Sage Sankara: ~ Actual realization takes you beyond books. At a certain stage, books become a botheration.+

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 depend upon the Veda further? Actual realization takes you beyond books. At a certain stage, books become a botheration. The Upanishad itself says that the 'words are only so much of distraction for such minds'

Sage Sankara means Advaita and Advaita mean Sage Sankara. Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is not theology. Theological Advaita is not Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom.

The main hurdle in his way of thinking is the fact that Sage Sankara did not claim to be an original thinker at all, and his philosophy took the form of commentaries on the generality of the scriptures, particularly the Upanishads and the Gita.

According to Advaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences –

1, “The ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices”.

2, “The advanced seekers who seek to know the ultimate truth or Brahman.”

Thus, the Purva mimam. sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, the Vedanta, with its emphasis on the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond form, time, and space.

Thus, those who are seeking truth have to discard the Theological Advaita without mercy in order to realize the Advaitic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Sage Sankara was an independent thinker. His wisdom has not been taken seriously by many in India, because, most of the followers of Sage Sankara are religious orthodox.

It is that philosophy in India was for centuries more an exposition of the ancient classics than the independent thought of individual thinkers as in ancient Greece or modern Europe and America.

Sage Sankara and Sage Goudpada are independent thinkers other schools of Indian philosophy are mere theologies. Advaitic wisdom is the only tool to unfold the mystery of the ‘I'. The dualistic philosophy cannot escape the charge of dogmatism.

Intelligence and thoughts do not apply to Advaitism, intelligence and thought are based on a false self (waking entity) within the false experience (waking). The whole Advaitic philosophy is an attempt to transcend the limitations of intelligence and thought.

The two points of view A Gnani is not cut off from the experience of practical life within the practical world because Advaitic truth is neither realism nor idealism; it is beyond both these.

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.

Advaitic wisdom does not begin with the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed. Hence, so-called philosophers who take Brahman for granted are not philosophers at all.

Lots of Advaitin scholars will 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 required so that one arrives at knowing the ultimate truth or Brahman i.e. Gnana.

Theirs is mere dogma, parrotism, and repetition of what they read in scripture. Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

Sage Sankara endeavored toward establishing the Vedic religion and overthrowing Buddhism. But even he was not able to avoid the influence of Buddhism. The influence of the revolutionary atmosphere of Buddhism reappeared in the Advaita of Sage Sankara. His inability to revive the Vedic religion that flourished before the Buddhist revolution in its pure form is discernible.

Sage Sankara gave out what was of most use to the greatest number of people. Therefore, in the commentaries on the Upanishads, such as the famous Mandukya, he gave the highest non-dual message of the identity of Atman and Brahman, revitalizing the philosophy and practice of Advaita, while in the commentaries on the Brahmasūtra he gave lesser teaching, positing both higher and lower Maya and higher and lower Brahman (Ishvara) to explain creation for those of lesser intellects until they were ready for the highest truth.

Only through Self -knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana negation of duality is possible. 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 of absolute means that consciousness is not unreal or non-existent. And it is not unconsciousness. Nothing positive can be stated about consciousness.

The nature of the Soul, the ‘Self’ is the non-dualistic silence. Non-dualistic silence is like a deep sleep state.

The silence indicates that the nature of the Soul, the ‘Self’ is inexplicable, indescribable, and unimaginable. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar