'WHO AM 'I'? and ‘I AM THAT’ teachings are not yardsticks to realize the Advaitc truth.+

It has not been possible to preach Advaitic Truth entirely free from the settings of dualistic weakness it has not been more operative and useful to mankind at large because only a few will be able to grasp and realize it.

Remember ~ 'WHO AM 'I'? and I AM THAT- teachings are nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.

'WHO AM 'I'? and I AM THAT -teachings are not yardsticks to realize the Advaitc truth. Holding them as a yardstick leads to hallucinations based on imagination.

Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is simply unparalleled.

'To realize the Advaitic Truth a freer and fuller scope the seeker has to realize the form, time and space are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness. The Soul the Self is present in the form of consciousness.

To realize the Advaitic truth the seeker has to be free from all superstitions and orthodox contaminations. The seeker has to be dedicated to acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana alone.’

Sage Sankara: ~ VC- 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 (6)

Liberation cannot be the result of good works, for Sruti itself declares that there is no hope for immortality by means of wealth. (7)

Actions help to purify the mind but they do not, by themselves, contribute to the attainment of Reality. The attainment of Reality is brought about only by Self-Inquiry and not in the least by even ten million acts. (11)

The fear and sorrow created by the delusory serpent in the rope can be ended only after fully ascertaining the truth of the rope through steady and balanced thinking. (12)

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

Ultimate success in spiritual endeavors depends chiefly upon the qualifications of the seeker. Auxiliary conveniences such as time And place all have a place indeed, but they are essentially secondary. (14)

He alone is considered qualified to enquire after the supreme Reality, who has discrimination, detachment, qualities of Calmness, etc., and a burning desire for liberation. The four-fold qualifications ( 17)

Great sages have spoken of four qualifications for attainment which, when present, succeed in the realization of Brahman and In the absence of which the goal is not attained. (18)

(While enumerating the qualifications), first, we count the ability to discriminate between the Real and the unreal; next, comes a spirit of detachment from the enjoyment of the fruits of actions here and hereafter; after that is the groups of six virtues beginning with Calmness, and the last is undoubtedly an intense desire for liberation. (19)

A firm conviction that Brahman alone is Real and the phenomenal World is unreal is known as discrimination between the Real and The unreal. (20)

They have crossed the dreadful ocean of (embodied) existence through their own efforts and without any (personal) motives; they help others to cross it. (37)

Swami Vivekananda: ~ “The Higher your idea is, the more miserable you are,' for such a thing as an ideal cannot be attained in the world — or in this life, even. He who wants perfection in the world is a madman — for it cannot be. How can you find the infinite in the finite?

Consciousness is the root element of the universe. Consciousness is present in the form of the Soul, the Self. From the Soul, the universe comes into existence. In the Soul, the universe resides. In addition, into the Soul the universe dissolves. The Soul is the parent of all that is there.

Rest in consciousness, by realizing the universe in which you exist is nothing but consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Advaitic wisdom may be as bitter as poison, but the seeker must like it as nectar. Those who cannot do this are unfit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.+

Advaitic wisdom may be as bitter as poison, but the seeker must like it as nectar. Those who cannot do this are unfit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

The serious and sincere seeker of truth will accept and search for truth whether it brings bitterness or sweetness, whatever it tastes like. He must be prepared to find God as impersonal and to lose his own individuality for the sake of Advaitic wisdom.

Chandogya Upanishad:~ One who meditates upon and realizes the 'Self' discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantrams and meditation--all come from the Self.

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

Sage Sankara says: - VC-47 All the effects of ignorance, root, and branch, are burnt down by the fire of knowledge, which arises from discrimination between these two—the Self and the non-Self.

Until you think you are an individual separate from the world and the world existed prior to you and you are born in it afterward ignorance will prevail as a reality. Till ignorance is there the universe prevails as reality.

Sage Sankara says ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation, then why you are indulging in other types of meditation.

Perfect understanding and realization of ‘what is what’ -leads to Self-awareness. By holding on to theories one remains in the realm of duality. You have to mentally go on dropping what is not the truth through deeper Self-search. Finally when you become aware of the fact that, your ego, your body, and the world are one in essence then there is Self-awareness in the midst of duality.

As the seeker starts mentally chewing the Advaitic wisdom it becomes tastier like nectar. The seeker starts seeing the consciousness as it is by realizing the world in which he exists is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness. There is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

Thus, the seeker gains the fruits of Sage Sri Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom ~ Atman is Brahman. The world is an illusion and sees only consciousness as it is in the midst of diversity (world). : ~Santthosh Kumaar 

A Gnani has realized he is not he but consciousness; his body is not the body but consciousness, and the world in which he exists is not the world but consciousness. +

Having turned the visible into the invisible, one should realize everything to be consciousness itself. A Gnani always dwells in nondual awareness in the midst of dualistic illusion (world).

A Gnani has realized he is not he but consciousness; his body is not the body but consciousness, and the world in which he exists is not the world but consciousness.

Everything known, seen, believed, and experienced by him is nothing but consciousness then what else remains, is not consciousness.

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

The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. In fact, our mental and intellectual conditions determine the world, observed and experienced. The commoner viewing the world will see differently from a Gnani viewing the same world. Each one interprets the world that they see in terms of their existing knowledge. The commoner sees everything based on the ego, therefore, experiences birth, life, death, and the world as a reality, whereas a Gnani sees everything as consciousness and he is fully aware of the fact that, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul or consciousness.

Thus, all egocentric knowledge has to be bifurcated to realize the ultimate truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space.

The world in which we exist is nothing but an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The whole universe is nothing but the Soul. Therefore, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

It is not as if something that was not consciousness suddenly becomes consciousness. Rather, "knowing the truth” means the removal of ignorance about one's own existence as consciousness. Thus, to "know the truth” is to "be 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 proof. 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 or God in truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The ultimate truth is not dependent on any books or any religion or religious Gods based on blind faith or religious rituals.+

The ultimate truth is not dependent on any books or any religion or religious Gods based on blind faith or religious rituals.

All religions are dependent on their religious scriptures or holy books and their Gods based on blind belief.

Without their religious scriptures, holy books, and gods based on blind faith blind belief, religion ceases to exist.

Religion holds its scriptures and holy books as proof. The truth is hidden by the universe in which we exist. No books or Guru can help us to find the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Religious truth is limited by form, time, and space whereas the ultimate truth is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. Thus, religious truth is nothing to do with the ultimate truth.

Even without the scriptures and holy books, we can get the truth of the whole, which is beyond form, time, and space. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is not had by resorting to a Guru nor by the study of scripture, nor by good deeds: it is attained only by means of inquiry and reasoning inspired by words of wisdom of Gnanis.

Remember:~

Advaitic Wisdom is not found in scriptures or books. There are only hidden parables here and there. There is no clear-cut wisdom whatsoever in this. Mere words ~ are just a collection of words. Wisdom is hidden within the world in which we exist. The truth is not found in the world because the world is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. The Truth is beyond form, time, and space.

There is no need to read books after books. You need to realize only the world in which you exist is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Knowledge of that single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is Advaita.

No books can do more than help us to find it, and even without them, we can get all truth if we search for the truth which is hidden by the world in which we exist. You have the love for books without bondage to them; and read the books, but do not believe blindly because it is well written with the ornamental world, but think for yourself. No blind belief can save you, work out on your own to find the truth, which is hidden by form, time, and space. Think the Soul is your inner Guru - that Soul is an eternal help.

There is no need to read books to realize the truth which is beyond form, time, and space.

Sage Sankara: ~ “like a servant who carries a lamp in front of you to find your way, and you have found it, so becomes the Veda to that person. What is the Veda? -- utterances of those who have known the Truth. Here is one who has known the Truth; why should he or she have to depend upon the Veda further? The actual experience takes you beyond books. At a certain stage, books become a botheration.”

Sage Sankara: ~ “VC 58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the scholar but are no good for Liberation.

VC 59. “ The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.

VC 60. “The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest which merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence, men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.

Remember:~

Mundaka Upanishad:~ The study of the Vedas, linguistics, Rituals, astronomy, and all the arts Can be called lower knowledge. The higher 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.

All these selected quotes from the scriptures are helpful to think deeply nothing more.

In pursuit of truth, the ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed. Pundits who take scriptures for granted are not Gnanis.

Pundits teach that all is yourself, but none of them can show that this is so, none has analyzed it scientifically, and none can prove it.

The rational proof is needed so that one arrives at knowing truth i.e. wisdom; punditry is mere dogma, parrotism, and repetition of what they read in scripture. Scripters are not yardsticks and the scriptural truth is not proof. Pundits take scripters as the authority. Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

Pundits have to test the truth in this world, not in the next world. There is no proof other than blind belief based on the scriptures, belief is not the truth. So, doctrines are not the means to realize the truth. There is no need to follow them in order to acquire self-knowledge of Brahma Gnana.

Doubts and Confusions arise when the seeker finds the scripters and yoga are inadequate or useless to quench his spiritual thirst. Disappointments in religion or yoga or even science imply error or ignorance. Seeker reaches a stage whether he is right?" Where is the certainty that he is proceeding on the right lines?"

Thus, the doubts arise and the inquiring spirit comes and impels us to search elsewhere for truth where it will not be possible even to have doubt. The test is therefore in experience. And only in non-duality, where there are no two to argue about views or to have a difference of opinion can such doubtlessness be possible. Belief depends upon unstable bases whereas certainty depends on the proof.

Seeker of truth has to get rid of his doubts through deeper self-search on his own, to realize the fact that, the 'Self' is not the form but the ' Self' is formless and non-dual. Thus, his analysis and reasoning have to be based on the formless (Soul), not on the form(ego).

Simply going on believing and accepting whatever is said by the punditry will not lead one towards the path of wisdom. All the doubt has to be got rid of "by the sword of Self - Knowledge." The scriptures and yoga are not necessary if one follows the inner (formless) path. Religion and yoga are not the means to the path of wisdom. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

A Gnani has realized he is not he but the consciousness; his body is not the body but the consciousness, and the world in which he exists is not the world but consciousness.+

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, worships ‘Self’ as~ Atman (God) alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare."

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. Realize consciousness as the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. Consciousness is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Remember:~

All is consciousness. The whole universe is consciousness. From consciousness, the universe comes. When the universe disappears, consciousness still remains without form, time, and space

People think everything is energy but without consciousness, how can one know it is energy? It is only intellectual speculation.

Chandogya Upanishad:~ One who meditates upon and realizes the 'Self' discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantrams and meditation--all come from the Self.

The sun, the moon, the stars, and planets shine because of the Soul or Spirit. The Soul shines and all things else shine as a result. Everything in the universe reflects but that light of the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. Merely knowing the truth is not enough to escape from the tangle of illusion.

The mind is in the form of the universe. From the standpoint of the Soul the Self the universe is merely an illusion. The illusion arises from ignorance. Enlightenment comes with detachment from the illusion by realizing the experience of the form, time and space are one in essence.

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

When Bhagavad Gita says, God is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material then everything is nothing but consciousness.

The Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the substance of the dualistic illusion because the dualistic illusion is created out of consciousness.

Illusion’s "concealing power" merely means that when one looks at an ice block he thinks only of the ice block. But a Gnani will think of the substance of the ice block too. That is a wise man has the knowledge of the substance plus of the ice block.

Similarly, a Gnani has the knowledge of the universe and its formless substance also. The consciousness is concealed because of ignorance. As a man, one is not aware of the fact that his body, ego, and his experience of the world are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

When one becomes aware of the fact that, the universe is an illusion then there is no physical body, no ego and no world then there is only the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Having turned the visible into the invisible, one should realize everything to be consciousness itself. A Gnani always dwells in nondual awareness in the midst of dualistic illusion (world).

A Gnani has realized he is not he but the consciousness; his body is not the body but the consciousness, and the world in which he exists is not the world but consciousness.

Everything is known, seen, believed, and experienced by him is nothing but consciousness then what else remains, is not consciousness. There is nothing else to realize other than to realize the consciousness alone is, everything else is merely an illusion created out of the consciousness.

The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. In fact, our mental and intellectual conditions determine the world, observed and experienced. The commoner viewing the world will see differently from a Gnani viewing the same world. Each one interprets the world that they see in terms of their existing knowledge. The commoner sees everything based on the ego, therefore, experiences birth, life, death, and the world as a reality, whereas a Gnani sees everything as consciousness and he is fully aware of the fact that, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul or the consciousness. Thus, all egocentric knowledge has to be bifurcated to realize the ultimate truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

The world in which we exist is nothing but an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The whole universe is nothing but the Soul. Therefore, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

It is not as if something that was not consciousness suddenly becomes consciousness. Rather, "knowing the truth” means the removal of ignorance about one's own existence as consciousness. Thus, to "know the truth” is to "be the consciousness."

Third Mundaka - Chapter 1:~ Brahman (Soul) is not grasped by the eye, nor by speech, nor by the other senses, nor by penance or good works. A man becomes pure through the serenity of intellect; thereupon he beholds the 'Self' which is without parts.

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 proof. 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 or God in truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Swami Vivekananda: ~ If superstition enters, the brain is gone. Superstition is our great enemy, but bigotry is worse.+

The ultimate truth is not dependent on any books or any religion or belief of God or religious rituals.

All religions are dependent on their religious scriptures or holy books and their Gods based on blind belief.

Without their religious scriptures, holy books, and gods based on blind faith blind belief, religion ceases to exist.

Religion holds its scriptures and holy books as proof. The truth is hidden by the universe in which we exist. No books or Guru can help us to find the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Religious truth is limited by form, time, and space whereas the ultimate truth is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. Thus, religious truth is nothing to do with the ultimate truth.

Even without the scriptures and holy books, we can get the truth of the whole, which is beyond form, time, and space. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is not had by resorting to a Guru nor by the study of scripture, nor by good deeds: it is attained only by means of inquiry and reasoning inspired by words of wisdom of Gnanis.   

Religious people believe the stories of Jesus who raised the dead and Krishna who picked a mountain as a reality but Jesus who raised the dead and Krishna who picked a mountain within the dualistic illusion. Whatever belongs to a dualistic illusion is bound to be an illusion.

Mythological God and Goddesses are based on blind faith or blind belief. The belief is not God. The belief implies duality. From the ultimate standpoint, the duality is merely an illusion. Thus, whatever one sees, knows, believes, and experiences within the dualistic illusion are bound to be an illusion.

Mythological stories are a myth. Whatever is based on myth is merely superstition. Mythology was introduced in the past to the ignorant masses. It has to be discarded as one progresses in his spiritual advancement.

Mythology breeds superstition, blind belief, senseless rituals, and most irrational and gives them a divine outlook.

Isa Upanishads indicate that: By worshipping gods and goddesses and going to the world of gods after death is of no use. The time one spends in ritualistic practices is wasted; one can spend the same time moving forward toward Self-knowledge, which is the main goal.

One cannot reach the non-dual destination by glorifying god and goddesses and by doing that, one goes deeper and deeper into darkness. It surely indicates the fact that the seeker of truth has to drop the worshiping god and goddess in order to get self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

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 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 garment. 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, and 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

Swami Vivekananda:~ This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself to your own mind does not befit you, the Soul. 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 none to help you. Self is the entire world. Who can help you? -

When ‘Self’ is not ‘you’ then whatever you have seen, known believed, and experienced as reality is bound to be an illusion. Self-realization is necessary to realize your present the world in which you exist is merely an illusion.

If the present world in which you exist is merely an illusion, then whatever you believed as real in this world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion.

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

All those whose intelligence has been stolen by ignorance hold the Self as the ‘I’ and refuse to accept the ‘I’ is an illusion.+

Q:~ S M:~ Dear Santtosh ji, I read your blogs and somehow each and every word is true to my own experience. But now I was reading some of your blogs in which you write " The Soul, the Self is nothing to DO with you and your experience of the birth, life, death and the world because the Soul, the ‘Self is birthless and deathless. The Soul is birthless and deathless because it is the ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. ".....

Now i just want to know if I am not the Soul then who am I? who is commenting on the SELF? I AM not merely a thought construct who realizes the SELF and the commenting on behalf of the SELF.... please clarify if I AM wrong somewhere.

The sense I AM itself is the SELF when it is not associated with anything. And if it is associated then it becomes EGO sense. Apparently, nothing changes, the sense is the same only identification came which is again merely an illusion in the SELF only...

if I am not the Soul then who am I? who is commenting on the SELF? I AM not merely a thought construct who realizes the SELF and the commenting on behalf of the SELF.... please clarify if I AM wrong somewhere.

The sense I AM itself is the SELF when it is not associated with anything. And if it is associated then it becomes EGO sense. Apparently, nothing changes, the sense is the same only identification came which is again merely an illusion in the SELF only...

Thanks and regards- SM

A- Santthosh Kumaar: ~ “It is difficult for people to understand the Advaitic truth who adopted ‘I-centric’ teaching.

All those whose intelligence has been stolen by ignorance hold the Self as the ‘I’ and refuse to accept the ‘I’ is an illusion, which appears and disappears.

You are the false Self (ego) within the false experience (waking). The one which is inquiring and trying to find the answer about the truth of the true existence is you within the dualistic illusion (waking).

The ‘Self’ is not you because you are bound by the experience of birth, life and death, and the world. The ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is birthless and deathless because it is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the experience of birth, life and death, and the world are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

You are not the Self because you are the false Self (waking entity or the ego) within the false experience (waking). Thus, what is the use of saying ‘I AM THIS’ or ‘I AM THAT’ when ‘I’ itself is an illusion? If the ‘I’ is an illusion then what is the use of inquiring ‘WHO AM I?’. One must realize ‘what is this ‘I’ first. If the ‘I’ is not the Self then it is time to realize the Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the witness of the ‘I.

Remember this:~

Realize, ‘what is this ‘I’ supposed to be in actuality and what is hidden by the ‘I’ will be revealed.

If you realize the ‘Self ‘not the ‘I’ but the Soul then whatever is hidden by the ‘I’ will be revealed.

Realizing the Soul is not the ‘I’ but the Soul is the Self, is Self –realization.

To think your own body and your experience of the world is an illusion is a difficult matter unless one realizes the Self is not physical, but it is formless Soul it is difficult to have a glimpse of truth. When one realizes the fact that, the Self is not the body, but the formless Soul, naturally the body and the universe become an illusion.

The Mind (universe) is emanating from the Soul (consciousness) means the mind is being the effect of consciousness is not different from it.

A deeper analysis shows it. Analysis needs deeper thinking and reasoning. The mind is the whole universe, thus, it has a form. But where is the form in consciousness (Soul) because consciousness is like an ocean and the mind is like a wave? The universe is the same consciousness, as the ocean produces the wave, so the consciousness produces the mind (universe).

The moment one knows the mind (universe) is consciousness, and then there is no ignorance. If one knows consciousness as the Self then everything is consciousness, the consciousness is second to none. The mind is consciousness, but due to ignorance one mistakes it for something else. One thinks the Self is within the body, but the Self is without the body and the world.

The mind ceases to exist without the matter. Without the matter, the mind ceases to exist as the mind, but it exists as the matter- less awareness or consciousness. Without the mind, neither the world nor its perceiver can exist.

Without the matter, there is no duality. Without duality, there is no experience. Without experience, it is a non-dualistic reality. Therefore, whatever prevails without the mind is the ultimate reality.

The true nature of the Soul (consciousness) is camouflaged by the illusion (universe or duality). To know the truth one has to discover and realize the formless substance of the mind (illusion). One has to learn to view and judge the three states from the standpoint of the formless Soul as the Self.

Acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is the prime goal of the truth seeker. This goal is hidden within the mind as its formless substance and witness. Therefore, it is necessary to inquire, analyze and reason into the nature of the mind (duality, or illusion) in order to unfold the mystery of mind or duality or illusion.

The person, who stamped their foot on the ground to refute to show the world, is real, ignores that in a dream he would do exactly the same--stamp his dream foot on the ground and assert it to be real. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

Remember this:~

People think that the ‘Self’ as the ‘I’ and they think it is not possible to function without the ‘I’ as a person because they think ‘I’ is limited to the body and ‘I’ is within the body. This is an error. The ‘I’ is the whole universe in which you exist.

People refuse to accept the world is an illusion. But they must think the world in which they exist appears as waking and disappears as deep sleep (non-duality).

A person, who stamped his foot on the ground to refute to show the world, is real, ignore that in a dream he would do exactly the same--stamp his dream foot on the ground and assert it to be real.

When people finally realize the ‘Self ‘ is not the ‘I’ but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, the witness of the ‘I’ then you will realize the world in which they exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

People and their experiences of birth, life, death, and the world are merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Consciousness alone is real and all else is an illusion. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God.

Many Gurus in the past glorified the ‘I’. People got emotionally stuck with their Gurus worshipping them and got entangled with studying the life and happenings of their guru when their Gurus were alive. They forgot their main goal of discovering the truth of their true existence. This following Gurudom trend is still continuing.

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 by means of 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.

There is no need to condemn Gurus, but there is a need to highlight how they become an obstacle in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

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

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

A Guru is needed for the religious and the yogic path. There is no need for a Guru in to acquire ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

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 the form, time, and space. The Gurudom is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. The Atmic path is meant for those who wish to go beyond the domain of form, time, and space.

Sage Sankara gave religious, ritual, and dogmatic instruction to the mass but pure philosophy 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.

Remember:~

The Atmic path is straight. One travels from ignorance to wisdom by perfect understanding of ‘what is what’.

The search for the truth of our true existence ends in the discovery of the Soul, the innermost ‘‘Self’’. When form, time, and space are created out of single stuff then there is no division in consciousness. The Soul is the fullness of consciousness without the division of form, time, and space.

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

The ‘I’ is not the expression of the fullness of consciousness.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the division within the consciousness.

The ‘I’ is ignorance.

The ‘I’ is the cause of experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the experience of birth death and the world.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the form, time, and space.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the universe.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the three states.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the mind.

But

Without The ‘I’ it is the fullness of consciousness.

Without The ‘I’ there is no division within consciousness.

Without the ‘I’ there is no ignorance.

Without the ‘I’ there is no dualistic illusion.

Without the ‘I’ there is no experience of birth death and the world.

Without the ‘I’ there is no form, time, and space.

Without The ‘I’ there is no universe.

Without the ‘I’ there are no three states.

The ‘I’ is the cause of the mind.

People try all kinds of paths and practices in order to get Self-realization. Realizing the ‘Self’ is not you but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is Self-realization. Consciousness is the cause of the world in which you exists and it itself is uncaused.

Consciousness is pure, flawless, and full, beyond form, time, and space. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. The consciousness is beyond all limitations of form, time, and space. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar