Ignorance is present in the form of 'I'.+

The ‘I’ is inborn samskara or conditioning, because of this inborn samskara or conditioning, one has accepted the 'Self as 'I'.

People are ignorant that the ‘I’ itself is the cause of ignorance because ignorance is present in the form of 'I'.

The world, in which you exist, exists because of the ‘I’, without the ‘I’, the world, in which you exist, ceases to exist.

Thus, it is necessary to realize ‘what is this ‘I’. The ‘I’ itself is ignorance.

Till one holds the ‘I’ as the Self, it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Thus, the seeker has to get rid of the ignorance, which is present in the form of ‘I’, to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, helps to get rid of ignorance. Perfect understanding of ‘what is what leads to getting rid of ignorance.

The ‘I’ hides the invisible Soul. Therefore, the seeker has to realize ‘what this ‘I’ is supposed to be in actuality.

If the Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the invisible Soul, then on the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self: ~

Where is the ‘I’?

Where is the ego?

Where is the body?

Where is the mind?

Where is the world in which you exist?

Where are the form, time, and space?

Where is the waking experience?

Where is the duality?

Where is the void?

They are or have become one with the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth, or Brahman or God in truth.

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present only when the world is present. The world is present only when there is a waking experience.

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that the waking experience is not considered different from the world. The world is not considered different from the mind.

The mind is not considered different from the’ I’. This truth has to be assimilated.

The ‘I’ is merely an illusion created out of the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. ‘I’ is not the subject.

The ‘I’ is an object to the invisible Soul, which is the formless, timeless, and spaceless subject.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the three states are bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the form, time, and space are bound to be an illusion.

The seeker has to get rid of the ignorance, which is present in the form of ‘I’, to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman, or God in truth.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the words and thoughts are bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the duality is bound to be an illusion.

The seeker has to make sure what this ‘I’ is supposed to be. The seeker has to make sure the unreal nature of the ‘I’, which comes and goes, to realize the truth, which is beyond 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 invisible Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness, :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Bhagavad Gita::~Those who have achieved knowledge of Atman' and see no difference, are free from conflicting dualities have merged in Brahman.+

In Gita Chap.IV where Lord Krishna says: ~ “This yoga has been lost for ages" the word yoga refers to Gnana yoga, not other yogas: the force of the word this is to point this out. 

Lord Krishna describes some of the other yogas but devotes this chapter separately to Gnana Yoga. So one sees even in those ancient days people did not care for Advaita; they wanted religion; hence, Gnana got lost. That is why Krishna calls it "the supreme secret." Krishna points out that yoga must-see "Brahman in action." 

Gita Chap.IV:~ “He who achieves perfection in Yoga finds the Self in time." This means that after his yoga is finished, he begins the inquiry into ultimate truth, and in due course, this inquiry produces the realization of the universal spirit as the result. 

Understanding what is God is not so easy. Religious people can only imagine God based on their beliefs. 

That is why 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. 

No duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists. 

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

Bhagavad Gita: 4: 22:~ ".....Who has gone beyond the conflicting dualities like good (happiness) and bad (sorrow)....." 

Bhagavad Gita: 4: 42:~ ".....Cut all such conflicting dualities (doubts) by the sword (weapon) of knowledge. ....." 

Bhagvad Gita: 5: 18:~ “The learned men (who have come out of delusions (Māyā), got rid of Avidya) see no differentiation have equal vision for a revered Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a cāndāla (outcaste, rogue, mleccha, demonic person, etc)" 

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 19:~ "Those who have achieved the true knowledge i.e. the 'Self-Knowledge' or the 'knowledge of Atman' and see no difference, are free from conflicting dualities have merged in Brahman." 

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 20:~ "One who does not get excited out of happiness on getting good and does not get depressed on getting bad is situated in Brahman i.e. is merged in Brahman." 

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 9:~ "The one who has equal vision for a Selfless do-gooder, a friend, a foe, an unbiased, a well-wisher, a depressed and jealous man, relatives, a righteous and a sinner is the best (as he sees no duality and differentiation but sees everything as Ātman)." 

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 32:~ “.....as one seeks and treats oneself with equal vision, the same way one who has equal vision for good and evil, for everybody is the best of all." 

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 8:~ "For whom soil, a pebble, and gold are alike, he is merged in Brahman." 

Bhagavad-Gita Gita: 7: 27:~ ".....people are getting entangled in the primordial ignorance (Avidya) of the conflicting dualities like good and evil, happiness and sorrow caused due to attachments, desires, and hatred....." 

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 28:~ “.....who have cut-off conflicting dualities (like good and evil) are determinedly in my service. ...." 

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, in the last birth in the series of many births worships Me as~ Atman alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare." 

The earliest part of Bhagavad Gita deals with religion because it is for mentally immature persons, but in the latter part, you get philosophy as that is intended for the intellectually evolved. You can’t make all men into geniuses, and therefore, religion is provided for them. 

Lord Krishna himself says that he can do nothing to make a man intelligent straight away. The adepts give Prasad, blessing, initiations, mantrams, etc. only to confer temporary peace of mind, to help one to get rid of worries, but not to confer Gnana. The capacity to receive it must first be inborn in man by evolutionary degree. 

In the statement in Bhagavad Gita which says that the path of the Unmanifest is harder than others, this path means Gnana Yoga. 

The Upanishads and Gita do not give detailed explanations because the knowledge of those days was not as advanced as it as nowadays. However, there are odd words here and there which give hints. 

Bhagvad Gita gives dualistic worship of "God” only for the lower minds; it also indicates the Advaitic wisdom for the more evolved. 

Likewise, thinkers and poets of the Age of Devotion (Bhakti) of the 16th century believed in a God with attributes who became very tangible when incarnating as Avatar and was attainable simply through love and devotion rather than scholastic and intellectual meditation. 

For the religious people, the Bhagavad Gita became the main vehicle of inspiration with its qualified and deistic Monism, rather than the esoteric path shown by Sage Sankara’ Advaitic path. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

The Soul is the only reality that is the cause of the illusory universe in which we experience our birth, life, death, and the world as a reality.+

Self-Realization is to realize that the experience of birth, life, death, and the world is merely an illusion created out of the invisible Soul, the Self.

Ignorance is the cause of experiencing birth, life, death, and the world as a reality. Without ignorance, the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness alone, prevails as the ultimate reality or Brahman, or God in truth.

There is no higher or lower goal within the dualistic illusion (world). There is only one goal, Self-Realization.

If the Soul is free from ignorance, then it is free from experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality.

The dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Similarly, the waking (the world in which we exist) becomes unreal when the invisible Soul, the Self, wakes up from its sleep of ignorance. The invisible Soul wakes up from its sleep of ignorance when you have the firm conviction that the ‘Self is not you, but the Self is the invisible Soul.

There is no meaning of life from the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self, because the world, in which you exist, is merely an illusion created out of the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The one that is born, lives, and dies is not the Self.

You are bound by birth, life, and death, so you are not the Self because the Self is the invisible and unborn Soul, which is birthless and deathless because it is the ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

Only the false self thinks there is a meaning of life within the dualistic illusion because of ignorance. Without the invisible Soul, the world in which we exist ceases to exist.

The invisible Soul is the cause of the dualistic illusion (the world in which we exist), and it, itself, is uncaused.

The invisible Soul is the only reality that is the cause of the illusory universe in which we experience our birth, life, death, and the world as a reality.

The birth, life, death, and world are part of the waking experience, which is an illusion from the standpoint of the invisible Soul, which is the true Self.

It is no use saying that we are not born, we do not die, because we all were born and we all are going to die. However, birth, life, death, and the world are part of the illusion, which comes and goes as waking experience.

The invisible Soul, which is the substance and witness of the three states, is real; it is the true identity. The invisible and unborn Soul, the Self, is present in the form of consciousness that has no birth and death.

When there is no scope for two in reality. Only from the dualistic perspective, there is meaning in life. On the non-dualistic perspective, life is meaningless. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

People who think, the ‘I’ in everyone and everything is the Self, without realizing the ‘Self is not the ‘I’.+

People who think the ‘I’ in everyone and everything is the Self, without realizing the Self is not the ‘I’.

The ‘I’ is not within you, but you are within the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is present in the form of the world.

The Self is not the body.

The Self is not within the body.

You are not the Self.

You are bound by form, time, and space.

You are bound by the experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

You are never free because the world in which you exist is the product of ignorance.

The world in which you exist is created out of a single clay. That single clay is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The invisible Soul is the Self. The invisible Soul is not ‘I’. The Soul is the witness of the ‘I’ which appears and disappears.

The invisible Soul is the only permanent thing, and the ‘I’ is merely an illusion.

.

If you do not understand this Advaitic truth, you will never be able to cross the ‘I’, which is the dualistic illusion or Maya.

The seeker has to make sure what this ‘I’ is supposed to be? The seeker has to make sure of the unreal nature of the ‘I’, which comes and goes.

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

The ‘I’ hides the invisible Soul, the Self, which is ever nondual.

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the witness of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is eternal.

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

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take as real because some Gurus have propagated that the Self is the ‘I’.

There is no need to convince such a mindset. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth, nothing but the truth.

That is why Sag 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.

People refuse to accept anything other than their Guru's words. For them, their Guru's words are the ultimate truth. They do not accept anything 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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Advaitic Wisdom dawns when you realize you are not the Self, but the Self is the unborn Soul.+

The Self is not you because you are bound by the experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

The experience of birth, life, death, and the world has nothing to do with the invisible Soul, the Self.

When you are not the Self, then how can you relate the Self to your experience of birth, life, death, and the world?

When the invisible Soul wakes up with its own awareness, then you and your experience of the world become unreal, the same way as the dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place.

If you imagine within the dream, it becomes unreal when the waking takes place. Your imagination within the dream remains a reality until waking takes place. In the same way, your imagination within the waking remains reality till Advaitic wisdom dawns.

Advaitic Wisdom dawns when you realize you are not the Self, but the Self is the unborn Soul.

If you are not the Self, then your imagination has no value because you are the false Self within the illusion (waking).

When the Self is not you, then what is the use of dropping ignorance? It is not you who has to drop ignorance, but the invisible Soul, the Self, has to wake up from the sleep of ignorance.

When the invisible Soul, the Self, wakes up, then the world in which you exist ceases to exist as a reality.

The one that is born lives and dies is not the ‘Self’. Your birth and death happen within the world.

The world itself is the dualistic illusion or Maya created out of the invisible Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

When the invisible Soul, the Self, is not limited to an individual, then what is the use of ‘Who am ‘I’ -inquiry.

What is the use of saying ‘I AM THIS’ and ‘I AM THAT’, without realizing what the ‘Self’ is in actuality?

WHO AM ‘I’ and I AM THAT- teachings are only helpful in elementary stages.

For Self-realization, you must first know what this ‘Self’ is in actuality.

Remember this:~

The ‘I-centric and you-centric Gurus and their teaching is not Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Unless you discard the ‘I-centric and you-centric Gurus and their teaching, it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

First, know what this Self is?

If something is true, is real, is constant, is a foundation of a nature that is unchanging, this can be called the Self.

The invisible Soul, the Self, is the fullness of consciousness without the illusory division of form, time, and space. The invisible Soul is a formless, timeless, spaceless, and eternal existence.

People have not penetrated the meaning of the Self. The meaning is that the ultimate truth is the Self, which is eternal existence.

You are impermanent because the Self is not you, but the Self is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

People have not penetrated the meaning of the Self. The meaning is that the ultimate truth is the Self, which is eternal existence.

You should not hold anything of the dualistic illusion (universe), which is impermanence.

The world in which you exist makes you feel as though they are real, but ultimately it is merely an illusion created out of the invisible Soul, which is permanent.

You must cultivate to see the permanence (Soul) hidden by the impermanence (universe) as it is.

If you do this, you will be like one who sees a gem in the muddied water among the stones and rocks and waits for the water to settle before he skillfully plucks it out.

It is the same with cultivating the idea of the invisible Soul, the Self hidden by the dualistic illusion (universe). : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The invisible Soul, the the Self is existence itself. There is a need to realize what 'Self is in actuality.+

The Self is not Selfless because the Self is existence itself. There is a need to realize what the Self is in actuality. It is foolish to speculate and say the Self is this and that is not Advaitic wisdom.

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.

Your urge is at the seed level. As you go on reading the words of wisdom, it will start growing. It takes time for the egocentric subconscious to accept the Soulcentric truth.

The seeker has to discard all 'I-centric' and 'you-centric’ Gurus and their teaching to realize the 'Self', which is hidden by ignorance.

Advaitic Truth is very simple, but it is very difficult to grasp because of ignorance. There is no need to search for the truth because the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman, or God in truth.

Only when the conviction of the Soul becomes firm then only you will be able to accept that the world in which you exist is nothing but consciousness.

You have to only to realize that the world in which you exist is created out of a single clay. And that single clay is the 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. They cease to exist without consciousness. You have to think and reason deeply

Thus, you and your body and the world in which you exist are nothing but consciousness because they are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed. Perfect understanding and assimilation of ‘what is what,’ leads to a perfect conviction of ‘What is truth?” and ‘What is the untruth? Perfect conviction of the truth leads to Advaitic Self-awareness.

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 one 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, to think, reason, and reflect deeply, and reach the ultimate end.

Although the Path is very difficult and the Goal seems so unreachable, don't worry, because there is no other path to realize the truth other than the Atmic path to help you to reach the ultimate end.

The Atmic path, with its emphasis on the Advaitic wisdom, is meant for those who wish to go beyond form, time, and space.

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 consciousness, they are ready for the inner journey towards reality, which is beyond 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 consciousness.

Sage Sankara says the world is an illusion; it includes birth, life, and death, which happen within the world. Thus, the seeker's main aim is to mentally trace the formless substance of the illusion, which is also the witness of the illusion.

Sage Sankara, 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.

Thus, it proves that religion is not the means to ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Because Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is universal knowledge meant for humanity. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana, does not belong to any religion.

A Gnani is not concerned about the listener; he does not care whether his listener will understand or not. Only a Gnani can make such a pure expression of the truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The seeker must discard the holy and sacred business because the holy and sacred business belong to religion and yoga.+

The seeker must discard the holy and sacred business because the holy and sacred business belongs to religion and yoga, not spirituality.

No one is holy or sacred other than the invisible Soul, the God, because all these holy and sacred people belong to the dualistic illusion or Maya.

Holding them as holy and sacred blocks you from transcending dualistic illusion to non-dualistic reality.

By identifying oneself as some gurus, one does not become a Gnani.

A Gnana does not identify himself with and Guru or a disciple. Those who identify themselves as gurus are Gnanis.

Religious or yogic Gurus propagate that, once a seeker identifies a Guru, he must totally surrender to the Guru, and then from there onwards, the spiritual journey is fully the Guru's responsibility, not his... Hence, the importance of choosing the right Guru is necessary, but in the pursuit of truth, the Guru is not necessary, because the truth is not theoretical. Truth has to be ascertained by the seeker on their own through Soulcentric reasoning.

The one who identifies himself as a swami, a Guru, or a yogi, is not a Gnani.

A Gnani never identifies himself as a swami, Guru, pundit, or yogi. Swami, Guru, pundit, and yogi belong to the religious or the yogic path, not to the path of wisdom.

Sage Sankara on Gnani: On Gnani: "The knower of Brahman (Self-realized or Gnani) wears no signs. Gives up the insignia of a monk's life…his signs are not manifest, nor his behavior."

When the knower of Brahman wears no signs -- it means he does not identify himself as a Guru or a teacher. Therefore, those who identify themselves as gurus are not Gnanis.

Those who have embraced sannyasa or monkhood are also not Gnanis. The Gurus and sanyasis belong to the religious and yogic path, not a Gnani path.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread."

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

Thus, it proves that religious Gurus and yogis are not Gnanis because they identified themselves as holy people.

A Gnani never claims himself as a Gnani; he guides the seekers, not posing himself as a Guru, and he does not force his wisdom on others.

Advaita is not a theory or a philosophy. Advaita is the nature of the invisible Soul, the Self.

There is no need for any theory or philosophy, or scriptures to acquire Self-knowledge. Only a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed.

Mundaka Upanishad 1.3: ~ Complete knowledge includes knowledge of the phenomenal world, the spirit behind it, and the source of both of them.

When the cause of all causes becomes known, then everything knowable becomes known, and nothing remains unknown is Gnana.”

The birth is the birth of ignorance. Physical Life is a life of ignorance. Death is the death of ignorance. Whatever exists without ignorance is the ultimate reality or Brahman, or God in truth.

Remember, the ‘I’ itself is ignorance. I-centric and you-centric’ knowledge blocks the seeker from realizing the Self, hidden by the ‘I’.

Those who are stuck up to the ‘I-centric' and you-centric gurus and teaching will never be able to cross the threshold of ignorance because the ‘I’ itself is ignorance.

The Self is not ‘I’, but the Self is the invisible Soul hidden by the ‘I’.

What is Self?

If something is true, is real, is constant, is a foundation of nature that is unchanging, this can be called the Self.

The invisible Soul, the Self, is the fullness of consciousness without the illusory division of form, time, and space. The invisible Soul is a formless, timeless, spaceless, and eternal existence.

People have not penetrated the meaning of the Self. The meaning is that the ultimate truth is the Self, which is eternal existence.

You are impermanent because the Self is not you, but the Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

People have not penetrated the meaning of the Self. The meaning is that the ultimate truth is the Self, which is eternal existence.

You should not hold anything of the dualistic illusion (universe), which is impermanence.

The world in which you exist makes you feel as though they are real, but ultimately it is merely an illusion created out of the invisible Soul, which is permanent.

You must cultivate to see the permanence (Soul) hidden by the impermanence (universe) as it is.

If you do this, you will be like one who sees a gem in the muddied water among the stones and rocks and waits for the water to settle before he skillfully plucks it out.

It is the same with cultivating the idea of the invisible Soul, the Self hidden by the dualistic illusion (universe). : ~Santthosh Kumaar