as light destroys deep darkness. -Atma Bodha

The Moksha is not a result of ritual action (karma marga) or of devotional or bhakti. The rituals and devotionally performed worship to an imaginary God within the illusory world with the illusory identity (you) will not yield any fruit.

Sage Sankara:- VC Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity With the ‘Self’, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together- (verses-6)

Advaitic Moksha is Gnanic Moksha. The Advaitic Moksha is synonymous with Brahman. Sruti says, "brahmavit brahmaiva bhavati" - He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman itself. It is not as if something that was not Brahman suddenly becomes Brahman. Rather, "realizing Brahman" means the removal of ignorance by realizing the Self is not an individual but the Soul, which pervades everywhere and in everything in the universe.

Thus, to "know Brahman" is to "be Brahman". The one who has realized the Soul, the ‘Self’, which is hidden by the dualistic illusion (Maya), is the jivanmukta, one who is liberated even while embodied. Such realization is possible by acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana itself is the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.

The jivanmukta is one who has realized the invisible and unborn Soul, the Self, hidden by ignorance.

Gnanic moksha is not a religiously propagated moksha. Religious propagated moksha is dualistic. The religion that propagates moksha is the result of ritual action (karma marga) or of devotional service (bhakti marga).

The religious propagated paths, not the liberation. Gnanic moksha is not a result of anything, for it always exists. All that is required is the removal of ignorance.

Advaitic realization comes only by getting rid of ignorance by perfect understanding and realization of ‘what is what’.  : ~ Santthosh Kumaar