Sage Sankara:~ Brahman alone is real, this world is unreal; the Jiva is identical to Brahman.+

Sage Sankara pointed out that those rituals could in no way bring about wisdom, much less Moksha.

Sage Sankara gave religious, ritual, or dogmatic instruction to the mass but Advaitic wisdom only to the few who could rise to it. Hence the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.

Sage Sankara, indicated 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.

Sage Sankara believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality, and can, therefore, dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason.

Sage Sankara’s supreme Brahman is Nirguna (without the Gunas), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without attributes), and Akarta (non-agent). He is above all needs and desires. Sage Sri, Sankara says, "This Atman is Self-evident. This Atman or Self is not established by proofs of the existence of the Self. It is not possible to deny this Atman, for it is the very essence of he who denies it. The Atman is the basis of all kinds of knowledge. The Self is within, the Self is without, the Self is before, and the Self is behind. The Self is on the right hand, the Self is on the left, the Self is above, and the Self is below".

Satyam-Jnanam-Anantam-Anandam is not a separate attribute. They form the very essence of Brahman. Brahman cannot be described because description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than He.

The objective world, the world of names and forms, has no independent existence. The Atman alone has real existence. The world is only phenomenal.

Sage Sankara was the exponent of the Advaita wisdom. His wisdom can be summed up in the following words:

Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithya,

Jeevo Brahmaiva Na Aparah

Brahman alone is real; this world is unreal; the Jiva is identical to Brahman.

Sage Sankara said: ~ Just as the snake is superimposed on the rope, this world and this body are superimposed on Brahman or the Soul, the innermost Self. If one gets knowledge of the rope, the illusion of the snake will vanish. Even so, if he gets knowledge of Brahman, the illusion of the body and the world will vanish.

The snake is only an idea: it disappears on inquiry but deeper Self-search reveals the fact that the rope is also an idea, and its reality will be exposed when wisdom dawns. There is neither a snake nor the rope in reality because, from the ultimate standpoint, the duality is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

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.: : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The orthodox people are more enslaved than others because they live in a self-imposed prison.+

The orthodox people are more enslaved than others because they live in a self-imposed prison. A householder may have a little freedom, but the Gurus, Yogis Saints are more stuck with their own idea of truth than others. Orthodoxies are just blind followers of tradition. They cannot move freely, they cannot sit freely, and they cannot live freely.

Many people pretend they are Self-realized, but just by being orthodox, one cannot get Gnana. Yogi practices Samadhi, but he will not get rid of the ignorance. Everyone has their own idea of Gnana.

The most important thing is that neither society nor politics nor any religion has anything to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. ‘Self’ –Knowledge helps the seeker transcend emotion, transcending form, time, and space. Perhaps this is why the Atmic path has not had much impact.

The path of wisdom is the inner (mental) journey. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana, and wisdom are one and the same thing. Without an intense urge, it is difficult to tread this path. 

Self-realization is not an experience, because the Self is not you but the invisible  Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The invisible  Soul, the Self, cannot be experienced because it is an ever-formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

The invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is prior to any experience. The experience is possible only in a dualistic illusion. 

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

Consciousness is the only real thing within the dualistic illusion. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Advaitic truth is not for synthesis – it is an uncontradictable truth and it is the ultimate truth. The Advaitic truth is just as it is, without any artifice or coloring.

The knower of Advaitic truth is not concerned about the listener; he does not care whether his listener will understand or not. The pure expression of truth comes from the source of his existence.

From the standpoint of the invisible and unborn  Soul, the Self’: ~

There is nothing to accept,

Nothing to reject,

Nothing to hold on to,

Nothing to let go of,

Nothing to grasp,

Nothing to spurn,

Nothing to embrace,

Nothing to relinquish,

Nothing to dissolve

Because the Soul is free from the illusory form, time, and space. Only within the dualistic illusion, the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is caught up in the illusory experience of the form, time, and space. This is the truth. : Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Ramana Maharishi says: ~ The Self is the fullness of consciousness. Therefore, there is nothing apart from it.+

Sage Ramana Maharishi says: ~ The Self is the fullness of consciousness. Therefore, there is nothing apart from it. (Page 8 – Practical Guide To Know Yourself).

Thus, any division (body, ego, and the world) within the consciousness is merely an illusion.   Thus, whatever is experienced as a person within the illusion is bound to be an illusion. 

The first seeker has to find answers to the following doubts and confusion that arise in a deeper investigation of Sage Ramana Maharishi's ~ “Who Am I?- inquiry.

v  If the mind is the same as Atman, how can it vanish? How can Atman vanish? (Page 4 para. 3)

v  "Whenever any thought leads you outward," etc, says Sage Ramana Maharishi. What can you be certain of when you leave the external world? And why leave the world if you say everything is Brahman? (Page 6 ~center)

v  The "Mind ceases to struggle." Yes, if I commit suicide, I shall also cease to struggle! How can you say the world ceases to exist if you don't look at it? ~ (Page ~ 6)

v  Who has seen the subtle mind projecting through the brain and the senses? Can you see it? Isn't the brain also a piece of gross matter? Then how can it come into existence after the world is created, if it later depends on the brain? (Page 6, last para)

v  How can you say the world vanishes when you are introspecting? The world is still there, whether you see it or not. (Page 7 top)

v The heart is an idea created by the mind, so how can the Mind emerge from it? (Page 7~ Line 4)

v  One should unquestioningly follow guru"--This is the very reverse of what Sri Ramakrishna taught. What if the guru happens to be a fool or a rascal? Sri Ramakrishna said, "Test me! (Page 11, Para 2)

v  "In deep sleep, trance, or swoon, the mind turns inwards and enjoys atmasukam." Why should any man study or inquire or practice if, in sleep, he can easily get the Atman? If sleep gives Brahman, why trouble with Vedanta? (Page 12: middle)

v  Page 16 middle: "If this truth is appreciated, who can refrain from being good?" This is the opposite of real Vedanta. Vedanta says it is not enough to be good, you must serve the world and relieve suffering. ~ (Page 16 center)

v  Is the vanishing of ego to be the end of life? Aham, I must indeed go, but tuham (thou) must come; you must know Brahman is everywhere. It is only half to say the ego must vanish. This is only a step, not the highest. (Page 16, last para).

Bhagavad Gita on this point says: ~   The Soul, the Self must see all in itself. (4/34)

Sage Raman Maharishi: ~ He placed his right hand on his right breast and continued, "Here lies the Heart, the dynamic, spiritual Heart. It is called Hridaya and is located on the right side of the chest and is clearly visible to the inner eye of an adept on the spiritual path. Through meditation, you can learn to find the Self in the cave of this Heart." ~ Mercedes de Acosta, Here Lies the Heart

Santthosh Kumaar: ~ The heart belongs to the individual. The Individual exists within the illusory universe or Maya. 

Who am 'I'? -inquiry based on the individual who is part and parcel of the illusory universe or Maya. Who am 'I'?-Inquiry is inadequate and useless to unfold the mystery of the universe. 

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

If the inquiry does not include the universe, then it is incomplete.

The spiritual heart is the Soul, the Self, not the physical heart.   The world in which you exist is within the Soul, the spiritual heart. Mistaking the spiritual heart within the body is a great error. Even some Advaitic guru says that the Self is within the spiritual heart. And the spiritual heart is on the left side.  Such a declaration is merely an imagination, based on the false Self (ego or you). When the Self is bodiless, then the question of the heart being left side or the right side does not arise.  

The seeker must realize the Soul, the Self, itself is the spiritual heart.  The Soul the spiritual heart is ever formless. The Soul itself is the spiritual heart that is present in the form of the spirit or consciousness.

Without the form, time, and space, the Soul, the Self, becomes naked. The nature of the Soul, the innermost Self is the formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. 

Sage Ramana Maharishi also refers to: ~ Pure Consciousness, which is the heart, includes all, and nothing is outside or apart from it. 

That means the fullness of the consciousness is the ultimate Truth or Brahman or God in truth.

I have the highest reverence for Sage Ramana Maharishi as a sage of absolute purity and unworldliness and desirelessness, but those who are seeking truth have to indulge in much deeper Self-search to realize the truth which is beyond the dual (waking or dream and nondual states).  

The serious seekers who are searching for the ultimate truth or Brahman should not stop till they reach their Goal.

Jesus said: ~"Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all." (Gospel of Thomas 2)

Bhagavan Buddha: ~ Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.

Bhagavan Buddha said: ~ Believe nothing because a wise man said it, Believe nothing because it is generally held. Believe nothing because it is written. Believe nothing because it is said to be divine. Believe nothing because someone else said it. But believe only what you yourself judge to be true

Dattatreya's Song of the Avadhut 1.36-42:~ Advaita taught by some; some others teach duality. They don't understand that the all-pervading Reality is beyond both duality and non-duality.

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.”

Sage Sankara’s wisdom will remain a dead letter to the seekers who get stuck with orthodoxy and glorifying God and gurus.     All such acts and worship and rituals are not meant for the seekers of truth. 

Sage Sankara: ~ 'Like a servant who carries a lamp in front of you to find your way, and you have found it, so becomes the Veda to that person. What is the Veda? -- utterances of those who have known the Truth. Here is one who has known the Truth; why should he or she depend upon the Veda further? Actual realization takes you beyond books. At a certain stage, books become a botheration. The Upanishad itself says that the 'words are only so much of a distraction for such minds'

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

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

God in truth is the Atman, the Self. Atman is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not accept any other God other than Atman, nor worship other than Atman.

Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Nothing is real but God. Nothing matters but love for God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything.

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

Rig Veda, 10:48, 5:~ The Soul is the cause; the Soul is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Soul, the innermost Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Soul nor worship other than the Soul?

The pursuit of truth is not for getting emotionally involved with some guru or yogi and indulging in glorifying the guru or yogi as God, but investigating to find out whether there is any valuable material to realize the ultimate truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.  

Swami Vivekananda said: ~ “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, and none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own Soul.”

Thus, the seeker has to do his own homework to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space.  The seeker's aim is the search for the Ultimate Truth or Brahman, the search to find the non-dualistic truth that in actuality never was lost, only hidden. The ultimate truth has to be realized first, and then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying.

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, worships the Self as~ Atman (God in truth) alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare"

The Soul, the Self, is the ultimate truth or Brahman.  The seeker should not search for truth outside of form, time, and space.  Let these words be inscribed in your heart. Nothing is real but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Nothing matters but an intense urge to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. The Soul or consciousness is everywhere and in everything.  

Consciousness is beyond form, time, and space and is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. God in truth alone is, and all else is an illusion.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

The caste system which is so integral to Hinduism was also not practiced in the Vedic times.+

The caste system, which is so integral to Hinduism, was also not practiced in the Vedic times. 

There is hardly any evidence of a rigid caste system in the Vedas. It is argued that the purushasukta hymn of the Rig Veda (X.90) which is often referred to in order to give a religious sanction to the caste system, was a later interpolation. The Vedas, however, speak of various classes of people, which appear to have been names of professions, and they were not hereditary.

The very concept of castes by birth, upper/lower castes, superior/inferior castes, outcastes, untouchables, Dalits, etc., is clearly prohibited by the Rigveda”.

The taboo on cow slaughter is not Vedic in origin. The taboo on cow slaughter and beef eating did not exist in Vedic times. Criteria like taboo on beef-eating or belief in reincarnation might stamp the Vedic seers as non-Hindus”. The question of whether the Vedic people practiced cow slaughter is debated among Hindu traditionalists.

The cow was a sacred animal that the authors of the Vedas sacrificed cows and ate beef on special occasions. This argument only substantiates the view that the cow was not an inviolable animal and that beef eating was not taboo in Vedic times.

As is clear from the above, several aspects that are intrinsic to the Hinduism of today, such as the doctrine of reincarnation, avatars (‘descent’) of gods, the caste system, the taboo on cow slaughter, and beef eating, were absent in the Vedic religion. It was shown by a critical study of the Vedas that the Aryans had no developed idea of a caste system. The taboo on the use of beef was shown to be of later origin, that the cow was freely killed for ceremonial and other purposes in ancient India”.

Remember:~

The taboo on cow slaughter is not Vedic in origin. The taboo on cow slaughter and beef-eating did not exist in Vedic times. Criteria like taboo on beef-eating or belief in reincarnation might stamp the Vedic seers as non-Hindus”. The question of whether the Vedic people practiced cow slaughter is debated among Hindu traditionalists. The cow was a sacred animal that the authors of the Vedas sacrificed cows and ate beef on special occasions. This argument only substantiates the view that the cow was not an inviolable animal and that beef-eating was not taboo in Vedic times.

As is clear from the above, several aspects that are intrinsic to the Hinduism of today, such as the doctrine of re-incarnation, avatars (‘descent’) of gods, the caste system, the taboo on cow slaughter, and beef-eating were absent in the Vedic Religion. It was shown by a critical study of the Vedas that the Aryans had no developed idea of the caste system, (.…) The taboo on the use of beef was shown to be of later origin, that the cow was freely killed for ceremonial and other purposes in ancient India.

Vedic Religion or Santana Dharma is distinct from Hinduism. The Vedic Religion or Santana Dharma deserves to be treated on its own as a distinct religion with its own sacred texts, rites, rules of social life, beliefs, and practices, without interlinking it with Hinduism. Perhaps it is right to maintain that the Mimamsa School, which is concerned with the investigation of the Vedic texts, their correct interpretation, and the meticulous performance of the Vedic rituals and ceremonies, has preserved and defended a part of the heritage of the Vedic tradition.

The Vedanta school may also have received a part of its inspiration from the Vedas. For the rest of the Hindu philosophical schools and religious sects, the influence of the Vedas is nominal. However, inasmuch as elements from the Vedas have influenced some aspects of Hinduism, it may be considered as one of the many factors influencing modern Hinduism.

But by no means can it be maintained that Hinduism has its direct ancestry in the Vedic religion or the Santana Dharma. Therefore, the Hinduism of Vedic times is an imagined community. Hinduism is of a much later origin, and a historical view of Indian religions would endorse a dichotomy between Vedic Religion or Santana Dharma and contemporary Hinduism.

Hinduism does not have a long ancestry as is often presumed or propagated by the Hindu ideologues. In fact, historically, religions like Buddhism and Jainism can claim greater antiquity than the Hinduism of today. Hinduism began to take a systematic form from the time of Sage Sri, Sankara (8th century A.D). In this sense, he may be considered the ‘founder’ of Hinduism but he never called it Hinduism.

Thus, Hinduism came into existence with its own code of conduct beliefs, and rituals after the 8th century. Hinduism as one knows it today is of recent origin. He states: “Hinduism did not really achieve its status as a coherent, though still baffling, religious complex until after the establishment of the British rule in India.

In discussing the Vedic Religion, it is also to be remembered that in the course of history, many non-Aryan elements entered the Vedic Religion. The Vedic Aryans freely borrowed elements from the culture and the society around them. But we cannot say with precision which are the non-Aryan elements in the Vedic Religion. Therefore, the thesis of the direct ancestry of Hinduism of today from the Vedic Religion is to be considered as a myth purported by orthodoxy.

Remember:~

The taboo on cow slaughter and beef-eating did not exist in the Vedic era.

As we peep into the annals of Indian religious history, we find: ~

Then there is clear evidence in the Rig Veda that Aryans regularly ate beef and sacrificed cows for religious purposes, which are strictly forbidden in Hinduism:~

Quoting from Rigveda, historian H. H Wilson writes: ~ “The sacrifice and consumption of horse and cow appear to have been common in the early periods of the Aryan culture.” 

Rig Veda says:~   "May the wind blow upon our cows with healing; may they eat herbage ... Like-colored various-hued or single-colored whose names through sacrifice are known to Agni, Whom the Angirases produced by Ferbvor - vouschsafe to these, Parjanya, great protection. Those who have offered to the Gods their bodies, whose varied forms are all well known to Soma." (Hymn CLXIX)  (The Rig Veda (RV), translated by Ralph H. Griffith, New York, 1992, p. 647).

In the Rig Veda: ~ Agni is described as "fed on ox and cow," suggesting that cattle were sacrificed and roasted in the fire. (RV: VIII.43.11)

Rigveda declares, “On the occasion of a girl’s marriage, oxen and cows are slaughtered” (10/85/13)

Rig-Veda states that “Indra used to eat the meat of cow, calf, horse, and buffalo. (6/17/1)” 

Hindus are not in contact with their religious history therefore, they believe their inherited beliefs as the ultimate truth.

Hindu traditionalists refuse to debate whether the Vedic people practiced cow slaughter and ate beef. They believe such a debate is irreligious.

The taboo on cow slaughter and beef-eating did not exist in the Vedic era. Cow slaughter and beef-eating are barred by Hinduism is influenced of the Bhakti movement.  The cow is always connected with Lord Krishna. No Hindu will eat beef because every Hindu believes the cow is the most sacred. 

Not all Hindus are vegetarians. Non-vegetarian Hindus eat other meat except beef.    There is no need to support cow slaughter and beef-eating, but one must know the religious history of India for his own information.

Cow slaughter and beef-eating are barred by Hinduism, but the taboo on cow slaughter and beef-eating did not exist in Vedic times. The taboo on cow slaughter is not Vedic in origin; it has been adopted from Jainism.   

Criteria like taboo on beef-eating or belief in reincarnation might stamp the Vedic seers as non-Hindus”.

The cow was a sacred animal that the authors of the Vedas sacrificed cows and ate beef on special occasions. This argument only substantiates the view that the cow was not an inviolable animal and that beef-eating was not taboo in Vedic times.

"Beef was an important part of the Vedic diet. In ancient India, cow slaughter was considered auspicious on the occasions of some ceremonies. The bride and groom used to sit on the hide of a red ox in front of the ‘Vedi’ (altar).”

Many scriptures are witnesses to such sacrifices and killings of animals for consumption. References of such commands are replete in Hindu scriptures like Manusmriti, Vedas, Upanishads, Brahmins, Grih sutras, Dharma-sutras, and others.

Quoting some references from different scriptures is imperative to bring home the point and clear the misconceptions:~

Manusmriti says: ~ “It is not sinful to eat the meat of eatable animals, for Brahma has created both the eaters and the eatables.” (Chapter 5 / Verse 30)

Manusmriti states: ~ When a man who is properly engaged in a ritual does not eat meat, after his death, he will become a sacrificial animal during twenty-one rebirths. (5 / 35)

 Maharishi Yagyavalkya says in Shatpath Brahmin:~ “I eat beef because it is very soft and delicious.” (3/1/2/21)

Apastamb Grihsutram says: ~ “The cow should be slaughtered on the arrival of a guest, on the occasion of ‘Shraddha’ of ancestors, and on the occasion of a marriage.” (1/3/10)

Vasistha Dharma-sutra writes: ~ “If a Brahmin refuses to eat the meat offered to him on the occasion of ‘Shraddha’ or worship, he goes to hell.” (11/34)

Swami Vivekananda said: ~ “You will be surprised to know that according to ancient Hindu rites and rituals, a man cannot be a good Hindu who does not eat beef”. (The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. 3, p. 536).

Dr. Pandurang Vaman Kane says:~  “Bajsancyi Samhita sanctifies beef-eating because of its purity”. (Dharmashastra Vichar Marathi, page 180)

Sage Sankara says: ~ ‘Odan’ (rice) mixed with meat is called ‘Mansodan’. On being asked whose meat it should be, he answers ‘Uksha’. ‘Uksha’ is used for an ox, which is capable of producing semen. (Commentary on Brihadaranyakopanishad 6/4/18)

Renowned historian R.C. Majumdar says: ~ “This is said in the Mahabharata that King Rantidev used to kill two thousand other animals in addition to two thousand cows daily to give their meat in charity”. (Vol. 2, page 578) (‘The History and Culture of the Indian People’, published by Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan)

As is clear from the above, several aspects that are intrinsic to the Hinduism of today, such as the doctrine of re-incarnation, avatars (‘descent’) of Gods,  caste system, and the taboo on cow slaughter and beef-eating were absent in the Vedic religion.

It was shown by a critical study of the Vedas that the Aryans had not developed the idea of the caste system, (.…)  The taboo on the use of beef was shown to be of later origin, that the cow was freely killed for ceremonial and other purposes in ancient India”.

Looking at the above aspects,  the Hinduism of today is not the ancient Santana Dharma or Vedic religion.:~Santthosh Kumaar