“Advaita” is a term used variously to express the unity of reality. Advaita is unity in diversity.+

Dattatreya's Song of the Avadhut:~Nonduality is taught by some; some others teach duality. They don't understand that the all-pervading Reality is beyond both duality and nonduality.

“Advaita” is a term used variously to express the unity of reality.  Advaita is unity in diversity.   The seeker has to begin by defining "What is real?" "What is unreal?,   to establish in Advaitic reality by sheer reasoning alone.   Reasoning is the right way to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. People must first know what is the truth? and what is untruth’. 

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is not teaching or philosophy but Advaita is universal wisdom. Advaitic wisdom is neither a teaching nor a theory but it is mere guidance to those who are seriously seeking the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. Grasp the ultimate truth at any time, any age, if the seeker has the spiritual maturity and capacity to grasp it. 

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 not-Self.

It really depends on his inborn natural capacity to understand and assimilate it.  Sage Sri, Sankara’s wisdom is a Self-examiner, to test oneself to discover how near to Gnana he has approached and what progress has already been made on the path, and what still remains to be done.  It sets up a criterion for Self-judgement.   There are millions in search of truth but one in million will be able to grasp it.

People who have gained an intellectual understanding of nonduality have the wrong notion that they are already self-realized and there is nothing more there to be done than simply talk Advaita and enjoy the world around them.

The practical life is nothing to do with the Soul, the Self from the ultimate standpoint. The practical life has meaning only from the base of the false self (ego) within the false experience (waking).

Until one thinks of the birth entity as self, he is bound to believe the universe as reality. Without knowing the basis of how the universe is unreal, it is difficult to realize the Advaitic truth.

The seeker has to find for himself the truth of his true existence and to come to a fuller and deeper understanding and realization of the truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space.

Because of ignorance, the universe has arisen. The universe is a dualistic illusion. Without ignorance, the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness alone shines as the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

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).

Consciousness, the God is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny God because God is the very essence of the one who denies God. God is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs.

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 human thought.

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

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 the 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 onto 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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

You, your body, and the world in which you exist are created out of single clay and that clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.+

For the Soul, the Self: ~

What are projection and retraction?

What are the end and means?

What are the failure and success?

~ to the formless Soul, which is formless, timeless, and spaceless in its nature. The illusory world that appears and merges back into its essence is not an appearance at all.

What is the knower the means of knowledge, the object of knowledge?

what is anything or nothing?:~

~ to the Soul, the Self, which is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless.

Knower, knowledge, object, thing, nothing or any word one may utter is after all they are the words and words have meaning only within the illusion. Consciousness is ever present in all three states but as a person, one is unconscious of consciousness because he thinks the Self is his body.

When all-knowing, known, and knower are simultaneously mental as in the dream what else is there to trouble about understanding them. Because one considers the waking experience, as a reality one is incapable of understanding and assimilating the Advaitic truth.

What is the distraction?

What are the concentration, dullness ad delusion, happiness, and sorrow?

~ to the Soul, which is ever actionless because it is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless.

As a person, one may be drawn to observe his body and the world, but the Gnani is not disturbed because he has realized his body and his experience of the world are made of consciousness.

The physical attributes are nothing to do with the Soul, the innermost Self wrongly; all the attributes belong to the ego, not the Soul. Identifying the physical attribute to the Soul is the cause of ignorance.

Remember:~

Some Gurus say the Self is not the body but they speak of five senses which belong to the body. The body belongs to you because you are bound by birth, life, and death whereas the Soul is birthless and deathless, because, the Soul, is a formless, timeless spaceless existence.

You, your body, and the world in which you exist are created out of single clay and that clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The Self is not 'you' -means the ‘Self’ is not the body. If the Self is not the body then what is the use of controlling the sense organs.

It is necessary to realize the ‘Self’ is not you but the Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul has no organs because the Soul is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

Some gurus propagate by control of the senses leading to Self-realization. By controlling the senses the ignorance will not vanish. Without getting rid of ignorance, the world in which you exist prevails as reality.

The universe is the product of ignorance. The five senses (body) are nothing to do with the Soul the Self, because the Soul the Self is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

From the standpoint of the Soul the Self, the universe in which the body (you) exist is merely an illusion.

The Soul, the ‘Self’’ is not visible to the physical eyes. The Soul, the ‘Self’ is not to be found in the world as a thing or as an entity or an object. The Soul, the ‘Self ‘is above these and has neither beginning nor ending because it is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

The dream universe and the five sense (dream body) becomes unreal when the waking takes place. Similarly, the waking experience in which you and the waking world exist becomes unreal when wisdom dawns. The wisdom dawns when the Soul remains in its own awareness in the midst of the duality(waking).

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.

Deliberate exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real renunciation. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The words and words that have meaning only within the illusory universe or Maya.+

Some gurus say to keep quiet do not use words but by not using the words remain quiet ignorance will not vanish. Such an act will not help the seeker to realize the truth which is hidden by the form, time, and space.

By not using words, wisdom will not dawn. The words are the expression of thoughts. Thoughtlessness is not wisdom. In deep sleep, there are no thoughts. It does not mean that by taking a sleeping pill, one gets wisdom.

Some people expect without using words we have to convey nonduality but they are unable to convey their message of nonduality with the language without the words.

Using words or not using words is nothing to do with the truth beyond the form, time, and space. The words mean different things to different people. It is what's behind the words, between the lines that matters. Perfect understanding of ‘what is what leads to the realization of truth beyond the form, time, and space.

The words are for communication purposes. Communication leads to a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ in this state of ignorance (duality).

Any word one may utter is, after all, they are the words and words that have meaning only within the illusory universe or Maya.

The seeker of truth should not become attached to words as being in perfect conformity with meaning because Truth is not in the letters.

The words and their discrimination bind one to the duality; meaning stands alone and is a guide to non-dual awareness. 

Meaning is attained by much learning, and much learning is attained by becoming conversant with meaning and not with words; therefore, seekers of truth have to avoid the sticklers for particular words.

The one who realizes that fact that he, his thoughts and the words he utters, and the world in which he exists is created out of single stuff, and that single stuff is consciousness. Thus, everything is consciousness.

Realizing everything is consciousness leads to Self-awareness. Thus using words or no words is nothing to with Gnani. Only ignorant people talk of nonduality, not to use the words with words.

The path of wisdom is not for those who have chosen the path of the wordless path, so, they must continue with their chosen path without using the words and communicating with others. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

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

The Soul the  Self is ever free from all taint. The mind exists as an illusion within the Soul, the   Self. Thus, the Soul or the consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. The ultimate truth or Brahman or  God in truth.

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

Do not accept any other God other than the Soul. The Soul is God in truth,  Nothing is real but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Nothing matters but realizing God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

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

Brahman is merely a word to indicate the ultimate truth or God in truth.  The ultimate truth itself is God in truth. 

Thus, the consciousness is God and God pervades everything and everywhere in all three states. Thus, the mystic claim that ‘I AM GOD’ is incorrect because God is not an individual because God pervades everything and everywhere in all three states. Thus, there is no God within the illusory universe but the illusory universe is created out of consciousness, which is  God in truth.

Thus, one has to realize the individual God propagated by the belief systems is merely an imaginary God based on the false self within the false experience.

Verily the Soul, the Self is all, free from differentiation and non-differentiation because it is formless. Neither can it be said, It is” not nor “It is not." It is a great mystery.

This is the whole substance of ultimate understanding. With Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma, Gnana is based on the Soul the Self, whereas all other Knowledge is based on the ego. Whatever is based on the ego is bound to be a falsehood. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

A Gnani is neither anyone’s gurus nor anyone’s disciple.

A Gnani sees no separation in form, time, and space because form, time, and space are one in essence. That essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

A Gnani never claims himself as Gnani, he guides the seekers, not posing himself as a Guru, and he does not force his wisdom on others.

Manduka Upanishads: ~ Even the Gods cannot find out who is a Gnani because he bears no external mark. Neither nudity nor the religious robe has anything to do with him.

Sage Sankara clearly indicates in Viveka Chudamani (2) that the Knower of the Atman (A Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).

Sage Sankara:` On Gnani:~ "The knower of Brahman (Gnani) wears no signs. Gives up the insignia of a monk's life…his signs are not manifest, nor his behavior.

Sage Sankara:~ The Knower of the Atman or the knower of Brahman is the Brahma Gnani.

When the knower of Brahman (Gnani) wears no signs it means he does not identify himself as Guru or yogi or teacher or Swami, because a Gnani sees the form, the time and space are one in essence. Thus, there is unity in diversity in his realization.

The one who claims himself as Gnani is not a Gnani because he limits the ‘I’ to form alone and never takes the time and space into account.

A Gnani is neither anyone’s gurus nor anyone’s disciple. He respects all the sage of the past and highlights good points in their teaching and he also highlights the obstacles, which block the realization of the ultimate truth.

The Soul is the  Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the witness consciousness that experiences the action, the actor, and the world of separate things. It is like a light that illuminates everything in a theatre, revealing the master of ceremonies, the guests, and the dancers with complete impartiality. Even when they all depart, the light shines to reveal their absence.

One knows everything within the waking experience is consciousness because the waking experience itself is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. 

The physical apparatus is absent in deep sleep so one cannot know anything by intuition because there is no duality in deep sleep. This proves that the duality is present only in waking or dream. And also it proves that if there is such a faculty as intuition it must be limited to the physical Self within the physical existence. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

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

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.

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

Do not accept any other God other than the Soul. The Soul is God in truth, Nothing is real but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Nothing matters but realizing God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

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

Brahman is merely a word to indicate the ultimate truth or God in truth. The ultimate truth itself is God in truth.

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.

The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is indestructible and inseparable from itself because it is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

Consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all the three states.:~Santthosh Kumaar

A Gnani sees no duality and differentiation but sees everything as consciousness.+

There are hundreds of commentaries from different authors on the Bhagavad Gita. Each one goes on spinning yarns imagining as he likes what the meaning may be.

Bhagavad Gita has been interpreted in a thousand ways, according to the author’s capacity to understand the test of all these is the reason. Only a few understood Bhagavad Gita.

Bhagavad Gita is a hodgepodge containing everything; hence it suits the populace because there is something in it for every type of mindset. It is difficult to find any tradition whose voice is not found in the Gita. It is difficult to find anyone who does not take solace from the Bhagavad Gita. But for such people, the Advaitic path will prove very difficult.

Once you are Soulcentric you will know what Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures really meant, you will see that there is only one possible interpretation, irrespective of diverse opinions or imagination.

The Bhagavad Gita does not contain the higher wisdom. Bhagavad Gita is intended for those who are incapable of thinking rationally.

People love Bhagavad Gita because it is very easy to extract one's own meaning from it. Reading Bhagavad Gita a religious believer extracts something of which he can make a belief because Bhagavad Gita speaks on bhakti, devotion. The karma yogi extracts his belief because Krishna has spoken on karma yoga, the Yoga of action. The believer in knowledge finds what he wants because Bhagavad Gita has spoken on knowledge as well. Somewhere Krishna calls bhakti the ultimate, somewhere else he calls knowledge the ultimate, again elsewhere he calls karma yoga the ultimate.

Lord Krishna taught the Karma and Bhakti yogis their own paths only in order to lead them up to the Gnana yoga path, which is the highest and the real object of his teaching.

Lord Krishna confesses that the oldest wisdom of India (our true Advaita philosophy) has been lost: people misinterpret and falsify it today as they did then. It is not yoga but the philosophic truth. But nobody knows it. The teachers of philosophy and leaders of mysticism or religion do not want to inquire into truth and have no time for it. (Gita ~ Chap ~IV~ v.2)

Why is the word Yoga used in so many different senses in the Gita? Because there are grades and the highest demands concentrated brains, not sitting mindless and imagining you are seeing God.

In Gita Chap.IV where Lord Krishna says: ~ “This yoga has been lost for ages" the word yoga refers to Gnana yoga, not other yogas: the force of the word this is to point this out.

Lord Krishna describes some of the other yogas but devotes this chapter separately to Gnana Yoga. So one sees even in those ancient days people did not care for Advaita; they wanted religion; hence Gnana got lost. That is why Krishna calls it "the supreme secret." Krishna points out that yoga must see "Brahman in action."

Gita Chap.IV:~ “He who achieves perfection in Yoga finds the Self in time." This means that after his yoga is finished, he begins the inquiry into ultimate truth, and in due course, this inquiry produces the realization of the universal spirit as the result.

Understanding what God suppose to be in truth is not so easy. Religious people can only imagine God based on their inherited blind beliefs.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ ‘All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)

Only the path of wisdom leads the seeker of truth on his journey to the ultimate realization of the true nature of the Universal Essence, which is the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

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

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 nothing has to be accepted as God other than consciousness.

Lord Krishna says Ch ~V:~ “Those who know the Self in truth." The last two words (tattvataha) are usually ignored by pundits, but they make all the difference between the ordinary concept of God and the truth about God.

The dualistic worship of "God” is only for the ignorant populace. The God in truth is only Atman, the innermost Self. In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 19:~ "Those who have achieved the true knowledge i.e. the 'Self-Knowledge' or the 'knowledge of Atman' and see no difference, are free from conflicting dualities have merged in Brahman."

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 20:~ "One who does not get excited out of happiness on getting good and does not get depressed on getting bad is situated in Brahman i.e. is merged in Brahman"

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 9:~ "The one who has equal the vision for a Selfless do-gooder, a friend, a foe, an unbiased, a well-wisher, a depressed and jealous man, relatives, a righteous and a sinner is the best (as he sees no duality and differentiation but sees everything as Ātman)"

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 32:~ “.....as one seeks and treats oneSelf with equal vision, the same way one who has the equal vision for good and evil, for everybody is the best of all".

Bhagvad Gita: 6: 8:~ "For whom soil, a pebble, and gold are alike, he is merged in Brahman.

Bhagavad-Gita Gita: 7: 27:~ ".....people are getting entangled in the primordial ignorance (Avidya) of the conflicting dualities like good and evil, happiness and sorrow caused due to attachments, desires, and hatred....."

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 28:~ “.....who have cut-off conflicting dualities (like good and evil)is determinedly in my service. ...."

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, in the last birth in the series of many births worships Me as~ Atman alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare"

A Gnani sees no duality and differentiation but sees everything as Ātman. The knowledge of both matter and spirit is the True knowledge. The true knowledge is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar