People say Aham Brahmasmi ~ I am God, I am Brahman. But when Brahman is, how can "I" remain? Only Brahman remains, not the’ I’.

People say Aham Brahmasmi ~ I am God, I am Brahman. But when Brahman is, how can "I" remain? Only Brahman remains, not the’ I’.

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

To say there is a God or no God, you must be present. You are present only when the world is present. Without you, the world ceases to exist. Thus, you and the world appear together and disappear together.

A deeper investigation reveals the fact that there is no use in inquiring 'WHO AM I/' because you are inquiring only about your existence, dropping the world in which you exist. Without including the world in your inquiry, it is impossible to grasp the Advaitic Truth, which transcends form, time, and space.

That is why Sage Sankara said: ~ VC-63- Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation?

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 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, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

66. Therefore, the wise should, as in the case of disease and the like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and deaths.

Thus, one has to know what is real by realizing that our body and our experience of the world are merely illusions created out of consciousness, which is the Self.

The nature of the Self is emptiness. And it is identified by different masters with a different name, such as God or Brahman or Buddha’s nature, or the Christ consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshipped idols.+

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago, followers of Vedism never worshipped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers of Buddhism and Jainism. There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme self, i.e., Atman or Soul, but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.

It indicates clearly that all the religious Gods with form and attributes are merely imagination based on the false self.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~ "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from him does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". (1. 4. 10)

Yajurveda – Chapter- 32:~ God is Supreme or Supreme Spirit.

The Vedas, as a body of scripture, contains many contradictions, and they are fragmentary in nature. For Hindus, scriptures like the Bhagavad-Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas are more attractive and appealing than the Vedas. And also the Gods and Goddesses they worship differ considerably from the Vedic ones. The collection of hymns called the Vedas, which were written in praise of certain deities by poets over several centuries, does not seem to have much significance for the Hindus

Yajur Veda says:~

Translation 1

They enter darkness, those who worship natural things (for example, air, water, sun, moon, animals, fire, stone, etc).

They sink deeper in darkness than those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc.) (Yajurveda 40:9)

Translation 2

"Deep into the shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti are intent." (Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith pg 538)

Translation 3.

"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

So, Yajur Veda indicates that:~

They sink deeper in darkness than those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc, Yajurved 40:9)

Those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God, are enveloped in still greater darkness; in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

In the Vedas, God has been described as:~

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul or Spirit) 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)

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

Thus, it clearly indicates that God is without form and attributes and ever free.

Vedic Gods hardly have any significance in the present-day Hindu belief system. The Gods and Goddesses important to the Hindus of today are Ram, Krishna, Kali, Ganesh, Hanuman, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and the respective consorts of the last three, namely, Saraswathi, Lakshmi, and Shakti. None of these deities figured prominently in the Vedic pantheon:.:~ Santthosh Kumaar    

The religiously propagated moksha is based on the false self (ego), whereas the Spiritual moksha is based on the Spirit (Soul).+

Moksha:~

The religiously propagated moksha is based on the false self (ego), whereas the Spiritual moksha is based on the Spirit (Soul). Spiritual moksha is different from the religiously propagated moksha.

Religious orthodox think that through their good karma and performing rituals, they get moksha.

Religious moksha is based on the birth entity, whereas spiritual moksha is based on the birthless Soul, the Self.

There are two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the most advanced seeker who seeks to know the truth beyond form, time, and space.

The religious orthodoxy is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. The Atmic path, with emphasis on the Advaitic wisdom, is meant for those who wish to go beyond form, time, and space.

In the Advaita perspective, moksha is synonymous with the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness (Brahman)

Sruti says "brahmavit brahmaiva Bhavati" ~ He who knows Brahman (Soul) becomes Brahman (Soul) Itself.

Sage Sankara gave religious rituals and dogmatic instruction to the populace and 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.

Arguing with religious believers is fruitless. Belief in tradition and the scripture as if they were true or factual quite clearly is a delusion, but the payoff for holding such delusions is, for those who hold them, extremely compelling ~ the avoidance of the "wrath of God," the hope of heaven or salvation, or the imagined "end of suffering."

"God" exists because “the Self” exists, not vice versa. When awake to nondual nature, then this is known immediately.

That is why Sage Sankara:~ VC- 61. 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?

Ignorance is the cause of experiencing the world in which we exist as a reality.

When you realize the ‘Self’ is you, but the Self is the invisible Soul, then you will realize the world in which you exist is an illusion.

Whatever is not happening is happening within the illusory universe or Maya.

All your happiness and sorrow are a reality within the illusory universe or Maya.

Ignorance is the cause of experiencing the illusion as a reality. Thus, eradicating ignorance is necessary to realize the truth hidden by the illusory world in which you exist. And this is possible only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Thus, there is no other road to freedom other than Advaitic Gnana. There is no other entrance other than Advaitic Gnana.

Ignorance will vanish only when the Advaitic Gnana dawns.

Many are good at acrobatics with words, but their knowledge is limited to the domain of form, time, and space.

When the inner work is in progress, then the realization will happen as the conviction about the invisible Soul, the Self, becomes firm.

Sage Sankara, 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.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is universal it does not belong to any particular religion.

Sage Sankara disagrees with Buddhists who say there is nothing, a nonentity. Sage Sri, Sankara believes there is some reality, even though things are not what they appear to be. If one knows the truth, they will know what to do to find inspiration for action. The seeker of truth‘s subject is to know what is it that is Real.

Buddhism says: all things are illusory and nothing exists. However, Advaita avers that it is not so. It says that the universe, of course, is illusory, but there is Brahman (consciousness) that exists, forming the very substratum of all things (illusion or universe).

We have to grow from the inside out. None can teach us, none can make us spiritual. There is no other Guru but our own Soul.”

Self-knowledge or Atma Gnana or Brahma Gnana cannot be attained by one who is without strength or earnestness or without the receptiveness and courage to accept the truth and reject the untruth. If a serious seeker strives sincerely by means of inquiry, analysis, and Soulcentric reasoning, he will be able to realize it.

It is only through the seeker's sincerity and earnestness in his spiritual pursuit, the knowledge started revealing on its own. Anyone who has humility and patience and is sincere and ready to drop their accumulated dross and is receptive to accepting the truth will enter Self-Awareness when their conviction becomes firm. ~Santthosh Kumaar

Prohibition of idol worship in Yajurveda.+

Hindus are idol worshipers of a large number of Gods and Goddesses, whereas in the Vedas, God has been described as the Atman.

The Vedas confirm God is Atman (Spirit), the Self.

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)

Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.

Rig Veda declares God is ‘ONE’ and God is Atman, then why believe and worship sixty million Gods?

Thus, the Vedas refer to God as Atman, which is a formless and attributeless God. It indicates clearly that all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imaginations based on the false self.

Thus, Atman, the Self, is God in truth.

Prohibition of idol worship in Yajurveda: ~

Orthodox claims that idolatry in India does not mean anything horrible. Idolatry in no way helps undeveloped minds to grasp the spiritual truth.

It is the ignorant people who indulge in idolatry and rituals even though they are highly qualified with university degrees.

Yajurveda – chapter- 32: - God Supreme or 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.

Yajurveda: ~ There is no image of God in truth. God in truth is unborn and eternal. (Chapter 32, Verse 3)

Yajurveda: ~ God in truth is nondual and pure" (Chapter 40, Verse)

Yajurveda: ~ "They are entering darkness, those who worship the natural things (like air, water, fire, etc.), they are sinking more in darkness who worship created things." (Chapter 40, Verse 9)

Yajurveda: ~ "They are entering darkness, those who worship the natural things (like air, water, fire, etc.), they are sinking more in darkness who worship created things." (Chapter 40, Verse 9)

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul or Spirit) 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)

Thus, it refers to the formless and attributeless God, which is the Atman (Soul), the Self within the false experience. Thus, it indicates clearly that all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imagination based on the false self. Thus, Atman or Soul, the Self, is God in truth.

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago, followers of Vedism never worshiped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers of Buddhism and Jainism. There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme self, i.e., Atman or Soul, but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.

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

That is why Swami Vivekananda:~

The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods?

Knowing this, stand up and fight! Not one step back, that is the idea. ... Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us! Death means only a change of garments. What of it? Thus fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards. ... Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. You have cried to all the Gods in the world. Has misery ceased? The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods? ... The Gods come to help you when you have succeeded. So what is the use? Die game. ... This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself to your own mind does not befit you, my Soul. You are infinite, deathless, birthless. Because you are the infinite spirit, it does not befit you to be a slave. ... Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight! Die if you must. There is none to help you. You are the entire world. Who can help you? - Swami Vivekananda (Delivered In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900) -The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita II

As indicated in the ISH Upanishads: - By worshipping Gods and Goddesses, you will go after death to the world of Gods and Goddesses. But will that help you? The time you spent there was wasted because if you were not there, you could have spent that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of Gods and Goddesses, you cannot do that, and thus you go deeper and deeper into darkness.

It clearly indicates that:~ If the human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge, then why does one have to indulge in rituals and glorifying the conceptual Gods, Goddesses, and gurus to go into deeper darkness? Instead, spend that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is one’s prime goal. :~ . :~ Santthosh Kumaar

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 truth?” and ‘What is the untruth?.+

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 truth.

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

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

You have to realize the world in which you exist is created out of a single clay. And that single clay is the invisible 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 truth?” and ‘What is the untruth?. Perfect conviction of the truth leads to Advaitic-awareness.

I can point at the sky, but the seeing of the star is the seeker's own work. It is necessary to reflect on the same truth again and again till it becomes a reality. One needs to constantly reflect on the subject until one gets a firm conviction of 'what is what'.

People need to read and hear the words of wisdom, to think reason and reflect deeply, and reach the ultimate end.

You have to realize the world in which you exist is created out of a single clay. And that single clay is the invisible 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.

You have to think and reason deeply. It is necessary to reflect on the same truth again and again till it becomes a reality. One needs to constantly reflect on the subject until one gets a firm conviction of 'what is what'.

People need to read and hear the words of wisdom to think deeply and reach the ultimate end. Everyone’s inner work is on.

Until a man is ripe to receive Self-knowledge, he will not be able to understand what I am saying.

Even you may find it difficult in the first, as you go on reading the posts, your subconscious will start dropping the dualistic egocentric knowledge and start accepting the Soul-centric Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

It is your intense urge that will take you to the ultimate goal. Patience and humility will help you to reach what you are seeking.  : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

This vast cosmos with all its contents (atom, molecule, sun, moon, planet, and star) was all created out of consciousness. +

People think something will happen, and they will vanish. No such thing happens. Noting that will shrink down to the size of an atom that contains the whole universe. 

To think there is an atom, a thinker has to be present. If a thinker has to be present, the world has to be present. The world implies duality.

No one has seen the universe in the atom. It is just imagination based on the false self within the false experience.

The first thing the seeker has to realize he, himself, is not the Self because the Self is not limited to the form (you), but it pervades time and space also. When the Self is not you, then all these theories are based on the form holding no water

The Self is the invisible Soul, which is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. If the Self is the invisible Soul, which is is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence, then what is the use of talking about the atom or the universe or you? 

Sri Ramanuja believed in a plurality of minds or selves and also in prakrti matter. The latter he thought, ultimately existed in the form of particles similar to our atomic theory. But recent science has killed the atomic theory, and matter has vanished with it. Hence, modern Ramanujists fear science and try to avoid it.

This vast cosmos with all its contents (atom, molecule, sun, moon, planet, and star) was all created out of a single stuff. That single stuff is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Thus, one has to conclude the Self is free from form, time, and space. If there is no form, time, and space, then there is no universe. If there is no universe, then there is no duality. If there is no duality, there is only non-duality. 

A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is very much necessary to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

Without realizing that form, time, and space are one in essence, one will not be able to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana. Nothing vanishes when wisdom dawns; wisdom dawns in the midst of duality.

Advaita only means negation of duality. The soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

Consciousness is the cause of the origin, maintenance, and withdrawal of the universe is Advaita (i.e., non-dual), which means that consciousness transcends all conceptions, positive and negative. Nothing positive can ever be imagined or said about it.

Consciousness is existence absolute, awareness absolute. The existence absolute means that consciousness is not unreal or non-existent. And it is not unconsciousness. Nothing positive can be stated about consciousness.

In one of the Upanishads, the disciple says to the Master: "Lord, tell me the nature of Atman". The reacher remains silent. Again, the question is asked, and again, the answer is silence. By his silence, the teacher indicated that the nature of Atman is inexplicable, indescribable, and unimaginable.

The  Soul, the Self, is the One without a second. There is not the least shadow of multiplicity in the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.-:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Consciousness means existence. Existence is nondual.+

Consciousness means existence. Existence is nondual. Nonduality cannot be described through words, for all uses of language fail to express it. Nonduality is sought to be indicated mentally negation of duality (all attributes and characteristics).

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

Do not accept any other truth other than consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth. Nothing is real but consciousness. Nothing matters but to realize the ultimate truth. Consciousness is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious

The invisible  Soul is the Self. The invisible Soul is present in the form of consciousness. No division in consciousness is admissible at any time, as it is always one and the same. Even the world in which we exist must be known as false, like the delusion of a snake in a rope.

The invisible Soul is the Self. The invisible Soul is present in the form of consciousness. 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 the true Self.

Until one thinks of his body as body, ego as ego, the universe as the universe, he remains in ignorance because he is still in ignorance, and he is unaware of the fact that they too are consciousness.

The invisible  Soul, the Self, is formless and non-dual, one without a second. It has no other besides itself. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. 

The invisible Soul cannot be described because description implies a distinction. The invisible  Soul cannot be distinguished from any other than itself. In the invisible Soul, there is no distinction between substance and attribute. Nondualistic awareness constitutes the very essence of the Soul and not just its attributes.

The invisible  Soul is impersonal. It becomes a person only through its association with the three states or illusion.

As through the ignorance of the real nature of the rope, the very rope appears in an instant as a snake, so also does the invisible Soul or consciousness appear in the form of the waking or dream without undergoing any change.

There exists no other material cause of this waking or dream except consciousness. Hence, these three states are nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness.

All three states are consciousness, because they arise from consciousness, and sustained by consciousness, and finally, dissolve as consciousness. 

The idea of the pervading is illusory. When this supreme truth is realized, then there is no room for any distinction between the cause and the effect.

Certainly, there is no manifoldness in consciousness. The non-dual cause being an established fact, how could the three states be different from consciousness, when they are created out of consciousness? : ~Santthosh Kumaar