A Gnani finds the content of all the philosophical books as playthings.+

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.

Even though people have read the philosophy and may be able to explain things to others, all these philosophies are worthless pieces of paper unless the ‘truth’, which is beyond form, time, and space, is realized.

Sage Sankara said, VC- v6~ 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.

One can never attain spiritual perfection without a perfect understanding of what is ‘what’. A Gnani finds the content of all the philosophical books as playthings.

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.

People dwelling in ignorance, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round by various blind beliefs and tortuous paths and practices, like the blind led by the blind.

The truth seekers from different walks of life from all over the world are struggling to know the mystery of their own existence. Due to inborn and inherited conditioning or samskara, it becomes difficult to grasp the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Religious beliefs, social and cultural bondage, personal predilections, and phobias become the greatest obstacles to discovering the ultimate truth. However, an intense inner urge to know the ultimate truth will not be satisfied until the journey to the unknown is completed.

The seeker has to cross many obstacles and barricades injected by religion and society and beliefs, and behaviors.

The fact is something that has to be proved beyond all doubt and cannot be challenged. The truth cannot be found in an antique shop; there is no use in trying one old idea to another; it leads to confusion. Nothing can be achieved or attained since the very base of seeking the truth is based on the false self (ego) and false experience (waking).

The seeker has to learn to view and judge the three states from the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self. Only when the seeker becomes Soulcentric then the truth starts unfolding gradually according to the spiritual maturity of the seeker.

When the invisible Soul wakes up from its sleep of ignorance, then there is no more diversity. Diversity is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

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

A Gnani 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 until it becomes a reality. One needs to constantly reflect on the subject until one gets a firm conviction of 'what is what.'

Words of wisdom are needed 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.

It takes time for the seeker to gain the perfect understanding of ‘what is the truth?’ and ’what is untruth?’.

It takes time for the invisible Soul, the Self, to wake up from the sleep of ignorance, and it takes time for one to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

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

Advaita is not the path of exchange of views or discussion. The seeker has to read, think deeply, and reflect on the subject constantly until the truth becomes firm.

Reading my blogs and posting repeatedly and reflecting and reasoning deeply helps you to create a mental yardstick in your subconscious to discriminate between ‘what is the truth? And what is the untruth?

When the subconscious is receptive and ready, then it will start rejecting the untruth, and finally then the invisible Soul, the Self alone, will prevail as the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

There is no practice as such, but a perfect understanding is needed to acquire the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.

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.

When the seeker has a firm conviction of what is reality, then the unreality fades on its own.

Even they may find it difficult in the first, as they go on reading and reflecting repeatedly the post their subconscious will start dropping the dualistic egocentric knowledge and start accepting the Soul-centric Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Grasping the truth depends on the spiritual maturity of the seeker. My mission is to share the knowledge by inspiring the serious and sincere seekers of truth and diverting their attention towards the inward reality.

As their urge is at the seed level, and as they go on reading the words of wisdom, it will start growing.

It takes time for the seeker to gain the perfect understanding of ‘what is the truth?’ and ’what is untruth?’.

It takes time for the invisible Soul, the Self, to wake up from the sleep of ignorance, and it takes time for one to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Self-knowledge is not a question-and-answer session. As the seeker digs into old and new posts, he will gradually start understanding and assimilating the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

It is a waste of time to spend time in discussion. All my blogs and postings help you to get rid of ignorance.

If the Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the invisible Soul, then on the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self:~

Where is the ‘I’?

Where is the ego?

Where is the body?

Where is the mind?

Where is the world in which you exist?

Where is the form, time, and space?

Where is the waking experience?

Where is the duality?

Where is the void?

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present only when the world is present. The world is present only when the waking experience is present.

They are or have become one with the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that the waking experience is not considered different from the world. The world is not considered different from the mind. The mind is not considered different from the’ I’. This truth has to be assimilated.

The ‘I’ is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. ‘I’ is not the subject. The ‘I’ is an object to the invisible Soul, which is the formless, timeless, and spaceless subject.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the form, time, and space are bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then three states are bound to be an illusion.

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

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the words and thoughts are bound to be an illusion.

The seeker has to make sure what this ‘I’ is supposed to be. The seeker has to make sure the unreal nature of the ‘I’, which comes and goes, to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

is

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the duality is bound to be an illusion.

That is why Bhagavad Gita: ~ The permanent is always there, only the transient ‘I’ comes and goes. (2.18)

The ‘I’ hides the truth of the whole.

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand the fact that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the witness of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is eternal.

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.

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.

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take as real because some Gurus have propagated that the Self is the ‘I’. There is no need to convince such mindsets. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth, nothing but the truth.

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..

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 : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman is possible only when the seeker inquires into the nature of the ‘I’. +

The realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman is possible only when the seeker inquires into the nature of the ‘I’.

The ‘I’ is present in the form of the Mind. The Mind is present in the form of the universe, and the universe appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).

The one that appears as the duality and disappears as nonduality is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not try to know who you are? By inquiring ‘Who am ‘I’, you will never reach the ultimate end of understanding. ‘Who am ‘I? ’ is only helpful in the beginning; in later stages, it is inadequate to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

The ‘I’ appears along with the world in which you exist.

The ‘I’ disappears along with the world in which you exist.

Try to find out what this ‘I’ is that appears and disappears. What is it that knows this appearance and disappearance of the ‘I’?

There is nothing that exists prior to consciousness. The ‘I’ ceases to exist without consciousness.

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

That is why Bhagavad Gita: ~ “The permanent (consciousness) is always there, only the transient ‘I’ comes and goes. (2.18)

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

The ‘I’ hides the truth of the whole.

The ‘I’ hides the invisible Soul. Therefore, the seeker has to realize ‘what is 'I’ supposed to be in actuality.

If the Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the invisble Soul, then on the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self: ~

Where is the ‘I’?

Where is the ego?

Where is the body?

Where is the mind?

Where is the world in which you exist?

Where are the form, time, and space?

Where is the waking experience?

Where is the duality?

Where is the void?

They are or have become one with the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present only when the world is present. The world is present only when there is a waking experience.

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that the waking experience is not considered different from the world. The world is not considered different from the mind. The mind is not considered different from the’ I’. This truth has to be assimilated.

The ‘I’ is merely an illusion created out of the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. ‘I’ is not the subject. The ‘I’ is an object to the invisible Soul, which is the formless, timeless, and spaceless subject. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

No one has seen God creating the world.+

No one has seen God creating the world. People think that there must be a creator of this universe. If one thinks the body as the Self, then there is a creator, but if one realizes the invisible Soul as the Self, then there is nothing exists other than the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

From the standpoint of the invisible Soul, there is neither form nor time nor space.

Religion propagates the creator and the creation theory, hence people are forced to admit it. People are stuck believing in the creator and the creation theory; thus, they are stuck in the reality of the world in which they exist.

No one has seen God creating the world. No one can claim that he was the first knower of the creation. How can anyone know God created the creation when he himself is a part of the creation?

People talk of God creating the creation as if they were present when God was creating the creation. So people who wrote creation and creator theory existed prior to God creating the creation.

There has to be at the very beginning of the creation someone or other who was the very first knower of the creation. There cannot be something ‘known’ in the absence of a ‘knower.’

Creation is the very nature of the invisible Soul, the Self. It is his inherent nature that simply emanates and flows from the Soul. But even this is only an illusory appearance, for in truth there's no creation at all.

If one objectifies and sees the universe, then he is bound to see many things, besides himself, and postulate a God, the creator. Body, God, and the world rise and set together from, and into, the invisible  Soul, the  Self. The invisible Soul is the source from where the mind (universe) rises and subsides.

If God is apart from the invisible Soul, the Self, then He would be Self-less, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent. The mind (universe) and its substance and its source (Soul) are one in essence. That essence is consciousness. 

Thus, consciousness alone is real; all else is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Thus,  consciousness is the ultimate Truth or Brahman or God in truth.

From the absolute standpoint, the creation is an impossibility. The creation and creator theory is a false theory based on the false self. Whatever is based on the false self is bound to be a falsehood.

Consciousness is the only reality in which the universe (creation) exists, to which the universe (creation) belongs; from which the universe (creation) has emerged, which is the cause of the universe (creation), and itself is uncaused. Thus, the universe (creation) is nothing but the consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Mundaka Upanishad:~ The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. +

By worshipping a God in human form, repeating mantras is like watering barren soil.

The seeker of truth should not waste life in empty formalities. Without realizing the world in which he exists is an illusion, it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says: ~It is only one amongst thousands of people who strive for spiritual salvation. Even amongst such seekers, it is only the rare person who gets to know “Self” correctly.’ (7.3)

Mundaka Upanishad:~ The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing the sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross the sea of samsara on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their own ignorance, yet wise in their own esteem, these deluded men, Proud of their vain learning, go round and round Like the blind led by the blind.

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

Religious rites and rigid ceremonies were passed down from one generation to the next as a practice or set customs and traditions, and performed automatically with blind faith. Such worship based on the blind belief in God does not reach God.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa-havans, or any other forms of ritual, are meant for the ignorant populace.

Belief in God without knowing God in actuality holds the worshiper more firmly in the grip of ignorance.

All worship and the ceremonial rituals performed on the base of non-~Vedic Gods will not yield any fruits. Deeper self-search reveals that the worshiper, the worship, and the worshiper and the world are merely an illusion created out of the consciousness.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa-havans, or any other forms of ritual, are meant for the ignorant populace. In the Atmic path, the seeker has to discard what is not needed to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa-havans or any other forms of rituals, formal observance have long since set in.

Sage Sankara says ~ “The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.

Adhyasa Bhashya of Sage Sankara:~ (11) As regards the rituals, Sage Sankara says, the person who performs rituals and aspires for rewards will view himself in terms of the caste into which he is born, his age, the stage of his life, his standing in society, etc. In addition, he is required to perform rituals throughout his life. However, the Self has none of those attributes or tags. Hence, the person who superimposes all those attributes on the changeless, eternal Self and identifies Self with the body is confusing one for the other; and is, therefore, an ignorant person. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc., are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.

Adhyasa Bhashya of Sage Sankara:~ (11.1) This ignorance (mistaking the body for Self) brings in its wake a desire for the well-being of the body, aversion for its disease or discomfort, fear of its destruction, and thus a host of miseries(anartha). This anartha is caused by projecting karthvya(“doer” sense) and bhokthavya (object) on the Atman. Sankara calls this adhyasa. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc., are, therefore, he says, addressed to an ignorant person.

Adhyasa Bhashya of Sage Sankara:~ (11.2) In short, a person who engages in rituals with the notion “I am an agent, doer, thinker”, according to Sage Sankara, is ignorant, as his behaviour implies a distinct, separate doer/agent/knower; and an object that is to be done/achieved/known. That duality is avidya, an error that can be removed by Vidya.

Adhyasa Bhashya of Sage Sankara: ~ (12) Sage Sankara affirming his belief in one eternal unchanging reality (Brahman) and the illusion of plurality, drives home the point that Upanishads deal not with rituals but with the knowledge of the Absolute (Brahma Vidya) and the Upanishads give us an insight into the essential nature of the Self which is identical with the Absolute, the Brahman.

Sage Sankara: ~ Atman, the innermost Self is verily Brahman (God), being equanimous, quiescent, and by nature absolute Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss. Atman is not the body, which is non-existence itself. This is called true Knowledge by the wise. : : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Humility and patience are required to realize the truth, which is hidden by ignorance.+

A Gnani never indulges in an argument. By arguing and provoking, the ignorance will not vanish, and the Advaitic wisdom will not dawn. The argument is a great hindrance in the path of wisdom.

There is no use in arguing, holding the accumulated knowledge as a yardstick. The accumulated knowledge is egocentric, the truth.

There are so many Gurus and Yogis, but their knowledge of Advaita is based on a dualistic perspective.

Humility and patience are required to realize the truth, which is hidden by ignorance.

The serious seeker silently listens or reads and thinks deeply and verifies. The seeker has to accept only the uncontradictable truth and reject what is not the truth.

It is no use discussing with the people who try to exhibit their accumulated knowledge, which diverts attention from Atmic wisdom.

That is why the Bhagavad Gita says: ~ “Don't unsettle the minds of the ignorant by revealing the esoteric truth."

That is why the Advaitic sages restrained themselves from parting the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana people who are unqualified and gave it only to a few.: ~Santthosh Kumaar 

The most important thing is that neither society nor politics nor any religion has anything to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman.+

The word Self is a misnomer to indicate Athma. Athma is not you, but the cause of the whole universe. The word Self is a misnomer because the word Self refers to physicality (you).

Athma is a Sanskrit word. The word Athma has no proper equivalent in English. English translators used the word 'Self' for Athma. Athma means existence. Athma is the ultimate reality, or the ultimate truth, or Brahman.

All the Gurus of the East and West, however, apply the word Self to the individual. Sages apply it to non-duality. Athma is Brahman. Brahman, or the ultimate truth, is called "That" because it is something not known yet by the seeker.

Brahman ~ “The word Brahman or Sat has no proper equivalent in English. The nearest is the ultimate reality or ultimate truth.

From the non-dualistic perspective, the words are meaningless. The words are used within the illusory world to indicate the truth, which is hidden by ignorance.

The word Self is not the best word to express because people are attached to the word Self. After all, all the translators used the word Self. The Self really means not you, but the Self means Athma in Adyathma or Spirituality.

Remember:~

BRAHMAN ~The English use of the word real as applied to the material world, whereas we Indians use it as applied to unseen Brahman. Hence, many errors have arisen in translations from the Sanskrit.

Consciousness

BRAHMAN~The word Brahman or Sat has no proper equivalent in English. The nearest is the ultimate reality or the ultimate truth. The West, however, applies reality to individual objects or to the multiplicity of them all, whereas Advaitins apply it to the non-duality. Brahman is called "That" because it is something not known yet by the seeker.

The Vedas talk about Brahman, which refers to the ultimate truth or ultimate reality. Consciousness is the ultimate truth; therefore, consciousness is Brahman, and Brahman is God.

The Vedas do not permit idol worship. All the idols are of the Puranic Gods. Priests are referring to the Puranic Brahma as God; they are ignorant of the God in the Vedas, even though they speak of the Vedas.

Priests do not know who understands the meaning of the Brahman, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The scientists and their invention are based on the physical Self and its experience world as a reality, whereas the truth lies beyond physical existence.

Until Scientists discover the truth beyond form, time, and space, the mystery of the universe will not be unfolded.

Mundaka Upanishad: - The study of the Vedas, linguistics, Rituals, astronomy, and all the arts can be called lower knowledge. The highest is that which leads to Self-realization. The eye cannot see it; the mind cannot grasp it. The deathless Self has neither caste nor race, neither eyes nor ears nor hands nor feet. Sages say this Self is infinite in the great and in the small, everlasting and changeless, the source of life.

The Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the invisible Soul, the Self. The invisible Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

From the Spirit, the universe comes into existence. In the Spirit, the universe resides. And into the Spirit, the universe is dissolved. The Spirit is the parent of all that is there.: : ~ Santthosh Kumaar