Tuesday, 22 February 2022

Who created God?

 Who created God?

When one finds disappointment in religion, yoga, or mysticism, and he is in confusion and uncertainty, whether he is right or wrong. There is no certainty that he is proceeding on the right lines?" 

Thus, doubts arise, and the inquiring spirit comes and impels to search elsewhere for truth, where it will not be possible even to have doubt.

Some philosophers and theologians strongly believe in the existence of God. They use different names for Him, Her, or it. God can be Christ, Allah, or Brahma. They regard God as the creator of the whole universe. They think that without a potter, the pot cannot be created. The doubt naturally arises in every seeker: if God is the creator, if that is so, who created God? 

From the ultimate standpoint, there is neither creator nor creation. 

The universe was not created by any person, by whatever name you call Him or Her. There is no creator because there is no creation. Because the creation is a mere illusion created out of consciousness.

Consciousness is the only reality, and all else is mere illusion. It is not the God-created creation but man-created God and creator, and creation theory. :~ Santthosh Kumaar

Monday, 21 February 2022

The universe appears waking experience (duality) and disappears as the Soul, the Self in deep sleep (nonduality).+

The universe in which we exist is present only in waking experience. The universe appears waking experience (duality)   and disappears as the invisible Soul, the Self, in deep sleep (nonduality). 

In reality, the Gnani, Gnana, and the world are one in essence. That essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Consciousness is the formless substance of the universe. Consciousness is the cause of the universe. Consciousness is also the source of the universe. Thus, the whole universe in which we exist is nothing but consciousness.  

Suppose if we are discussing some topic in the dream, the dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Similarly, the waking experience (the universe) becomes unreal when Advaitic wisdom dawns. 

The Advaitic wisdom dawns when you realize the Self, not you but the invisible Soul. 

If the Self is not you, then whatever is seen, known, believed, and experienced as 'you' is bound to be a falsehood.  

The falsehood (three states) is created out of the single stuff; that single stuff is the consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

It takes time to understand and assimilate what I am saying, but as we go deeper and deeper, the truth starts revealing itself on its own. Advaita is not a teaching or a theory, but it is the knowledge of the invisible and unborn Soul, the Self. 

Moksha as meaning liberation from the cycle of transmigration, pertains to the lower or purely religious sphere. This doctrine is on the lower level because it is based on the reality of form, time, and space. 

From the Advaitic perspective, the interpretation of the word is "liberation from ignorance." Similarly, the word Nirvana is interpreted in Buddhist countries as the meaning of release from the cycle of births and deaths. This, too, is the popular interpretation, not philosophical, which is precisely the same as the Advaitic perspective. 

It is quite true that Buddha constantly taught that man should seek release from transmigratory existence, but we must remember however that what the sage knows is known only to himself in its fullness and that he gives out to the public only so much as they could grasp and no more. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

There is a clear-cut idea of what suppose to be God in truth in the Bible, Vedas, Upanishad, and Bhagavad Gita.+

You will find your own way when you realize that the Self is not you but the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is God in truth.
Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God in truth) 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 other than consciousness a God.
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 ‘Self’. In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter: - All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)
Thus, by sticking up to the Gods, which are not God in truth, you are sticking up to the illusion.
Sticking to illusion means sticking to ignorance. Sticking to ignorance means you are not qualified to acquire Self-knowledge, or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana.
Unless you find it on your own, you will not be able to realize the truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space. Without a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’, it will take you nowhere.
The religious God is not God in truth. You must know what God is supposed to be in truth, according to your own scriptures.
Kena Upanishad (6) Chapter I: ~ “That which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.
Kena Upanishad (7) Chapter I:~ That which cannot be perceived by the eye, but by which the eye is perceived-That alone is known as Brahman and not that which people here worship.
Kena Upanishad (
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Chapter I:~ That which cannot be heard by the ear, but by which the hearing is perceived-That alone is known as Brahman and not that which people here worship.
Kena Upanishad (9)- Chapter I:~ That which cannot be smelt by the breath, but by which the breath smells an object-That alone is known as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.
Bible says: ~ “God is a Spirit, and they that worship God must worship God in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
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
Meher Baba said: ~ God is your innermost Self. Do not search for God outside of you. Let these words be inscribed in your heart. Nothing is real but God. Nothing Matters but love for God. God is everywhere and does everything. God is beyond us and is everything. God alone is, and all else is an illusion.
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 -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)
Even the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God in truth) is the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.
There is a clear-cut idea of God in the Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita. And also, there is a clear-cut idea of what not to worship as God in place of God in truth.
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 Upanishads confirm that the invisible 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.
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 realizing 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. God cannot be seen directly by anyone. God pervades all beings and all directions. Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.
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 Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)
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’s Supreme Brahman is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object as it is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other besides it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described because description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is no distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman and not just its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sankara is impersonal.
Only through deeper self-search do the beginners and intermediates gradually become aware of ‘what is what’. Only after they have realized 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 invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

God in truth is not a person. Personifying God makes it difficult to realize God in truth hidden by the illusory universe.+

To realize the ultimate truth is the prime goal. All the scriptures indicate that Atman is Brahman, and Brahman is the ultimate truth or God in truth.
The invisible and unborn Soul, the Self, which is in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. Thus, to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth is the prime goal.
A well-directed inquiry, analysis, and reasoning will lead one to their nondual destination
Bhagavad Gita: ~ “Brahmano hi pratisthaham” ~ Brahman is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (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, are 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. Those Advaitins who believe in the existence of Saguna Brahman(God with form and attributes) belong to the religion, not spirituality. In Spirituality, Nirguna Brahman (attributeless God). Athma is Nirguna Brahman, which is 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, mantras and meditation--all come from the Self.
So, it clearly says the one who meditates upon the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of 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, mantras 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, mantras and meditation--all come from the Self, which is in the form of consciousness.
Atman is Brahman. Brahman is alone real; this waking is unreal, and the three states are non-different from consciousness, which is Brahman or God in truth.
Whatever is, is Brahman. Brahman itself is absolutely homogeneous. All differences and plurality are illusory. Brahman is not a person, as the Absolute is not this. But if one wants to call it God or Param Atman, then fine. But it is not a person.

Personifying God makes it difficult to realize God in truth, hidden by the illusory universe or Maya. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Devotion towards an inherited belief cannot transport the seeker towards the nondual destination.+

The devotional path is the religious path. Devotion towards an inherited belief cannot transport the seeker towards the nondual destination.
The devotion is between the person and their belief. The devotion is based on the belief system. The person who has inherited a belief system believes in the individualized God and indulges in the devotional path.
Devotional Gods are mythical Gods. Mythical Gods are not Vedic Gods. Vedic God is Athma, the Spirit. Devotional toward myth produces only myth. Thus, we must have the devotion to exploring God in truth.
The devotion makes one believe that he is a person and that God has created this world. Therefore, he believes that he is born in this world and the world that existed prior to him; this conviction makes him feel he is the doer.
Since he accepts himself as the doer, he will remain ignorant of the true self, which is the Soul. Ignorance makes him feel the illusion as a reality.
Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, worships Self as~ Atman (God) alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare."
Bhagavad Gita:~ “All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God in truth) is present in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.
Thus, it refers to a formless and attributeless God, which is the Atman (Soul), the ‘Self’ within the false experience.
Thus, it indicates clearly that all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imagination based on the false self. Thus, Atman, the Self, is God in truth.
The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshiped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers of Buddhism and Jainism. There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme Self, in i.e. Atman or Soul but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.
It indicates clearly that all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imagination based on the false self.
The idea of religion and religious identity is based on the false self (waking). Belief in a personal God will lead one to hallucination.
Without realizing the invisible Soul, the Self, all types of meditation keep one in the grip of duality.
That is why Swami Vivekananda: ~ “The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods?
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from the Self does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". (1. 4. 10)
Yajur Veda – chapter- 32: ~God is the 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.
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 Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)
Yajur Veda indicates that: ~
They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc, (Yajurveda 40:9)
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.)

