Vedic God is Athma. Athma is Advaita.+

Vedic God is Advaita

The religion of the Veda knows no idols. It means the Vedic God is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. That means the Vedic God is Advaita.

Max Müller says: "The religion of the Veda knows no idols; the worship of idols in India is a secondary formation, a degradation of the more primitive worship of ideal Gods."

Yajurveda – Chapter- 32:~ God Supreme or 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.

In the Vedas, God has been described as: ~ 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 in place of the real God?

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 innermost self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

How can you worship God? That implies two ~ the worshiper and the worshiped, whereas God is nondual. One can worship his idea of God only or realize his unity with it when he can’t worship it as apart.

When the Upanishads and Vedas declare that “God is the form of the Athma, and God is indeed Athma itself,” then why accept another God in place of the Atman or worship other than the Atman?

Sage Sri, Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God) 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.

Belief in multiple Gods, the worship of idols, the worship of images that are not God in truth, the worship of sacred images, ancestor worship, pilgrimage, priestcraft, the belief in avatars or incarnations of God, the hereditary caste system, because all these lacked Vedic sanctions.

Religious people indulge in non-Vedic beliefs such as idolatry, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, priestcraft, offerings made in temples, the caste system, untouchability, and child marriages. All these lack Vedic sanctions; therefore, Hinduism is not the Ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.

Realizing the universe is created out of single stuff and that single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, leads to non-dualistic or Advaitic Self-awareness. Self-awareness is freedom or Moksha. Moksha is unity in diversity in the midst of duality.

It is very difficult to talk to people about the ultimate truth or Brahman because everyone thinks they know the ultimate truth or Brahman.

I know business is dangerous. And whatever his reached conclusion is second-hand stuff. Therefore, accepting accumulated knowledge without verification will lead the seekers to a hallucinated realization based on the ego. One may have some flashes of truth when someone tries to indicate it through fewer words. But it takes us nearer to truth, not realization.

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

Yajurveda 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 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. Griffith 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 those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc. (Yajurveda 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.)

When the religion of the Veda knows no idols, then why are so many Gods and Goddesses with different forms and names being propagated as Vedic Gods? Why are these conceptual Gods introduced when the Vedic concept of God is free from form and attributes?

In India, the founders of different castes, sects, and cults in the past introduced the concept of God with attributes and attributeless Gods with diverse rituals to the deities.

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

Yajur Veda says ~ “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. Therefore, all these add-ons prove that the form and attribute-based concepts were introduced by some sages of the past with a new belief system and code of conduct in the name of the Vedas.

Thus, devotion to such conceptual Gods and Goddesses is non-Vedic. By indulging in non-Vedic practices, one will remain ignorant. The main aim of the Vedas is to acquire self-knowledge.

Therefore, all the add-ons and attribute-based knowledge, which are inferior, have to be bifurcated and excluded to know the ultimate truth.

Sage Goudpada says ~ “The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

This clearly indicates that religion, which is based on individual conduct, prescribes karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect; therefore, religion is for the lower intellect. And wisdom is for those who are capable of inquiring into their own existence to know and realize the ultimate truth, which is Brahman.

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)

If Brahman is considered the all-pervading consciousness, then it is necessary to realize the consciousness as self, which pervades all the three states, to realize the fact that there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. Thus, consciousness (Atman) is the ultimate truth (Brahman).

Sage Sankara’s notion of Maya, the cosmic illusion, must be transcended to realize the truth of Brahman, which means the ultimate truth or God. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

You are nothing to do with the Soul because the Self is not you but the ‘Self is Soul, which is the cause of the world in which you exist and it itself is uncaused.+

Some Gurus propagate the perfect changeless Light – but how can you become changeless light when your existence is illumined by the Soul, the eternal light?  

Realize the 'Self' is not you but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

That is why 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

Swami Vivekananda, “The wicked are always looking for defects. Flies come and seek the ulcer, and bees come only for the honey in the flower. Do not follow the way of the fly but that of the bee.

If you are a truth seeker, then you are the bee; follow the way of the bee to taste the nectar of Advaita.

Buddha: - There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way... and not starting.

You are not the witness (Soul) because you belong to the world (world). Do not get fooled by the ornamental words.

You have nothing to do with the Soul because the Self is not you, but the ‘Self is Soul, which is the cause of the world in which you exist, and it itself is uncaused. Your emotions and sentimental mentality keep you in the domain of ignorance permanently.

If you are seeking truth, then it is time to come out of your emotions. You have become a victim of your own emotions and sentiments. No physical Guru can give you Gnana. You have to walk your own path.

Swami Vivekananda: ~Jñāna Yoga is divided into three parts. First: hearing the truth--that the Atman is the only reality and that everything else is Maya. Second: reasoning upon this philosophy from all points of view. Third: giving up all further argumentation and realizing the truth. This realization comes from being certain that Brahman is real and everything else is unreal.

Swami Vivekananda said:~ "The Vedas teach that the Soul is divine, only held in the bondage of matter; perfection will be reached when this bond will burst, and the word they use for it is, therefore, Mukthi - freedom, freedom from the bonds of imperfection, freedom from death and misery."

The truth is very simple, but it is very difficult to grasp because of ignorance. You have to realize 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 because they are merely an illusion created out of consciousness. A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed.

I can point at the sky, but the seeing of the star is the seeker's own work. 

Remember:~

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

There is nothing to practice to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Your faith and beliefs have nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman, or God in truth. Clinging to religious worship of religious Gods, rituals, and ceremony blocks you from realizing the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

To get to the fundamental core of Truth underlying the form, time, and space, you have to drop all that is not needed for realizing the truth.

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ “The universe rises from the Soul, the  Self, like bubbles from the sea. Thus, know the Self to be One and in this way enter into the state of dissolution."

The Soul is light that illuminates the whole cosmos. As soon as you get a glimpse of the Reality of true existence, you will realize the ‘Self is not you, but the ‘Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

No one can see the Soul as it really is? You see the world that confronts you, except the Soul. The illusory universe hides the Soul’s Reality.

Swami Vivekananda: This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself to your own mind, does not befit you, the Soul. The     Self is infinite, deathless, and birthless. Because the Self is infinite Spirit, it does not befit you to be a slave. ... Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight! Die if you must. There is one to help you. Self is the entire world. Who can help you?

All accumulated knowledge is of no use in the path of wisdom. Without realizing “What is the truth it is impossible to realize “What is untruth?” Without realizing what is truth and what is untruth, it is impossible to assimilate the Self–Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seeker must know with full and firm conviction what truth is.

Wisdom consists in knowing the truth, that everything (mind or physical existence) is consciousness. The freedom (ultimate truth) is always there, yet one does not know it. But to those whose reason is turned away from physicality and who have attained the serenity of the Soul or consciousness, the Self is quite near to realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Ashtavakra: ~ Diamonds are not many; only pebbles and rocks are so common. A single diamond is enough. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Bhagavad Gita has been interpreted in a thousand ways, according to the author’s capacity to understand the test of all these is the reason.+

There are hundreds of commentaries from different authors on the Bhagavad Gita. Each one goes on spinning yarns, imagining as he likes what the meaning may be.

Bhagavad Gita has been interpreted in a thousand ways, according to the author’s capacity to understand the test of all these is the reason. Only a few understood the Bhagavad Gita.

The Bhagavad Gita is a hodgepodge containing everything; hence, it suits the populace because there is something in it for every type of mindset. It is difficult to find any tradition whose voice is not found in the Gita. It is difficult to find anyone who does not take solace from the Bhagavad Gita. But for such people, the Advaitic path will prove very difficult.

Once you are Soulcentric, you will know what the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures really meant, you will see that there is only one possible interpretation, irrespective of your opinion or imagination.

The Bhagavad Gita does not contain higher wisdom. The Bhagavad Gita is intended for those who are incapable of thinking rationally.

People love the Bhagavad Gita because it is very easy to extract one's own meaning from it. Reading the Bhagavad Gita a religious believer extracts something of which he can make a belief, because

Bhagavad Gita speaks of bhakti, devotion. The karma yogi extracts his belief because Krishna has spoken on karma yoga, the Yoga of action. The believer in knowledge finds what he wants because the Bhagavad Gita has spoken on knowledge as well. Somewhere Krishna calls bhakti the ultimate, somewhere else he calls knowledge the ultimate, again elsewhere he calls karma yoga the ultimate.

Lord Krishna taught the Karma and Bhakti yogis their own paths only in order to lead them up to the Gnana yoga path, which is the highest and the real object of his teaching.

Lord Krishna confesses that the oldest wisdom of India (our true Advaita philosophy) has been lost: people misinterpret and falsify it today as they did then. It is not yoga but the philosophic truth. But nobody knows it. The teachers of philosophy and leaders of mysticism or religion do not want to inquire into truth and have no time for it. (Gita ~ Chap ~IV~ v.2)

Why is the word Yoga used in so many different senses in the Gita? Because there are grades and the highest demands concentrated brain, not sitting mindlessly and imagining you are seeing God.

In Gita Chap.IV where Lord Krishna says: ~ “This yoga has been lost for ages" the word yoga refers to Gnana yoga, not other yogas: the force of the word this is to point this out.

Lord Krishna describes some of the other yogas, but devotes this chapter separately to Gnana Yoga. So one sees even in those ancient days, people did not care for Advaita; they wanted religion; hence, Gnana got lost. That is why Krishna calls it "the supreme secret." Krishna points out that the yoga must-see "Brahman in action."

Gita Chap.IV:~ “He who achieves perfection in Yoga finds the Self in time." This means that after his yoga is finished, he begins the inquiry into the ultimate truth, and in due course, this inquiry produces the realization of the universal spirit as the result.

Understanding what is God is not so easy. Religious people can only imagine God based on their beliefs.

That is why 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.

No dualities, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

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

It proves that the all-pervading Atman, which is present in the form of consciousness, is God. Thus, worshipping the form-based Gods is meant for the ignorant populace who are incapable of realizing the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Bhagavad Gita: 4: 22: ~ ".....who has gone beyond the conflicting dualities like the good (happiness) and bad (sorrow)....."

Bhagavad Gita: 4: 42:~ ".....cut all such conflicting dualities (doubts) by the sword (weapon) of knowledge. ....."

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 18:~ “The learned men (who have come out of delusions (Māyā), got rid of Avidya) see no differentiation have equal vision for a revered Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a cāndāla (outcaste, rogue, mleccha, demonic person, etc)"

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 19:~ "Those who have achieved the true knowledge i.e., the 'Self-Knowledge' or the 'knowledge of Atman' and see no difference, are free from conflicting dualities have merged in Brahman"

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 20:~ "One who does not get excited out of happiness on getting good and does not get depressed on getting bad is situated in Brahman i.e. is merged in Brahman"

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 9:~ "The one who has equal vision for a Selfless do-gooder, a friend, a foe, an unbiased, a well-wisher, a depressed and jealous man, relatives, a righteous and a sinner is the best (as he sees no duality and differentiation but sees everything as Ātman)"

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 32:~ “.....as one seeks and treats oneself with equal vision, the same way one who has equal vision for good and evil, for everybody is the best of all"

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 8: ~ "For whom soil, a pebble, and gold are alike, he is merged in Brahman"

Bhagavad-Gita Gita: 7: 27:~ ".....people are getting entangled in the primordial ignorance (Avidya) of the conflicting dualities like good and evil, happiness and sorrow caused due to attachments, desires, and hatred....."

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 28:~ “.....who have cut off conflicting dualities (like good and evil) is determinedly in my service. ...."

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, in the last birth in the series of many births worships Me as~ Atman alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare."

The earliest part of the Bhagavad Gita deals with religion because it is for mentally immature persons, but in the latter part, you get philosophy, as that is intended for the intellectually evolved. You can’t make all men into geniuses, and therefore religion is provided for them.

Lord Krishna himself says that he can do nothing to make a man intelligent straight away. The adepts give Prasad, blessings, initiations, mantrams, etc., only to confer temporary peace of mind, to help one to get rid of worries, but not to confer Gnana. The capacity to receive it must first be inborn in man by evolutionary degree.

The statement in the Bhagavad Gita says that the path of the Unmanifest is harder than others; this path means Gnana Yoga.

The Upanishads and the Gita do not give detailed explanations because the knowledge of those days was not as advanced as it is nowadays. However, there are odd words here and there that give hints.

The Bhagavad Gita gives dualistic worship of "God” only for the lower minds; it also indicates the Advaitic wisdom for the more evolved.

Likewise, thinkers and poets of the Age of Devotion (Bhakti) of the 16th century believed in a God with attributes who became very tangible when incarnating as an Avatar and was attainable simply through love and devotion rather than scholastic and intellectual meditation.

For the religious people, the Bhagavad Gita became the main vehicle of inspiration with its qualified and deistic Monism, rather than the scholastic and esoteric path shown by Sage Sankara's Advaitic path.

 : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

If God is a creator, then why worship his creation?+

If God is a creator, then why worship his creation?

The religion, including orthodox Advaita, has nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman because they worship idols, human worship, and symbol worship, and indulge in non-Vedic rituals barred by the Vedas.

That is what the Yajurveda says: ~ not to worship the things which are part of falsehood.

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 those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc.) (Yajurved 40:9)

Translation 2.

"Deep into the shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti is 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:~ 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 ignorance.

The religion of the Veda knows no idols:

Max Müller says: ~ "The religion of the Veda knows no idols; the worship of idols in India is a secondary formation, a degradation of the more primitive worship of idols of Gods."

Therefore, there was no individual god or temples and worship in the Vedic religion, which existed prior to Buddhism.

Thus, the individualized gods and temples must have been built later on, when the worships of idols were introduced. Thus, the Vedic religion, which existed in the past, was free from idol and nature worship and idol worshiping rituals.

Thus, the present-day worship of individual gods, created things, nature, and humans is against Vedic teachings, and it looks like it has been fabricated and introduced by priestcraft. Since it has passed on from one generation to the next, it is hard for the people to believe the truth of their own religion, because they are sentimentally and emotionally involved in it, and they refuse to accept anything other than their inherited beliefs.

It is impossible to find and realize the truth via religion and scriptural study. Even the Upanishads confirm this. :~Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara said: ~ Liberation will never come without realizing the Oneness.+

Swami Vivekananda: ~ Oneness (Advaita) is the Secret of Everything.

Oneness means Advaita. Identifying the Soul hidden by the universe as it is through Advaitic wisdom, oneness arises.

Lord Krishna: People did not care for Advaita; they wanted religion; hence, Advaitic wisdom got lost. That is why Lord Krishna calls it "the supreme secret.

Sage Sankara said: ~ Liberation will never come without realizing the Oneness.

Oneness is the nature of the Soul, the Self. Oneness means Advaita or nonduality. When the universe appears, duality appears. When there is duality, then there is no Oneness. When there is oneness, there is no duality.

Sage Sankara says:~ One alone exists, and the rest is all superimposition on that One, due to ignorance.

Advaitic wisdom is to realize there are no two. Advaitic wisdom is impossible without inquiring into the nature of the mind. The knowledge of the matter and spirit is Gnana, not the knowledge of the matter alone.

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. :~ Santthosh Kumaar

Discard the religious myth and accept the spiritual truth by discarding religion and embracing Spirituality or Adythma.+

Discard the religious myth and accept the spiritual truth by discarding religion and embracing Spirituality or Adythma.

Spirituality or Adyathma does not need religion and yoga. There is no need for renunciation of worldly activities.

It means the renunciation of ignorance by realizing what ignorance is. What is the cause of ignorance?

Ignorance is the cause of duality. The duality is the cause of the illusion (Maya).

The illusion is the cause of experiencing birth, life, death, and the world as a reality.

Self-knowledge leads to Self-awareness. The quest for truth is not the quest for acquiring the dualistic truth within the world.

The seeker must have an intense urge to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

The dualistic knowledge hides the truth beyond form, time, and space.

The practical life within the practical world has nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

The dualistic knowledge within the dualistic illusion is not Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.: .:~Santthosh Kumaar

People who are stuck up to the idea of a physical Guru will never be able to transcend the dualistic illusion.+

Q: ~ M V: Is it possible without Guru to gain knowledge of truth and how to eradicate ignorance?

Santthosh Kumaar: People who are stuck up to the idea of a physical Guru will never be able to transcend the dualistic illusion.

The idea of Guru Shisya belongs to religion, not spirituality. There is no need for a Guru for acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana.

The seeker must personally strive by all the means of soulcentric reason to be free from the bondage of the illusory experience of form, time, and space.

The Guru and disciple, and the world in which Guru and disciple exist, are created out of a single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth of Brahman.

Identifying as a Guru or some Guru’s disciple keeps one in the cage of ignorance. A person who identifies himself as a Guru or disciple will never be able to get Advaitic Gnana.

Guru-disciple concept is meant for the religious and yogic path. In the Atmic path, the Guru and disciple concept has no value.

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 his fellow seekers.

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

Ashtavakra Samhita: ~ "The man of knowledge (Gnani), though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him, and only those like him understand his state.

A Gnani can point at the sky, but the seeing of the star is the seeker's own work.

The truth-seeker seeks only truth. The inner Sage will guide you with love. Your sincerity and seriousness lead you to your inner core. The sincere and serious seekers are not excluded.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread." (Select Works of Sage Sankara, also his commentary on the Brihad)

Thus, the above passage proves that all those who wear the sanyasin robes are wearing them for the sake of bread and belong to the religion; they are nothing to do with the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

There is no need to criticize and condemn the Gurus, yogis, and swamis because they are needed for the welfare of the ignorant masses in the dualistic world.

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 with a Guru who is not a Gnani?

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

The Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and the Guru is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known.

Religious or yogic Gurus propagate that, once a seeker identifies a Guru, he must totally surrender to the Guru, and then from there onwards, the spiritual journey is fully the Guru's responsibility, not his... Hence, the importance of choosing the right Guru is necessary, but in the pursuit of truth, the Guru is not necessary, because the truth is not theoretical. Truth has to be ascertained by the seeker on his own through Soulcentric reasoning.

The one who identifies himself as a swami, a Guru, or a yogi is not a Gnani. A Gnani never identifies himself as a swami, Guru, pundit, or yogi. Swami, Guru, pundit, or yogi, belong to the religious or the yogic path, not to the path of wisdom.

Sage Sankara:~ “The knower of Brahman (Self-realized or Gnani) wears no signs.

Sage Sankara's:~ “On Gnani: "The knower of Brahman wears no signs. Gives up the insignia of a monk's life…his signs are not manifest, nor his behavior."

When the knower of Brahman wears no signs, it means he does not identify himself as a Guru or a teacher. A Gnani gives up the insignia of a monk's life means he does not belong to the religion.

A Guru is needed in the religious and the yogic path.

There is no need for a Guru to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Even Sage Ramana Maharishi: The sad Guru is within:~

Questioner: I am always at your feet. Will Bhagavan give us some upadesa (teaching) to follow? Otherwise, how can I get help living 600 miles away?

Sri Ramana Maharishi: The sadguru (the true Guru) is within.

Questioner: Sadguru is necessary to guide me to understand it.

Sri Ramana Maharishi: The sadguru is within.

Questioner: I want a visible Guru.

Sri Ramana Maharishi: That visible Guru says that he is within.

If one is seeking the truth, then one has to study deeply.

Sage Raman Maharishi:~ "The Guru is within, he referred to the Self or Atman, not this physical apparatus. This seeker has to focus his attention on the Self or Atman, which is in the form of consciousness.

,

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.

Thus, glorifying the Gurus’ form is erroneous because the body and the universe belong to the dualistic illusion. Thus, indulging in glorifying and worshiping myths becomes the greatest obstacle to the pursuit of truth.

The seeker of truth has to identify the Soul, the Self, as a Guru and proceed in his spiritual endeavor. The inner grace of the inner Guru (Self) will guide until ignorance disappears and one realizes the body and the universe is a mere illusions created out of the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The world in which you exist, your thoughts, and your world are made of a single stuff. Knowledge of that single stuff is the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Mentally reduce the world in which you exist into waking experience and waking experience into mind and mind into consciousness by perfect understanding of ‘what is what’.

When you realize what is what, then you will realize everything is nothing but consciousness. There is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar