'WHO AM I?' - inquiry becomes inadequate and useless as one goes deeper into self-search.+

'WHO AM I?' - inquiry becomes inadequate and useless as one goes deeper into self-search. However, it creates lots of doubts and confusion.

The seeker has to find the answers on his own through deeper reasoning, then all his doubts and confusions will be cleared, and he will be able to move ahead in the path of inquiry, and he will be able to reach his non-dual destination.

The first seeker has to find answers to the following doubts and confusion which arise in a deeper investigation of Sage Ramana Maharishi's ~ “Who Am I?-inquiry”

v If the mind is the same as Atman, how can it vanish? How can Atman vanish? (Page 4 para. 3)

v "Whenever any thought leads you outward" etc, says Sage Ramana Maharishi. What can you be certain of when you leave the external world? And why leave the world if you say everything is Brahman? (Page 6 ~center)

v The "Mind ceases to struggle" Yes if I commit suicide I shall also cease to struggle! How can you say the world ceases to exist if you don't look at it? ~ (Page ~ 6)

v Who has seen the subtle mind projecting through the brain and the senses? Can you see it? Is not the brain also a piece of gross matter? Then how can it come into existence after the world is created, if later, depends on the brain? (Page 6 last para)

v How can you say the world vanishes when you are introspected? The world is still there; whether you see it or not. (Page 7 top)

v Heart is an idea created by the mind, so how can the Mind emerge from it? (Page 7~ Line 4)

v One should unquestioningly follow guru"--This is the very reverse of what Sri Ramakrishna taught. What if the guru happens to be a fool or a rascal? Sri Ramakrishna said "Test me! (Page 11, Para 2)

v "In deep sleep, trance, swoon, the mind turns inwards and enjoys atmasukam." Why should any man study or inquire or practice if in sleep he can easily get the Atman? If sleep gives Brahman why trouble with Vedanta? (Page 12: middle)

v Page 16 middle: "If this truth is appreciated who can refrain from being good?" This is the opposite of real Vedanta. Vedanta says it is not enough to be good, you must serve the world and relieve suffering. ~ (Page 16 center)

v Is the vanishing of ego to be the end of life? Aham, I must indeed go but tuham (thou) must come; you must know Brahman is everywhere. It is only half to say the ego must vanish. This is only a step, not the highest. (Page 16 last para).

The seeker has to find answers to clear doubts and confusion which arise in a deeper investigation of Sage Ramana Maharishi's ~ “Who Am I?”

Deeper self-search reveals that the Self is not the ‘I’, therefore ‘WHO AM I?- will not help to unfold the truth beyond form, time, and space.

By inquiring WHO AM I?- it unfolds the fallacy of the form, therefore, only half of the truth is revealed.

The ignorant who fail to apprehend the ‘Self’ is caught in the web of illusion experience, the birth, life, death, and world as reality.

People who think the ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as the 'Self' are caught up in the web of duality and experience pain and pleasure as reality.

The one who holds the ‘I’ as the Self never will be able to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Thus, it is necessary to realize first the ‘I’ is not the Self, but the Soul the witness of the ‘I’ is the Self.

The ‘I-centric' teaching and teachers are not a yardstick in the path of wisdom. ‘I’ based teaching will not lead the seeker to the ultimate end of his inner journey.

A deeper investigation reveals that the Self is neither the waking entity (you) nor the dream entity but the Self is the Soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states.

Remember:~

When you limit the 'I' to an individual it becomes the ego. If you inquire who am 'I' then you come to the final conclusion that you are the ego.

Sage Sankara: ~ VC-63- "Without knowing and examining the universe, 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.

If the inquiry does not include the universe then it is incomplete.

Sage Sankara’:~ VC ~293 The whole objective world is non-real. Neither is the ego real, for it is seen to be momentary. How then can the apparent notion "I know all" be true when the ego etc., are themselves momentary? :~Santthosh Kumaar

The orthodoxy has to be dropped if one has chosen the path of wisdom.+

The Orthodox 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. And he is required to perform rituals all through his life.

The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.

The orthodoxy has to be dropped if one has chosen the path of wisdom. The orthodoxy is the greatest hindrance in the pursuit of truth because it makes the inborn samskara or conditioning (I or I AM) more and stronger. 

Till this inborn conditioning prevails it is impossible to grasp, assimilate, and realize the non-dual truth. The orthodoxy is egocentric and egocentricity is the greatest obstacle in the path of truth.

The orthodoxy indulges in all non-Vedic rituals and because of add-ons and adulteration such rituals lead one nowhere and it is a waste of time and effort. Thus orthodoxy is not for those who are seeking truth nothing but the truth. Mixing orthodoxy and preaching non-duality is a foolish venture. 

Rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for the Brahman or ultimate truth or God in truth.    

Remember:~

Consciousness is the cause of the universe and it, itself is uncaused. The universe is nothing but consciousness. Modern science has yet to discover consciousness is the cause of the universe, which was discovered and declared by Sage Sankara 1200 years back.

Advaita is not philosophy, but Advaita is the nature of the Soul. There is no second thing that exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. At that ultimate understanding - there is only Self-awareness.  

Existence consciousness cannot be divided. If one sees divisions they are only apparent and not real. If one takes the apparent as real, then all other factors become real. 

The Advaita is the oldest wisdom of India and has been buried under the debris of religion, diverse beliefs, diverse philosophies, theories, ideologies paths, and practices. 

People misinterpret and falsify as they want to suit their tastes. Advaita is not a theory but the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. People do not want to inquire into the truth and have no time to investigate; they imagine Advaita in their own way. 

So even in the ancient days, people did not care for Advaita; they wanted religion; hence Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana got lost. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana is kept as “the supreme secret by the Sages of truth. 

Deeper self-search produces the realization of the universal truth. The seeker who achieves perfection in Soulcentric reasoning realizes the truth in time. 

The Soul is the Self. Do not search for truth in religion, or religious books. Nothing is real but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is everywhere and in everything. Consciousness alone is real and eternal and all else is an illusion. 

Those who know the world in which they exist in truth will realize the world in which they exist is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Consciousness is the cause of the world and it, itself is uncaused. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Ancient Sanatan Dharma is based on Vedas and the Vedic God is Athma.+

Hinduism is a group of castes and sects founded by different founders at different times.

Ancient Sanatan Dharma is a religion without a caste system and without any founder.

Ancient Sanatan Dharma is based on Vedas and the Vedic God is Athma.

Advaita is Vedic Spirituality or Adyathma.

Remember:~

Hindus are idol worshipers of a large number of Gods and Goddesses whereas Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, until about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshipped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers of Buddhism and Jains.

There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme Self i.e. Atman or Soul but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.

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 and eternal. (Chapter 32, Verse 3)

Yajurveda: ~ God in truth is nondual and pure"

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.

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

God in truth is the Atman, the Self. Atman is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not accept any other God other than Atman not worship other than Atman.

Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Nothing is real but God. Nothing Matters but love for God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything.

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

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)

Thus it refers to a formless and attributeless God, which is the Atman (Soul), the 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 in truth. :~Santthosh Kumaar

God in truth is Athma, which is present in the form of consciousness.+

People refuse to accept Athma as God in truth. Remember God in truth is Athma, which is present in the form of consciousness.

All other Gods are not God in truth. God in truth is only the Athma or the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The universe was created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

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, God is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material then nothing has to be accepted as God other than consciousness.

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 the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.

Manduka Upanishad:~ All indeed is, this Brahman; This Atman is Brahman. (verse-2)

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

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

How can you worship God? That implies two ~ the worshipper and the worshipped, whereas the God is non-dual. One can worship his idea of God only or realize his unity with it when he can’t worship it as a part.

When Upanishads and Vedas declare that, “God is the form of the Athma, and God is indeed Athma itself” then why accept another God in place of the Atman or worship other than the Atman. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Hinduism is a group of castes and sects founded by different founders at different times. +

Hinduism is a group of castes and sects founded by different founders at different times.  

All Hindus indulge in non-Vedic practices barred by the Vedas introduced by the different founders of the different sects of Hinduism at different times, whereas the Vedic religion, or Santana Dharma is ancient and has no founder.

Hinduism is not a Vedic religion or Santana Dharma. Hindus do idol worship while Vedas bars idol worship.

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshipped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers of Buddhism and Jains.

There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme ‘Self’ i.e. Atman or Soul but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods. All these 60 million Gods are non-Vedic Gods based on their beliefs.

Ancient Sanatan Dharma without a caste system and without any founder.

Ancient Sanatan Dharma is based on Vedas and the Vedic God is Athma.

Advaita is Vedic Spirituality or Adyathma.

Remember:~

Hindus are idol worshipers of a large number of Gods and Goddesses whereas Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, until about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshipped idols. 

Idol worship was started by the followers of Buddhism and Jains. There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme Self i.e. Atman or Soul but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.

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 and eternal. (Chapter 32, Verse 3)

Yajurveda: ~ God in truth is nondual and pure"

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.

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

God in truth is the Atman, the Self. Atman is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not accept any other God other than Atman not worship other than Atman.

Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Nothing is real but God. Nothing Matters but love for God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything.

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

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)

Thus it refers to a formless and attributeless God, which is the Atman (Soul), the 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 in truth. :~Santthosh Kumaar

People in India believed in polytheism, believing all of their Gods to be separate individuals, which was introduced much later by the founders of Hinduism which contains diverse beliefs caste, and creed. +

People in India believed in polytheism, believing all of their Gods to be separate individuals, which was introduced much later by the founders of Hinduism which contains diverse beliefs caste, and creed.

The Vedas bar polytheism thus, it proves that Hinduism believes in polytheism is not ancient Vedic Religion or Santana Dharma.

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

God in truth is the Atman, the Self. Atman is present in the form of consciousness. Do not accept any other God other than Atman not worship other than Atman. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Nothing is real but God. Nothing Matters but love for God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything.

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

Rig-Veda 1.164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.

Rig Veda: 1.164.46: ~ Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti” -” The Reality (Truth or God) is One.

Rig Veda 1/164/46: ~ “They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, or the heavenly sunbird Garutmat. The seers call in many ways that which is One; they speak of Agni, Yama, Matarishvan.

Rig Veda 8/58/2:~ Only One is the Fire, enkindled in numerous ways; only One is the Sun, pervading this whole universe; only One is the Dawn, illuminating all things. In very truth, the One has become the whole world

Religious Gods are based on blind belief or blind faith. Religious God cannot be considered as the center because, the Soul, the Self is the center of all that exists. Without the Soul, the world in which you exist ceases to exist, which means the religious God is dependent on the Soul for his existence.

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

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman 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 declares God is ‘ONE’ and God is Atman, then why believe and worship in place of the real God.

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?

Sickness is not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Ignorance will not vanish does not come by merely saying the word “God nor by worshiping God of belief. First one must know what God is supposed to be. God must be realized. One must know God in truth.

Perfect undemanding and assimilation of ‘what is what’ leads to truth realization, truth realization itself is Self-realization. Self-realization itself is God-realization. God- realization itself is real worship.: ~ Santthosh Kumaar

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

Bhagavad Gita.

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

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

Bhagavad Gita is a hodgepodge containing everything; hence it suits the populace because there is something in it for every type of mindset.

It is difficult to find any tradition whose voice is not found in the Gita. It is difficult to find anyone who does not take solace from the Bhagavad Gita. But for such people, the Advaitic path will prove very difficult.

Once you are Soulcentric you will know what the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures really mean, you will see that there is only one possible interpretation, irrespective of your opinion or imagination.

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

People love the Bhagavad Gita because it is very easy to extract one's own meaning from it. Reading the Bhagavad Gita a religious believer extracts something of which he can make a belief, because

Bhagavad Gita speaks of bhakti, devotion. The karma yogi extracts his belief because Krishna has spoken on karma yoga, the Yoga of action. The believer in knowledge finds what he wants because Bhagavad Gita has spoken on knowledge as well. Somewhere Krishna calls bhakti the ultimate, somewhere else he calls knowledge the ultimate, again elsewhere he calls karma yoga the ultimate.

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

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

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

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

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

Understanding what is God is not so easy. Religious people can only imagine God based on their beliefs.

That is why 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.

No dualities, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

The Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahman (God in truth) is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (brahmano hi pratisthaham, ( 14.27)

It proves that the all-pervading Atman, which is present in the form of consciousness, is God. Thus worshipping the form-based Gods is meant for the ignorant populace who are incapable of realizing the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Bhagavad Gita: 4: 22: ~ ".....who has gone beyond the conflicting dualities like good (happiness) and bad (sorrow)....."

Bhagavad Gita: 4: 42:~ ".....cut all such conflicting dualities (doubts) by the sword (weapon) of knowledge. ....."

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 18:~ “The learned men (who have come out of delusions (Māyā), got rid of Avidya) see no differentiation have an equal vision for a revered Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a cāndāla (outcaste, rogue, mleccha, demonic person, etc)"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The earliest part of Bhagavad Gita deals with religion because it is for mentally immature persons, but in the latter part, you get philosophy as that is intended for the intellectually evolved. You can’t make all men into geniuses, and therefore religion is provided for them.

Lord Krishna himself says that he can do nothing to make a man intelligent straight away. The adepts give Prasad, blessings, initiations, mantrams, etc. only to confer temporary peace of mind, to help one to get rid of worries, but not to confer Gnana. The capacity to receive it must first be inborn in man by evolutionary degree.

In the statement in the Bhagavad Gita which says that the path of the Unmanifest is harder than others, this path means Gnana Yoga.

The Upanishads and Gita do not give detailed explanations because the knowledge of those days was not as advanced as it is nowadays. However, there are odd words here and there which give hints.

Bhagavad Gita gives dualistic worship of "God” only for the lower minds; it also indicates the Advaitic wisdom for the more evolved.

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 incarnated as Avatar and were attainable simply through love and devotion rather than scholastic and intellectual meditation.

For the religious people, 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's Advaitic path. :~Santthosh Kumaar