The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sankara is impersonal.+

The religion of the Veda knows no idols. All the idols worshiped as God are non-Vedic Gods. If idols are of the non-Vedic God s then why so many Gods and Goddesses with different form and name are being propagated as Vedic Gods.

Why these conceptual Gods are introduced when the Vedic concept of God is free from form and attributes.

God and Goddesses worshiped in India today are non-Vedic Gods. Such Gods and Goddesses cease to exist without the dualistic illusion. Whatever belongs to the dualistic illusion is bound to be an illusion.

Rig Veda clearly declares the God is Atman and never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman. Then why to worship any other God in place of the Atman,which is 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. 

Prohibition of idol worship in Yajurveda: ~

Yajur Veda – chapter- 32:~ God is Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions.

Yajurveda: ~ There is no image of God in truth. God in truth is unborn eternal. (Chapter 32, Verse 3)

Yajurveda: ~ God in truth is nondual and pure." (Chapter 40, Verse) 

Yajurveda: ~ "They are entering darkness, those who worship the natural things (like air, water, fire, etc.), they are sinking more in darkness who worship created things." (Chapter 40, Verse 9)

Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

Remember:~

Nirguna Brahman (God in truth) of Sage Sankara is impersonal.

Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes),

Nirakara (formless),

Nirvisesha (without special characteristics),

immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent).

It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject.

It can never become an object as it is beyond the reach of the senses.

Brahman is non-dual, one without a second.

It has no other beside it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal.

Brahman cannot be described because the description implies the distinction.

Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not a distinction between substance and attribute.

Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman and not just Its attributes.

The religion of the Veda knows no idols. All the idols worshiped as God s are non-Vedic God s. If idols are of the non-Vedic God s then why so many God s and Goddesses with different form and name are being propagated as Vedic God s. Why these conceptual God s are introduced when the Vedic concept of God is free from form and attributes.

God and Goddesses worshiped in India today are non-Vedic God s. Such Gods and Goddesses cease to exist without the dualistic illusion. Whatever belongs to the dualistic illusion is bound to be an illusion.

Rig Veda clearly declares the God is Atman and never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman. Then why to worship any other God in place of the Atman, the real God.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God in truth ) is considered the all-pervading consciousness (Spirit), 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 (Spirit) 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 Self. In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

Remember:~

Sage Sankara said:~Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way.(1) Vivekachoodamani v 56, pg 25

Sage Sankara himself says ~ 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?

62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utters the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realization one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.

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.

Consciousness is qualityless because it is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. I humbly request you to read my posts and blogs you will find answers to all your questions.

All happening is within the waking experience. The waking experience is merely an illusion from the standpoint of the Soul, the ‘Self’.

Thus, the experience of birth, life, death, and the world within the illusory waking experience is bound to be an illusion. The Soul is nothing to do with the experience of birth, life, death, and the world, because the Soul, the ‘Self’ is unborn and eternal. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara proved the existence of God from the Vedic perspective and also proved the existence of God rationally.+

There is no proper word for Athma in English. Translators used the Self for Athma, which is an error.

Athma means existence. Athma is the cause of the whole universe whereas the Self is limited to a physical entity.

The English use of the word the Self is applied to the individual Soul. Sage Sankara rejects many souls theory. Sage Sankara's wisdom is ekathma vada (one Soul).

Existence without the illusory form, time, and space is applied to unseen Athma, which is the cause and support of the illusory universe in which we exist.

The seeker has to remember the Self means Athma, which is not limited to an individual but Athma pervades in everything and everywhere in the whole universe.

Hence, many errors have arisen in translations from Sanskrit.

All the Gurus of the ease and west, however, apply the word Self to individual. Sages apply it to the non-duality. Athma is Brahman. Brahman or the ultimate truth is called "That" because it is something not known yet by the seeker.

Brahman ~ “The word Brahman or Sat has no proper equivalent in English. The nearest is ultimate reality or ultimate truth.

The word Self is not the best word to express because people are attached to the word Self because all the translators used the word Self. The Self really means not you but the Self means Athma in Adyathma or Spirituality.

The words and their meaning belong plurality are illusory. The words are necessary to indicate the truth hidden by ignorance.

From the non-dualistic perspective, the words are meaningless. The words are used within the illusory world to indicate the truth, which is hidden by ignorance. :

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is for realizing the Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Sage Sankara disagrees with Buddhists who say, there is nothing - a nonentity. Sage Sankara believes there is some reality, even though things are not what they appear to be. If one knows the truth, he will know what to do to find inspiration for action. The seeker of truth‘s subject is to know what is it that is Real.

Buddhism says:~ ‘All things are illusory and nothing exists. However, Advaita avers that it is not so. It says that the universe, of course, is illusory, but there is Brahman (consciousness), that exists, forming the very substratum of all things (illusion or universe).

Sage Sankara opposed the Buddhists only, who misunderstood Buddha and became atheists. According to Sage Sankara meditation always means the critical analysis of the Self to get salvation from worldly tensions. Due to the eccentric ego of the then atheists, Sage Sankara did not go beyond this since the atheists will not accept God beyond themselves. This limitation is not due to limited knowledge of Sage Sankara but is due to the then-existing situation of the psychology of the surrounding society.

Even Bhagavan Buddha kept silent about God because the society dealt by Him consisted of Purvamimamsakas, who were strong atheists. Bhagavan Buddha told that everything including the Self is only relatively real (Sunya). This is correct because the Self is a part of the universe, which is relatively real with respect to the absolute unimaginable God. The Bhagavan Buddha stopped at this point because the atheists cannot realize the existence of the unimaginable God indicated through His silence.

The point of Bhagavan Buddha is that if God is non-existent, the entire creation including the Soul, the ‘Self ‘is non-existent.

How the universe can exist without the Soul because the universe is merely an illusion created out of the Soul.

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

The Soul, is present in the form of consciousness, is real and eternal. The world in which we exist is an illusion created out of consciousness.

Atman is Brahman (God), the One without a Second

According to Vedas and Upanishads, God is Athma:~

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul or Spirit) is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman, the ‘Self’. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" -(10:48, 5)

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

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman God in truth is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object as it is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other besides it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described because the description implies distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sankara is impersonal

Thus, it refers to a formless and attributeless God, which is the Atman (Soul), the innermost ‘Self’ within the false experience. Thus it indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imaginations based on the false self. Thus Atman or Soul, the ‘Self’ is God.

Sage Sankara wanted to establish the existence of the Brahman. For this purpose, He made the Atman as the Brahman. He brought out the identity of Self with the consciousness and made the Atman the Brahman. Since one will not negate the existence of his Self, he will accept the existence of the Brahman, which is the Atman or Soul the Self. Both Bhagavan Buddha and Sage Sankara kept silent about the absolute unimaginable God. The same philosophy was dealt with by them from different angles in different situations.

Sage Sankara proved the existence of God from the Vedic perspective and also proved the existence of God rationally.

Sage Sankara himself had often said that his philosophy was based on Shruti, or revealed scripture. This may be because Sage Sankara addressed the ordinary man, who finds security in the idea of causality and thus, in the idea of God—and Revelation is indispensable to prove the latter. He believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality, and can, therefore, dispense with Shruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Not only the Advaitic wisdom is the ultimate wisdom but also the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is the science of cosnciousness.+

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing but scientific truth of the consciousness which is the cause of the universe and it is uncaused. Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is nothing but the science of consciousness. Sage Sri, Sankara was the first scientist who declared the universe is nothing but consciousness.

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

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.

Sage 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 criteria for Self-judgement.

That is why Sage Sankara: ~ 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.

Sage Sankara: ~ VC In the dream state, even though there is no contact with the outside world, the Soul alone projects the entire dream universe of enjoyer, enjoyment, etc. Similarly, the waking state is no different. All this world of pluralistic phenomena is illusory projection.

Remember:~

Orthodox claims that idolatry in India does not mean anything horrible. Idolatry in no way helps undeveloped minds to grasp the spiritual truth.

It is the ignorant people who indulge in idolatry and rituals even though they are highly qualified with university degrees.

The seeker must remember once and for all that, if he is serious in his quest for truth he should drop all his accumulated knowledge and learn to observe reality as it is without the illusory form, time, and space.

Not only the Advaitic wisdom is the ultimate wisdom but the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is the greatest invention even though science is never discovered to date.

Swami Vivekananda: ~ “Advaita encompasses everything. Since Advaita requires heavy-duty intellectualism, it had to be progressively simplified. (From 'The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda)

In one word, the ideal of Advaita is to realize the Soul, the 'Self' as it really is. If you are unaware of what is the 'Self' in actuality how can you realize God in truth?

The seeker must remember that for all periods the Vedas are the final goal and authority, and if the Puranas differ in any respect from the Vedas, the Puranas are to be rejected without mercy.

The Soul the ‘Self’ alone is real. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness pervades all the animate and inanimate things in the world as the thread through a string of pearls.

Religious Gurus and yogis are the theologians, the Gurus and yogis are religious heads, and these people are not Gnanis. Some great scientists and professors claim themselves who have mastered Vedas and Upanishad and these people are not Gnanis but intellectuals.

These people dominate the ignorant populace, and they are not the Gnanis ~ they are not Gnanis because they have accumulated bookish knowledge. All their accumulated knowledge is second-hand.

Tripura Rahasya: ~ Second-hand knowledge of the ‘Self’-gathered from books or Gurus can never emancipate a man until its truth is rightly investigated and applied; only direct realization will do that. Realize yourself, turning the mind inward. ~ 18: 89

Some Gurus even simply go on fabricating beautiful words and theories and creating an illusion in the minds of people that perhaps they are authentic seers, enlightened people.

When the Vedas and Upanishad declare that the consciousness or Atman is actually nothing but Brahman, then why go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind?

Ish Upanishad:~ Those people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide. ~10/11/12

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

Sage Sankara was right in saying: ~ 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.

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.

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

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?

Fortunate are the seekers who do not lose themselves in the labyrinths of philosophies.

Yoga Vasistha:~ "Teachers, interpretations of sacred texts, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth which is revealed in the clear reflection of the heart, engendered from contact with the good."

Anybody can write a commentary on the Upanishads and other great philosophic texts, all they need to do to pour out words. Some westerners along with some orthodox pundits translated and published books. The influence of Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do with orthodox belief systems.

Some philosophers in the past dissented from this interpretation of Vedanta philosophy, holding that the incarnated Souls were separate from the Divine Essence and only finally merged with it after the cycles of birth.

All these theoretical philosophies are based on the imagination based on the false ‘Self’ (ego or you) within the false experience (waking).

It is quite easy to do this even for those who have never understood the Upanishads but think they have. Thus the dualists and their disciples have written commentaries on scriptures: But all of these have written to satisfy themselves, not to get the truth because all their interoperation are based on a dualistic perspective. The truth will reveal only when one is able to reason from the nondualistic perspective.

Likewise, the thinkers and poets of the Age of Devotion (Bhakti) of the 16th century believed in a God with attributes who became very tangible when incarnating as Avatar and was attainable simply through love and devotion rather than scholastic and intellectual meditation.

For them, the Bhagavad Gita became the main vehicle of inspiration with its qualified and deistic Monism, rather than the scholastic and esoteric path shown by Sage Sankara.

The truth-seeker has to reject a devotional path it wants to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space. The path of Bhakti is for the ignorant populace.

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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara Says:~ The religion is meant for ignorant people. Advaitic wisdom is meant for the serious truth seekers.

Sage Sankara Says:~ The religion is meant for ignorant people. And Advaitic wisdom is meant for the serious seekers of truth.

Sage Sankara says:~ the scriptures dealing with rituals are addressed to an ignorant person.

Those who lack the intelligence to discriminate between formless witness (subject) and three states (object) will not be able to grasp what is real and what is unreal. Both subject and object are the consciousness, not the subject alone.

Ish Upanishad:~ Those people who have neglected the attainment of ‘Self’-knowledge and have thus committed suicide ~10/11/12

Those people who have neglected the attainment of ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana and have thus committed suicide, as it were, are doomed to enter those worlds after death.

This is a condemnation of people who do not try to attain Self-knowledge. They are, in a real sense, committing suicide, for what can be worse than being a slave to sense enjoyment, completely oblivious of the real purpose of life, which is to be one’s, own master?

The Brahma Sutras together with Sage Sri Sankara's commentary thereon do not contain higher Vedanta. They are intended for duffers.

Sage Sankara's commentary on Brahma Sutras is not on a philosophical basis, but on a religio-mystic one, with an appeal to Vedas as the final authority.

In Brahma Sutra Sage Sankara takes the position that there is another entity outside us, i.e. the wall really exists separately from the mind. This was because of Sage Sankara explains in Manduka that those who study the Sutras are religious minds, and intellectual children, hence his popular viewpoint to assist them. These people are afraid to go deeper because it means being heroic enough to refuse to accept Shruti, and God's authority, in case they mean punishment by God.

Sage Sankara says:~ Keep the scriptures for children but throw them on the fire for wise seekers.

In Brahma Sutras Sage Sankara takes for granted, and assumes that a world was created: He there mixes dogmatic theology with philosophy.

That God created the world is an absolute lie; nevertheless, you will find Sage Sri, Sankara (in his commentary on Vedanta Sutras) clearly says this! He has to adapt his teachings to his audience, reserving the highest for philosophical minds.

The text of Brahma Sutras is based on religion and dogmatism, but in the commentary Sage Sankara cleverly introduced some philosophy. If it is objected that a number of Upanishads are equally dogmatic because they also begin by assuming Brahman, but a few Upanishads do not but prove Brahman at the end of a train of proof.

The causality and creation, but these are for religious people only. Religion is only for those who are unable to understand truth beyond form, time, and space. Religion is not final. It only gives satisfaction to the populace. Self-knowledge is for the whole of humanity to free them from experiencing birth, life, death, and the world as reality.

People of small intelligence follow religion and believe that the world was created by God. But how do they know that He did so? When a pot is created, one can see both pot and its maker, but not in the case of the world.

This is following the prescription prescribed by orthodoxy in the name of Sage Sankara. The orthodoxy has listed down in 5 verses, 40 steps of Sadhanas (discipline) to be followed to achieve the (only meaningful) goal of human life Moksha, liberation. Use it every day as contemplative prayer.

1. Study the scriptures (Vedas) daily

2. Perform diligently the duties (sva dharma) ordered by the scriptures

3. predicate all the actions thus performed (as above) to Ishvara (IshvarArpanna Buddhi)

4. Gradually give up the performance of ‘Selfish actions

5. Filter sinful/adharmic likes and dislikes

6. Recognize the inherent defects of material pursuits

7. Seek moksha with the consistent endeavor

8. Get out from the bondage of activity (specified to the ones which end up entangling us)

9. Seek companionship with men of wisdom

10. Be established in firm devotion to Ishvara and perform Upasana

11. Gain mind control, sense control, withdrawal, forbearance, faith, and focus

12. Give up karma and Upasana when they are not required any longer for spiritual growth

13. Seek Knowledge from a SeatGuru

14. Serve his lotus feet

15. Ask for brahma vidya

16. Listen in depth, to the Upanishadic declarations

17. Analyze the meanings of Upanishadic commandments

18. Perform such analyses by sticking to scriptures

19. Get away from the logic-based system (logic is good when it corroborates scripture, in the sense, don't try to substitute it)

20. Dwell upon the discriminative rationale of Shruti (basically, develop Viveka)

21. Constantly remain steeped in the fact that you are Brahman

22. Renounce pride/vanity/arrogance

23. Give up the delusionary misconception- "I am the body"

24. Do not argue with wise men

25. Consider hunger as a disease

26. Treat hunger, the disease, by taking bhiksha food

27. Beg no delicious food

28. Live contentedly with whatever comes your way as prasadam

29. Endure all pains of opposites- heat/cold, likes/dislikes, pleasure/pain.

30. Avoid wasteful talk

31. Be indifferent and avoid groupism

32. Don't get attached to either someone's love or criticism

33. In solitude also, live joyously

34. Quieten your mind in Ishvara

35. Realize and see the ‘Self’ in everything, everywhere

36. Recognize the universe as a finite projection of the ‘Self’

37. Destroy the effects of deeds done in earlier lives (sanchit karma) through the strength of knowledge

38. Through wisdom, become detached from AgAmi karma (give up doership/enjoyership)

39. Experience and exhaust the prarabdh, fruits of past actions

40. Thereafter, live eternally as Brahman

Remember:~

Sage Sankara Says:~ the orthodoxy is meant for ignorant people.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread."

~ This shows he was wearing the religious robe only for the sake of bread."

All the rituals based on the Gods based on blind belief will not yield any fruits and they are meant for the ignorant populace who are unable to grasp God beyond form, time, and space.

One of Sage Sankara’s missions was to wean people away from a ritualistic approach advocated by Mimamsakas and to project wisdom (jnana) as the means of liberation in the light of Upanishad teachings.

Sage Sankara criticized severely the ritualistic attitude and those who advocated such practices. However, the orthodox texts that combined rituals with wisdom (jnana_karma_samucchaya) more in favor of the Mimamsaka position came into vogue, projecting Sage Sankara as the rallying force of the doctrine.

That is why 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, 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 the ‘Self’ with the body is a 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. 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 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

No conceptual God can exist, apart from consciousness. People are not aware of the fact that there is no individual God that can exist, apart from the Soul, which is in the form of consciousness. Thus, the Soul or consciousness is the true ‘Self’. If there is no consciousness, then there is no body, no ego, no universe, no religion, and no personal God. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar