Sages Sankara restrained himself parting the Advaitic wisdom to the masses and only parted with a selected few. It was hidden from the people who were not qualified and receptive to it. Advaitic wisdom was not written down but was imparted orally to the chosen few. Thus, religion was given to the mass, and Advaitic wisdom was given only selected a few. Thus, we find traces of the Advaitic wisdom in the religious books in the form of parables.
Remember:~
Advaitic wisdom has been lost in the labyrinth of philosophy. People misinterpret and falsify it today because they propagate Advaita on the dualistic perspective. The knowledge-based on dualistic perspective is intellectual knowledge based on imagination, not Advaitic wisdom.
Advaitic wisdom is not yoga but the truth beyond the form, time, and space. The teachers of philosophy and Gurus and yogis do not want to inquire into truth and have no time for it. They only want to propagate their accepted truth.
Advaitic wisdom has been lost for ages because it was hidden from the general populace by the Sage Sankara. Advaitic wisdom was kept as a Supreme secret.
Even in ancient days, people did not care for Advaitic wisdom they wanted religion; hence Advaitic wisdom Gnana got lost. That is why Krishna calls it "the supreme secret.
Instead of discussing religion, religious Gods, karma, and yoga, the seeker should dive into deeper self-search.
There are so many obstacles if one tries to reach the non-dual destination because of orthodox adulteration. Advaitic wisdom and orthodox or theistic Advaita are not the same.
Mixing the Advaitic orthodoxy with Advaitic wisdom is like mixing oil and water. Most of the scholars are sentimentally and emotionally involved with orthodoxy because both Advaitic orthodoxy and Advaitic wisdom are propagated by the same founder Sage Sankara. They mix-up two viewpoints together, therefore, it becomes difficult to get the Advaitic truth expounded by Sage Sankara.
According to Advaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences: ~
1, “The ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices”.
2, “The advanced seekers who seek to know the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.”
Thus, the Purva mimam. sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, the Vedanta, with its emphasis on the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond the form, time, and space.
Thus, those who are seeking truth have to discard the orthodox Advaita without mercy in order to realize the Advaitic truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.
It is very difficult to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth or Brahman without discarding the religion, scriptures, philosophies, and idea of individualized God. Ultimate truth or Brahman directly realized without Advaitic philosophy and Buddhism by Soulcentric reasoning.
There is nothing more rational, more intelligible, and more un-dogmatic insights of Sage Sankara is to drop all the theistic nonduality or Advaita which is meant for those who are incapable and not receptive to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.
That is why Sage Sankara says:~ 58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the scholar but are no good for Liberation.
VC:~ 59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.
60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest that merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence, men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.
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?
62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utters the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realization one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.
If one merely theorizes, tries to understand through his intellect, and there contended he cannot become a Gnani but he becomes a scholar or pundit. Seeker of truth must make what he has understood and assimilated, has to be realized, to get a firm conviction of the non-dualistic truth or ultimate truth or Brahman, then only he can transcend all the limitations of the experience of form, time, and space.
The existence beyond limitations of form, time, and space is known as Moksha or Nirvana. Spiritual freedom or Self-realization is the goal of every seeker of truth. :~
Santthosh Kumaar
