Atma Gnana or Brahma Gnana is an imperishable and inexhaustible wealth.+

It is very difficult to find out the state of a Gnani by his external actions. Gnana is purely a mental state. It is an internal condition.

A Gnani can only understand another Gnani. Atma Gnana or Brahma Gnana is an imperishable and inexhaustible wealth. The material wealth is nothing when compared to the priceless ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Even friends and family members of a Gnani will not know him as the Gnani. Due to ignorance, people will not be able to recognize a Gnani. Outwardly, the Gnani behaves as an ordinary person behaves. A Gnani talks and jokes like others, but he is not understood as he really is. People may regard him as an exceptional person, but only a few can recognize him as a Gnani.

Sage Sankara himself said: ~ A Gnani bears no outward mark of a holy man".

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

A person who realized the ultimate truth or Brahman will throw off his religious robe and all religious identity and live like a commoner. He never identifies himself as Gnani nor does he identify himself as superior to others. He only shares his knowledge with fellow seekers.

A Gnani never identifies himself as a Guru or a Yogi, or as someone disciple. The one who accepts himself as a Guru or someone’s disciple is not a Gnani.

A Gnani is the one who has realized that the matter itself is Spirit and the matter is an illusory expression of the Spirit. A Gnani, there is no further quest. To a Gnani, there is nothing to realize because he has realized that everything is the Spirit.

To a Gnani, the world in which he exists is non-existent as a reality because the world in which he exists is nothing but the Spirit. 

A Gnani is free from experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality because he is fully aware of the Spirit, which is the cause of the dualistic illusion, and the Spirit is uncaused.

A Gnani continues to drive the point of the source with the fervor of one who knows and with the talent of expression. Only a Gnani who has directly known truly understands the Truth and can have the perseverance and passion for sharing it. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankara was criticized for his views on Maya (illusion) without understanding him.+

Sage Sankara was criticized for his views on Maya (illusion) without understanding him.

Sage Sankara said: ~

(1) Brahman (Atman) is real

(2) The universe is unreal, and

(3) Brahman is the universe.

He did not stop at the second because the third explains the other two. It signifies that the universe is real if perceived as the ‘Self’ and unreal if perceived as apart from the Self. Hence, Maya or illusion and reality are one and the same.

The realists criticize the concept of illusion without understanding it. He said that:~

(1) Consciousness (Atman) is real

(2) The universe or mind is unreal

(3) Consciousness is the universe because the universe is an illusion created out of consciousness.

One need not stop at the second because the third explains the other two. It signifies that the universe is real if perceived as the Self (Atman or consciousness) and unreal if perceived as apart from the Self (consciousness). Hence, illusion and reality are one and the same because both are one in essence. Realizing the essence, which is consciousness as the  Self, is Self-Realization or Truth-Realization of God-Realization. 

Thus, Sage Sankara‘s declaration is the rational truth, scientific truth, and also the ultimate truth.

The world is both real and unreal. It is real because it is a manifestation of consciousness, but it is unreal, in the sense that it is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself.

People's approach is more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the world; they take it as real. That is why all the confusion.

In  Atmic -awareness-- the witness and the witnessed are one in essence. That essence is consciousness. There is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

Thus, whatever is seen, known, believed, and experienced as a person is a reality within the waking experience (duality), but waking experience (duality) itself is merely an illusion.

The invisible  Soul, the Self, is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the witness that experiences the action, the actor, and the world of separate things.  It is like a light that illuminates everything in a theater, revealing the master of ceremonies, the guests, and the dancers with complete impartiality. Even when they all depart, the light shines to reveal their absence.

All three states are consciousness because the three states are created out of consciousness. The three states cease to exist without consciousness. The seeker, seeking, and his destination are all one in essence.

There is only a need to realize that the whole universe in which we exist is created out of the Soul or consciousness.

From the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self, the universe is merely an illusion. Thus, from the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the  Self, no second thing exists other than consciousness. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth, or Brahman or  God in truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

Meher Baba says:~GOD, whom we do not see, we say is real; and the world, which we do see, we say is false. +

Meher Baba says:~ UNLESS AND UNTIL ignorance is removed and Knowledge is gained the Knowledge whereby the Divine Life is experienced and lived . . . everything pertaining to the spiritual seems paradoxical . . . GOD, whom we do not see, we say is real; and the world, which we do see, we say is false. Inexperience, what exists for us does not really exist; and what does not exist for us, really exists.

Meher Baba said: - To love God as he ought to be loved, we must love for God and die for God, knowing that the goal of life is to know God and find him as our own Self.

To realize God is to attain liberation from the bondage of illusion.

Live only to find and realize your true identity with your Beloved God.

The energy which is expended in mere thinking, talking, or writing is like steam that escapes through the whistle of a railway engine …

That is why the sages have always insisted on practice rather than theory. This applies particularly to those who want to know and realize God.

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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.

When Meher Baba says God is your innermost self and God alone is real all else is an illusion. It means God, the Self alone is real and all else an illusion. The illusion is the world in which we exist.

Meher Baba says GOD, whom we do not see, we say is real; and the world, which we do see, we say is false. In experience, what exists for us does not really exist; and what does not exist for us, really exists.

Meher Baba: ~ "There is no higher or lower goal. There is only one goal, Self-Realization."

Meher Baba: ~ “When religion has become merely a matter of external rituals and ceremonies, it has become a cage for the Soul.

Meher Baba: ~ “It is absolutely essential for the spiritual aspirant who genuinely longs for union with God, the reality to shun the false practice of yogic posture and exercise, the meditation on other than the God the beloved.

Meher Baba: ~ “It takes time for the runner to gain speed; it takes time for the sleeper to awake, and it takes ages for one who has been spiritually asleep to be spiritually awakened."

Meher Baba: ~ The scriptures are like rotten bones rotted and are as food for worms.

Theosophy and philosophy are like good bones rotted and are as food for vultures.

The writings of inspired poets are like fresh bones and are as food for dogs.

The writings of spiritually advanced saints are like flesh and are as food for tigers.

The writings by living Perfect Masters are like the brain and are as food for men!

Good bones when rotted have some semblance of bone, but rotten bones when rotted are like filth.

So, you may go through the scriptures superficially — only to drive away, the barking dogs when necessary; for instance, when you are called upon to answer the queries of the priests and the orthodox. [Lord Meher 15: 5267]

Meher Baba: ~ “When the reality appears this ignorance which one thinks as reality becomes unreal.

Meher Baba: ~ “It takes time for the runner to gain speed; it takes time for the sleeper to awake, and it takes ages for one who has been spiritually asleep to be spiritually awakened."

Meher Baba: ~ “It is absolutely essential for the spiritual aspirant who genuinely longs for union with God, the reality to shun the false practice of yogic posture and exercise, the meditation on other than the God the beloved. (Letters from Mandali of Meher Baba P-98-100)

Meher Baba: - Spirituality does not need renunciation of worldly activities. It means the internal renunciation of mundane desires. Mere asceticism does not lead to spirituality. The Infinite embraces all expressions of life.

Rest in Spirit by realizing the world in which you exist is nothing but the Spirit.+

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

Realize ~ your body and the world in which you exist are made of the same stuff.

Realize ~ the three states are made of the same stuff.

Realize ~ duality is created out of nondual stuff.

Realize ~ there is no inside and outside.

Realize ~ matter is nothing but Spirit.

Realize ~ there is no above or below.

Realize ~ the form, time, and space are one in essence.

Realize ~ the invisible Soul is neither the male nor the female.

Realize ~ the world in which you exist is not the world, but it is the Spirit.

Realize ~ the invisible Soul, the Self, is not human but the Spirit.

Rest in Spirit by realizing the world in which you exist is nothing but the Spirit. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Consciousness is the creator and also the creation.+

Yoga Vasistha says:~ Self-knowledge or knowledge of truth is not had by resorting to a Guru (preceptor) nor by the study of scripture, nor by good works: it is attained only through inquiry inspired by the company of wise (Gnani). One’s inner light alone is the means, naught else. When this inner light is kept alive, it is not affected by the darkness of inertia.

It is not correct to say that consciousness is limited to the physical body. Consciousness is prior to the world in which you exist. The consciousness is the cause of the world in which you exist, and it, itself, is uncaused.

Consciousness is the creator and also the creation. The creator and created are made of a single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul or the Spirit, which is present in the form of consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Knowing the truth” means the removal of ignorance.+

When you realize you and the world in which you exist as an illusion created out of the invisible Soul or consciousness then you will realize consciousness alone is real and eternal; there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

It is not as if something that was not consciousness suddenly becomes consciousness. Rather, "knowing the truth” means the removal of ignorance about one's own existence as consciousness. Thus, to "know the truth” is to "be consciousness."

Consciousness is ever-present. Without consciousness, the world, in which you exist ceases to exist. Consciousness is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny consciousness because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. Consciousness is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. Consciousness is everything. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. In fact, our mental and intellectual conditions determine the world, observed and experienced. The commoner viewing the world will see differently from a Gnani viewing the same world. Each one interprets the world that they see in terms of their existing knowledge. The commoner sees everything based on the ego, therefore, experiences the birth, life, death, and the world as a reality, whereas a Gnani sees everything as consciousness and he is fully aware of the fact that, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul or consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Some self-appointed Gurus prescribe their own idea as Mantara, but what is the use of these mantras.+

Some self-appointed Gurus prescribe their own idea as Mantara, but what is the use of these mantras? All these frauds in the guise of Gurus are playing with the sentiments and emotions of the people.

Sage Sankara says:~ Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one?

For one who wants to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the mantras will not help to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one?

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.

A sickness of not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying, “I am a king.”

A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects.

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.

The sun, the moon, the stars, and the planets shine because of the invisible Soul or Spirit.

The invisible Soul shines, and all things else shine as a result. Everything in the universe reflects but that light of the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Merely knowing the truth is not enough to escape from the tangle of illusion. :~Santthosh Kumaar