There is no place for a personal God (Ishvara) in Advaitic Reality.+

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

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

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

Whatever is real in the world in which we exist is God. All that is real in the world in which we exist is the Soul, the Self.

Thus, by realizing the Self, which is the Soul, we discover the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness itself, is God, which is hidden by the ‘I’, which is the dualistic illusion or Maya.

Even 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.

Status of God: ~

There is no place for a personal God (Ishvara) in Advaitic Reality. Mixing the concept of God becomes a great hindrance in the pursuit of truth. The universe is, in an ultimate sense, described as "false" because consciousness appears as the waking experience due to ignorance.

The waking experience is a reality from the standpoint of the waking entity. And the waking experience is a falsehood from the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the ’Self’. Just as the waking experience is false, the man and his experiences, which are present within the waking experience, are also false.

The experience of birth, life, and death, which happens within the world, is also false. The form, time, and space within the waking experience are also false.

Karma and Bhakti have nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. People who talk about a personal God, Karma, are not fit for Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Brahman (God) ~ the One without a Second: ~

The Atman is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny the Atman because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. The Atman is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs.

The invisible Soul, the Self is within, the Self is without; the Self is before, the Self is behind; the Self is on the right, the Self is on the left; the Self is above, and the Self is below. Brahman is not an object, as it is Adrisya, beyond the reach of the eyes. Hence, the Upanishads: “Neti Neti—not this, not this....” This does not mean that Brahman is a negative concept, or a metaphysical abstraction, or a nonentity, or a void. It is not another. It is all-full, infinite, changeless, ‘Self’-existent, ‘Self’-delight, Self-knowledge, and ‘Self’-bliss. It is Svarupa, essence. It is the essence of the witness. It is the Seer (Drashta), Transcendent (Turiya), and Silent Witness (Sakshi).

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 itself. 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.

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 Mundaka, 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.

Sage Sankara was very careful with his choice of semantic analysis and use of words - taught at different levels of doctrine at different times as the situation warranted.

Sage Sankara first came to the attention of Sage Gaudapada when his own guru brought him to the Himalayas to present his Advaita writings of the great Sage, who encouraged his further endeavors.

The Advaitic formula, to be successively realized, is: “The world is unreal; Brahman is real; the world is Brahman.” This is the vision of non-duality. Sage Sankara affirmed a progression of points of view depending on the stage of one’s practice.

Sage Sankara says:~ Whatever thing remains eternal is true, and whatever is non-eternal is untrue. Since the world is created and destroyed, it is not true.

The Truth is the unchanging thing. Since the world is changing, it is not true.

Whatever is independent of space and time is true, and whatever has space and time in itself is untrue.

Just as one sees Dreams in sleep, he sees a kind of super-dream when he is waking. The world is compared to this conscious dream.

The world is believed to be a superimposition of the Brahman. Superimposition cannot be true.

On the other hand, Sage Sankara claims that the world is not absolutely false. It appears false only when compared to Brahman. In the pragmatic state, the world is completely true, which occurs as long as we are under the influence of Maya. The world cannot be both true and false at the same time; hence, Sage Sankara has classified the world as indescribable. The following points suggest that, according to Sage Sankara, the world is not false ( Sage Sankara himself gave most of the arguments).

The whole wisdom of Sage Sankara can be summed up in the following statement:-

Brahma satyam, jaganmithya, jivobrahmaivanaparah: ~Brahman alone is real; the world is non-real and the individual Self (ego) is essentially not different from Brahman.

This is the quintessence of Sage Sankara’s wisdom.

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 nondual 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

The misinterpretation is because of Bhagavan Buddha himself. Most of the questions were answered only by silence, leaving many to interpret as per their understanding. The enlightenment of Bhagavan Buddha and which again was indirectly accepted by Sage Goudpada. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Nirguna (attributeless) is the nature of the Soul, the 'Self’. Saguna (attributed) is the nature of the mind, which is present in the form of the universe.+

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God in truth) 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 the 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.

Remember:~

Nirguna (attributeless) is the nature of the Soul, the Self. Saguna (attributed) is the nature of the mind, which is present in the form of the universe.

The Soul is the knower of the Saguna (mind). The Saguna (the universe) is an illusion from the standpoint of the nirguna, which is the true Self.

Thus, the Saguna (mind/world) is a myth from the standpoint of nirguna, which is the invisible Soul, the Self.

The invisible Soul is the Self and eternal identity. The nirguna (Soul) can remain with or without the Saguna (mind), whereas the Saguna (mind) is dependent on the Nirguna (Soul) for its existence

Nirguna and Saguna are classified only in duality. In non-dual reality, there is neither nirguna nor Saguna; everything is one. Therefore, nirguna and Saguna are one, in essence, that is invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The Saguna is the mind because when the mind is present then all the attributes are present, and when the mind is absent then the attributes are absent.

The Samadhi is the natural state of the invisible Soul, the Self. In the natural state, the attributes are non-existent, and in duality (mind), all the attributes are present.

Thus, the duality and non-duality are the nature of the invisible Soul, the Self. The duality and the nonduality are not some theories. The theoretical duality and nonduality have nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman, or God in truth.

The world in which we exist is present in the form of objective awareness. The whole objective awareness is created out of a single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

The dual (waking or dream) and nondual (deep sleep) experiences appear and disappear. The invisible Soul is the witness of the coming and going of the three states.

All three states are made of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Thus, the single stuff alone is real and eternal and the entire three states merely an illusion created out of the single stuff.

The realization of the single stuff, which is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is Self-realization.

Until ignorance is present, the three states are experienced as reality. Thus, it is very much necessary to realize that there is no second thing that exists, other than the invisible and unborn Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. : :~Santthosh Kumaar

The seeker has to tread much deeper when he finds ‘WHO AM ‘I’? ‘I AM THAT’ teachings are inadequate and useless in quenching his spiritual thirst.+

The seeker has to tread much deeper when he finds ‘WHO AM ‘I’? ‘I AM THAT’ teachings are inadequate and useless in quenching his spiritual thirst.

By inquiring ‘WHO AM ‘I’? or by saying ‘I AM THAT’~ ignorance will not vanish. A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is very much necessary.

Self-inquiry is not for finding out who am 'I'?- but to realize the Self hidden by the 'I'.

The 'I' itself is the dualistic illusion or Maya. The dualistic illusion or Maya is present in the form of the universe.

By inquiring, ‘Who am I?’- the ignorance will not vanish. Without getting rid of ignorance, the Advaitic wisdom will not dawn.

Without Advaitic wisdom, it is not possible to realize the truth, which is hidden within the world in which we exist.

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 hidden by the 'I'.

Without knowing ‘what is this ‘I’, one will not realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. The ‘I’ exists only when the form, time, and space are present.

When the Self is not the ‘I’ but the ‘Self is ‘I –less Soul, then whatever is based on the ‘I’, is bound to be an illusion.

Thus, the ‘I-less Soul is permanent and eternal, because the Soul is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

You and your world are a reality within the illusion. You and your experience of the world are within the illusion. You are the false self within the false experience (waking).

The waking experience is a parallel dream, and the dream is a parallel waking experience.

The Self is neither the waking entity nor the Self is the dream entity, but the Self is the invisible Soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states.

The Soul, the Self, has nothing to do with you and your experience of the world because it is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

The world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

A person who stamped his foot on the ground to refute, to show the world, is real, ignores that in the dream he would do exactly the same--stamp his dream foot on the ground and assert it to be real.

The ultimate reality is one without a second and is designated by the name Brahman. Brahman is incorporeal, immutable, all-pervading consciousness, beyond form, time, and space.: ~ Santthosh Kumaar

‘Who am ‘I?’- inquiry does not help to expose the unreal nature of the ‘I’.+

Deeper inquiry into the nature of the ‘I’ and free the invisible Soul from the illusory bondage of the ‘I’.

‘Who am ‘I?’- inquiry does not help to expose the unreal nature of the ‘I’.

"Who am I?” inquiry has no dynamic, direct, universal appeal because it is based on the individual who is part and parcel of the illusory universe.

The Self-inquiry is to know ‘what is this ‘I’ is supposed to be in actuality.

It is erroneous to limit the ‘I’ is within the body. Thinking the ‘I’ is within the body and inquiring ‘Who am ‘I’ will not help to unfold the mystery of the ‘I’.

The ‘I’ hides the reality of nondualistic existence. The nature of nondualistic existence is the formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

There is no ‘I’ in Atmic reality. The ‘I’ is merely an illusion. Whatever belongs to the ‘I’ is merely an illusion.

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.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ “You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory. ~ CH.2 v.16

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.

If the I’ is an illusion, then the individual experience of birth, life, and death is bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ itself 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 and unborn Soul, the Self, which is the cause of the 'I'.

Remember:~

Who am I, -inquiry is not Self-inquiry. The ‘Self-inquiry’ is finding out the ‘Self’ hidden by the 'I'.

By inquiring, ‘Who am I?’- ignorance will not vanish because Who am 'I',- inquiry is based on the individual who is part and parcel of the illusory universe or Maya.

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.

Without getting rid of ignorance, the Advaitic wisdom will not dawn. Without Advaitic wisdom, it is not possible to realize the invisible Soul, the Self hidden by ignorance.  :~Santthosh Kumaar

The Self is the invisible and unborn Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.+

Your existence is limited to form, time, and space because the Self is not you. The Self is the invisible and unborn Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The Soul is ever nondual because it is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. First, realize the Self is not you, but the Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Mentally hold on to the Soul and mentally reduce the world in which you exist as consciousness by realizing the world in which you exist is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth of Brahman or God in truth.

Consciousness is God in truth; rest all else is an illusion.

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 (Gita 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.

You are not you but consciousness; your body is not the body, but consciousness; the world in which you exist is not the world but consciousness.

Everything is known, seen, believed, and experienced by you is nothing but consciousness; then what else remains that is not consciousness? There is nothing else to realize other than to realize that consciousness alone is, everything else is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

By realizing that everything is consciousness is the Advaitic wisdom dawns. Perfect understanding and assimilation of ‘what is what’ leads to Advaitic awareness.

Without the world in which you exist, God alone exists. When God disappears, the world in which you exist appears. The world, in which you exist, disappears God appears. Thus, realize God to be the invisible Soul.

The invisible Soul is the Self. Thus, the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth, or Brahman or God in truth.

If you stick to the ultimate truth, then the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. If you realize this truth, you will live in this world but not in this world. Thus, consciousness alone is real and eternal. :  : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

Religion and yoga were not the ends, for they can never directly lead to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.+

Religion and yoga are not the ends, for they can never directly lead to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Meditation is not a mechanical process of forcing your attention upon an idea or object.

Without realizing the Self is not you but the Soul, meditating is useless because it is not meditation but an imitation of the formless existence.

Meditation is not Advaitic wisdom. Meditation is not a means to find the truth hidden by form, time, and space.

Without realizing the Self is not you, but the Self is the invisible Soul, all the effort used in the meditation leads to hallucinating thoughtlessness.

The thoughtlessness is not wisdom. By ending the thoughts, you may get peace, not Advaitic wisdom.

Ashtavakra says: ~ “This is your bondage, that you practice Samadhi or meditation.”

Meditation is a progressive step, and there is no need to condemn it.

Religion and yoga are not the ends, for they can never directly lead to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

All other teachings and practices other than Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana, are for beginners only. There are stages in comprehending the truth.

Meditation always means the critical analysis of the Self to get rid of ignorance. The ignorance will not vanish by remaining without thoughts or focusing attention on some object.

Sage Sankara says ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation, then why are you indulging in other types of meditation.

Until a man is ripe to receive Self-knowledge, it is fatal to ask him to give up meditation.

The novice seekers must understand that yoga is all right in its place and that it is good at the beginning of the pursuit of truth, but when yoga is made an end in itself and not a means to acquire the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

It is all made so complicated, and books written by different yogis have made it even more complicated.

No amount of reading and understanding can lead to Self-realization.

All other teachings and practices other than self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana, are for beginners only. There are stages in comprehending the truth.

Advaitic truth is the ultimate truth for the seeker of truth. All religion, Yoga, mysticism, or theology is for the lower and middling intellect.

The seeker's aim is the search for the ultimate truth or Brahman. The search to find the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth that, in actuality, never was lost, only hidden.

Religious truth is not the truth because it always shows a contradiction. A contradiction arises because a different person's interpretation may disagree with others.

Poets are at liberty to imagine whatever they like, but the only thing wrong is that they take their feelings and sentiments for reality, or when they think that whatever seems, must exist.

Remember:~

Meditation is not meditating on the object, but realizing the object is not the Subject.

The Soul is the subject. The world is an object.

The world in which you exist is an object to the invisible Soul, the Self.

Remember, you are part of the objective world.

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, mantrams and meditation--all come from the Self.

People dip into meditation, but they do not understand that that is only one-half of the truth and that this dipping is also a mental discipline for them to understand the true nature of the external universe, which understanding they must next get if they are to become a Gnani.

Ashtavakra says: - "This is your bondage, that you practice Samadhi or meditation.”

For meditation, one need not sit and chant God's name or concentrate on some object. Anything you do will not be meditation. If there is a doer, then it is not meditation. As long as there is doing, there is ignorance.

As long as the doer is present, the ego is present. If the ego is present, the whole world is present. If the world is present, the duality is present. If the duality is present, then there is an illusion. If the illusion is present, birth, life, death, and the world are experienced as reality.

By realizing the world in which you exist is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana leads to Self-awareness.

In Self-awareness, the Soul, the Self, remains in its own awareness in the midst of form, time, and space. Thus, Self-awareness is real meditation. Mediation is the nature of the Soul, the Self. :~Santthosh Kumaar

Meditation always means the critical analysis of the Self to get rid of ignorance.+

For the wise who realize everything as the consciousness, what is there to meditate or not to meditate, what to speak or not to speak, what to do or not to do?

Only the Soul or consciousness is Real and all else is an illusion. Only your constant remembrance will allow you, one day, to realize what truth really is, and, in so doing realize the ‘Self.

Sage Sankara says ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation, then why you are indulging in other types of meditation.

The meditation, meditator, and the world in which meditation is performed are an illusion created out of a single clay. That single clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana leads to Self-awareness. In Self-awareness of the Soul, the 'Self' remains in its own awareness in the midst of the dualistic illusion. Self-awareness is real meditation.

Thus, Self-awareness is real meditation. Mediation is the nature of the Soul, the Self.

Meditation always means the critical analysis of the Self to get rid of ignorance.

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, mantrams and meditation--all come from the Self.

People dip into meditation, but they do not understand that that is only one-half of the truth and that this dipping is also a mental discipline for them to understand the true nature of the external universe, which understanding they must next get if they are to become a Gnani.

Ashtavakra says: - "This is your bondage, that you practice Samadhi or meditation.”: ~Santthosh Kumaar