It is not you but the Soul, the Self is caught up in the illusory universe or Maya because you are part and parcel of the illusory universe in which you exist.+

Swami Vivekananda: ~ “Advaita encompasses everything. Since Advaita requires heavy-duty intellectualism, it had to be progressively simplified.

It is not you but the Soul, the Self is caught up in the illusory universe or Maya because you are part and parcel of the illusory universe in which you exist.

It is not you, who has to be free, but it is the Soul the 'Self' has to be free itself from the illusory universe or Maya.

The Soul, the Self is caught up in the grip of ignorance. It is not you who is in ignorance. It is the Soul the Self that is in ignorance of its non-dual true nature.

People want to get freedom, but the freedom comes only when the Soul wakes up without the illusory body and the illusory world (duality). It is the Soul the Self is in the cage of illusion.

It is the Soul that wants to get out of the illusion because the illusion and the reality are one in essence. That essence is the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, all that man experiences within the dualistic illusion of practical life within the practical world and seeing the vision, speaking to God, seeing God are a reality within the dualistic illusion.

From the non-dualistic perspective, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness (Spirit).

Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. From the standpoint of Brahman or God, everything is Brahman or God in truth.:~ Santthosh Kumaar

Katha Upanishad 1:3:6:~ Neither by reading the book nor by taking a bath at a holy place has one become pure.+

If you letting go of everything then yourself still remains. Until you realize yourself is not the real Self but the Soul is the Real Self the freedom is not gained.

The Upanishads declare:~

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 spiritual discourse. One who welcomes God in every activity, through a thorough controlled and disciplined life, to him also the Soul is revealed

The Upanishads declare:~

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 book nor by taking a bath at a holy place has one become pure. Inner purity is possible when one remains in constant touch with the Soul. Self-awareness is the 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 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.

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.:~Santthosh Kumaar

By worshipping a God in human form, repeating mantras is like watering barren soil. The seeker of truth should not waste life in empty formalities.

By worshipping a God in human form, repeating mantras is like watering barren soil. The seeker of truth should not waste life in empty formalities. Without realizing the world in which he exists is an illusion it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

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.)

When Veda says worshiping human bodies 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.

When there is a clear idea of what is supposed to be the God, then why to worship which is not God.

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

Do not accept any other God other than the Soul. The Soul is God in truth,  Nothing is real but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Nothing matters but realize  God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

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

Brahman is merely a word to indicate the ultimate truth or God in truth.  The ultimate truth itself is God in truth. 

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~  God is Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions. Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

Rig Veda: ~ May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman

So, it clearly indicates that God is formless thus there is no scope for form based God. The religion and its ideas of Gods, and its theories of karma, heaven, hell, papa, punya, rebirth, 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.

In the Bhagavad, Gita Krishna says: ~It is only one amongst thousands of people who strive for spiritual salvation. Even amongst such seekers, it is only the rare person who gets to know “Self” correctly.’ (7.3)

Mundaka Upanishad:~ The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing The sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross The sea of samsara on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their own ignorance, yet wise In their own esteem, these deluded men Proud of their vain learning go round and round Like the blind led by the blind.

How can you worship the Absolute? That implies two ~ the worshiper and the worshiped, whereas the Absolute is nondual. One can worship his idea of the Absolute only or realize his unity with it when he can’t worship it as apart.

Religious rites and rigid ceremonies were passed down from one generation to the next as a practice or set customs and tradition and performed automatically with blind faith. Such worship based on the belief of God does not reach God.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa-havans or any other forms of ritual are meant for the ignorant populace.

Belief in God without knowing God in actuality holds the worshiper more firmly in the grip of ignorance.

All worship and the ceremonies rituals performed on the base of non-~Vedic Gods will not yield any fruits. Deeper self-search reveals the fact that worshiped, the worship and the worshiper and the world are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa-havans or any other forms of ritual are meant for the ignorant populace. In the Atmic path, the seeker has to discard what is not needed to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time and space.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa-havans or any other forms of rituals formal observance have long since set in.

Sage Sankara says ~ “The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.- Adhyasa Bhashya 

Sage Sankara:~ (11) As regards the rituals, Sage Sankara says, the person who performs rituals and aspires for rewards will view himself in terms of the caste into which he is born, his age, the stage of his life, his standing in society etc. In addition, he is required to perform rituals all through his life. However, the 'Self' has none of those attributes or tags. Hence, the person who superimposes all those attributes on the changeless, eternal Self and identifies Self with the body is confusing one for the other; and is, therefore, an ignorant person. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards etc. are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.- Adhyasa Bhashya 

Sage  Sankara:~ (11.1) This ignorance (mistaking the body for Self) brings in its wake a desire for the well-being of the body, aversion for its disease or discomfort, fear of its destruction, and thus a host of miseries(anartha). This anartha is caused by projecting karthvya(“doer” sense) and bhokthavya (object) on the Atman. Sankara calls this adhyasa. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are, therefore, he says, addressed to an ignorant person.- Adhyasa Bhashya 

Sage Sankara:~ (11.2) In short, the person who engages in rituals with the notion “I am an agent, doer, thinker”, according to Sage Sankara, is ignorant, as his behavior implies a distinct, separate doer/agent/knower; and an object that is to be done/achieved/known. That duality is avidya, an error that can be removed by Vidya.- Adhyasa Bhashya 

Sage Sankara: ~ (12) Sage Sankara affirming his belief in one eternal unchanging reality (Brahman) and the illusion of plurality, drives home the point that Upanishads deal not with rituals but with the knowledge of the Absolute (Brahma Vidya) and the Upanishads give us an insight into the essential nature of the Self which is identical with the Absolute, the Brahman.- Adhyasa Bhashya 

Sage Sankara: ~ Atman, the  Self is verily Brahman (God), being equanimous, quiescent, and by nature absolute Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss. Atman is not the body which is non-existence itself. This is called true Knowledge by the wise. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

Your quest is over. There is no need to search for the truth, but you only have to realize it. Sage Sankara has declared the truth 1200 years back. Do not struggle to search for the truth.

Your quest is over. there is no need to search for the truth, but you only have to realize it. Sage Sankara has declared the truth 1200 years back. Do not struggle to search for the truth.+

Sage Sankara does not want you to struggle he wants you to realize the truth right here in this very life not in the next world and next life.

Bhagavan Buddha: ~ There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way... and not starting.

All so-called spiritual paths are useless unless it causes us to seek the truth of our true existence. All controversies about creation, the nature of the universe, evolution, the purpose of God, etc., are useless in the Atmic path.

Start now do not give up till you realize it. If you are searching for truth then you are the chosen one. Praise Sage Sankara and embark on the journey of the truth; it frees the Soul from the illusion of form, time, and space.

When you finally realize the ‘Self ‘ is not you, but the ‘Self’ is the Soul then you will realize the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

Thus, you, your experience birth, life, death, and the world mere an illusion created out of the consciousness, the consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

You are not the witness because the ‘Self' is not you. The Self is the Soul, which witnesses the world, in which you exist. The world is merely an illusion thus, you are part of the illusion.

Sage Sankara says:~ Atman is Brahman. The Atman alone is real. He has declared this Advaitic truth, which is the ultimate truth to the whole world, many centuries back.

Thus, the Atman which is present in the form of the consciousness is real and eternal, the world in which we exist is merely an illusion. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

Unless you find it on your own, you will not be able to realize the God in truth, which is hidden by the illusory universe or Maya.+

Unless you find it on your own, you will not be able to realize the God in truth, which is hidden by the illusory universe or Maya.

Without a perfect understanding of ‘what is what?’ it will take the seeker nowhere.

Chandogya Upanishad Chapter: ~”ekam evaditiyam- God is only one without a second. (6- Section- 2- Verse- 1)

Swethaswethara Upanishad:~ “Na casya kasuj janita na cadhipah, which means of him of Almighty God, there are no parents they have got no lord. Almighty God has no true father, he has no true mother, he has no true superior. (Chapter-6- Verse -9)

Swethaswethara Upanishad: ~ “Na Tasya Pratima Asti- of that God there is no Pratima, there is no likeness, there is no image, there is no picture, there is no photograph, there is no sculpture, there is no statue. (Chapter -4- Verse- 19)

Swethaswethara Upanishad:~ “No one can see the Almighty God (Chapter -4, Verse -20)

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~  God is Supreme Spirit.

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

There is a clear-cut idea of God in the Vedas, Upanishad, and Bhagavad Gita. And also there is a clear-cut idea of what not to worship as God in place of real God.

That is why 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.

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

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

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

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).

When Bhagavad Gita says, God is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material then nothing has to be accepted  as God other than consciousness

Bhagwat Gita Chapter: - All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)

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 dualistic worship of "God” is only for the ignorant populace. The God in truth is only Atman, the innermost ‘Self’. In reality, there are no dualities, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

Thus, by sticking up to the Gods, which are not God in truth, you are sticking up to the illusion. Sticking up to illusion means sticking up to ignorance. sticking up to ignorance means you are not qualified to acquire self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Sage Sri, 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.

Only through deeper self-search do beginners and intermediates gradually become aware of ‘what is what’. Only after they have realized the fact that the ‘Self’ is not ‘I’ but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness, they are ready for the inner journey towards reality, which is beyond the form, time and space.

Upanishad:~ 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)

If you are seeking truth you have to know the ‘Self’ is not you but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

God is Self-evident. God is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny God because God is the very essence of the one who denies it.+

God is Self-evident. God is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny God because God is the very essence of the one who denies it. God is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. God is within the universe in which you exist, God is without the universe in which you exist.

 "God" exists because “the Soul, the Self” exists, not vice versa. When the Soul wakes up from its sleep of ignorance and remains in its awareness in the midst of the form, time, and space this is known immediately.

God cannot be proved objectively. Looking for God in truth objectively is like looking for fish swimming in the desert sand.

The scientist proved objectively the electrons, neutrons, protons but nobody has yet seen electrons, neutrons, and protons. Then why do the scents say they are. Scientist says that though we cannot see them, we can see their effect.

God is not observed objectively because God is the subject and the cause of the object. God is prior to the objective universe in which we exist.

Sage Goudpada’s rational exposition of Advaita: ~ “Whatever is seen, whether external or internal, whether by the ordinary persons or yogis is unreal.

Thus, it is necessary to realize ‘what God is supposed to be in actuality.

Till you hold that God is an object you will not be able to unfold the mystery of the God hidden by the universe in which we exist.

The scriptures say in this regard-

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

Do not accept any other God other than the Soul. The Soul is God in truth,  Nothing is real but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Nothing matters but realize  God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

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

Brahman is merely a word to indicate the ultimate truth or God in truth.  The ultimate truth itself is God in truth. 

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?" (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 the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.

Even Bhagavad Gita says: ~ 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).

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.

Sage Sankara declaration: ~ “Brahman is the truth, and the world is unreal everything is Truly Brahman and nothing else has any value.

Thus, the Advaitic orthodoxy is nothing to do with the Advaitic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

The word ‘One’ is not understood anywhere except in the Advaitic path. ‘One always means two when analyzed. Hence, the Upanishads are careful to show they do not mean this monism, but "One without a Second” that is the Advaita. No philosophers of the world have seen this point. Monism is really pseudo-monism that is the duality.

Sage Sankara says: ~ V.63 ~ "Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world. :~Santthosh Kumaar

Judging the worldview on the dualistic perspective does not define ‘what is the truth?’ and ‘what is the untruth?+

All indeed is this Consciousness; This Atman is Consciousness. Brahman is Consciousness; Consciousness is  God in truth.

While Consciousness lies behind the sum total of the objective universe, some people boggle at any attempt to explain it with only the tools provided by reason.  Consciousness is beyond the senses, beyond the mind, beyond intelligence, beyond imagination. 

Indeed, the highest idea is that Consciousness 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.

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

Do not accept any other God other than the Soul. The Soul is God in truth,  Nothing is real but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Nothing matters but realize  God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

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

Brahman is merely a word to indicate the ultimate truth or God in truth.  The ultimate truth itself is God in truth. 

Remember:~

If you see the world in which you exist with the dualistic lenses of ignorance, you will never be able to grasp the ‘Self’ hidden by the dualistic illusion or Maya. Viewing and judging the worldview on the dualistic perspective does not define ‘what is the truth?’ and ‘what is the untruth?

All these experiences as a father, son, Guru, and pupil were one and the same consciousness appearing differently. All these distinctions disappear when one realizes the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

In the dream, the mountain which is apparently insentient and the material is nevertheless still Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness alone. Whether living or dead, conscious or unconscious thought or matter; all things are appearances of one and the same consciousness. All these distinctions are seen by Gnani as only consciousness.

The words are used only for communication purposes. The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. In fact, our mental and intellectual conditions will determine the phenomenal world observed and experienced.

The ignorant viewing the world confronting him sees it differently from a Gnani viewing the same world. Each one of us interprets the world, one sees in terms of his existing knowledge. A Gnani sees the world and its contents as the illusory play of the consciousness, whereas the ignorant see the world and its contents as a reality.

Without the realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman, man remains ignorant of the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Without the realization of ultimate truth, the seeker remains as a seeker. On the physical plane, there is a seeker, seeking and destination, but from the ultimate standpoint, there is neither the seeker nor seeking nor the destination.

The words may give different meanings at different levels of understanding. As one moves deeper and deeper one realizes the thought, the thinker, words, and the world are one in essence. Thus, in the realm of truth, the thought and words become meaningless.

A Gnani has realized the truth hidden by the illusory form, time and space do not give importance to the thoughts and the words. The thoughts and words have to value only in falsehood.

It is not you have to wake up, but it is the Soul, the 'Self' has to wake up from the sleep of ignorance. You and your experience of the world are the product of ignorance.

When ignorance vanishes then the reality of you and your experience of the world is exposed. You and your world are unreal from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self.

You are not you but consciousness; your body is not the body but consciousness, the world in which you exist is not the world but consciousness. Everything is known, seen, believed, and experienced by you is nothing but consciousness then what else remains, which is not consciousness. There is nothing else to realize other than to realize that consciousness alone is, everything else is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

The Advaitic wisdom dawns when you realize everything is nothing but consciousness. There is no room for duality, in reality.

Perfect understanding and assimilation of ‘what is what’ in actuality lead to Advaitic awareness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar