Going beyond the Vedas, religion and personal Gods means, going beyond the illusion means is the end of Vedas (Veda-antha).+

One has to mentally go beyond Vedas means to go beyond religion. Go beyond religion means, going beyond God based n blind belief.

Going beyond the Vedas, religion and religious Gods means ~ going beyond the illusion, which is the end of Vedas (Veda-antha).

When one goes into the annals of history it looks like the true Advaita expounded by Sage Sankara and Sage Goudpada was lost or mutilated by the orthodox.

The Advaitic wisdom has nothing to do with orthodox preaching and practice because Advaitic orthodoxy is dogmatism. If you are the Advaitic orthodoxy has to be discarded if one wants to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Sage Sankara and Sage Goudpada are independent thinkers other schools of Indian philosophy are mere theologies. Advaitic philosophy is real philosophy. The dualistic philosophy cannot escape the charge of dogmatism.

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

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 has nothing to do with orthodox belief systems.

The seeker must do his homework, and verify the validity of all the claims, rather than blindly believe, what orthodox pundits expound as knowledge, till; the un-contradicted truth is obtained.

Self- Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is only being true knowledge not the absence of duality. Self -Knowledge cannot destroy the world but it eliminates ignorance and exposes the unreal nature of the mind or the universe.

Sage Sankara:~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- 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?

How does one get knowledge? What is meant for knowledge? What is true knowledge? –All this of which must be dealt with by the seeker of truth to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana does not destroy the world but it exposes the unreal nature of the world which appears as waking and is experienced as reality by the person within the waking. In the same way, the unreality of the dream was exposed when waking took place. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara knew that one day the world would throw up religion and scriptures and appeal to reason.+

The reason is the only tool to unfold the mystery of the universe (I), whereas the appeal to scriptural relations reaches only religious sects and castes. Sage Sankara knew that one day the world would throw up religion and scriptures and appeal to reason.

Let Advaitic wisdom annihilate ignorance and reveal the Soul, the Self hidden by the ‘I’.

Let your ears become deaf to religious propagated myth.

Let your eyes become blind to illusion to realize the Soul, the ‘Self’ as it is.

Yoga Vasistha:~ "Teachers, interpretations of sacred texts, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that the 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 has nothing to do with Advaitic Orthodox, which belongs to the religion

Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

For yogis, mystics or religious pundits interpret scriptures as they like, in whatever way that pleases them, they simply imagine away.

Spirituality does not begin with God. God has to be proved, not assumed. Hence, the so-called Gurus who take God for granted are not Gnanis.

Some philosophers in the past dissented from this interpretation of Advaita, 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 by those who have never understood the Upanishads but think they have.

Thus, the dualists and their disciples have written commentaries on scriptures: But all these have been written to satisfy themselves, not to get the truth because all their interpretation is based on the dualistic perspective. The truth will be revealed only when one is able to reason from the non-dualistic perspective.

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

The seeker of truth should not be carried away by any Guru's wisdom or by the attitude of authority which they adopt in their sermons. It has no value because it is dualistic.

Remember:~

All these Gurus illustrate the ‘I know’ attitude adopted because they inherited the knowledge from their guru. Both of them don't really know because whatever knowledge they are propagating is dualistic knowledge, which belongs to religion and yoga.

Most people are certainly brilliant intellectually but egocentric intelligence is useful in practical life within the practical world. The quest for truth needs Soulcentric reasoning.

The egocentric subconscious is like watertight compartments, only allowing the Soulcentric reasoning once it becomes receptive to Self-knowledge.

Till the Subconscious realizes the ‘Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the Soul, the witness of the ‘I’, it will not be receptive to Self-knowledge because it is been conditioned to observe everything from a dualistic perspective.

The reason based on the dualistic perspective is useful in practical life within the practical world. The dualistic reason is of no use to unfold the mystery of the universe.

The reasoning is interpretable in two ways. The egocentric interpretation is to apply it only to the practical purpose (waking experience). The Soulcentric interpretation is to apply it to the three states. The latter leads to a final settlement of the problems because it takes all data into consideration.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Reason as a means to reality. (Chap.18 verse 37)

In chap. 10 of in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says: ~ I cannot save you, but I can give you Buddhi (reason). (chap. 10)

In chap. 10 of in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says: ~ "I have given you the most secret teaching, now reflect over it all" Krishna plainly says reflect, think. (Verse 63 of Chap. 18)

Mundaka Upanishad says: ~ ‘Both states are harmful and take you away from the path of inquiry into truth. (Page 234)

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ It is not the absence of Buddhi (Reason) that can grasp Advaita but the man who possesses the highest intellect. Brains are necessary. Such a man, by merely hearing the truth mentioned will know it. (Page~ 224)

Brihad Up: To see Him whole mystics may have similar ideas of the "universe in a dew-drop," but Advaitic truth demands proof. (Page 78)

Upanishad says: ~ Atman the innermost Self is known by Reason alone, by the sharpened and purified intellect. Yet still, people worship Yoga and mysticism as the sole means of attaining Atman.

Remember:~

The universe in which you exist is an illusion and there is no substance in its reality."

Self-knowledge or Brahma knowledge is the end of all egocentric knowledge. Egocentric knowledge is dualistic knowledge, whereas Self-knowledge is Soulcentric knowledge.

Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara has nothing to do with orthodox Advaita, which is dualistic. Orthodox Advaita is a sect, which blindly accepts and follows dogmas and superstitions.

Sage Sankara says: ~ ‘What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead to the final Goal. (Commentary on Vedanta Sutra)

Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verification.

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 for this idea of divine causality, and can, therefore, dispense with Shruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason.

Sage Sankara is the only sage who has final authority on the Advaitic truth. The Advaitic truth is rational truth and scientific truth without dogma. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara declared the Advaitic truth 1200 years back but it was hidden. Only serious seekers will be able to realize it.+

Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. There is no higher truth other than consciousness.

To realize this truth there is no need to follow any path. There is no need to follow anyone. There is no need to become a wandering monk. There is no need to renounce the worldly life.

Realizing consciousness or Spirit is ultimate in Spirituality or Adyathma. There is nothing else to realize other than realizing there no second thing exists other than consciousness.

Realizing consciousness is second to none is truth realization. Even if you search for a million years you will only come to a final conclusion and realization that the world in which you exist is nothing but consciousness.

If the world, in which you exist is nothing but consciousness, then what else is there to realize other than realizing consciousness alone is real and the world in which you exist is merely an illusion.

If the world in which you exist is merely an illusion the experience of the birth, life, and death which happens in the illusory world is bound to be an illusion or Maya.

If the world, in which you exist is an illusion then the division of the form, time, and space is merely an illusion because the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul, the Self is the fullness of consciousness.

Mentally Reducing the world, in which you exist to consciousness leads to Self-awareness. Realizing consciousness as the ultimate truth is Advaita. That is mentally reducing the dualistic illusion into nondualistic reality is Advaita.

Sage Sankara declared the Advaitic truth 1200 years back but it was hidden. Only serious seekers will be able to realize it. The seeker who is sharp enough to grasp the Advaitic truth will be able to discover the hidden treasure.

Even scientists declare in the future the world is nothing but consciousness Sage Sankara alone is qualified for the Nobel Prize, not the scientists because Sage Sankara declared it 1200 years back.

Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom has been lost: people misinterpret and falsify. Advaita is not a theory but Advaita is the rational truth, the scientific truth, and the ultimate truth. But nobody knows it.

The teachers of philosophy and the Gurus or religion do not want to inquire into truth and have no time for it.

Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom has nothing to do with religion. Thus, all his religious teaching which are meant for the ignorant populace has to be bifurcated from his wisdom. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara says:~ Of what avail are the Vedas and other Scriptures, Mantras and medicines to such one?+

Sage Sankara says: ~ Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one?

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 hidden by the illusory form, time, and space.

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?

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

A sickness of not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely a noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying “I am a king.”

A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual disciplines but never by perverse arguments.

Remember: ~

Upanishads confirm God is Athma:

Brihad Upanishad: ~ “If you think there is another entity, whether man or God there is no truth."

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

Even the 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.

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). The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sri, Sankara is impersonal. 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 description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is no distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman (God in truth) of Sage Sankara is impersonal.

Sage Sankara: ~"That which permeates all, which nothing transcends and which, like the universal space around us, fills everything completely from within and without, that Supreme non-dual Brahman (God in truth)."

Self-realization is the truth realization, truth realization is God-realization. Thus, Self-realization is real worship.

Do not hold any physical Gurus and your accumulated knowledge as a yardstick. Your opinion may be correct on your own point of view by it has nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.

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.

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.

The seeker has to dig into the old and new posts then only he will find answers to all his doubts and questions, there is no need to ask any questions in the future.

As you go deeper and deeper digging into my posts and blogs all your doubts and confusion will be cleared. The Atmic path is not a path of an exchange of views and opinions.

The Atmic path is not a question and answer session it is a path of discovering and realizing the 'Self' hidden by the world in which you exist. The world in which you exist is created out of a single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not hold any physical Gurus and your accumulated knowledge as a yardstick. Your opinion may be correct on your own point of view by it has nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom.

When you start thinking independently then the inner revelation will start clearing all the obstacles that were blocking your realization. Deeper thinking and reasoning are very much needed in pursuit of truth.

Sage Sankara said: ~ ‘Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many gods as you please, observe ceremonies, and sing devotional hymns, but liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

Remember: ~

The Guru and disciple and the world, in which they exist, are created out of single clay. That single clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Consciousness is the cause of the world and it itself is uncaused. From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self the world in which we exist is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

By worshiping whatever belongs to the illusion keeps us in ignorance. Till ignorance is there we will not be able to realize the truth, which is hidden within the form, time, and space but it is beyond the form, time, and space.

Vedas say not to worship anything, that belongs to the illusion, in place of the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness, which is the real God.

The Vedas confirm God is Atman (Spirit), the Self.

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)

Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.

Rig Veda says God is ‘ONE’ and God is Atman, then why believe and worship anything else as God in place of the real God.

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

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says: ~ "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from him does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". -(1.4.10)

Vedas, Upanishad, and Bhagavad Gita Bible confirm the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of the Spirit or consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

It is for every seeker who is seeking truth must first know what God is supposed to be in actuality according to Vedas and Upanishads and reject all non-Vedic Gods to realize that Atman is the real God. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara says: ~ What is accepted without proper inquiry will not lead to the final Goal.+

To realize this truth the seeker has to realize first ‘What is truth?’ to realize ‘What is untruth?’ without knowing ‘what is truth?” how can one know “what is untruth?’.

All accumulated bookish, scriptural knowledge is not wisdom. Holding some Guru's teaching as wisdom without verification blocks the realization of the Advaitic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ “What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead to the final Goal. (Commentary on Vedanta Sutra)

Sage Sankara:~ VC-63- Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know the 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.

Jesus said: ~” Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. (The Gospel of Thomas- saying 5)

Who am ‘I’? ‘I AM THAT’ teachings are only for the beginners of the inner journey. The journey is not over with Who am ‘I’? ‘I AM THAT’ teachings. There is much more is required to reach the ultimate end of understanding.

That is why 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." (Gospel of Thomas 2)

If you are a seeker of truth, then you have to from the dualistic illusion to the nondualistic reality, you have to move From ignorance to wisdom, you have to move From death to Immortality

What is it that appears as the ‘I’ and disappears as the ‘I-less? It is the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not make the mistake of holding the ‘I’ as the Self because it is not permanent. ‘I’ disappears and becomes ‘I’-less.

‘I’ is an illusion and the ‘I-LESS -Soul’ is real and eternal. The ‘I-LESS- Soul ‘appears as ‘I’ and ‘I ’‘disappears as I-LESS-Soul.

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 Advaita.

The Soul is considered the all-pervading consciousness, which is the basis of the universe in which you exist. The Self is not the ‘I’ because it is prior to the appearance of the 'I'.

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 Self as the '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’, 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 ‘Self as the ‘I’ leads to hallucination based on the imagination.

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 Soul witness of the ‘I’ is the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara says once the error is removed the Brahman (God in truth) will reveal on its own accord.+

Mundaka Upanishad: ~ “These performers of karma do not know the Truth owing to their attachment, they fall from heaven, misery-stricken, when the fruit of their work is exhausted.

Arguing with religious believers is fruitless. Belief in tradition and the scripture as if they were true or factual quite clearly is delusion, but the payoff for holding such delusions is, for those who hold them, extremely compelling ~ the avoidance of the "wrath of God," the hope of heaven or salvation, or the imagined "end of suffering."

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (10) - Ignorant fools, regarding sacrifices and humanitarian works as the highest, do not know any higher good. Having enjoyed their reward on the heights of heaven, gained by good works, they enter again this world or a lower one.

Religious orthodox think that through their good karma and performing rituals, they get moksha. Religious moksha is based on the birth entity whereas spiritual moksha is based on the birthless Soul, the ‘Self’.

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (9) - Children, immersed in ignorance in various ways, flatter themselves, saying: We have accomplished life's purpose. Because these performers of karma do not know the Truth owing to their attachment, they fall from heaven, misery-stricken, when the fruit of their work is exhausted.

Sage Goudpada says:~ The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect. The karma based on the false self is not a qualification for Self-Realization.

Thus, it proves that the Advaitic wisdom is kept away from religious people who are of lower and middling intellect and made them indulge in karma and Upasana. Thus all the religious prescription is not meant for Self-Realization.

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 seekers who seek to know the truth beyond form, time, and space. The Religious orthodoxy is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. The Atmic path, emphasis on the Advaitic wisdom, is meant for those who wish to go beyond form, time, and space.

The conduct-oriented religious orthodoxy is not the means to Self-Realization because all the orthodox theories are based on the experience of birth, life, death, and the world as a reality whereas the world in which the birth, life, and death take place is an illusion.

Religion is for the lower intellect and Advaitic wisdom is for those who are capable of inquiring into their own existence to know and realize the ultimate truth, which is consciousness.

That is why Sage Sankara gave religious, ritual, or dogmatic instruction to the populace, but Advaitic wisdom only to the few who could rise to it.

If you mix Advaitic orthodoxy with Advaitic wisdom creates confusion, because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.

Indulging in Non -Vedic rituals(Puranic Rituals) in place of Vedic rituals are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." Thus Puranic karmas are not Vedic karmas as per Yajur Veda.

The Puranic karmas are introduced to suit the mass mindset of that time, by the founders of present-day Hinduism by keeping the Vedas as their base. They also introduced a new modified belief system on Puranic GODS with a new code of conduct to revive the Vedic religion, which was in ruins in the hands of Buddhism and Jainism. Thus present-day Hinduism with diverse beliefs is not pure Vedic religion. Thus, this hotchpotch ideology is the greatest obstacle to the realization of the ultimate truth. That is why Bhagavan Buddha rejected the Vedas.

Sage Sankara says: ~ 11. As regards the rituals, 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 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 says:~ 11.1 ~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 viewed this as a distortion of the Upanishad ideals. To play down the prominence given to rituals by the Mimamsakas, Sage Sankara relied on the idea of Avidya He bracketed the ritualistic approach with Avidya and called it an “error”.

Thus Advaitic orthodoxy has to be discarded to realize the ‘Self’ hidden by the ‘I’, which is ignorance.

Sage Sankara states wisdom (Vidya) can eliminate ignorance (Avidya); but the ignorance it eliminates is not real, because it has no existence of its own. Once the error is removed the Brahman (God) will reveal of its own accord. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sri, Sankara’s Advaitic treasure hidden requires mental excavation, the removal of ignorance.+

Sage Sankara’s hidden Advaitic treasure requires mental excavation, the removal of ignorance and finally grasping, but never comes out by merely reading and collecting information.

If you are seeking truth nothing but the truth you must seek the truth independently. If you are sticking up to gurus, yogis, and intellectuals then you are sticking up to ignorance. They do not have the truth which you are seeking for. They have plenty of information to seduce you to remain in ignorance forever.

Without discarding the religious propagated truth it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge of Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

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.

Sage Sankara says: - VC-47 All the effects of ignorance, root a,d branch, is burnt down by the fire of knowledge, which arises from discrimination between these two—the Self and the not-Self.

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.

All your egocentric accumulated cocktail knowledge is not Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana Soulcentric knowledge is not available in the spiritual supermarket.

All accumulated knowledge is mental Garbage is no use in the quest for truth. The seeker has to discard all the accumulated knowledge and start afresh.

Perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ through deeper thinking and reasoning helps to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

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?

Sage Sankara 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

Sage Sankara’ has already declared What is the truth and What is the untruth.

The truth is:~ Atman is Brahman ~ “Atman is the only one ultimate reality.

The untruth isis:~ The universe is an illusion. ~ The universe is false.

Sage Sankara’ declared this truth centuries back Then why you are struggling to find out the truth.

Sage Sankara: ~ A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual disciplines but never by perverted arguments.

Sage Sankara goes on to say: ~ “A sickness of not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely a noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying “I am a king.”

Advaita means the Soul, the Self, which is second to none. The Soul, which is present in the form of the Spirit or consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Advaita is the nature of the God, the Self. Advaita is God. Advaita is the fullness of consciousness.

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is very much in tune with the essence of Vedas and Upanishad but Advaitic orthodoxy indulges in non-Vedic beliefs of God and non-Vedic rituals and practices.

There is no need to condemn the Advaitic orthodoxy because it is a path meant for the ignorant as per Sage Sankara himself. Do not mix up the two and mess up your quest

The Soul, the Self, is present in the form of the Spirit or consciousness.

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to study the Scriptures, to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~ then why indulge in studying the scriptures.

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to study philosophy, to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~then why indulge in studying philosophy.

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to indulge in rituals, to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~then why indulge in rituals.

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to indulge in yoga, to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~then why indulge in yoga.

Sage Sankara says the transparent Truth of the Self, which is hidden by the illusion, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, (Gnani)

~ then why you are sticking a Guru who is not a Gnani.

Sage Sankara says: ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false leads to truth realization.

Atman is Brahman. The Atman is the innermost Self is non-dual because there is no second thing that exists other than the Atman. Atman is present in the form of the consciousness. Consciousness is the only true reality, and everything else, which appears as form, time, and space is merely an illusion. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar