All the Guru Parampara is for the religious people. There is no need for a Guru who wants to tread the path of wisdom.+

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

Unless you realize the Self as the Soul, you are all blinded by the dualistic illusion.

The Guru who pretends to be Self-realized and plays with the emotions and sentiments of the seeker is a fraud, not a Gnani.

All the Guru Parampara is for the religious people. There is no need for a Guru who wants to tread the path of wisdom.

Even Swami Vivekananda was Ramakrishna Paramahansa's disciple. Swami Vivekananda himself 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.”

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 more advanced seeker who seeks to know the ultimate truth or Brahman. The Guru and Guru Paramparas are meant for the first audience, to help lead their followers along the way. However, there is no need to follow any parampara and follow any Guru for those who wish to realize the truth which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space.

We should not mix religion with spirituality because religion is based on the ego and spirituality is based on the Soul. Religion is concerned with its paramparas, not truth whereas spirituality is concerned only with the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. Religion is not spirituality.

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 Brihad)

Thus, the above passage proves that all those who were the sanyasin robes are wearing it for the sake of bread 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 in Viveka Chudamani (2), states that the Knower of the Atman (i.e., a Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).

It means the Gurus, Swamis, and Yogis who identify themselves as holy people are not Gnanis.

Those who are seeking truth need not follow any Guru or any teaching.

The one who thinks of himself as a Guru and the one who thinks of himself as a chela (disciple) will not be able to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because both of them accepted themselves as the body. And all their understanding, practices, and knowledge are based on the false Self (ego or you). Therefore, the Guru –Shisya concept is a great obstacle in the pursuit of truth.

A Gnani never accepts himself as a Guru or accepts anyone as his disciple, because he is fully immersed in the Soul, the Self, which is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

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.

Upanishads: ~ Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking they wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. (Upanishads Nikilanada - Ch II-5 P-14)

No one can teach anybody. Wisdom is hidden within the world in which you exist. A Gnani can only show the way that much is the work of a Gnani.

A Gnani only guides the seekers to apply their own reason and realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. When the seeker learns to view and judge and reason the three states on the base of the Soul, the truth will start unfolding on its own. First, the seeker may find it difficult to use Soulcentric reason but gradually it will become easy. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

To realize the universe is consciousness there is no need for Guru.+

If you emotionally stick to the ‘I’-centric Gurus and their teaching you will never reach anywhere.

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.

A guru is needed in the religious and yogic path. For truth seekers, the Soul is the inner Guru.

The seeker has to grow from the inside out by Soulcentric reasoning. None can teach him none can make him reach the ultimate end of understanding. There is no other Guru but the formless Soul or the consciousness, which is the Self.

The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the source of all that exists as the universe.  

 To realize the universe is consciousness there is no need for Guru.

Bhagvan Buddha said: ~ “Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you, yourself test and judge to be true.

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

If you are seriously seeking truth you must complete your journey. Your emotions and sentiments towards the physical Guru keep you permanently in the mental asylum of the prison of ignorance.

Jesus said: ~ “Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find it, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel and will reign over all. [And after they have reigned they will rest.]"

Meher Baba: ~ “When the reality appears this ignorance which one thinks as reality becomes unreal.

Swami Vivekananda says: ~ Advaita encompasses everything. Advaita requires heavy-duty intellectualism. From 'The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda'...

‘I’, me and mine belong to you, not to the Soul, which is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

‘I’, me, and mine are a reality within the domain of form, time, and space.

Remember the ‘Self’ is not ‘I’ but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, the witness of the ‘I’.

Without the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, there is no ‘I’

There is no truth in ‘I’, me, and mine because ‘I’, me, and mine belong to the dualistic illusion.

‘I’, me, and mine is nothing to do with the Soul, the Self because the Soul is the fullness of the consciousness without the division of form, time, and space.

The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. The mind arises from the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The ‘I’ rises as the mind.

The mind is in the form of the universe.

Thus, ‘I’ is the mind or universe.

The seeker has to divert his attention to the source from where the mind (universe) rises and subsides.

The universe appears as a waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).

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

First, find out how this world, in which you exist, has come into existence. If you know the answer then all your doubts will vanish.

Tattireya Upanishad: ~ “The Self in man and in the sun is one. Those who understand this and see through the world and go beyond the various sheaths of being to realize the unity of life.

The truth is very simple. It is only to realize the world in which we exist is created out of single stuff. Knowledge of single stuff is Self-knowledge. Self-knowledge frees us all from ignorance.

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.

The seeker has to have to discard all accumulated knowledge accumulated from different Gurus and teachers.

Sage Sankara sas: ~ 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.

Arise! Awake! 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 Soul is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. The Soul is only held in the illusory 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 ignorance."

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, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

In reality, three is no scope for two. Advaita means one without the second. Advaita means the Soul. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is one without the second.

Consciousness is one without the second because the world in which you exist is created out of consciousness. Thus, everything is consciousness. No second thing exists other than consciousness. Consciousness alone is real and eternal.

Advaitic truth has to be grasped mentally by realizing the form, time and space are nothing but an illusion created out of the single clay, and that single clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Knowledge of the single clay is Advaita, the one without the second. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

If you realize the ‘I’ itself is an illusion then the universe is bound to be an illusion.+

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

If you realize the ‘I’ itself is an illusion then the universe is bound to be an illusion because the universe ceases to exist without the ‘I’.

If you realize the ‘I’ itself is an illusion then the form, time, and space are bound to be an illusion because the form, time, and space cease to exist without the ‘I’.

If you realize the ‘I’ itself is an illusion then the three states are bound to be an illusion because the three states cease to exist without the ‘I’.

If you realize the ‘I’ itself is an illusion then the individual experience of birth, life, death, and the world is bound to be an illusion because the individual experience of birth, life, death, and the world cease to exist without the ‘I’.

Remember:~

The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. The mind is present in the form of the universe.

The universe is present in the form of form, time, and space. Without form, time, and space, there is no duality.

The duality is not a reality from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self.

The mind is present in the form of form, time, and space. Whatever belongs to form, time and space is a falsehood. The universe in which we exist as a reality is a falsehood.

There is a need to know ‘what is what’ in order to realize the truth hidden by the illusory form, time, and space.

The ‘I’ disappears as deep sleep, so what is the use of being attached to it? It is impermanent and illusory because ‘I’ is physical awareness.

Physical awareness is not Self-awareness. ‘I-less awareness is Self-awareness.

There is really no ‘I’. The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. And the mind is in the form of the universe.

And universe appears as a waking or dream. The ‘I’ or mind or the universe or waking or dream dies disappears as deep sleep.

Thus, one that appears as ‘I’ or mind or the universe or waking or dream is consciousness, and it disappears as deep sleep is also consciousness. In deep sleep, it is in its formless nondual true nature. The one, which witnesses the coming and going, of the three states, is also consciousness. Thus, the witness and witnessed are one in essence.

Thus, the universe is a reality on the base of individuality and the universe is unreal on the base of the Soul (consciousness), which is the Self.

The seeker gradually will grasp and realize the unreal nature of the universe or mind.

Individuality is illusory because the Self is not an individual because the Self is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. And it pervades everything and everywhere in all three states.

Remember:~

Till you hold the “Self’ as the ‘I’ all the confusion will go on. The ‘I’ is not the Self. The ‘I’ is the whole universe in which your body and ego exist.

The ego cannot be killed because the ego and the world appeared to gather and they disappear together. Who has to kill the ego? How can the ego kill itself when it is the very basis of physical existence (universe)?

You are present in the form of ego. You have an inborn conviction that ‘you are an individual apart from the world’ and the world existed prior to you and you are born in this world and you are living in this world.

Even In the dream, the dream entity has the same inborn conviction that ‘he is an individual apart from the world’ and the world existed prior to you and he is born in this world and you are living in this world. Till this conviction is there the dualistic illusion prevails as reality.

The illusory nature of the dream is exposed when the waking takes place. Similarly, the illusory nature of the waking will be exposed when wisdom dawns. The wisdom dawns when the waking entity (you or ego) realizes it itSelf is not the Self but the Self is the Soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states, in the midst of the dualistic illusion.

The ego cannot be killed. Instead of getting rid of the ego, one has to get rid of ignorance. It is a foolish venture to kill or destroy the ego.

There is no need to kill the ego to get Self-realization. A perfect understanding of ‘what is Self ‘and ‘what is non-Self is very much necessary. The discrimination between the Self and non-Self leads to Non-dualistic Self-awareness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The ‘I’ disappears as deep sleep, so what is the use of being attached to it, which is impermanent and illusory.+

The ‘I’ disappears as deep sleep, so what is the use of being attached to it? It is impermanent and illusory because ‘I’ is physical awareness. Physical awareness is not Self-awareness. ‘I-less awareness is Self-awareness.

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 Self, is that witness of the 'I'.

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 Soul which is the witness of the ‘I’. Holding the ‘I as the Self leads to hallucination based on the imagination.

The ‘Self’ is not the body.

The ‘Self’ is not within the body.

You are not the ‘Self'.

You are bound by form, time, and space.

You are bound by the experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

You are never free because the world in which you exist is the product of ignorance.

The world in which you exist is created out of single clay. That single clay is the Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the Self. The Soul is not ‘I’. The Soul is the witness of the ‘I’ which appears and disappears.

The Soul is the only permanent thing and the ‘I’, is mere an illusion. If you do not understand this truth you will never be able to cross the ‘I’, which is the dualistic illusion.

The seeker has to make sure what is this ‘I’ supposed to be? The seeker has to make sure the unreal nature of the ‘I’ which comes and goes.

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”.

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take 'I' as real because some Gurus have propagated the Self is the ‘I’. is no need to convince such a mindset. 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, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

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 else other than their accepted truth. There is no need to convince such a mindset.

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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

‘Who AM I?’ and ‘I AM THAT’ -teachings will not yield the truth hidden by the ignorance.+

The Advaitic wisdom will not dawn by adopting ‘Who AM ‘I’?’ and ‘I AM THAT’ teachings because they are based on individuality.

The individual exists with the universe. The universe is the dualistic illusion or Maya. ‘Who AM ‘I’?’ and ‘I AM THAT’- teachings will not yield the truth hidden by ignorance.

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

All the ‘I-centric’ Gurus propagate that the Athma or the Soul or ‘Self’ is limited to an individual but it is not so because the Athma or the Soul or ‘Self’ pervades everywhere and everything in the universe. The universe is merely an illusion created out of the Athma or the Soul or ‘Self’, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Sage Sankara asks his opponents "How do you know there are separate individual Souls? Have you seen the Soul of a man? You can only say that you have seen different bodies. To say more is to misuse language. Therefore, I call you liars unless you give proof, which is impossible.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe.

So, it proves the Soul is not an individual but it is the support of all that exists in this universe.

The Soul is not limited to an individual. The individuals are many but the Soul is one. The individual exists within the universe. The Soul is the cause of the universe and it itself is uncaused.

The Soul is not within the human body. The universe is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Thus, whatever the universe contains is bound to be the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

In the dream world, the dream people appeared together and disappeared together. Similarly, the waking world and waking people appeared together and disappeared together. Thus, the dream is created out of single stuff and that stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. In the same way, the waking experience also created out single stuff. And that single stuff is the consciousness.

The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the cause of the three states and it itself is uncaused. The many soul theories are religious and yogic fables based on the false self (ego) and false experience (waking). Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Remember:~

Sage Sankara said: ~A.A~ 88. When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman (consciousness), and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that the body is Atman?

All these experiences as a father, son, Guru, and pupil the world in which they all exist were one and the same consciousness appearing differently. All these distinctions disappear when one realizes ‘Self’ is not ‘I’ but the Soul. The Soul is the cause of this world in which we exist and it, itself is uncaused.

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

Sage Sankara says: ~ VC-63-"Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world.

In nondual Self-awareness, the ego is not considered as ego, even though the ego is present, the body is not considered as a body even though the body is present, and the world which confronts him is not considered as the world even though the world is present, the duality ceases even though the duality is present, and because of wisdom, everything is considered as consciousness. Thus there is conscious oneness

Only in ignorance, the world in which we exist is an illusion created out of the Soul, the ‘Self’.

That is why Sage Sankara Says: ~ VC-63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the ‘Self’ how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.

What is the use of saying ‘I AM THAT’- without knowing what the ‘Self’ is in actuality? Without knowing the truth of the Self, without realizing the truth of the world in which you exist it is impossible to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space. By a mere utterance of the word ‘I AM THAT', the truth will not be revealed.

Sage Sankara: ~VC-if the universe is 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.

Remember:~

In fact Sage Sankara states a paradox- the world is and is not. It is neither real nor unreal. It leads us to recognize the existence of Maya (illusion). He thinks that the world is illusory from one perspective and from the second it is nothing but Brahman(God in truth), itself in manifestation. This apparent world is Maya and has its basis in Brahm the Eternal. It looks as real. It has names and forms and actually, it is not real In the light of true knowledge, it disappears and Self-alone shines as real. However, Sage Sankara's Mayavada has not been accepted by many preachers and philosophers.

When Sage Sankara says clearly, that the universe is not real. He says that Brahman and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the Self, which is one though appearing as many in different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the Soul, the Self is Real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearances, then it indicates the form (waking or duality or mind) is unreal and the formless soul (consciousness or soul) is real. Therefore, only Atman is real because there is no second thing that exists other than Atman, which is in the form of consciousness.

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 come 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, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

Therefore, the wise should personally strive with their power of reason to be free the Soul, the Self from the bondage of dualistic illusion or Maya.

Thus, one has to know what is real by realizing our body and our experience of the world is an illusion created out of consciousness. The nature of the Soul, the ‘Self’ is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Religion is nothing to do with the ultimate truth of Brahman or God in truth.+

Religion is regarded as sacred and real by the common people, by the wise as false, and by the politicians as useful

The seeker of truth must realize that religion is not Spirituality or Adyatma. religion is based on blind belief or faith whereas Spirituality is based on the Spirit, the God in truth.

Sage Sankara says: ~ Atman is Brahman. The Atman alone is real is not religious truth. Sage Sankara declared this Advaitic truth, which the ultimate truth to the whole world, many centuries back is rational truth, scientific truth, and ultimate truth.

Thus, the Atman which is present in the form of consciousness is real and eternal, the world in which we exist is merely an illusion.

People do not want to work persevering for the truth beyond the form, time and space. They expect enlightenment instantly. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana cannot be acquired so easily. Most people lack the patience and perseverance in investigating the truth, beyond the form, time and space.

Religion is nothing to do with the ultimate truth of Brahman or God in truth. If one is seeking the truth, then he has to be free from all the religious beliefs and dogmas. The religion is based on the ego (you), whereas, the ultimate truth is based on the Soul, the Self. Whatever is based on the ego is an illusion and whatever is based on the Soul is the ultimate reality or Brahman.

Thus, the religion has to be bifurcated from spirituality to realize the truth beyond the form, the time and space.

There is no use of condemning religion. But one has to highlight how they cause hindrance and becomes an obstacle in the pursuit of truth.

There is no need to rebel against religion but to realize the religion is based on the false self within the false experience whereas the spirituality is based on the Soul, the Self.

The religion makes humanity remain in ignorance of the reality of their true existence with its beliefs, superstitions, and dogmas, the ideas of heaven, hell, sin, karma, and rebirth.

The heaven the abode of physicalized Gods, where one goes after death, rebirth and karma theories based on the birth entity, which is the false self within the illusory world.

When Vedas and Upanishads give clear-cut ideas what God supposed to be then all these Gods and Goddesses which people worship have no value from the ultimate standpoint.

For those ignorant who believe their experience of birth, life, death, and the world as a reality, think that the effect of action done in previous births, as the Prarabdha in this birth, but for the realized one the present birth, life, death and the world itself is an illusion because they have realized the fact that, waking experience itself is an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

Isa Upanishads indicates 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 towards Self-knowledge, which is the main goal. One cannot reach the nondual 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.

Remember:~

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

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, and the stage of his life, his standing in society, etc. In addition, he is required to perform rituals all through 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)

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. Sage Sankara calls this adhyasa. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards etc. are, therefore, he says, addressed to an ignorant person. (Adhyasa Bhashya)

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 behavior 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)

Sage Sri, 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. (Adhyasa Bhashya)

Sage Sankara: ~ Atman, the Self is verily Brahman (God in truth), 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.

Isa Upanishads: ~ Religious Rituals (Aviarea) is Karma (action) and, therefore, a hindrance. By performing Agnihotra and other sacrifices (Avidya) is a roundabout way of purifying the mind, and it is also groping in the dark.

The Vedic karma is limited only to the religious rituals, not on the whole human life. This karma theory based on human conduct must have been adopted from Buddhism and other theories based on human conducts.

When it says: Perform the obligatory karmas without any attachment to the fruits and at the same time worship Gods and Goddesses, again without any desire to go to heaven - then you can get the benefit of both, liberation and bliss. For those who are not yet ready to renounce, this path is recommended, it means that the religion and its idea of God and Goddesses and code of conducts, and its rituals are meant for the mass who are incapable of thinking of the beyond.

If the ‘Self’ is not the body, then the karma theory has no meaning. On the standpoint of the Soul, the innermost Self no second thing exists other than the Soul, which present in the form of the consciousness because the world in which we exist is an illusion created out of the consciousness. Thus, whatever karma performed by you the within the world in which you exist has no value because the world in which you exist is an illusion.

Mundaka Upanishad says ~ “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.

The heaven the abode of physicalized Gods, where one goes after death, rebirth and karma theories based on the birth entity, which is the false self within the illusory world.

When Vedas and Upanishads give clear-cut ideas what God supposed to be then all these Gods and Goddesses which people worship have no value from the ultimate standpoint.

Religious Gods are based blind faith or blind belief. Gods based on blind faith or blind beareef is not God in truth. Religious God cannot be considered as the center because the Soul, the ‘Self’ is the center of all that exists.

Without the Soul the world in which you exist ceases to exist, it means the religious God is dependent on the Soul for his existence. God in truth is only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~ God Supreme or Supreme is 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.

Rig Veda: ~ 'Prajnanam Brahma'- Consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.

God in truth is the Atman, the Self. Atman is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not accept any other God other than Atman not worship other than Atman.

Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Nothing is real but God. Nothing Matters but love for God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything.

God in truth is hidden by the illusory universe. God in truth alone is and all else is an illusion.

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)

Even Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God in truth) is the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.

Even the Bhagavad Gita says: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God) 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 nothing has to be accepted as God other than consciousness.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~ "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)

No mantras help to get rid of ignorance. All the mantras and rituals are meant for the ignorant populace, which strongly believes, the world in which he exists as a reality. For one who wants to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the mantas will not help to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

That is why Sage Sankara:~ VC~.61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one

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. : ~Santthosh Kumaar