Do not accept any other God other than the Athma. The Athma 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 Athma. The Athma is God in truth, Nothing is real but the Athma, 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. 

People are not aware that there is no religious God based on blind faith that can exist, apart from the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. 

If there is no consciousness, then there is no physical body, no world, and no  Gods based on blind belief.

People think that there must be a creator of this universe. If one thinks that his body as the Self, there is a creator, but if one thinks, that the Soul as the Self, then nothing exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If one objectifies and sees a universe, then he is bound to see many things besides himself and postulate a God, the creator. 

Body, ego, and world rise and set together from, and into, the Soul, the Self.  The Soul is the source from which the mind (universe) rises and subsides.

If God is apart from the Soul, the Self, then He would be Self-less, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent. 

The mind (universe) and its substance and its source (Soul) are one in essence.  That essence is consciousness.

Consciousness alone is real all else is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

From the absolute standpoint, creation is an impossibility. The creation and creator theory is the false theory based on the false self. Whatever is based on the false self is bound to be a falsehood.

Creation is the very nature of the Soul, the Self. It is his inherent nature that simply emanates and flows from the Soul. But even this is only an appearance for in truth there's no creation at all. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankara says: - All the effects of ignorance, root, and branch, are burnt down by the fire of Self- knowledge.+

Sage Sankara says ~ “What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead a person to the final goal. On the contrary, such acceptance will result only in evil, something which is detrimental to our spiritual progress.

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.

Remember:~

Sage Sankara makes a distinction between the absolute view and the relative view of things.

Genuine philosophy must be independent of religion, that in Sage Sankara himself the Saguna Brahman or a personal God is only a part of the phenomenal (if not illusory) world, and the Nirguna Brahman is the only reality and has nothing to do with religion.

The Brahma Sutras together with Sage Sankara's commentary thereon do not contain the higher wisdom. They are intended for those who are incapable of thinking rationally.

Sage Sankara's commentary on the Brahma Sutras is not on a philosophical basis, but on an orthodox and mystic basis, with an appeal to the 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 Sage Sankara explains in Manduka that those who study the Sutras are orthodox minds, 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 Sruti, and God's authority, in case they mean punishment by God. A Gnani says the scriptures are for children, but wise seekers will think rationally.

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 one will find Sage Sankara (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 many Upanishads are equally dogmatic because they also begin by assuming Brahman, only a few Upanishads do not but prove Brahman at the end of a train of proof.

Scholars' translation of Brahma Sutras in Sacred Books of East must be read cautiously as he has not understood its highest sense, e.g. for Advaita, they wrongly put "Unity" instead of “Non-duality."

Sage Sankara gave religion, scholasticism, and yoga no less than philosophy, to the seeking world. He was great enough to be able to do so. His commentary on Manduka is pure philosophy, but many of his other books are presented from a religious standpoint to help those who cannot rise up to philosophy. :~Santthosh Kumaar

Ishopanishad: ~ “They are steeped in ignorance and sunk into the greatest depth of misery who worships the matter, instead of the All-Pervading God.+

All the orthodox Advaitins indulge and immerse themselves in a ritualistic-oriented lifestyle and follow the path of karma and Upasana which is meant for lower and middling intellect and not for realizing the Advaitic truth.

Many chose these orthodox scholars as their gurus. But these gurus are good for learning the conceptual Advaita meant for those Orthodox who believe their conduct-oriented lifestyle leads to Moksha [liberation]. the religious-based Advaita is not the means to acquire Self–knowledge or nondual wisdom.

Those who are seeking the truth have to do their own homework to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

That is why 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.

Vedas and Upanishads confirm the Soul, the Self, is present in the form of the Spirit or the consciousness.

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)

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman 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 a 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 Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sankara is impersonal.

Isa Upanishads indicates that: ~ “ By worshipping Gods and Goddesses and going to the world of Gods after death is of no use. The time one spends in ritualistic practices is wasted; one can spend the same time moving forward toward Self-knowledge, which is the main goal. One cannot reach the non-dual destination by glorifying God and Goddesses and by doing that, one goes deeper and deeper into darkness. It surely indicates the fact that the seeker of truth has to drop the worshiping God and Goddess to acquire  Self-knowledge.

Ish Upanishad says:~ 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?

Ish Upanishads:-

MANTRA 10

Vidya and Avidya both are hindrances to Self-knowledge, but Vidya is even worse than Avidya. The word Vidya is used here in a special sense; here it means worshipping Gods and Goddesses. By worshipping Gods and Goddesses you will go after death to the world of Gods and Goddesses. But will that help you? The time you spend there is wasted because if you were not there you could have spent that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of Gods and Goddesses, you cannot do that, and thus you go deeper and deeper into darkness.

Avidya is Karma and therefore a hindrance. You perform Avidya - i.e., you perform Agnihotra and other sacrifices. This is a roundabout way of purifying the mind, and it is also groping in the dark. But it may not have as heavy a toll on your time and energy as the other.

Ishopanishad: ~ “They are steeped in ignorance and sunk into the greatest depth of misery who worships the matter, instead of the All-Pervading God and those who worship things born of matter like trees, animals, man, etc. are sunk deeper in misery."

It is necessary for the seeker to do his homework, and verify the validity of all the claims, rather than blindly believe, what others expound as knowledge, till; the un-contradicted truth is obtained. :~Santthosh Kumaar

Just as a piece of rope is mistaken for a snake, the Atman is mistaken for this diverse world.+

For Gnani the world is an illusion. Viewed from the absolute there's neither birth nor life nor death, neither appearance, nor disappearance, neither the production nor the destruction, neither the bondage nor the liberation. None seeks freedom nor is there any who is liberated - this is the highest truth.

A Gnani knows that there's neither unity nor plurality - the world is neither one nor many. Just as a piece of rope is mistaken for a snake, the Atman is mistaken for this diverse world. Duality is an appearance and the non-dual Atman is the real truth.

The universe is not different from the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness because the universe is made of consciousness. 

Consciousness alone and all else (universe) is merely an illusion. Thus, the illusion is not different from consciousness, which ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

That the non-dual consciousness appears as a diverse universe is only an illusion. If it really became diverse then the immortal would become mortal. 

The dualist thinkers who seek to prove the origination of the unborn, by that very enterprise try to make the immortal, mortal. The ultimate nature can never change - the immortal can never become mortal and vice versa. 

There's no plurality in the nature of the Soul.  Consciousness appears to be many.  Those who are attached to creation or production or origination are in ignorance because their approach is more practical, and they are stuck with the reality of the universe (waking) and take it as real.

The dualist thinkers ’ arguments are based on false  Self (ego) and false experience (  waking) to show the weakness of the position of the dualistic viewpoint.  They are at their wit end to explain.

 Existence cannot be a cause and effect at the same time, from the point of view of the dualists, but a deeper self-search shows that existence is no-two and causality can’t rise at all. 

The dualistic theory says that whatever was in the cause was also in the effect. They say that the gold brick, the gold medal, and the gold ornaments --are in the seed--the gold.

Deeper self-search reveals that, if cause and effect are one what is the difference between the two?

There is neither unwisdom nor ignorance; neither bondage nor liberation. There is but one pure consciousness.

The logic holds good for the practical purpose in the practical life (waking). Soul-centric reasoning leads to non- dualistic Self-awareness. 

Consciousness is existence absolute, awareness absolute.  Existence absolute means that consciousness is not unreal or non-existent. And it is not unconsciousness.  Nothing positive can be stated about consciousness.

The Soul, the Self is the One without a second. There is not the least shadow of multiplicity in the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness."

The word Brahman means ultimate truth or reality which cannot be indicated by any word.  Brahman can be expressed through silence because it is beyond the experience of form, time, and space. 

The word Brahman clearly stands for the essence of the three states, which is consciousness only. The final use of the pursuit of truth is to know that the  Self is consciousness. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

The duality is present in the form of the mind. The Mind is present in the form of the universe.+

People think that the more they think, the more they will get, but it is really an error. It remains only a thought and gives them back only thoughts.    

Consciousness (Soul) is the substance and the witness of the duality.  The duality is present in the form of the mind. The Mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as a waking or dream and diapers as deep sleep.

The one which is aware of the coming and going of the three states is neither the waking entity nor the dream entity but the formless Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.   It is foolish to limit  consciousness only to duality because  consciousness pervades all the three states

The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the shoreless Non-dual Ocean. Consciousness is beyond form, time, and space. Consciousness is beyond instinct, intellect, imagination, and inspiration. It is unconscious of its true nature when it is an illusion. Only beyond illusion, is it in its true nature.

Advaita only means negation of duality. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

Consciousness is the cause of the origin, maintenance, and withdrawal of the universe is Advaita (i.e. non-dual), which means that the consciousness transcends all conceptions, positive and negative. Nothing positive can ever be imagined or said about it.

Consciousness is existence absolute, awareness absolute.  Existence absolute means that consciousness is not unreal or non-existent. And it is not unconsciousness.  Nothing positive can be stated about consciousness.

Self is not this waking entity. Therefore, identifying with the waking entity as the Self is the gravest mistake.  Identification Self with the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness leads one to Nondualistic Self-awareness.

If one misses this point, that is, if we blunder in recognizing the Soul as his Self, then we will be lost in the pitch darkness of the physical existence (duality).

The ignorant have to recognize the source of the mind. These three states are mere a mirage created out of consciousness.  

Thinking this universe is made of five elements is a great mistake, because the five elements cease to exist in reality. the duality is not reality from the ultimate standpoint.  

The Soul, the Self is the One without a second. There is not the least shadow of multiplicity in the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness."

A person, seeing a rope in dim light, mistakes it for a snake. He is as frightened as he would have been if there had been a real snake there.  The snake is said to have an ‘illusory reality. 

The illusory snake is described as a superimposition on the rope. The snake is not real, because, it is found on examination with a light that it never existed there. At the same time, it was experienced as reality till ignorance prevailed. Similarly, this waking experience is experienced as reality till wisdom dawns. 

On the dawn of Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, it is known to have no existence apart from consciousness. Consciousness is ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

The waking experience is therefore said to be superimposed on consciousness in the same way as the dream is superimposed on consciousness.  

The waking experience is a practical reality because it is real until the attainment of  Self-realisation.  Consciousness alone has absolute reality; because it is absolutely changeless because it is formless.      

One could go on and on but the point is that the Upanishads approach the Supreme immutable truth in multiple ways and try to articulate the manifest and un-manifest aspects of the Brahman.

For those who are deluded, the multiple points of view may amount to contradictory perceptions but Upanishads are the epitome of an attempted understanding of the immortal, immutable Brahman by mortals caught in the dynamism of this Universe.

Truth is the understanding of things in accordance with the scriptures, which contain records of the true experiences of the ancient seers. It is the same thing that when practiced, is called justice and when understood in accordance with the scriptures, is called truth. Therefore the mantra says that which is justice is truth. 

Sage Sankara says: ~ VC~ How can the talk of diversity, Dvaita, apply to the Supreme Reality which is one and homogeneous, Advaita? Who has ever observed diversity, Dvaita, in the unmixed bliss of the state of profound sleep?

If a waking entity (you) discriminates between the dual (waking and dream) and nondual (deep sleep) experiences by constantly reflecting, then the egocentricity destroyed the Soul-centricity will be established.

It is possible to show the unreality of the object world even from Soulcentric reasoning by a perfect understanding of ‘what is what”. Without recognizing the authority of the scriptures one can prove the Advaitic truth by means of reason alone.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Limiting the mind (I) to the physical entity is the cause of all confusion.+

 

Limiting the mind (I) to the physical entity is the cause of all confusion. Therefore, there is a need to know what is the mind, and what is the substance of the mind, to overcome all the confusion. 

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that man and the world exist within the mind, and the mind itself is the universe.

Limiting the mind to the physical entity (ego or waking entity) and viewing and judging the worldview, makes one think that he is apart from the world, which is the cause of experiencing the duality as reality. 

There is neither a projector nor a projection when one becomes aware of the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness and pervades everything and everywhere in all three states. 

Thus, no second thing exists other than consciousness in all three states. The mind (world) is non-existent from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self.  The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the formless witness, and also the formless substance of the three states. 

The formless substance and witness are one in essence. Thus, no second thing exists other than consciousness. Therefore, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

To realize this simple truth one need not go to any guru, one need not lose himself in the labyrinth of philosophy; one need not spend his lifetime indulging in guru or god glorification, one need not search for truth in the books, one need not renounce his family life. One has to be in the world but not of the world. 

It is because of our inherited samskara or conditioning we are carrying the baggage of mental junk. We have to burn all the junk, which is blocking our realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.  

If one is seeking truth nothing but truth one has to drop worshiping and glorifying the physical gurus. The guru and god glorification is for those who are not seeking truth.

Remember:~ 

Sage Sankara ’says:~ "Kuruthe Ganga sahar gamanam Vratha paripal mathva dhanam. Gyana Vihine.Sarva Mathene.”

Gnana is common to all religions.  There is nothing like One Gnana for a Hindu and another for a Christian.

The Advaitic wisdom  of Sage Sankara can be summed up in the following statement: ~

Brahma Satyam, jaganmithya, jivobrahmaivanaparah:` Brahman alone is real; the world is non-real, and the individual  Self is essentially not different from Brahman.

This is the quintessence of Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom.

The waking experience which is referred to as the witnessed and the formless Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the  Self, referred to as the witness of the witnessed are wrongly looked upon by every one of us as equally real, though the waking experience has no Reality in the absolute sense.

The Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate reality or Brahman. The waking experience appears to be real in the same manner as when a rope is mistaken for a snake, the illusory snake appears to be real.  The snake is said to be superimposed on the rope. The body and the world are within the waking experience. A walking experience is an object and the formless Soul or consciousness is the subject.

All three states are an object to the formless Soul or consciousness which is the subject.  One finds the object and the subject are of different natures. Their relationship is of the form of superimposition of each on the other as also of their qualities, as a consequence of the absence of discrimination between the real nature of the witnessed and the witness of the witnessed. 

This is like the  Association of a rope,  nacre,  etc.,  with the superimposed snake,  silver, etc, owing to the absence of discrimination between them. The association of the witnesses and the witness of the witnessed in the form of superimposition is described as false knowledge. 

After having known the distinction between,  and the nature of, the witnessed and the witness of the witnessed one becomes aware that the witness and witnessed are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness.  Thus from the ultimate standpoint, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness, hence it is nondual.

He who realizes the witness of the witnessed is one in essence and who has the firm conviction realizes the three states are unreal. Though the three states appear as real in the dawn of non-dualistic knowledge their unreal nature is exposed. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Mind appears due to ignorance. Without ignorance, the mind (I) ceases to exist.+

Sage Sankara: ~ On Gnani: "The knower of Brahman wears no signs. Gives up the insignia of a monk's life…his signs are not manifest, nor his behavior." (Page 482) 

When the knower of Brahman (Gnani) wears no signs it means he does not identify himself as Guru or teacher or Swami. 

If someone has acquired Self-knowledge and shares his acquired knowledge with others, they cannot say that there is nothing for them to do. 

Everyone has to discover a fresh for himself by verifying all the facts. Each one has to grasp assimilate and realize it until he gets a firm conviction of the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Mind appears due to ignorance. Without ignorance, the mind (I) ceases to exist.  Thus the mind is in the form of the universe and appears as a waking or dream.  The waking or dream is a state of duality. 

Thus, the seeker has to hold wherever there is duality there is ignorance.  

If duality is considered as reality then the experience of birth, life, death, and the world is considered reality.  

If the experience of birth, life, death, and the world is considered reality then the form, time, and space become a reality. 

If form, time, and space become reality as reality then there is diversity in unity.  

To bring back the unity in diversity, one has to put the ego in reverse gear until it reaches the ultimate end or source from where the mind rises and subsides.      

The Seeker has to grow from the inside out by Soulcentric reasoning. None can teach him none can make him reach the ultimate end of understanding. 

There is no other guru but the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If anyone is sharing Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana they are doing a great help to humanity. I respect everyone who is sharing Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

There is no need to tell anyone.  The pursuit of truth is the pursuit of verification not the pursuit of argument.   

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana does not belong to any Guru or yogi because it is a universal property. 

Only those who have directly known truly realize the ultimate truth and can have the perseverance and passion to share it.

From the non-dualistic perspective, there is neither illusion nor delusion. The form, time, and space are part of the duality, which is merely an illusion. 

There is no such delusion in the realm of Nondualistic reality because form, time, and space are one in essence. That essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman because there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.  

Until one limits the ‘I’ to individuality, ignorance persists. If ignorance is there then the duality prevails as reality.   

If the duality is accepted as reality then the illusion is accepted as reality.  If Illusion is accepted as reality then the experience of birth, life, death, and the world is accepted as reality.

Thus, accepting ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is the cause of ignorance. Accepting the ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as the Self is the cause of accepting individuality. Individuality is the cause of separation.  

The one who accepts the ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as the Self is accepting ~ Every living being has this inborn samskara or conditioning that he is an individual separate from the world and the world existed prior to him and he is born in this world afterward.  

Until this conditioning is there one is stuck to the illusory reality of the experience of birth, life, death, and the world. 

Until one becomes aware of the existence of the Soul, the Self, which is the witness of the three states, the illusory form, time, and space will prevail as reality. 

If the experience of form, time, and space remains as reality then the universe will remain as reality. If the universe remains as reality then the experience of birth, life, and death remain as reality. 

If the experience of birth, life, and death remain as reality then the waking experience will remain as reality. That is the unreality remains as reality.  

Thus, the seeker has to realize that, unreality (mind or waking or universe) is created out of the formless consciousness, which is real and eternal, by getting rid of ignorance through the sword of wisdom.:~Santthosh Kumaar