Godmen say: I AM GOD, whereas Gnanis say the invisible and unborn Soul, the Self, is God in truth.+

How can one know that what he believes and worships as God is true?

People who are saying ‘I AM GOD’ are hallucinating that they have become God. First, you must know what God is supposed to be in truth.

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.

Godmen say: I AM GOD, whereas Gnanis say the invisible and unborn Soul, the Self, is God in truth.

Godmen's claims of marvelous, miraculous power: Ask for the list of failures, and refuse to be guided by success only.

All predictions as to what these Godmen will do in the future are unacceptable because verification is not immediately possible. Who can take them as having any worth? Therefore, they belong to the world of imagination.

What is the value of mystic experience, what is the value of the words of the great men? In pursuit of truth, the seeker has to examine and evaluate them all to find the ultimate truth or Brahman.

People are perfectly sane, regarding worldly duties of the practical life within the practical world, but on the other hand, generally dealing with religious beliefs, they are insane. This is the condition of all religious believers.

Thus, you can only get to the stage of truth? If you say it may be true, then you are only imagining. Go as far as you can, never stop at a doubt, do not get disheartened by it.

Have doubts, but try to overcome them. Do not kill it by keeping quiet. Let the doubts come, but try to overcome them fearlessly until you reach the truth.

You have not seen God, but you only believe in the existence of God. If you say that God did this or went there, it will only be your imagination.  :~ Santthosh Kumaar 

The individual experience within the dream is a reality within the dream. The reality of the waking experience is also a reality within the waking state.+

The individual experience within the dream is a reality within the dream. The reality of the waking experience is also a reality within the waking state.

The waking experience is a parallel dream, and the dream is a parallel waking experience. When the waking takes place, the dream becomes unreal.

When the invisible Soul, the Self, consciously wakes up in its formless nondual true nature in the midst of the waking experience, then all the three states are merely an illusion created out of its formless nondual true nature.

The form, time, and space within the dream are falsehood when the waking takes place. Similarly, the form, time, and space of the waking are also falsehoods when Advaitic wisdom dawns.

The Advaitic wisdom dawns only when one realizes the Self is neither the waking entity nor the dream entity, but the Self is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, it is erroneous to judge and reason and conclude the ultimate truth on the basis of the waking entity and the waking world, because the waking experience itself is an illusion.

Suppose you were holding some view in the dream; all your experiences and views are reality within the dream.

The dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place. Similarly, the waking becomes unreal when you become aware that the Self is not an individual because it is the ever-formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

Thus, whatever individual experiences are experienced within the waking state are as unreal as a dream.  : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

Upanishad:~ “They alone in this world are endowed with the highest wisdom who are firm in their conviction of the sameness and birthlessness of Atman.+

There is no Advaitic wisdom without Sage Sankara. All the 'I-centric' Gurus and their teachings are not the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.

When Advaitic Sage Sankara has given the clear-cut instruction to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, then why waste time with other Gurus teaching and their instruction?

The seeker need not follow any religion or study the scriptures or glorify the Gods and the Gurus, or by practicing yoga or by losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Upanishad:~ “They alone in this world are endowed with the highest wisdom who are firm in their conviction of the sameness and birthlessness of Atman. The ordinary man does not understand their way.

Upanishad says: ~ The human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge, and they indicate that belief in the personal Gods, yoga scriptures, worship, and rituals are not the means to Self-knowledge, then why should anyone indulge in it.

The religion, concept of individualized god, and scriptures are the greatest obstacles to realizing non-dual truth or Self-realization because they are based on the false self.

The seeker of truth has to search for the ultimate truth without losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, through deeper Self-search and assimilate, and realize it.

That is why 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 said:~ Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many gods as you please, observe ceremonies, and sing devotional hymns, but liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

Only through deeper self-search, beginners and intermediates gradually become aware of ‘what is what’. Only after they have realized the fact that the Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, they are ready for the inner journey towards reality, which is beyond form, time, and space.

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to study the Scriptures, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

~ then why indulge in studying the scriptures?

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to study philosophy, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

~then why indulge in studying philosophy?

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to indulge in rituals, to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~then why indulge in rituals?

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to indulge in yoga, to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~then why indulge in yoga?

Sage Sankara says the transparent Truth of the Self, which is hidden by the illusion, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman (Gnani)

~ then why stick to a Guru who is not a Gnani?

Sage Sankara: ~ VC Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about our own Self. The firm experience of the nature of the Self is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advice of the wise. (13)

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.

Sage Sankara: ~ VC~ "All this universe, which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahma, which is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought.

Sage Sankara says you must first know what is before you. If you cannot know that, what else can you know or understand? If you give up the external world in your inquiry, you cannot get the whole truth.

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 comes 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.

People refuse to accept anything other than their Guru's words. For them, their Guru's words are the ultimate truth. They do not accept anything other than their accepted truth. There is no need to convince such a mindset.

Such mindsets are not fit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana. The seekers of truth accept only the truth, nothing but the uncontradictable truth.  : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

One should not hold a god as the center of the existence without knowing what God really is.+

People make religious God and their master or Guru as the center of their existence. They are hallucinating about their idea of God and Master or Guru. Such people will never be able to overcome the ignorance.

The path of wisdom is not suitable for those who believe in their religion, their idea of God, and their faith in the physical Guru or Master. Such people must tread their own chosen path, which gives them satisfaction.

Mixing up religion and the religious idea of God and trying to impose their religious idea of God will make them permanent prisoners of ignorance.

One should not hold a god as the center of existence without knowing what God really is.

Lord Krishna says: ~ Ch~V .“Those who know the Self in truth." The last two words (tattvataha) are usually ignored by pundits, but they make all the difference between the ordinary concept of God and the truth about God.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham- Brahman (God) is considered the all-pervading consciousness (Spirit) which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material (Gita 14.27).

The religious Gods exist within the domain of the dualistic illusion (waking).

The religious Gods exist separately from the world in which man exists. Separation implies duality. The duality always implies a contradiction. From the nondualistic perspective, the duality is merely an illusion.

Thus, the world in which man exists is within the domain of the duality. Thus, the world in which man exists is merely a dualistic illusion.

The dualistic illusion is created out of a single stuff and that single stuff is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of the Spirit.

Thus, the Spirit (consciousness) alone is real and eternal. The Spirit is the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth is God in truth.

From the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self, the religious Gods cease to exist because the invisible Soul, which is the form of the Spirit itself, is God. All the religious Gods are myth-based on blind belief.

Religious Gods are objects; therefore, the invisible Soul, the Self, contradicts such imaginary Gods who depend upon the Spirit for their existence.

Every religion has its own idea of God or Gods. When there are two, then there is contradiction one cannot find non-contradiction in this dualistic world.

A Gnani boldly declares that the religious God does not exist, because Such a God's existence implies that the invisible Soul, the Self different from God.

The Bible says:~ God is a Spirit, and they that worship God must worship God in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~ God is Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. God cannot be seen directly by anyone. God pervades all beings and all directions.

Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

The Vedas exclaim from time immemorial: ~ Rig Veda, 1-164-146. Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti, Existence is One.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul) 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)

The Upanishads say in effect that: ~ if you believe that the invisible Soul is one and God (Brahman) is another, you cannot understand Truth.

If you think there is another entity, whether man or God there is no truth.

God is one and universal. God is the Spirit. The Spirit is the invisible Soul, the Self.

God is the invisible and unborn Soul, the Self. The invisible Soul is the Supreme Being, the One eternal homogeneous essence, indivisible consciousness and intelligence, which is beyond form, time, and space. To which the Sages describe in a variety of ways through diverse words.

Any kind of difference means contradiction. Nothing exists other than the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of the Spirit.

Advaita means the negation of the second thing. "Neti, Neti," not this, not this means ~ Negation of the second thing other than the Spirit, which is God in truth.

Every word we utter we are uttering within the dualistic illusion. The dualistic illusion is not permanent.

The way of negating "It is not this, not that" is also a way of defining, or conveying the meaning of Reality as much as any positive definition. One has to mentally distinguish the real from the unreal.

The seeker has to go on negating the unreal world in which we exist by realizing the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of the Spirit (consciousness), which is real and eternal.

The ‘Spirit’ is the cause of the universe in which we exist, and it, itself, is uncaused.

To find the Advaitic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space, is to eliminate the form, time, and space mentally by realizing that the form, time, and space are merely an illusion created out of the Spirit.

The form, time, and space are Spirit in their essence. Thus, the Spirit alone is real and eternal.

The Spirit is the ultimate truth, and the ultimate truth is God in truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The urge to know the truth cannot be imposed on others. It has to sprout within.+

It is no use arguing with the dualist and intellectuals because they are right from their own standpoint. 

The pursuit of truth interests only a few. The ultimate truth or Advaitic truth is not the product to sell in the spiritual supermarket. One should not ‘throw Advaitic pearls before swine’.

That is why Jesus said: ~ “Do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. (Matthew -7:6)

~ Jesus meant the knowledge of the Spirit or Self-knowledge should not be shared with unqualified people.

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)

Jesus said: ~” Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. (The Gospel of  Thomas- Saying 5)

Consciousness (Spirit) is the root element of the universe. From consciousness, the universe comes into existence. In consciousness, the universe resides. And into consciousness, the universe is dissolved.  Consciousness is the parent of all that is there.

The urge to know the truth cannot be imposed on others. It has to sprout within. 

One need not become a holy shepherd because the holy Shepard is hidden within to guide every seeker. 

If one is aiming to be a master, Guru, or teacher, they will never reach their destination. 

One has to share their knowledge with the fellow seeker, not to make them their followers, but only direct them if they are interested in traveling beyond form, time, and space.

It is foolish to impose our ideas on others because everyone is not on the same level of understanding. Everyone's inner work is on. 

When they are ripe enough they will understand, assimilate and realize on their own. If they are ready and sharp enough they will grasp it instantly and they will reach their destination with lesser time and effort. 

Thus, preaching and teaching are not a tool to acquire Advaitic wisdom, but by very careful reasoning, the seeker has to determine the nature of reality. 

Thinking in the right direction alone helps the seeker determine the nature of reality.

The sugar cannot know itself its sweetness. The true Self without ignorance is without the experience of duality or illusion. Thus, one has to base on the sugar, not on its sweetness. Without the sugar, there is no sweetness. Similarly, without the invisible consciousness, the three states cease to exist as a reality.

The urge to know the truth cannot be imposed on others. It has to sprout within. One need not become a Guru because the Guru is hidden within to guide every seeker. 

If one is aiming to be a master, Guru, or teacher, they will never reach their destination. 

One has to share his knowledge with the fellow seeker not to make them his followers, but only direct them if they are interested in mentally traveling beyond form, time, and space. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

It takes time for the egocentric subconscious to accept the Soulcentric Advaitic truth.+

If you hold on to the teachings of the physical Gurus, you are holding on to ignorance. The real Guru is not physical but the invisible Soul, the Self.

Come ye slow, or come ye fast; it is but the Soul, the Advaita that reveals itself at last.

The invisible Soul, the inner Guru, reveals ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal” when the seeker is receptive and ready.

Your urge is at the seed level. As you go on reading the words of wisdom, it will start growing.

It takes time for the egocentric subconscious to accept the Soulcentric Advaitic truth.

The Advaitic Truth is very simple, but it is very difficult to grasp because of ignorance.

There is no need to search for the truth because the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth.

Only when the conviction of the invisible Soul becomes firm then only you will be able to accept the world in which you exist is nothing but consciousness.

You have to realize that the world in which you exist is created out of a single clay. And that single clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, you and your body and the world in which you exist are nothing but consciousness. They cease to exist without consciousness.

You have to think and reason deeply. Thus, you and your body and the world in which you exist are nothing but consciousness because they are merely an illusion created out of consciousness. A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed.

Perfect understanding and assimilation of ‘what is what’ leads to a perfect conviction of ‘What is the truth?' and ‘What is the untruth?. Perfect conviction of the truth leads to Advaitic awareness.

Sage Sankara says - VC-162- There is no liberation for a person of mere book-knowledge, howsoever well-read in the philosophy of Vedanta, so long as one does not give up the false identification with the body, sense organs, etc., which are unreal.

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 using 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.

Everyone thinks of himself as a Guru, and he is competent because ~

He has mastered the scriptures.

or

He has studied under a famous Guru

or

He has performed all religious rituals and led an orthodox-oriented life, and he has accumulated good karma.

or

He has a Ph.D. in world philosophy from a famous university

or

He is a scientist, but he is well-versed in the Vedas.

or

He is the disciple of the famous Guru

or

He has done penance in the Himalayas.

or

He has gone without food for years

or

He has renounced worldly life and takes sanyasa

or

He has done lots of charity

or

He is well-versed in tantra, and he got enlightenment through sex

or

His Guru gave him the power to transmit enlightenment to others

or

He is a hata yogi.

None of the above qualifies to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana. From the Advaitic perspective, all these things have no value. :~Santthosh Kumaar

Brahman alone pervades everything above and below; this universe is that Supreme Brahman alone.+

The presence of the universe is no obstacle to Gnani‘s realization; he does not need yogic Samadhi, but yogi has imagined Brahman as blankness or thoughtlessness, thus, he is still in the grip of the dualistic illusion. Thus, Yogic Brahman is but a thought.

The ultimate truth is not a thought, but the ultimate truth is prior to the form, time, and space. The thought arises only in the domain of form, time, and space.

Thus, the ultimate truth is beyond the form, time, and space. One has to realize the invisible Soul, the Self, is prior to the form, time, and space.

The invisible Soul, the Self, is the fullness of consciousness without the division of form, time, and space. The fullness of consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The yogi who wrongly thinks there is Brahman to be got may attempt to do so, and may think he sees it, but all the time he is under the delusion of the duality because he holds Self as himself, thinking Brahman to be something different from the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Limiting the mind (I) to the physical entity is the cause of all confusion. Therefore, there is A need to know ‘what is the mind? and ‘What is the substance of the mind?’, and ‘What is the source of the mind?’ to overcome all the confusion.

Deeper self-search reveals that man and the world exist within the mind, and the mind itself is the universe.

By limiting the mind to the physical entity (ego or waking entity or you) and viewing and judging the worldview, makes one thinks that he is apart from the world, which is the cause of experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality.

There is neither a projector nor a projection when one becomes aware of the formless witness of the three states.

The invisible Soul, the Self, is the witness; the Soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states as their formless clay. Thus, no second thing exists other than consciousness in all three states.

The mind (world) is non-existent from the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Consciousness is the invisible cause and source of the three states. And the cause and the source of the three states are one, in essence.

Thus, no second thing exists other than consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman, or God in truth.

To realize this simple truth one need not go to any Guru, one need not lose oneself in the labyrinth of philosophy; one need not spend his lifetime indulging in glorifying the Guru and God, one need not search truth in the books, one need not renounce his family life. One has to be in the world but not of this world.

It is because of our inherited samskara or conditioning that we are carrying the baggage of mental junk. We have to burn all the junk that is blocking our realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman.

If one is seeking truth, nothing but truth, one has to drop worshiping and glorifying the physical Gurus. Glorifying Guru and Gods is for those ignorant who are not seeking the truth.  :~ Santthosh Kumaar