Then why worship and glorify the non-Vedic Gods in place of Vedic God when Veda bars such activities and it also warns people who indulge in such activities 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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Bhagavad Gita itself says God is all-pervading consciousness then why to accept anything as God in place of God in truth.+

Bhagavad Gita itself says God is all-pervading consciousness, then why to accept anything as God in place of God in truth.
Bhagavad Gita: ~ ‘All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many gods. (7- Verse -20)
Only the path of wisdom leads the seeker of truth on his journey to the ultimate realization of the true nature of the Universal Essence, which is the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.
Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, worships ‘Self’ as~ Atman (God) alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare."
Everything is consciousness, and consciousness is everything. Consciousness encompasses everything.
Bhagavad Gita says: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God in truth) 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.
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 non-Self.
The path of wisdom is not for the religious populace. It is difficult for religious people to accept the truth because they have already accepted something else as truth because of their samskara or conditioning. It is difficult for them to accept anything other than their inherited conditioning.
Even Sage Sankara appears personally and tells them that what they have accepted as truth is not truth; they will never be able to accept anything other than their accepted truth.
The religious people must follow their chosen path, which makes them happy and gives them satisfaction. Without the instance urge to acquire Self-knowledge it is impossible to tread the path of wisdom.
Bhagavad Gita says: ~ Among thousands of men, scarcely one strives for perfection; and of those who strive and succeed, scarcely one knows the Self in truth.
The path of wisdom attracts only those who are in search of truth, and they appreciate it greatly.
The ignorant are not spiritually mature; they receive Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana.
The ignorant indulge in argument and provocation and personal attack, which hinders their realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman, or God in truth.
Bhagavad Gita says: ~ “Don't unsettle the minds of the ignorant by revealing the esoteric truth."
Swami Vivekananda: ~ “Advaita encompasses everything. Since Advaita requires heavy-duty intellectualism, it had to be progressively simplified. (From 'The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda)
Humanity has to awaken to the reality of its true existence by realizing the world in which humanity exists is merely an illusion created out of consciousness through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana.
Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana frees the Soul, the Self, from the cage of the dualistic illusion.
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.
People dwelling in ignorance, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round by various blind beliefs and tortuous paths and practices, like the blind led by the blind.
Swami Vivekananda said:~ "The Vedas teach that the Soul is divine, only held in the bondage of matter; perfection will be reached when this bond will burst, and the word they use for it is, therefore, Mukthi - freedom, freedom from the bonds of imperfection, freedom from death and misery."
The truth is very simple, but it is very difficult to grasp because of ignorance. You have to 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 merely an illusion created out of consciousness. A 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 work.
It is necessary to reflect on the same truth again and again till it becomes a 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 of wisdom to think, reason and reflect deeply and reach the ultimate end.
It takes time for the seeker to gain the perfect understanding of ‘what is truth’ and ‘’what is untruth’. It takes time for the invisible Soul, the Self, to wake up from the sleep of ignorance, and it takes time for one to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.
The invisible Soul, the Self, is the only Ancient One. Realize the Self is not you, but the Self is the invisible Soul. God is not a belief that you worship because the invisible Soul itself is God in truth.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God in truth) is present in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.
It is for every seeker who is seeking truth must first know what God is supposed to be in actuality, according to the Vedas and Upanishads, and reject all non-Vedic Gods to realize the Atman is God in truth.
Thus, it refers to a formless and attributeless God, which is the Atman (Soul), the innermost ‘Self’ within the false experience. Thus, it indicates all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imaginations based on the false ‘Self’. Thus, Atman, the Self, is God in truth.
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)
The liberation cannot be the result of good works, for Sruti itself declares that there is no hope for immortality through wealth. (Verses -7)
Sage Sankara said:~ “Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way. (1) VivekaChudamani v 56, pg 25
Lord Krishna confesses that the oldest wisdom of India (Advaitic wisdom ) has been lost: people misinterpret and falsify it today as they did then. It is not yoga but the philosophic truth. But nobody knows it. The teachers of philosophy and leaders of mysticism or religion do not want to inquire into truth and have no time for it. (Gita –Chap- IV-v.2)
In the Gita Chapter. 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 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 the yoga must-see is "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 the ultimate truth, and in due course, this inquiry produces the realization of the universal Spirit as the result.
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.
There is no need for any practice to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God. Perfect understanding assimilation of ‘what is what’ is very much necessary to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.
Sage Sankara: ~ VC- All this universe, which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahma, which is free from all the limitations of Maya.
The invisible Soul or Brahman or God cannot be realized through performing ceremonies and rituals; the seeker must understand that whatever Sage Sankara says, the seekers have to follow it faithfully, honestly, with humility to overcome ignorance, which is blocking their Self-realization.

Do not make your understanding just mechanical; it will then bind you, rather than free you. Let all be done with all your heart in it; then you will know that all is an illusion and God is the only Reality. And, unless you have that realization and continual awareness ~ that continual Existence continually infinite ~ all else is beliefs that are untrue or make no sense. : :~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara's Advaitic wisdom has not been taken seriously by many in India because most of the followers of Sage Sankara are religious orthodox.+

The main hurdle in his way of thinking is the fact that Sage Sankara did not claim to be an original thinker at all, and his philosophy took the form of commentaries on the generality of the scriptures, particularly the Upanishads and the Gita.
Sage Sankara was an independent thinker. His Advaitic wisdom has not been taken seriously by many in India because most of the followers of Sage Sankara are religious orthodox.
It is that philosophy in India was for centuries more an exposition of the ancient classics than the independent thought of individual thinkers, as in ancient Greece or modern Europe and America.
Sage Sankara and Sage Goudpada are independent thinkers; other schools of Indian philosophy are mere theologies.
Advaitic wisdom is the only tool to unfold the mystery of the ‘I'. The dualistic philosophy cannot escape the charge of dogmatism.
Intelligence and thought are not applicable to Advaitism; intelligence and thought are based on false self (ego) within the false experience (waking).
The whole Advaitic philosophy is an attempt to transcend the limitations of intelligence and thought.
The two points of view, A Gnani is not cut off from the experience of practical life within the practical world because Advaitic truth is neither realism nor idealism; it is beyond both these.
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.
The Advaitic wisdom does not begin with the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed. Hence, so-called philosophers who take Brahman for granted are not philosophers at all.
Lots of Advaitin scholars will teach that all is yourself, but none of them can show that this is so, none has analyzed it scientifically, and none can prove it. Rational proof is required so that one arrives at knowing the ultimate truth or Brahman, i.e., Gnana.
Theirs is mere dogma, parrotism, repetition of what they read in scripture. Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.
Sage Sankara endeavored towards establishing the Vedic religion, overthrowing Buddhism. But even he was not able to avoid the influence of Buddhism. The influence of the revolutionary atmosphere of Buddhism has reappeared in the Advaita of Sage Sankara. His inability to revive Vedic religion that flourished before the Buddhist revolution in its pure form is discernible.
Sage Sankara gave out what was of most use to the greatest number of people. Therefore, in the commentaries on the Upanishads, such as the famous Manduka Upanishad, he gave the highest non-dual message of the identity of Atman and Brahman, revitalizing the philosophy and practice of Advaita, while in the commentaries on the Brahmasūtra he gave lesser teaching, positing both higher and lower Maya and higher and lower Brahman (Ishvara) to explain creation for those of lesser intellects until they were ready for the highest truth.
Only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, negation of duality is possible. The invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth, or Brahman or God in truth.
Consciousness is the cause of the origin, maintenance, and withdrawal of the universe is Advaita (i.e. non-dual), which means that consciousness transcends all conceptions, positive and negative. Nothing positive can ever be imagined or said about it. Consciousness is the existence absolute, awareness absolute.
The existence absolute means that consciousness is not unreal or non-existent. And it is not unconsciousness. Nothing positive can be stated about consciousness.

The nature of the invisible Soul, the Self, is the non-dualistic silence. Non-dualistic silence is like a deep sleep state. The silence indicates that the nature of the invisible Soul, the Self, is inexplicable, indescribable, and unimaginable. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara said: ~Liberation comes only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way.+

The Self is not you, but the Self is the invisible Soul, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space. If the Self is the invisible...