Hindus who hold the Vedas and Upanishads as their authority have to make sure what God according to the Vedas and Upanishads.+

Bhagavad Gita: ~ ‘All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)

From a Vedic perspective, Lord Krishna has been just a Mahan yogi and not God himself. Because in the Bhagavad Gita itself says: ~

Lord Krishna himself says: ~ “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. (Ch. ~V)

Bhagavad Gita Krishna says: ~It is only one amongst thousands of people who strive for spiritual salvation. Even amongst such seekers, it is only the rare person who gets to know “Self” correctly.’ (7.3)

The Bhagavad itself Gita: ~ 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.

So, from the Vedic perspective, Lord Krishna is not a Vedic God because Rig Veda says: May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?"

First, the Hindus who hold the Vedas and Upanishads as their authority have to make sure what is God according to the Vedas and Upanishads then drop all the non-Vedic Gods and non-Vedic rituals and beliefs.

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

There is a clear-cut idea of God in the Vedas, Upanishad, and Bhagavad Gita. And also there is a clear-cut idea of what not to worship as God in place of real God. Thus, it proves from the Vedic perspective the Puranic Gods are not Vedic Gods.

Mythological stories are a myth. Mythological Gods are a myth. Worshipping mythological heroes as God produces only myth. There is a need to realize ‘what God is supposed to be in actuality. Religion has been very influential.

Mythology is a synthesis. They are more concerned with synthesis than with truth. The attraction for synthesis is so strong that people accept it blindly without verifying its validity.

Mythology is a hodgepodge containing everything; hence it suits everyone because there is something in it for everyone. It is difficult to find any tradition whose voice is not found in mythology. It is difficult to find anyone who does not take solace from mythology. But for such people ‘Self’-Realization will prove very difficult Vedas says never to accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman.

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

Do not accept any other truth other than consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth. Nothing is real but consciousness. Realize Consciousness as the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. Consciousness is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Yajur Veda – chapter- 32:~ God is Supreme Spirit, has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. God cannot be seen directly by anyone. God 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 in the Vedas.

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

The Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the Soul, the innermost 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.

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

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

Religious Gods are not God in truth. One must realize God suppose to be in truth.

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

There is a clear-cut idea of God in the Vedas, Upanishad, and Bhagavad Gita. And also there is a clear-cut idea of what not to worship as God in place of real God. Thus, it proves from the Vedic perspective the Puranic Gods are not Vedic Gods.

Vedas says never to accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman. Hindus assert their religion is monotheistic, even though they honor a number of Gods, including Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer. Hindus claim these various Gods are all manifestations of the oneness of the universe.

Hindu religious practices vary from place to place, but they frequently include yoga, physical and mental discipline to harmonize body and Soul, and ritual bathing. Belief in multiple Gods, The worship of idols and images that are not God, The worship of sacred images, ancestor worship, pilgrimage, priestcraft, the belief in avatars or incarnations of God, and the hereditary caste system on the grounds that all these lacks Vedic sanction.

Hinduism indulges non-Vedic beliefs such as idolatry, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, priestcraft, offerings made in temples, the caste system, untouchability, and child marriages. All of these lack Vedic sanctions, therefore, Hinduism is not Ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.

Religious Gods are not God in truth. One must know God in truth. Those who are seeking truth have to discard inherited beliefs. There is no need to criticize their inherited religion but it is for the seekers to realize the religion is meant for the ignorant people who are unable to grasp the real God.

Thus, it is necessary to realize what God suppose to be according to Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita for their own personal information. Many Gods and Goddesses with different forms and names are not of the Santana Dharma or veridic religion.

The Vedic God is Atma. The Atma is the i ‘Self’, which is present in the form of the Spirit or the consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Do not try to get rid of the ego you will never succeed. It is impossible to get rid of the ego because you are the ego.+

People talk about getting rid of the ego but it is impossible to get rid of the ego. The ego is the very basis of form, time, and space. Without the ego, form, time and space cease to exist.

Without the form, time, and space the world in which we exist ceases to exist.

Do not try to get rid of the ego you will never succeed. It is impossible to get rid of the ego because you are the ego.

You cannot get rid of the ego alone. You and ego, the world in which you exist appear together and disappear together. You are the ego.

The ego is the basis of the world in which you exist. The world in which you exist is the product of ignorance.

The ego, body, and the world appear as the waking experience. The waking experience is a dualistic illusion.

Till you think your body, ego, and the world are separate from each other you will remain in ignorance of the ‘Self’.

Remember, your body, ego, and the world in which you exist are created out of single clay. And that single clay is the Soul, the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, a perfect understanding of ‘what is what' is required to get rid of ignorance.

Without getting rid of ignorance form, time, and space prevail as a reality.

One has to get rid of ignorance, not the ego because the ego is the product of ignorance.

Get rid of ignorance by realizing the ‘Self is not you but the Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.:~Santthosh Kumaar

It is not “I AM GOD, but it’s correct to say ‘the SELF IS GOD.+

The ‘I’ is not the source. The Soul is the source of the ‘I’. The Gurus who say you are the Source are propagating half-baked knowledge from different sources.

That is why Bhagavan Buddha said: ~ “Believe nothing because a wise man said it, Believe nothing because it is generally held. Believe nothing because it is written. Believe nothing because it is said to be divine. Believe nothing because someone else said it. But believe only what you yourself judge to be true

The Advaitic wisdom consists in knowing the truth, that everything (mind or physical existence) is the consciousness. Freedom (ultimate truth) is always there yet one does not know it. But to those whose reason is turned away from physicality and who have attained the serenity of the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness is quite near to realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Katha Upanishad says:~ Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. (Ch~ II-5 P-14)

Those who indulge in a perverted argument on their own standpoint and opinion are not seeking the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. They just want to exhibit their accumulated knowledge accumulated from here and there. They think what they know is the ultimate truth.

They think whatever they propagate is the ultimate truth. The question never occurs to them, “Is what I know is really the truth.

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.

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that the ‘Self’ is neither the body nor the ‘I’. Thus, one has to go beyond the ‘I’ means beyond the illusory form, time, and space.

Swami Vivekananda said:~ "The Vedas teach that the Soul is divine, only held in the bondage of matter; perfection will be reached when this bond will burst, and the word they use for it is, therefore, Mukthi - freedom, freedom from the bonds of imperfection.

The Self is not the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. The origin of the mind is the Soul. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The root of the universe is consciousness.

Saying ‘I am God’ keeps one in duality. The duality is not reality. Duality is the product of ignorance. The body, ego, and the world are of ignorance.

When wisdom dawns then ignorance disappears. When ignorance disappears then duality will never be a reality even though there is duality, it is merely an illusion created out of a single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The Soul is the Self. The Soul, the Self is God in truth. It is not “I AM GOD, but it’s correct to say ‘the SELF IS GOD because the Self is not the ‘I’ or ’I AM”.

People say Aham Brahmasmi -- I am God, I am Brahman. But when Brahman is, how can "I" remain? Only Brahman prevails not I.

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 witness of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is eternal.

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.

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take 'I' as real because some Gurus have propagated that the Self is the ‘I’. There is no need to convince such a mindset who refuses to accept other than their accepted truth.

The seeker of truth accepts only the truth nothing but the truth. The truth is hidden by the ‘I’ but it is without the ‘I’.

Some Gurus in the past glorified the ‘I’ without verifying what this ‘I’ is an actuality. And the follower of that ‘I-centric teaching got stuck with the ‘I’.

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present.

The mind is present only when the universe is present.

The universe is present only when the waking is present.

If the ‘I’ is absent then the mind, the universe, the waking, is absent.

~ It means the ‘I’, the mind, the universe, and the waking, are one and the same thing.

This is very important for the seeker to know to realize the ‘I’ itself is ignorance to overcome ignorance they have to discard ‘I’.

Using the word ‘I’ for the ‘Self’ is the cause of ignorance.

The innermost Self is God. It is not “I AM GOD”, but it’s correct to say ‘SELF IS GOD” because the Self is not the ‘I’ or ’I AM”. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

To realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth is the prime goal of the truth seeker.+

Bhagavad Gita Krishna says: ~It is only one amongst thousands of people who strive for spiritual salvation. Even amongst such seekers, it is only the rare person who gets to know “Self” correctly.’ (7.3)

To realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth is the prime goal of the truth seeker.

Sage Sankara: ~ Atman is Brahman, and Brahman is the ultimate truth. Therefore the consciousness, which is in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth. Thus to realize the ultimate truth is the prime goal. A well-directed inquiry, analysis, and reasoning will lead one to his nondual destination.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ “Brahmano hi pratisthaham’ ~ Brahman is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (14.27)

Sage Sankara: ~ “Brahman (God in truth) is without attributes and strictly impersonal. It can be best described as the infinite Being, infinite Consciousness, and infinite Bliss. It is pure knowledge itself, similar to a source of infinite radiance. Since the Advaitins regard Brahman to be the ultimate truth, so in comparison to Brahman, every other thing, including the material world, its distinctness, the individuality of the living creatures, and even Ishvara or religious God with attributes itself are all untrue. Brahman is the effulgent cause of everything that exists and can possibly exist. Since it is beyond human comprehension, it is without any attributes, for assigning attributes to it would be distorting the true nature of Brahman. Those Advaitins who believe in the existence of both Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman; however, they must realize Nirguna Brahman to be the absolute supreme truth.

Chandogya Upanishad:~ One who meditates upon and realizes the 'Self' discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantras and meditation--all comes from the Self.

So, it clearly says the one who meditates upon the Self (consciousness) discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantras and meditation--all come from the Self. 

There is a need to know that, the Self is not physical, but the Soul to realize that the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantras and meditation--all come from the Self, which is in the form of consciousness.

Atman is Brahman. Brahman is alone real; this waking is unreal, and the three states are different from Brahman.

Whatever is, is Brahman. Brahman itself is absolutely homogeneous. All difference and plurality are illusory." Brahman is not a person, as the Absolute is not this. But if one wants to call it God or ParamAtman, then fine. But it is not a person. Personifying it can make it difficult to understand the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. : ~Santthosh Kumaar 

Emotionally sticking to your physical Guru is sticking to ignorance. Worshiping your physical Guru is worshiping ignorance.+

You and your physical Guru belong to the domain of the duality. The duality is merely an illusion. Emotionally sticking to the physical Guru within the dualistic illusion (universe) becomes a great obstacle in realizing the ‘Self, which is the Soul hidden by the universe, which is the dualistic illusion or Maya.

Emotionally sticking to your physical Guru is sticking to ignorance. Worshiping your physical Guru is worshiping ignorance. Surrendering to your physical Guru is surrendering to ignorance.

if you are seeking truth you have to get rid of the idea of Guru propagated in the past by the gurus of the religious and yogic path.

That is why 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.” Yogis and Guru are not Gods.

This idea of worshiping Guru as God is not a Vedic idea but adopted from Jainism and Buddhism.

Vedas bar human worship: ~

Yajurveda:~ "They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God 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.":~ (Yajurveda 40:9.)

Then why worship and glorify the Gurus and Yogis (human form) in place of God when Veda bars such activities and it also warns people who indulge in such activities 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, Gurus have no place in the domain of the Advaitic reality. All the Guru worships belong to religion and yoga, not spirituality.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread." (Select Works of Sage Sankara" also his commentary on Brihad)

Thus, the above passage proves that all those who wear the sanyasin robes are wearing it for the sake of bread belong to the religion; they are nothing to do with Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. There is no need to criticize and condemn the Gurus, yogis, and swamis because they are needed for the welfare of the ignorant masses in the dualistic world.

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 stick to a Guru who is not a Gnani.

Advaita is the nature of the Soul, which is God in truth. Thus, Self-realization is the only way to God-realization.

By worshiping the Gurus as God you will not get Self-realization or God-realization.

The Soul, the inner Guru reveals ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal” when the seeker is receptive and ready

The world in which you and Guru exist is the product of ignorance. If there is no ignorance, then the world in which you and your Guru exist cease to exist as a reality.

When reality appears this ignorance which one thinks as reality becomes unreal.

The ultimate truth has to be realized first without any philosophy, then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying.

Reality is simply the loss of ignorance. Until the ignorance is there the body, ego, and the world exist as a reality.

When ignorance vanishes, then the Soul, the Self, remains in its own awareness. In Self-awareness, there is unity in diversity, thus there is only oneness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

It is erroneous to limit the ‘I’ only to the ego. Without the ‘I’ the universes in which you exist cease to exist.+

The Self is not the ‘I’. And ‘I’ is not limited to the physical entity, but ‘I’ is the whole universe, which appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep(non-duality).

If the ‘I’ is there, then the mind is there. If the mind is there, then the universe is there. And the universe is present only when waking or dream is present.

One sees differences between things because of ignorance, all these differences would vanish when one gets wisdom and the various thoughts arise because one considers the ‘I’ as Self whereas the ‘I’ itself is an illusion.

The body, ego, and the world are present only when the mind is present.

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

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present.

The mind is present in the form of the universe.

The universe appears as the waking or the dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).

It is erroneous to limit the ‘I’ only to the ego. Without the ‘I’ the universes in which you exist cease to exist. Therefore, the ‘I’ is the whole universe.

The Self is not you but the Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul, the Self is not within your body, but the Self is hidden by the illusory world, in which they exist.

The Soul, the Self pervades everything and everywhere in the illusory universe. The Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness is the cause of the illusory world in which you exist.

Remember:~

The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is one and undifferentiated. The dual and nondual experiences (waking or dream (duality) and deep sleep (nonduality) are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

In Self-awareness, the Soul withdraws the three states into itself and remains in its awareness in the midst of the duality. The Soul is indeed the Self—luminous. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge and they indicate that belief in the personal Gods, yoga scriptures, worship, and rituals are not the means to Self –Knowledge.+

Many people believed it was enough to read, to accumulate knowledge from books. They were well-versed in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the other scriptures.

People think of those who do not know the Sanskrit language as ignorant, as illiterate men. In one sense, you can say Kabir was illiterate. If you consider a scholar as literate, as a well-educated man, 

But of what value is the scholar’s knowledge? A scholar will go on and on about the immortality of the Soul but when death approaches you will find him trembling and weeping and wailing. All this talk of immortality will crumble into nothingness because he has not known it. 

All these religions have produced great numbers of 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 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 a personal god, and scriptures are great obstacles to Self-realization because they are based on a 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 assimilating and realizing it.

That is why Sage Sankara, indicated in Bhaja Govindam says: - (Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena) ~ one without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.

Your inner work is on. There is no need to neglect practical life within the practical world. There is no need to indulge 24/7 in spirituality but use your spare time for that.

Do not neglect your family and personal life and spend money on your pursuit of truth. Be happy like any other human being and enjoy life with humility and dignity in the practical world.

Internally focus your attention on the Soul, the ‘Self’, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul, the Self is free from the illusory form, time, and space.

There is no need to renounce and take sanyasa to get Self-realization.

No amount of Diksha or yoga meeting Gurus and visiting Ashrams leads anywhere. Your guide is within and it guides you to the core of what you are seeking.

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

Bhagavan Buddha said:~ Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it.

Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you, yourself test and judge to be true.

You should not neglect your individual and family life. Enjoy life as it comes and also face difficulties as they come.

As your inner conviction about the Soul grows you will be able to realize ‘What is the truth?’ and ‘What is the untruth?’ and be able to see the world in which you exist as a passing cloud that hides the truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time and space. :

Come ye slow, or come ye fast; it is but the Soul that reveals itself at last.:~Santthosh Kumaar