Sage Sankara:~ Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas can give us the knowledge.+

The seeker of truth should not believe all the stories about the magical power of mantras, visions and samadhis, and astral travel because they are a reality within the dualistic illusion or Maya. Wherever there is duality there is no truth.

When you know that everything is Brahman, there is no need for the yogic control of the mind. Control presupposes a second, a duality.

Hence, yoga is in the sphere of duality and is unnecessary to one who knows nonduality

If anyone talks of liberation he is forming an idea. The idea belongs to duality. Those philosophers, who are so confused as to be unable to separate the subject from the object, talk of gaining liberation. But all such ideas are only the dualist illusion (object) which comes and goes, the Subject needs no liberation because the object is created out of the subject. Knowledge of the subject frees the subject from the illusory object.

The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

The final state is that God is everything, the All, there is nothing but God, whereas to say "God is in me" is mysticism.

The world in which you exist is consciousness. Unless the world in which you exist is there in your realization, the Advaitic wisdom will not dawn.

Ignorance cannot go through merely knowing the Soul, for it is known in sleep and Samadhi. It can go only by the realization that the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman because there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

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

Remember:~

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 Manduka Upanishads, he gave the highest non-dual message of the identity of Atman and Brahman, revitalizing the philosophy and the 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.

Sage Sankara:~ VC Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity With the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together (verses-6)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It takes time for the seeker to gain the perfect understanding of ‘what is truth’ and ‘’what is untruth’.

Those who are weak and those who are not sharp enough to grasp the truth beyond form, time, and space advise others to be non-observant and to withdraw. Soulcentric rezoning will help, not hinder your pursuit of truth. There is no need to run away from the worldly life in ascetic fear or shyness of them. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara gave religious rituals or dogmatic instruction to the masses but pure wisdom only to the few who could rise.+

The ‘I’ itself is ignorance. Whatever belongs to ‘I’ is bound to be an illusion. Holding the ‘Self’ as the ‘I’ is a great error. Those who are stuck to the ‘I’ are stuck to ignorance.

Those who are stuck up with orthodoxy believing it will get them Advaitic moksha will never be able to realize the Sage Sankara’s Advaita and they will rot in the prison of ignorance.

Religion is meant for the ignorant populace and religion will keep them permanently in the domain of ignorance.

Those who want Advaitic wisdom have to discard the theistic Advaita which propagates falsehood as truth without mercy.

Sage Sankara gave religious rituals or dogmatic instruction to the ignorant populace, but pure wisdom only to the few who could rise to it. Hence, the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.

Sage Goudpada: ~ “The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

Certain principles are common to all orthodox Advaitic thought, that is taken for granted. Orthodox people assume that the doctrine of karma is valid because they accept the experience of birth, life, death, and the world as reality.

If they accept birth, life, death, and the world as a reality then whatever Sage Sankara declaration: ~ Brahman is the truth The World is Unreal everything is Truly Brahman and nothing else has any value. Thus, the Advaitic orthodoxy has nothing to do with the Advaitic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

The Advaita is the Soul ~ the One without a Second

Advaita is the nature of the Soul. The Advaita is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness itself. The Advaita is the spiritual heart.

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

Advaita is present in the form of consciousness and is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Those who are stuck up with orthodoxy believing it will get them Advaitic moksha will never be able to grasp Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom they will rot in the prison of ignorance. The path meant for ignorance will keep them permanently in the domain of ignorance.

Those who want Advaitic wisdom have to discard the theistic Advaita that propagates falsehood as truth without mercy. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara indicated in Bhaja Govindam: - One without knowledge does not obtain liberation.+

 

All these religions have produced a great many saints, prophets, and Sages. If they had been born in Hinduism, in all probability they would have been deified in the same way as the founders of several Hindu sects.

Upanishad says: ~ The human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge and they indicate that the belief in the personal Gods, yoga scriptures, worship, and rituals are not the means to Self–knowledge, so why anyone should indulge in it. Religion, the concept of individualized God, and scriptures are the greatest obstacles to realizing non-dual truth or Self-realization because they are based on false self. The seeker of truth has to search for the ultimate truth without losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, through deeper Self-search, and assimilate and realize it.

That is why Sage Sankara, indicated in Bhaja Govindam says: ~ One without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.

Thus, the path of wisdom is the only means. Then it is no use going a roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and the witness of the universe (mind). By tracing the source of the mind or the universe one will be able to realize the Brahman.

Hinduism has an ever-increasing number of Avatars and Gurus installed as God Himself, with the support and sanction of scriptures and teachings of saints and sages.

Those Saints and Sages in the past introduced Glorifying God and Guru and rituals for the masses who had immersed themselves in worldly life and were incapable of inquiring or not ready for the pursuit of truth.

Glorifying God and Guru and rituals might also be regarded as harmful, as it might cause doubt and confusion in the minds of some seekers who strive with simple faith and earnestness to practice the discipline for Self-realization.

If one is seeking truth then this application of the theoretical philosophy is erroneous and improper. It has been instrumental in spreading sophistry and delusion in the guise of philosophy and direct realization and must be abandoned.

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)

Isa Upanishad says: ~ Into blinding darkness enter those who cling to ignorance, but into still deeper darkness go those, who flirt with knowledge. It is the promotion of nescience with the help of scholarship to justify the worship of a mortal in lieu, of God. It makes no difference whether God is conceived as clothed with attributes (Saguna} or as absolute attribute-less existence (Nirguna).

Sage Sankara: ~VC Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity With the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together (verses-6)

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

Lord Krishna confesses that the oldest wisdom of India ( Advaitic wisdom ) 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)

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 the 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 a result.

Lord Krishna Says Ch. V:~ “Those who know me 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.

There is no need for any practice to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God. Perfect understanding assimilation of ‘what is what’ is very much necessary to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman, which is God in truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara said:~ Worship as many Gods as you please but the liberation will never come without realizing the Oneness.+

Normally people will not understand what I am driving at because they are seeking something which they can enjoy.

People's ambition is to acquire wealth and enjoy practical life within the practical world. They are looking for an advantage in the world, to take care of their daily life.

Thus, to get what they want in practical life they indulge in the numerous paths of dogmas and rituals prescribed by the Gurudom expecting their daily life to go on comfortably.

The so-called Gurus and yogis focus their ambition on acquiring wealth by making the masses more and more dogmatic-oriented.

No one inquires why they are in this hell. This begging to God and Guru goes on and on. If their wish is fulfilled, they indulge more, and more if the wish is not fulfilled they indulge again and again because of fear of getting cursed by God and Gurus.

Thus, in order to get rid of this path of begging one has to know the truth of his true existence.

That is why Swami Vivekananda:~ The masses in India cry to sixty million gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods? Knowing this, stand up and fight! Not one step back that is the idea. ... Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us! Death means only a change of garment. What of it? Thus, fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards. ... Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. You have cried to all the Gods in the world. Has misery ceased? The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods? ... The Gods come to help you when you have succeeded. So what is the use? Die game. ... This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself to your own mind does not befit you, my Soul. You are infinite, deathless, and birthless because you are the infinite spirit, it does not befit you to be a slave. ... Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight! Die if you must. There is none to help you. You are the entire world. Who can help you? - Swami Vivekananda (Delivered In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900) -The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita II

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.

Yoga Vasistha says:~ ‘Self’-knowledge or knowledge of truth is not had by resorting to a Guru (preceptor) nor by the study of scripture, nor by good works: it is attained only by means of inquiry inspired by the company of wise (Gnani). One’s inner light alone is the means, naught else. When this inner light is kept alive, it is not affected by the darkness of inertia.

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

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

The 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 the yogic path. There is no need for a Guru to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Invisible Atman is Advaita. Advaita is God in truth. Advaita is the fullness of consciousness.+

Advaita means nondualistic existence. The Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness is the real existence hidden by the dualistic illusion or Maya or ‘I’. The Soul is one without the second.

The Soul is present in the form of the Spirit or consciousness. The Soul is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Advaita is the nondual nature of God in truth. Advaita is the fullness of consciousness.

Remember this: ~

The ‘I’ is not limited to you. ‘I’ is the whole universe in which you exist. Without the ‘I’ the worlds in which you exist cease to exist.

The world in which you exist appears when ‘I’ appears and the world in which you exist disappears when ‘I’ disappears.

The seeker has to dig into old posts and blogs as well as new ones all your doubts about the ‘I’ will vanish.

The ‘Self is the whole hidden by the ‘I’.

The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind, therefore; ‘I’ is the mind.

The mind is present in the form of the form, time, and space together; therefore, the form, time, and space together are the mind.

The duality is present only when the form, time, and space are present, therefore, the form, time, and space together are the duality.

The form, time, and space are present in the form of the universe, therefore, the form, time, and space together are the universe.

The universe appears as the waking or dream, therefore, the waking or dream is the universe.

The waking is a parallel dream and the dream is a parallel waking.

That is why the Bhagavad Gita: ~ “The permanent is always there, only the transient ‘I’ comes and goes. (2.18)

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self, which is the cause of the 'I'.

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand that the fact that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the witness of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is eternal.

Remember this: ~

Without the ‘I’ there is only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Without the mind, there is only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Without form, time, and space, there is only the Soul, the fullness of consciousness.

Without the universe, there is only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Without the waking or the dream, there is only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Without the individual experience of birth, life, and death, there is only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Remember this: ~

From the standpoint of the Soul, the ‘I’ is an illusion.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the mind is an illusion.

From the standpoint of the Soul, form, time, and space are an illusion.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the universe is an illusion.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the waking or dream is an illusion.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the individual experience of birth, life, and death is an illusion.

The Soul is the cause of all that exists as an illusion and the Soul itself is uncaused.

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

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

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

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

The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is ever-present. Without consciousness, the world, in which you exist ceases to exist.

Consciousness is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny consciousness because it is the very essence of the one who denies it.

Consciousness is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. Consciousness is everything. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The dualistic illusion hides the truth of the Advaita.

The Soul becomes an illusion in waking (duality) and waking becomes the Soul in deep sleep (nonduality).

The one that becomes the duality (waking or dream) and one that remains nonduality in deep sleep is the Soul, the Self.

The Bhagavad Gita says: ~ 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, that 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 truth other than consciousness. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

First, know What is this Self.+

The Self is not you because you are bound by the experience of birth, life, death, and the world. The experience of birth, life, death, and the world has nothing to do with the Soul, the Self. When you are not the Self, then how can you relate the Self with your experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

When the Soul wakes up with its own awareness, then you and your experience of the world becomes unreal same way as the dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place.

If you imagine within the dream it becomes unreal when the waking takes place. Your imagination within the dream remains a reality until the waking takes place. In the same way, your imagination within the waking remains reality till Advaitic wisdom dawns.

Advaitic Wisdom dawns when you realize you are not the Self, but the Self is the formless Soul. If you are not the Self then your imagination has no value because you are the false Self within the illusion (waking).

When the “Self” is not you then what is the use dropping the ignorance. It is not you who have to drop the ignorance but the Soul, the innermost Self has to wake up from the sleep of ignorance. When The Soul, the innermost Self wakes up, then the world in which you exist ceases to exist as a reality.

The one who is born lives and dies is not the ‘Self’. Your birth and death happen within the world. The world itself is the dualistic illusion or Maya created out of the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

When the Soul, the Self is not limited to an individual then what is the use of ‘Who am ‘I’? -inquiry. What is the use of saying ‘I AM THIS’ and ‘I AM THAT’, without realizing what the ‘Self’ is in actuality?

WHO AM ‘I’? / I AM THAT’- teachings are only helpful in elementary stages.

For Self-realization, you must first know what this ‘Self’ is in actuality.

Remember this:~

The ‘I’-centric and you-centric Gurus and their teaching is not Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Unless you discard the ‘I’-centric and you-centric Gurus and their teaching it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

First, know What is this Self?

If something is true, is real, is constant, is a foundation of a nature that is unchanging, this can be called the Self.

The Soul, the Self is the fullness of consciousness without the illusory division of form, time, and space. The Soul is formless, timeless, and spaceless and eternal existence.

People have not penetrated the meaning of the ‘Self’. The meaning is that the ultimate truth is the Self, which is eternal existence.

You are impermanent because the ‘Self’ is not you but the ‘Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

People have not penetrated the meaning of the ‘Self’. The meaning is that the ultimate truth is the Self, which is eternal existence.

You should not hold anything of the dualistic illusion (universe), which is impermanence. The world in which you exist makes you feel as though they are real but ultimately they are merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is permanent.

You must cultivate to see the permanence (Soul) hidden by the impermanence (universe) as it is.

If you do this, you will be like one who sees a gem in the muddied water among the stones and rocks and waits for the water to settle before he skillfully plucks it out.

It is the same with cultivating the idea of the Soul, the Self hidden by the dualistic illusion (universe).: ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

If the man had seen God creating the world, he could admit it, but how could he have seen God before he came into existence.+

The Bible says: ~ “God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

If God is Spirit, then how does the man know God created the world? There is no proof. If man had seen God creating the world, he could admit it, but how could he have seen God before he came into existence? (i.e. were created).

The Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the Soul, the ‘Self’. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

From the Spirit, the universe comes into existence. In the Spirit, the universe resides. And into the Spirit, the universe is dissolved. The Spirit is the parent of all that is there is.

The spirit is present in the form of consciousness. Everything is consciousness. All the moments are within the universe, which is the dualistic illusion or Maya. Whatever happens within the dualistic illusion is bound to be an illusion created out of consciousness. Thus, consciousness alone is real and all else is merely an illusion or Maya.

The chicken is in the egg and the egg is in the chicken. The tree is in the seed and the seed is in the tree. The same thing that was told by the Vedas was repeated by Saint John (10-38)? Father is in me and I am in Father. Thus, the Father (Soul) is our immediate, neighbor- love thy neighbor. Therefore, one has to love the Soul, the innermost to become one with the formless Spirit (Soul), which is the creator, sustainer, and dissolver of the world (duality).

Thus, the Spirit alone is the creator and creation. From the perspective of the Spirit, there is neither the creator nor the creation. There is only oneness, which is the nature of the Spirit, which is God. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar