Satsangha is not attending the sermons and retreats of Gurus.+

One may speak upon various scriptures or hear the sermons of the Gurus, but he cannot establish in the ‘Self.

Satsangha is not attending the sermons and retreats of Gurus. A true seeker is not content with the knowledge of spiritual realities based on hearsay... he insists on the direct knowledge.

All those Gurus who preach Advaita are based on the dualistic perspective or orthodox perspective. Such preaching has nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.

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.

Self-realization does not depend upon books or upon the existence of any religion and books perish when ignorance perishes.

The Advaitic truth is hidden by the dualistic illusion or Maya. No books or gurus can transmit Gnana to you.

Even without Guru, you can realize the truth hidden by the dualistic illusion or Maya.

You have to show gratitude for the wisdom and Sages of truth without bondage to them.

Do not blindly believe anything as truth without deeper verification. Think and reason for yourself.

No blind belief can save you, work out your own salvation. Having only one idea of ‘Self’ is an eternal help.

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, mantrams and meditation--all come from the Self.

Remember:~

Satsanga is thinking and reflecting on the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. the Soul, the Self is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God.

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

Even 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)

To be aware of the Athama or the Soul, at all times is Satsanga. Constant reflecting on the nature of the Soul is Satsanga or association with Gnani is Satsanga.

Satsanga is neither hearing the sermons of the Gurus or priests nor indulging in religious activities nor hearing the stories of mythological stories by Swamis nor reading biographies of Saints and Sages or intellectual discussion but Satsanga is to discover and realize the truth of our true existence. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankara’:~ VC ~293 The whole objective world is non-real.+

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?

Viewing judging and concluding the ultimate truth on the base of the ego (false self) will not unfold the mystery of the 'I'. The 'I' is present in the form of the universe.

The Soul is hidden by the illusory universe. The Soul is hidden by the illusory universe because the illusory universe is created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

There is no need for religion, the belief in religious Gods and scriptures in pursuit of truth. Belief or faith is no truth but a myth injected by religion.

Since the religious God based on blind belief is not the cause of the universe but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the cause of the universe.

The Soul is the Self. The soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the cause of the dual (waking or dream) and nondual (deep sleep) experiences and it, itself is uncaused.

Consciousness is one and it appears as many (universe or waking). And the many disappear as one (Soul). Thus, the Soul the Self, and the universe are one in essence.  :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Never use the word ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ for identifying the Soul, the Self because the ‘I’ represents ignorance, illusion, physicality, and duality.+

Never use the word ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ for identifying the Soul, the Self because the ‘I’ represents ignorance, illusion, physicality, and duality.

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

The seeker has to make sure what is this ‘I’ supposed to be? The seeker has to make sure the unreal nature of the ‘I’ which comes and goes to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

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

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

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand 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’. is no need to convince such a mindset. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth nothing but the truth.

That is why Sage Sankara says: - VC-65- As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it, and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent truth of the Self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

People refuse to accept anything other than their Guru's words. For them, their Guru's words are the ultimate truth. They do not accept anything else other than their accepted truth. There is no need to convince such a mindset.

Such a mindset is not fit to acquire self-awareness, Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana. The seekers of truth accept only the truth nothing but the uncontradictable truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

From the ultimate standpoint, The waking experience is merely an illusion.+

All the pleasure and suffering are a reality within the waking experience. All the success and failure are a reality within the waking experience.

Love and hate are part and parcel of the waking experience. From the ultimate standpoint, The waking experience is merely an illusion. 

Whatever riches one has whatever riches he has lost are within the waking experience. The birth, life, death, and the world are within the waking experience.

From the standpoint, of the Soul, the Self, the waking experience is merely an illusory experience.

Thus all the happening within the waking experience are happenings within the illusion.

Thus other than the Soul, the Self, all else is an illusion the Soul is present in the form of consciousness and is real and eternal. :~Santthosh Kumar

From a Vedic perspective, Lord Krishna has been just a Mahan yogi and not God himself.+

From a Vedic perspective, Lord Krishna has been just a Mahan yogi and not God himself because Rig Veda says:~ May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?"

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

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

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

Hinduism is not a Vedic religion or Santana Dharma. Hindus do idol worship, while Vedas bar idol worship. God pervades everything and everywhere in all three states.

Yajurveda – 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.

Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

To be considered an orthodox Hindu one need only accept the authority of Shruti, however, there is no universal agreement among Hindus on what constitutes Shruti. Vedantins consider the Vedanta, i.e., the Upanishads as Shruti but also include the Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutras as authoritative. For some Vaishnavas, the Bhagavata Purana is to be considered Veda. Some consider the Tantras to be Veda. Thus we find that there is ample scope for different philosophies and practices under the very broad umbrella of Hinduism. Hindus indulge 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 an Ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.

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.

To acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the seeker has to realize his inherited religion is adulterated in the past and it becomes a great obstacle is realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The seeker's aim is the search for the Ultimate Truth or Brahman. The search to find the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth that in actuality never was lost, only hidden.

Upanishad aspiration is best expressed in the following sutra:-

OM Asato ma sad gaMaya, tamaso ma jyotir gaMaya, mrityor ma aamritaam gaMaya. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

"OM Lead me from ignorance to truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. Peace, Peace, Peace" (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (1/3/28)).

The belief system was coherent because they had a transcendent God as a central doctrine, whereas in the realm of truth, a religious God with form and name cannot be considered as a cause of the universe because the Soul, the Self is the cause of the universe.

First, one should not hold a God as the center of existence without verification. Both the theist and atheist are theories, with nothing to do with ultimate truth or Brahman.: ~Santthosh Kumaar 

What is this ‘I’, which comes and goes? Instead of inquiring ‘Who am ‘I’? realize that ‘I’ itself is an illusion.+

What is this ‘I’, which comes and goes? Instead of inquiring ‘Who am ‘I’? realize that ‘I’ itself is an illusion.

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

If you use the word ‘I’ from the Soul you will never be able to realize the truth, which is beyond the ‘I’. Beyond the ‘I’ means beyond the form, time, and space.

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.

The means of attaining Self-realization for the acquisition of final liberation, the serious seeker should constantly reflect on the nature of the mind, which is present in the form of ’I’.

The ‘I’ is present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as a waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).

The indifference with which one treats the excreta of an animal – such an indifference to the three states from the realm of the Soul, the Self because of their impermanent nature, is called pure dispassion.

Consciousness the formless substance and witness of the three states itself is alone permanent, the three states (seen) are opposed to it that is transient – such a settled conviction is truly known as discrimination.

Turning away the focus of attention completely from the three states to the formless substance and witness of the three states with lots of patient endurance will help the seeker to establish in the Soul, which is the true Self.

Through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, one can be free from the bonds of this world that is - birth, life, and death.

To acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana seekers must have a burning desire.

Only that person who has an intense urge and courage to accept the truth and reject the untruth and is ready to drop all the pre-conceived ideas derived from the accumulated knowledge.

The seeker must be ready to accept only uncontradictable truth is qualified to indulge in the pursuit of truth.

The seeker has to learn to view and judge the worldview on the base of the Soul, the Self.

Seeker of truth should constantly reflect with a view to attaining Knowledge, desiring his own good.

Self- Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is not brought about by any other means other than inquiry, analysis, and reasoning on the true base, just as an object is nowhere perceived (seen) without the help of light.: :~Santthosh Kumaar

When you are the false self within the false experience then what is the use of saying I AM THIS or I AM THAT.+

When you are the false self within the false experience then what is the use of saying I AM THIS or I AM THAT.

First, realize the 'Self' is not the ‘I’ but the Self is the Soul, the witness of the ‘I’. Till you hold the ‘I’ as the Self you are in the prison of ignorance.

Some gurus declared the ‘I’ as the Self in the past. Deeper self-search reveals the fact that: their teaching does not lead to the realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman which is revealed in the clear reflection of the soulcentric reason.

All the teachings are good in the elementary stages of the pursuit of truth but in advanced stages, the seekers will find they are inadequate and useless to reach the ultimate end of understanding. The seeker has to do his homework to understand, assimilate, and realize the Nondualistic or Advaitic truth.

People are stuck to some Gurus and their ‘I’ centric teaching gets stuck permanently to the cage of ignorance thinking their Guru is sacred and their Guru's teaching as final. Such acceptance leads only to hallucination.

You, your body, and the world in which you exist are within the dualistic illusion, which is present in the form of the ‘I’.

Realize you are not you, your body is not the body the world in which you exist is not the world but they are all made of single clay. That single clay is the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of the consciousness

Those Gurus who propagated the ‘Self’ within the body are erred. This mistake has to be rectified to realize the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul, the Self is the fullness of consciousness. 

By emotionally sticking to these ’I’-centric gurus and their teachings you will remain permanently in the domain of ignorance.

Because of ignorance, you think you are an individual separate from the world and the world existed prior to you, you are born in it later on. 

The ‘I’ is inborn ignorance cause of experiencing the world in which you exist as a reality whereas the world in which you exist is a dualistic illusion.

Whatever belongs to a dualistic illusion is bound to be an illusion. So, your experience of birth, life, death, and the world is bound to be an illusion.

Everyone is holding some teaching or teacher or their accepted truth as a yardstick. All the accumulated egocentric knowledge is inadequate or useless in unfolding the mystery of the mind or universe.

The ‘I’ is inborn samskara or conditioning, and because of this inborn samskara or conditioning one has accepted the ‘I’ as the ‘‘Self’’, he is ignorant of the fact that the ‘I’ itself is the cause of ignorance. 

Because of this ‘I’ he has accepted illusion as a reality. Therefore, there is a need to realize ‘What is this ‘I’?’ in actuality. Without knowing ‘what is this ‘I’?’ in actuality it is impossible to unfold the hidden truth which is beyond the form, time, and space.

Till you hold the ‘Self ‘as the ‘I’ you will never be able to get Self-realization. ‘I’ hides the Soul, which is the Self. ‘

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. Without the ‘I’ the mind ceases to exist.

The mind is present when the universe is present. Without a mind, the universe ceases to exist.

The universe is present only when the waking is present. Without the universe, the waking ceases to exist.

So, without the ‘I’ the mind or universe or the waking ceases to exist.

From the standpoint of the Soul is the ‘Self’, the ‘I’ the mind or universe or the waking cease exists as a reality.

The Soul is the ‘Self’ that can remain with or without the ‘I’.

Slowly but surely you must imbibe the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space by realizing that form, time and space are one in essence.

When you enthrone the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness in your subconscious, you will realize the world in which you exist is merely an illusory play of consciousness.

Consciousness is ‘One’, and all divisions of form, time, and space are illusory. Be established in this Advaitic Truth, which is eternal. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar