Yogi tries to avoid this duality by ignoring the universe. Hence, he gets a false unity only.+

Manduka Upanishad:~ Yoga is in the sphere of duality and is unnecessary to one who knows non-duality.

Brihad Upanishads: ~Even yoga cannot give perfect concentration, and the only way to gain it is through philosophical realization. This confirms Mandukya Upanishad’s statement that yoga can no more succeed than the ocean can be emptied with a blade of grass. (Page ~133- first para)

The Yogi wants to do something, some action, even that of sitting still, to control this or concentrate on that. This means he is still attached to his physical body. He wants his physical body to be quiet. He is still thinking of the illusory physical body. He does not know that he and his physical body are part of the dualistic illusion or Maya. On the contrary, he takes the world in which he exists as a reality.

The world must be seen before one can know its true nature in Gnana. The yogi, who shuts it out, thereby deprives himself of the opportunity to achieve Gnana.

The yogi must go to the ashram, some special place, some cave, or another. Whoever must sit in a posture is attached to the body.

The inquiry must begin with duality, i.e., with the world to inquire into. It will end with unity. Yogi tries to avoid this duality by ignoring the universe. Hence, he gets a false unity only.

The seekers of truth will inquire and practice discrimination. The ultimate truth has to be attained not by intuition but by reason, which is superior to it. Not even a combination of intellect and intuition will find the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Yoga will only let one know what he imagines. Self-knowledge is the sum of all sciences. Scientists think only of the external world, the seekers of truth, and the inner Self. Both are needed

Answers to prayers are imagination, due to chance.

Religion and Yoga are useful from utilitarian viewpoints, but from the standpoint of seeking the truth, they are useless. Yogic belief is a self-hypnotic condition out of which it is extremely difficult to escape.:: ~ Santthosh Kumaar

When you will start thinking independently then the inner revelation will start clearing all the obstacles which were blocking your realization.+

When you will start thinking independently then the inner revelation will start clearing all the obstacles that were blocking your realizationDeeper thinking and reasoning are very much needed in pursuit of truth.

Sage Goudpada: ~ To establish the truth of Non-duality by sheer reasoning alone. The seeker must begin by defining "What is real?" "What is unreal?" etc, because that is the right way. People must first know what they are talking about. (Manduka Karika)

The path of wisdom is divided into three parts:~

First:- Hearing the truth--that consciousness is the only reality and that the universe, along with you, is merely an illusion or Maya.

Second:- Reasoning upon these words of wisdom of Sage Sankara from all points of view.

Third:- Giving up all further argumentation and realizing the truth. This realization comes from being certain that consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman, or God in truth.

The seeker of truth should not become attached to words as being in perfect conformity with meaning, because Truth is not in the letters.

The words and their discrimination bind one to the duality; meaning stands alone and is a guide to non-dual awareness. Meaning is attained by much learning, and much learning is attained by becoming conversant with meaning and not with words; therefore, seekers of truth have to avoid the sticklers for particular words.

Remember:~

No guru or yogi teaches what I share with fellow seekers because they preach a cocktail of different ideologies, theories, religions, and philosophies.

The truth is very simple. It is very difficult to realize because it is lost in the dualistic knowledge we inherited, collected from different sources, different masters, different gurus, different philosophies, different ideologies, different books, and scriptures.

All this accumulated knowledge is merely mental garbage.

Nothing is needed other than realizing the knowledge of the single stuff. The single stuff is the cause of the world in which we exist. And that single stuff itself is causeless. That single stuff is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The invisible Soul is the Self. Knowledge of the invisible Soul, the Self, is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Atma Gnana is knowledge of God in truth.

Realizing God in truth, this very life is your goal. God-realization is real worship.

A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed. Only an intense urge to know the truth, humility, sincerity, and patience are the only qualifications to realize God in this very life and in this very world.

All your religious-based accumulated knowledge will block you from realizing the truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space. Be more rational in your thinking.

Your religious conditioning will not allow you to cross the domain of the ‘I’.

Until you hold all the religious ideas as real, the invisible Soul will remain in the cage of ignorance.

Drop your entire accumulated knowledge, drop all the physical Gurus, the invisible Soul, the inner Guru is waiting for you to take the first step, for you to realize there are no more steps. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Adyatma is pure spirituality. Knowledge of Atma is Adyatma. Advaita is Adyatma.+

When you start thinking independently then the inner revelation will start clearing all the obstacles which were blocking your realizationDeeper thinking and reasoning are very much needed in pursuit of truth.

Sage Goudpada: ~ To establish the truth of Non-duality by sheer reasoning alone. The seeker must begin by defining "What is real?" "What is unreal?" etc, because that is the right way. People must first know what they are talking about. (Manduka Karika)

The path of wisdom is divided into three parts:~

First:- Hearing the truth--that consciousness is the only reality and that the universe, along with you, is merely an illusion or Maya.

Second:- Reasoning upon these words of wisdom of Sage Sankara from all points of view.

Third:- Giving up all further argumentation and realizing the truth. This realization comes from being certain that consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman, or God in truth.

The seeker of truth should not become attached to words as being in perfect conformity with meaning, because Truth is not in the letters.

The words and their discrimination bind one to the duality; meaning stands alone and is a guide to non-dual awareness. Meaning is attained by much learning, and much learning is attained by becoming conversant with meaning and not with words; therefore, seekers of truth have to avoid the sticklers for particular words.

Remember:~

No guru or yogi teaches what I share with fellow seekers because they preach a cocktail of different ideologies, theories, religions, and philosophies.

The truth is very simple. It is very difficult to realize because it is lost in the dualistic knowledge we inherited, collected from different sources, different masters, different gurus, different philosophies, different ideologies, different books, and scriptures.

All this accumulated knowledge is merely mental garbage.

Nothing is needed other than realizing the knowledge of the single stuff. The single stuff is the cause of the world in which we exist. And that single stuff itself is causeless. That single stuff is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The invisible Soul is the Self. Knowledge of the invisible Soul, the Self, is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Atma Gnana is knowledge of God in truth.

Realizing God in truth, this very life is your goal. God-realization is real worship.

A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed. Only an intense urge to know the truth, humility, sincerity, and patience are the only qualifications to realize God in this very life and in this very world.

All your religious-based accumulated knowledge will block you from realizing the truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space. Be more rational in your thinking.

Your religious conditioning will not allow you to cross the domain of the ‘I’.

Until you hold all the religious ideas as real, the invisible Soul will remain in the cage of ignorance.

Drop your entire accumulated knowledge, drop all the physical Gurus, the invisible Soul, the inner Guru is waiting for you to take the first step, for you to realize there are no more steps. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

First, know What is this Self supposed to be in reality to realize the Self is not you but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.+

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

First, know what this Self is supposed to be in reality, to realize the Self is not you but the invisible and unborn Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

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 unborn Soul, the Self, to your experience of birth, life, death, and the world?

When the invisible Soul, the Self, wakes up with its own awareness, then you and your experience of the world become unreal in 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 invisible 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 the 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 illusory 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’ / I AM THAT’ are inadequate and useless to unfold the mystery of the 'I'.

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 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 is 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 is 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 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 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, which is God in truth, because all these holy and sacred people belong to the dualistic illusion or Maya.

Holding them as holy and sacred blocks you from transcending from 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 Soul hidden by the ‘I’.

What is Self?

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 is 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 is 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 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

Freedom comes only when you unfold the mystery of the ‘I’. The Soul, the Self is in the illusory cage of the ‘I’.+

Freedom comes only when you unfold the mystery of the ‘I’. The invisible Soul, the Self, is in the illusory cage of the ‘I’.

The ‘I’ is the dualistic illusion or Maya. Only the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara unfolds the mystery of the ‘I’.

Remember, the ‘I’ is not an individual because the ‘I’ is the whole universe. Limiting the ‘I’ to individuality is the cause of experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality.

,

The nature of the ‘I’ is the nature of the mind.

The nature of the mind is the nature of the universe.

The nature of the universe is the nature of the waking.

The nature of waking is the nature of the illusion.

Thus, it is necessary to study the nature of the ‘I’ to unfold the mystery of the universe.

All the teachings limit the ‘I’ to an individual and glorify the ‘I’ without knowing what this ‘I’ is supposed to be in actuality.

All ‘I’ based teachings are inadequate and useless for the serious seeker of truth.

If you are seeking truth, nothing but the truth must be discarded without mercy; such teaching to progress in your spiritual quest.

The seeker must know the ‘I’ is not limited to individuality. The seeker has to see the ‘I’ as the universe, to overcome ignorance. When the Advaitic wisdom dawns, then the ignorance vanishes.

When ignorance vanishes and the dualistic illusion (world) you used to think as reality becomes unreal.

Remember:~

The Self, noting permanent and the ‘I’, is impermanent. The ‘I’, which appears and disappears, is not the Self. The Self is hidden by the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is perishable, whereas the Self is imperishable.

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

Why are you struggling to find out who you are? You will never find the answer if you get stuck on the ‘I’.

Find out ‘what is this ‘I’, which appears and disappears. What is it aware of the coming and going of the ‘I’?

Without realizing ‘What is this ‘I’?- you will never be able to realize the mystery of the ‘I’.

The ‘I’ is the most intoxicating stuff. Those who use the word ‘I’ for the Self will never be able to cross the threshold of the dualistic illusion or Maya.

The ‘I-centric teachings will not transport the seeker to the ultimate end of understanding.

The ‘I’ is the cage for the Soul. ‘I’ is the cause of ignorance. Self-knowledge, or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, is the only weapon to get rid of ignorance.

The ‘I’ based teachings will not transport the seeker to the ultimate end of understanding.

Perfect understanding of ‘what is this I’ leads to the realization of the truth beyond form, time, and space.

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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

‘Who AM I?’ and ‘I AM THAT’- teachings will not yield the truth hidden by ignorance.+

The Advaitic wisdom will not dawn by adopting ‘Who AM ‘I’? and ‘I AM THAT’ teachings because they are based on individuality.

The individual exists within the universe. The universe is the dualistic illusion or Maya. ‘Who AM ‘I’?’ and ‘I AM THAT’ teachings will not yield the truth hidden by ignorance.

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

All the ‘I-centric’ Gurus propagate that the Athma or the Soul or ‘Self’ is limited to an individual, but it is not so because the Athma or the Soul or Self pervades everywhere and everything in the universe.

The universe is merely an illusion created out of the Athma or the invisible Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Sage Sankara asks his opponents, "How do you know there are separate individual Souls? Have you seen the Soul of a Man? You can only say that you have seen different bodies. To say more is to misuse language. Therefore, I call you liars unless you give proof, which is impossible.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe.

So, it proves the Soul is not an individual, but it is the support of all that exists in this universe.

The Soul is not limited to an individual. The are many individuals, but the Soul is one. The individual exists within the universe. The invisible Soul is the cause of the universe, and it, itself, is uncaused.

The invisible Soul is not within the human body. The universe is created out of a single stuff. That single stuff is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, whatever universe contains is bound to be the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

In the dream world, the dream people appeared together and disappeared together. Similarly, the waking world and waking people appeared together and disappeared together.

Thus, the dream is created out of single stuff, and that stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. In the same way, the waking experience is also created out of single stuff. And that single stuff is consciousness.

The invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the cause of the three states, and it, itself is uncaused.

The many soul theories are religious and yogic fables based on the false self (ego) and false experience (waking). Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Remember:~

Sage Sankara said: ~A.A~ 88. When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman (consciousness), and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that the body is Atman?

All these experiences as a father, son, Guru, and pupil, the world in which they all exist, were one and the same consciousness appearing differently.

All these distinctions disappear when one realizes the Self is not ‘I’ but the invisible Soul.

The invisible Soul is the cause of this world in which we exist, and it, itself, is uncaused.

Perfect understanding and realization of ‘what is what’ leads to Self-awareness.

By holding on to theories, one remains in the realm of duality. One has to mentally go on dropping what is not the truth through deeper Self-search.

Finally, when one becomes aware that his ego, his body, and the world are one in essence, then there is Self-awareness in the midst of 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 only go by an inquiry into the nature of the external world.

In nondual Self-awareness, the ego is not considered as ego, even though the ego is present, the body is not considered as a body even though the body is present, the world which confronts him is not considered as the world even though the world is present, the duality ceases even though the duality is present, and because of wisdom, everything is considered as consciousness. Thus, there is conscious oneness.

Only in ignorance, the world in which we exist is an illusion created out of the Soul, the ‘Self’.

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ VC-63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.

What is the use of saying ‘I AM THAT’- without knowing what the Self is in actuality? Without knowing the truth of the Self, without realizing the truth of the world in which you exist, it is impossible to realize the truth beyond form, time, and space.

By a mere utterance of the word ‘I AM THAT', the truth will not be revealed.

Sage Sankara: ~VC~ If the universe is true, let it then be perceived in the state of deep sleep also. As it is not at all perceived, it must be unreal and false, like dreams.

Remember:~

In fact, Sage Sankara states a paradox- the world is and is not. It is neither real nor unreal. It leads us to recognize the existence of Maya (illusion). He thinks that the world is illusory from one perspective and from the second it is nothing but Brahman(God), Itself in manifestation. This apparent world is Maya and has its basis in Brahman, the Eternal. It looks as real. It has names and forms, and actually, it is not real. In the light of true knowledge, it disappears, and Self-alone shines as real. However, Sage Sankara's Mayavada has not been accepted by many preachers and philosophers.

When Sage Sankara says clearly, the universe is not real. He says that Brahman and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the Self, which is one though appearing as many in different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the Soul, the Self, is Real; the rest, mental and physical, are but passing appearances, then it indicates the form (waking or duality or mind) is unreal and the Soul (consciousness or soul) is real. Therefore, only Atman is real because there is no second thing that exists other than Atman, which is in the form of consciousness.

That is why Sage Sankara says:~ VC -65~ As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never come 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.

Therefore, the wise should personally strive with their power of reason to be free the Soul, the Self, from the bondage of dualistic illusion or Maya. Thus, one has to know what is real by realizing that our body and our experience of the world are an illusion created out of consciousness. The nature of the invisible Soul, the Self, is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar