Sage Sankara: ~ “VC~ All this universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman (Consciousness) which is absolutely free from all the limitations of Maya.
When you finally realize the ‘‘Self’ ‘is not you but the ‘‘Self’’ is the Soul then you will realize the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.
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.
Sage Sankara says clearly, the universe is not real. He says that Brahman and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the Self, which is one though appearing as many in different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the Soul, the Self is Real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearances, then it indicates the form (waking or duality or mind) is unreal and the formless Soul (consciousness or Soul) is real. Therefore, only Atman is real because there is no second thing that exists other than Atman, which is in the form of consciousness.
All is consciousness. The whole universe is consciousness. From consciousness, the universe comes. When the universe disappears, consciousness still remains without form, time, and space.
Until you think you are an individual separate from the world and the world that existed prior to you and you are born in it afterward the ignorance will prevail as a reality.
Until ignorance is there the universe prevails as a reality. Until the universe prevails as a reality the religion thrives.
Remember:~
Chandogya Upanishads: ~ “This universe comes forth from Brahman and will return to Brahman. Verily, all is Brahman. A person is what his deep desire is. It is our deepest desire in this life that shapes the life to come. So let us direct our deepest desires to realize the Self.
Ashtavakra Gita: ~ “The universe rises from the Soul, the innermost Self like bubbles from the sea. Thus know the ‘Self’ to be One and in this way enter into the state of dissolution."
Sage Sankara said:~A.A- 88. When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman (consciousness), and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that the body is Atman?
The ‘Self’ is not the mind. The mind is present in the form of not the world in which we exist. The world appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality). The ‘Self’ is the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness pervades in everything and everywhere in all three states. Thus, diversity is created out of single stuff. That stuff is consciousness.
Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman because there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. From the standpoint of the Soul, the form, time, and space are one, in essence.
Remember:~
If you realize the Soul is the ultimate truth and the universe is an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness with firm conviction then you have acquired Advaitic Gnana.
The universe is both real and unreal. It is real because it is a manifestation of consciousness, but is unreal, in the sense, that it is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself.
People's approach is more practical, and they are stuck with the reality of the universe, they take it as real. That is why all the confusion.
The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. In fact, our mental and intellectual conditions determine the universe, which confronts us, observed, and experienced. The commoner viewing the world will see differently from a Gnani viewing the same world. Each one interprets the world that they see in terms of their existing knowledge. The commoner sees everything based on the ego, therefore, experiences the birth, life, death, and the universe as a reality, whereas a Gnani sees everything as consciousness and he is fully aware of the fact that, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul or consciousness. Thus, all the egocentric knowledge has to be bifurcated to realize the ultimate truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.
The world in which we exist is nothing but an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.
The whole universe is nothing but the Soul. Therefore, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.
It is not as if something that was not consciousness suddenly becomes consciousness. Rather, "knowing the truth” means a removal of the ignorance about one's own existence as consciousness. Thus, to "know the truth” is to "be consciousness."
Consciousness is ever-present. Without consciousness, the universe, in which you exist ceases to exist. Consciousness is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny consciousness, because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. Consciousness is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs.
Consciousness is everything. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar
