Sage Sankara’s Advaitic treasure hidden requires mental excavation, the removal of ignorance.+

Sage Sankara’s Advaitic treasure hidden requires mental excavation, the removal of ignorance, and finally grasping, but never come out by merely reading and collecting information.

If you are seeking truth nothing but the truth you must seek the truth independently. If you are sticking up to gurus, yogis and intellectuals then you are sticking up to ignorance. They do not have the truth which you are seeking for. They have plenty of information to seduce you to remain in ignorance forever.

Without discarding the religiously propagated truth it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Sage Sankara says: ~ VC-162- There is no liberation for a person of mere book knowledge, howsoever well-read in the philosophy of Vedanta, so long as one does not give up the false identification with the body, sense organs, etc., which are unreal.

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 not-Self.

Sage Sankara says:~ VC-162- There is no liberation for a person of mere book-knowledge, howsoever well-read in the philosophy of Vedanta, so long as one does not give up the false identification with the body, sense organs, etc., which are unreal.

All your egocentric accumulated cocktail knowledge is not Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana Soulcentric knowledge is not available in the spiritual supermarket.

All accumulated knowledge is mental Garbage is no use in the quest for truth. The seeker has to discard all the accumulated knowledge and start afresh.

A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ through deeper thinking and reasoning helps to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

That is why 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?

Sage Sankara:~ VC- v6~ Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity With the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together

Sage Sankara’ has already declared:~

‘What is the truth?’

~ Atman is Brahman ~ “Atman is the only one ultimate reality.

‘What is untruth?’

~ The universe is an illusion. ~ The universe is false.

Sage Sankara declared this truth centuries back Then why you are struggling to find out the truth.

Sage Sankara: ~ A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual disciplines but never by perverted arguments.

Sage Sankara goes on to say: ~ “A sickness of not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying “I am a king.”

Advaita means the Soul, the Self, which is second to none. The Soul, which is present in the form of the Spirit or consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Advaita is the nature of God, the Self. Advaita is God in truth. Advaita is the fullness of consciousness.

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is very much in the tune with the essence of Vedas and Upanishad but Advaitic orthodoxy indulges in non-Vedic beliefs of God and non-Vedic rituals and practices. There is no need to condemn the Advaitic orthodoxy because it is a path meant for the ignorant as per Sage Sri, Sankara himself. Do not mix up the two and mess up your quest

The Soul, the innermost Self, is present in the form of the Spirit or the consciousness.

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to study the Scriptures, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~ then why you indulge in studying the scriptures.

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to study philosophy, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~then why you indulge in studying philosophy.

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to indulge rituals, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~then why you indulge in rituals.

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to indulge yoga, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~then why you indulge in yoga.

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 you are sticking a Guru who is not a Gnani.

Sage Sankara says: ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false leads truth realization.

Atman is Brahman. The Atman is the Self is non-dual because there is no second thing that exists other than the Atman. Atman is present in the form of consciousness.

Consciousness is the only true reality, and everything else, which appears as form, time, and space are merely an illusion. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

No one becomes a Gnani by taking sannyasa or wearing religious robes or by mastering the scriptures.+

One need not renounce worldly life and become a sanyasi or monk. One need not retire from his business or corporate job and become a Guru all these religious and yogic propagated outdated ideas has to be discarded in order to realize the truth of the true existence.

Do not become a slave of all these outdated religious and yogic ideas they are not meant for those who seriously seeking the truth. There is no need to follow anyone. Self –realization becomes easy if you independently walk your path.

Atmic path is your own path. You have to tread the path alone to reach it alone finally nothing remains as reality other than the Athma the Soul.

Stop emotionally and sentimentally getting stuck with the Guru.

That is why Bhagavan Buddha: ~ Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.

Sage Sankara was a Brahma Gnani. Most of the modern masters are not Gnani. And you have to understand that to be a Gnani is one thing; to be a Guru is totally different.

Out of a million people perhaps one is a Gnani. Most of the Self- realized decide to remain silent – seeing the difficulty, that whatever they have realized is impossible to convey in any possible way to others; seeing that not only is it difficult to convey, it is bound to be misunderstood too.

A Gnani never claims himself as a Gnani, he guides the seekers, not posing himself as a Guru, and he does not force his wisdom on others. A Gnani is not a religious person or Yogi.

One need not roam one mountain to another, one ashram to another, or meeting gurus or yogis in order to get Gnana. One can get Gnana and become a Gnani wherever he lives.

We all are searching truth within the illusion, not being aware of the fact that the illusion is created out of single stuff which is the Soul, the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, searching the truth within illusion with the illusory self, within the illusory experience, has to be an illusion. The illusion is created and sustained, and finally, dissolves as consciousness. There is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. Brahman is God in truth.

No one becomes a Gnani by taking sannyasa or wearing religious robes or by mastering the scriptures or by identifying with the religious symbol. Religious robes and religious symbols are not the means to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Blind faith is an obstacle in the pursuit of truth. The seeker should not waste his time on, he should primarily reflect on the Soul, the Self; not on the ‘I’.

The Soul, which is present in the form of the Spirit (consciousness), is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

Sruti says: ~ "brahmavit brahmaiva bhavati":~ He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman Itself. In the Advaita understanding of this statement, the "becoming" is only metaphorical. It is not as if something that was not Brahman suddenly becomes Brahman. Rather, "realizing Brahman" means a removal of the ignorance about one's own essential nature as Brahman. Thus, to "know Brahman" is to "be Brahman".

The one who has realized the Soul is the Self is a Gnani. Gnani is the one who is liberated even while embodied. Such a realization should not and cannot just be a literal understanding of Upanishadic Mahavakyas.

Remember:~

A Gnani is one who has realized the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. Thus, moksha is not a result of ritual action (path of karma a) or of devotional service (path of bhakti). These paths are egocentric paths, therefore, they will not help anyway to get rid of the ignorance. In fact, moksha is not a result of anything, for it always exists.

All that is required is the removal of ignorance. The path of wisdom helps the seeker to acquire the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Ashtavakra Samhita: ~"The man of knowledge, though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him and only those like him understand his state.

Thus, moksha is not a result of ritual action (path of karma) or of devotional service (path of bhakti). : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

How can one recognize the true Gnani?+

R.K- Q: How can one recognize the true Gnani?

Santthosh Kumaar:~ It is impossible unless one has sharp grasping power. He does not want any external marks to identify, i.e. separate him from others.

Even friends and family members of a Gnani will not know him as the Gnani. Due to ignorance, people will not be able to recognize a Gnani. Outwardly the Gnani behaves as an ordinary person behaves.

A Gnani talks and jokes like others, but he is not understood as he really is. People may regard him as an exceptional person, but only a few can recognize him as a Gnani

Nirakara:~ One can recognize a Gnani only by his Gnana. Wherever Gnani is present, Gnana comes out like a spring.

Manduka Upanishads: ~ Even the Gods cannot find out who is a Gnani because he bears no external mark. Neither nudity nor the yellow robe has anything to do with him.

Yogis, religious gurus, swamis, sadhus, priests, mythological storytellers, Fakirs, monks, intellectuals are not Gnanis.

Sage Sankara clearly indicates in Viveka Chudamani (2) that the Knower of the Atman (A Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).

The word “mark” means sitting in ashrams, wearing religious robes, sitting in Samadhi, performing miracles, etc. He lives a normal householder’s life. Only people can recognize a Gnani with his Gnana, not by his appearance.

Gnani is nothing to do with religion and yoga, philosophies or religious Gods, religious rituals because they all belong to the universe, which is the dualistic illusion or Maya.

Sage Sankara himself said: ~ A Gnani "bears no outward mark of a holy man"

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)

So, Sage Sankara wore a Guru's robe only for the sake of the ignorant. So he was identified as Guru with paramparas by religious people. For the truth seekers, Sage Sankara is a Brahma Gnani.

Thus, it proves that the religious gurus and yogis are not Gnanis because they identified themselves as holy people.

Thus it proves that Sage Sankara meant, taking sanyasa and wearing the religious robes to earn bread. Sanyasa is not a qualification to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana

A Gnani sees the reality hidden by ignorance as it is in the midst of diversity (illusory universe).

Thus, the above passage proves that all those who were the sanyasin robes are wearing it for the sake of bread belongs to the religion; they are nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom or Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Ashtavakra Samhita: ~ "The man of knowledge (Gnani), though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him and only those like him understand his state. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

A Gnani is one who has realized everything is consciousness (Brahman).+

Do not search for Guru in the world in which you exist. Guru is the innermost Self. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

As the truth of the ‘Self is hidden by the ‘I’ it requires for its extraction, competent instruction, excavation, the removal of ignorance.

People refuse to accept anything other than their Gurus words. For them, their Gurus 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 Advaitic wisdom or Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seekers of truth accept only the truth nothing but the uncontradictable truth.

The transparent truth of the Self is hidden by the ‘I’. the ‘I’ is the dualistic illusion (universe).

The transparent truth of the Self is to be attained through constantly reading, reasoning, and reflecting on the Advaitic words of wisdom followed by reflection, meditation, and so forth, but not through perverted discussion and arguments.

It is for the seeker to go on his own and remove all the obstacles, which is blocking the realization of the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

The greatest hindrance is mixing religion, God, scriptures, and yogic theories. Moreover, attachment to scriptures, personal God, and religious code of conduct keep one permanently in the grip of the dualistic illusion or Maya.

Remember:~

All the Advaitic Gurus of the east and the west are based on a dualistic perspective. The dualistic knowledge is egocentric knowledge. All egocentric Advaita or nonduality is based on the imagination. All imagined Advaita is will not help to cross the domain of the form, time, and space.

The egocentric knowledge keeps the Soul in the intoxication of the ‘I’. The ‘I’ hides the whole truth. The Gurus and the teachers of the nonduality of the east and west are stuck up with their own accepted truth gathered from here and there and Their egoic attitude blocks than by realizing the Advaita hidden by the Dvaita, which is present in the form of the ‘I’.

Mundaka Upanishads: ~ So-called spiritual pundits and learned are called children because a child takes whatever it thinks as truth. The question never occurs to children “Is what I have seen or thought really the truth?" (P.334 line 9)

Scriptures are not needed in pursuit of truth. Even the Upanishads and the Advaitic Sages declare the same.

Ashtavakra:~There is no wisdom whatsoever in the scriptures-just a collection of words.

The seeker should not bother about finding the meaning of what is written in the scriptures.

The ultimate truth has to be ascertained without the scriptures by realizing the Self is neither the waking entity nor the dream entity but the Self is  Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. In the realm of truth the form, time, and space are created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness.

Realizing the single stuff as the ultimate truth is Self-realization or truth realization. To realize this truth, there is no need for scriptures.

The ultimate truth has to be realized first then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying.

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ VC 56. Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by good work, nor by learning, but by the realization of one's identity with Brahman is Liberation possible, and by no other means.

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.

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.

Advaita is the nature of the Soul. Advaita is second to none. Advaita is universal wisdom reveals on its own to all the serious and sincere seekers of truth.

The real Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is Soulcentric knowledge. The Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is Soulcentric knowledge that destroys ignorance.

The Guru worship is meant for the ignorant populace. For those who have chosen the path of wisdom, there is no need to follow Guru or worship the Guru as God.

The ‘Self’ is bodiless because the ‘Self is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. The ‘Self’ not you but the ‘Self’ is the Soul. On the standpoint of the Soul, the world in which you exist is merely an illusion.

You and your Guru exist within the dualistic illusion. Performing the Pada Pooja (feet worship) to Advaitin Gurus, you will not get Advaitic wisdom.

A Guru who preaches conduct as the means to freedom believes in the experience of the birth, life, death, and the world as a reality, whereas the Advaitic Sage Sri, Sankara declares the world as unreal. Therefore, how actions performed in the unreal world can get moksha or freedom. Therefore there is a need to know the fact that, you are not the Self but the ‘Self’ is the Soul in order to understand and assimilate and realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space.

People think when they meet a Guru they get instant enlightenment because many people have experienced it. Such instant enlightenment is not wisdom but a hallucination.

And such enlightenment or any experience of that sort is temporary. There is no doubt people must have experienced but what they experienced is a mere hallucination. Experience implies duality. Experience is possible within the form, time, and space.

The Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and the Guru is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known.

Guru is needed in the religious and the yogic path. There is no need for a Guru to acquire Self-knowledge.

Sage Sankara clearly indicates in Viveka Chudamani (2) that the Knower of the Atman (A Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).

So, Sage Sankara clearly indicates A Gnani "bears no outward mark of a holy man" then why to hold Gurus and Yogis who identify themselves as holy men.

A Gnani never identifies himself as a Guru or a Yogi or someone disciple. The one who accepts himself as a Guru or someone’s disciple is not a Gnani.

Ashtavakra Samhita: ~ "The man of knowledge (Gnani), though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him and only those like him understand his state.

In Self-awareness, ignorance vanishes, and the unreal nature of the form, time, and space are exposed. In Self-awareness (in the midst of duality), the body is not considered as the body, the ego is not considered as ego the world is not considered as the world, because everything is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness (Soul).

A Gnani is one who has realized everything is consciousness (Brahman). For a Gnani, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

Advaita is universal. Advaita is not for sale. Do not buy Advaita from the spiritual supermarket. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the Self. The world in which you exist is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Advaitic wisdom.

Advaitic truth is very simple, but it is very difficult to realize because you have accumulated mental garbage from different sources in the name of Advaita.

Until you discard all the accumulated knowledge you will never be able to realize the Advaitic truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

The Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the Self shines on its own awareness when wisdom dawns.

The Advaita is the Soul is the cause and the support of all that exists as the world in which we exist. Advaita is the nature of God, the Self.

The Advaita is present in the form of consciousness. Advaita is the root element of the universe. From the Advaita, the universe comes into existence. In the Advaita, the universe resides. And into the Advaita, the universe is dissolved. The Advaita is the parent of all that is there is.: ~ Santthosh Kumaar

A Gnani.+

 

Sage Sankara says:~ "The knower of Brahman wears no signs. Gives up the insignia of a monk's life…his signs are not manifest, nor his behavior."

Sage Sankara says:~VC (2) -the Knower of the Atman (i.e., a Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).

It means the Knower of the Atman (i.e., a Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man.  Thus the religious Gurus are nothing to do with the path of wisdom. All the religious-based Advaita is meant for the mass that is incapable of grasping the truth beyond form, time, and space.   Thus the religious idea of God, Guru, and scriptural studies are nothing to do with the path of wisdom or Brahman.

The seeker must examine whatever propagated as Advaitic Gnana under the mental microscope." It means the seeker must bring notions and beliefs out of vagueness into clearness. The mystics claim superior knowledge but cannot communicate it for purposes of verification.

People’s observation is based on the dualistic (matter or body or ego) perspective, whereas A Gnani’s judgment is based on the nondualistic (Soul or Spirit or consciousness) perspective.  There are neither you, nor me, nor does the world exist as reality, when the Soul, the 'Self' remains its own awareness.  Thus what value is there when you and your experience of the world are one in essence? That essence is Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness (Spirit). 

A Gnani is fully aware of ‘what is truth’ and ‘what is untruth’.  A Gnani is fully conscious of the unreal nature of the waking experience. Thus, life within the waking experience will go on.   The three states nothing to do with the Soul, the 'Self'.  The waking or dream is merely an object to the formless witness. The Self or witness is nothing to do with the three states because it is merely the witness of the three states (illusion). 

Having realized the truth, beyond the form, time, and space a Gnani sees the world in which he exists as the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness. For a Gnani the whole world is nothing but the consciousness.

A Gnani never knows any mantra in Vedic meter or any Tantra not he indulges in religious rituals or worship of religious Gods. A Gnani sees no difference between happiness and misery, man and woman, Adversity, and success. Everything is seen to be the same.

A Gnani is not conflicted by the dualistic illusion. He is fully aware the Self is the fullness of the consciousness.

Knowing for certain that all is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness, the Gnani never says “I am this” or “I am not that.”

The sage who finds stillness is neither distracted nor focused. He knows the pleasure-pain and the world are one, in essence. Ignorance dispelled, he is free of knowing.

No ordinary man can identify a Gnani without the knowledge of the ‘Self’ hidden by ignorance (I). A Gnani possess is their ability to express the Advaitic wisdom. After Self-realization, Gnanis are those who are in Self-awareness in the midst of the dualistic illusion (world).

A Gnani has no other awareness than Self-awareness, and is for a Gnani everything has become consciousness.  In Self-awareness, the ‘Soul’ the ‘Self’ is God and remains as God!

A Gnani sees only unity in diversity, just like a goldsmith is estimating the gold in various items of jewelry sees only gold. Thus, the Goldsmith everything is gold in jewelry. Same way Gnani knows the universe is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness.

A Gnani works for the upliftment of humanity from ignorance. A  Gnani is he who enjoys the worldly life, but simultaneously suffers the suffering of the world. Outwardly, he looks like an ordinary man; but inwardly, he cannot be understood.  Gnani’s duty is to share the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana for the betterment of humanity.

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

Guru ‘s interpretations of sacred texts, the force of religious merit ~ none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth which is revealed in the clear reflection of the Soul, the innermost Self.

Even the best of the world’s Guru cannot transmit wisdom. Loud sermons consisting of a shower of ornamental words, the skill in expounding the egocentric knowledge, and likewise erudition ~ these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the Guru but are no good for Self-realization.

A Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the ultimate truth has already been known. By sticking to some Guru and surrendering to him, the Advaitic wisdom will not dawn. Surrendering is a religious fable. Surrendering is nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. Surrender implies the duality. There is no duality in reality.

By simply saying surrender without realizing the ultimate truth is like trying to sweeten the sea water by putting a spoon of sugar.

Guru’s sermons consisting of ornamental words merely please the taste of the religious mindset. Hence, seeker of truth should earnestly set about realizing the truth beyond the form, time and space.

People are unaware of the fact that, the world in which he exists is a product of the ignorance. Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is the only remedy to get rid of the ignorance. There is no use of the religion, the religious Gods, Gurus, Yogis and the Scriptures, rituals to acquire Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Ignorance does not leave off if one simply utters the name of Guru's name. Without direct realization, the Soul cannot be liberated by the mere repeating the name of the Guru or God. The seeker has to remember the name belongs to the domain of the illusory form, time and space.

For Gnani the world is an illusion. Viewed from the absolute there's neither birth nor life nor death, neither appearance nor disappearance, neither production nor destruction, neither bondage nor liberation. There's none who seeks for freedom nor is there any who is liberated - this is the highest truth.

A Gnani know that there's neither unity nor plurality - the world is neither one nor many. Just as a piece of rope is mistaken for a snake, the Atman is mistaken as this diverse world. Duality is an appearance and the non-dual Atman is the real truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Awakening is nothing but a complete, perfect understanding. A clear cut understanding of ‘what is what’ is awakening.+

 

Sage Sankara's ignorance will not vanish by mere book-knowledge, howsoever well-read in the philosophy of Vedanta, so long as one does not give up the false identification with the dualistic illusion (I).

Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the labyrinths of bookish knowledge, but he tries to get a direct realization of truth hidden by ignorance.

Sage Sankara does not believe in the book. Sage Sankara denies the authority of any book over any other book. Sage Sankara denies emphatically any one book contains all the truths about Brahman or God, Soul, the ultimate reality.

It is impossible to realize the Self through bookish knowledge. A feeling of profound respect for physical Guru is still more difficult to uphold. If you are seeking truth know must not cling to any physical Guru or his teaching. 

Advaita is not any type of teaching or philosophy. Advaita is the knowledge of your true existence. Advaita is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  Advaita is the ultimate reality, Brahman, or GOD. 

That why Sage Sankara said:~” Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many gods as you please, observe ceremonies and sing devotional hymns, but liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

Sage Sankara says:~ “VC-162 ~  There is no liberation for a person of mere book-knowledge, howsoever well-read in the philosophy of Vedanta, so long as one does not give up the false identification with the body, sense organs, etc., which are unreal.

Sage Sankara himself had often said that his philosophy was based on Sruti, or revealed scripture. This may be because, Sage Sankara addressed the ordinary man, who finds security in the idea of causality and thus, in the idea of God—and Revelation is indispensable to prove the latter. He believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need for this idea of divine causality, and can, therefore, dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Advaita by pure reason.

The intricate maze of the philosophy of different schools claims to clarify matters and reveal the Truth, but in fact, they create more confusion where no confusion needs to exist. To understand anything there is a need for perfect understanding and assimilation of ultimate truth or Brahman. Why worry about the physical body, ego, logic creation, creator, saints and sages, and the world, which are part and parcel of the illusion.

All conceptual divisions were invented by teachers of philosophy by their excessive analysis. Where do all these concepts end? Why should confusion be created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the labyrinths of philosophy but goes straight to the Source from which they all rise.

Assuming or speculating and coming to the logical conclusion on the base of the physical self (ego) is intellectuality. Therefore, intellectuality is egocentric. Egocentricity is the greatest obstacle in grasping the nondual truth.  

There is no need to study philosophies of western and eastern philosophers; they are not the means to acquire Self-Knowledge or nondual wisdom.  They are in fact an obstacle in the pursuit of truth because they are based on the physical self/ego. There is no necessary to study the philosophy of any great thinkers to ensure firm realization.  

There is no need for any philosophy to verify the truth of the self.  All that is intellectual wealth, useful in explaining doubts and difficulties if others raise them if he himself encounters them in course of thinking. But to attain realization, all that is not necessary. One wants fresh water to drink, but he does not require all the water of the whole lake to quench his quest.

Philosophical Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.  Lots of pundits will teach “Who am ‘I’”? - but none have deeply analyzed it scientifically, none can prove it. The rational proof is needed in pursuit of truth, so that one can arrive at knowing truth i.e. Wisdom; theirs is mere dogma, parrotism, repetition of what they read in scripture.

Philosophical argument leads nowhere. If the philosopher says “Self” is formless “another will reply, "No, the 'Self' has a form! If one says "his adopted philosophy   has a higher value than all other philosophy” another will say, "No, that is lower and there are many philosophies higher than that." It is impossible to get anywhere with such talk because both sides are merely assuming and imagining.

Reality has no method. The illusion has many methods, many problems, and many concepts.

Awakening is nothing but a complete, perfect understanding. A clear cut understanding of ‘what is what’ is awakening. The reality is not to be achieved, it is there. After this thorough understanding, nothing is required. : ~Santthosh Kumaar