The seeker should scroll down into the old and new posts you will find answers to all your questions and doubts.+

The seeker should scroll down into the old and new posts you will find answers to all your questions and doubts; there is no need to ask any questions in the future.

As you go deeper and deeper, digging into my post and blogs, all your doubts and confusion will be cleared.

Atmic path is not a path of an exchange of views and opinions.

Without knowing the subject matter, without reading all the posts, you will never be able to realize the subject discussed in my post.

The Atmic path is not a question and answers session; it is a path of discovering and realizing the Self hidden by the world in which you exist.

The world in which you exist is created out of a single stuff. That single stuff is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Remember:~

Many Gurus in the past used the word ‘I’ to indicate the Self. They think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self.

The seeker has to understand that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the invisible Soul, the witness of the ‘I’ is the true ‘Self’, which is eternal.

That is why Buddha: ~ “Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.

It is erroneous to identify the invisible Soul, the Self, as 'I' or 'I AM' because the invisible Soul, the Self, is not 'I' or I AM’. The invisible Soul, the Self, is that witness of the 'I'.

To understand the false nature of the ‘I’, Self-knowledge, or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana, is necessary.

The Self is not ‘I’, but the Self is the invisible Soul which is the witness of the ‘I’. Holding the ‘I' as the Self leads to hallucination based on imagination.

The ‘I’ hides the truth of the whole. 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 is inadequate to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

That is why 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.

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

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

That is why Ashtavakra Gita 16:10:~ If you desire liberation, but you still say 'I', if you feel the Self is the ‘I’, then you are not a wise man or a seeker. You are simply a man who suffers. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Without consciousness, you and the world in which you exist cease to exist.+

It is 'you' who is born in this world. It is you who is living in this world. And it is you who is going to die in this world in the future.

Your birth, life, death, and the world in which you exist have nothing to do with the Self because the Self is not you but the invisible Soul, which is the unborn eternal.

You are not you, but consciousness; your body is not the body but consciousness, the world in which you exist is not the world but consciousness. 

Everything is known, seen, believed, and experienced by you is nothing but consciousness; then what else remains, which is not consciousness? 

There is nothing else to realize other than to realize that consciousness alone is, and everything else is merely an illusion created out of  consciousness.

By realizing that everything is consciousness is the Advaitic wisdom dawns. A perfect understanding and assimilation of ‘what is what’ leads to Advaitic awareness.

The invisible Soul, the Self, is hidden by the world in which you exist. It is hidden because the world in which you exist is merely a dualistic illusion or Maya created out of the invisible Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. Without consciousness, you and the world in which you exist cease to exist.

Whatever you have seen, known, believed, and experienced within this illusory world is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness.

Consciousness is ever-present. Without consciousness, the world in which you exist ceases to exist.

Consciousness is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny consciousness, because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. Consciousness is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. Consciousness is everything. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Whatever you have seen, known, believed, and experienced as a person within the waking experience is bound to be an illusion created out of consciousness. Thus, the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness alone, is real and eternal. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The waking state is created out of consciousness. The dream is created out of consciousness. In deep sleep, consciousness is free of waking or dream.+

In Atmic reality, there is nothing that exists other than consciousness. Only in ignorance is there diversity. All three states are the product of ignorance.

In the state of ignorance, one thinks of his body as the body, the ego as the ego, the world in which he exists as the world.

In ignorance, one has the urge to search for the truth of his true existence. When the waking entity (you) indulges in deeper self-search and becomes aware that the Self is neither the waking entity nor the Self is a dream entity, but the Self is a formless substance and witness of the three states. That formless substance and witness are one, in essence, and that essence is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, consciousness alone is real, and all three states are merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Therefore, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

The waking state is created out of consciousness.

The dream is created out of consciousness.

,

In deep sleep, consciousness is free of waking or dream.

The three states cease to exist without consciousness. When there is no ignorance, then there is neither waking nor dream nor deep sleep; the Advaita is the very nature of the consciousness.

The waking experience is the state of ignorance because it is the product of ignorance. We are discussing consciousness within the waking experience because we are unaware that the waking experience itself is an illusion : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.+

Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas. 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 the 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 merely 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

The word Dharma is used to indicate religion but the word Dharma means Atma.+

The invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is all-pervading. How can that which rules over every tiny particle of existence, living and non-living, belong to any one religion?

Humanity must come out of the ignorance spread by religion. It is an immense misfortune that the populace the religion, and lineage, sectarianism have become synonymous in India and that lineage (sampradaya) has gained prominence over the religion (Dharma).

The word Dharma is used to indicate religion, but the word Dharma means Atma.

In Tattireya Upanishad:~ "satyaM vada. dharmaM cara ." Speak the truth, practice dharma. Now, if you want to practice dharma, you should first know what it means. (1.11.1)

The word “dharma “is found in the karikas, which means Atma in Advaita Vedanta.

Advaita is the nondual nature of the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

For example, the one who calls himself a Hindu, Jain, Jew, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, or Muslim feels satisfied merely performing traditional rites, worship, prayers, and rituals following the code of conduct prescribed by the religion he belongs to.

By accepting with blind faith without question the philosophy expounded by his inherited religion, he believes he is a very religious person.

Humanity has to awaken to the reality of its true existence by realizing the world in which humanity exists is merely an illusion created out of consciousness through Self-knowledge, or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana frees the Soul, the Self, from the cage of the dualistic illusion.

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.

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, Mukti - 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 invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.: ~ Santthosh Kumaar

It is impossible to discard the ‘I’ because people are stuck with the idea that the‘I’ itself is the Self. +

It is impossible to discard the ‘I’ because people are stuck with the idea that the ‘I’ itself is the Self.

In the past, some famous Gurus and their teachings glorified the ‘I’ people took it as final and accepted it as the ultimate truth. Such acceptance without verifying the ‘I’, their journey is incomplete.

Blind acceptance and reverence for the guru will not help the seeker to get rid of ignorance.

Firstly, doubt about this ‘I’, how it came into existence. There are no other means to the final goal is the realization of the source of the ‘I’.

There is a need to understand, assimilate, and realize the nature of this ‘I’, which appears and disappears.

It is erroneous to use the word ‘I’ for the Self, because ‘I’ represents the form, time, and space, whereas the invisible Soul, the Self, is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

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

To understand the false nature of the ‘I’, the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana is necessary.

The Self is not ‘I’, but the Self is the invisible Soul, which is the witness of the ‘I’. By holding the Self ‘I' leads to hallucination based on imagination.

Those who are stuck with the ‘I’ based teaching will never be able to cross the domain of form, time, and space.

All the Gurus glorified the ‘I’. Thus, it becomes very difficult to discard the ‘I’. Those who have accepted the ‘I’ based teaching refuse to accept anything other than their accepted truth. Till you hold the Self as the ‘I’, your knowledge remains skin deep.

The world in which you exist came into existence because of the ‘I’. The world, in which you exist, ceases to exist without the ‘I’.

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

The ‘I’ is what the seeker begins his investigation. Perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ will help the seeker to reach the invisible Soul, which is the Self.

Sage Sankara: ~ "VC~ if the universe be true, let it then be perceived in the state of deep sleep also. As it is not at all perceived, it must be unreal and false like dreams.

This universe is nothing but the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

From the invisible Soul, the universe appears, and when the universe disappears from consciousness, consciousness still remains without any division of form, time, or space.

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ The universe rises from the invisible 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."

To enable the seeker to steer clear of any possible doubt, the seeker should take the Atmic path. The ‘I’ is the clue, and study the nature of the ‘I’ and discover its source. :~ Santthosh Kumaar

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 realize the Advaitic Truth, which is beyond 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:~ V C:-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.

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 our body and our experience of the world are merely an illusion 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 consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar