First Mundaka:~ Ignorant fools, regarding sacrifices and humanitarian works as the highest, do not know any highest good.+

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (10):~ “Ignorant fools, regarding sacrifices and humanitarian works as the highest, do not know any higher good. Having enjoyed their reward on the heights of heaven, gained by good works, they enter again this world or a lower one.

Sage Sankara:~ VC 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 (verses-6)

It is clear that liberation cannot be the result of good works, for Sruti itself declares that there is no hope for immortality by means of wealth. (Verses -7)

Sage Sankara said:~ “Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way. (1) Vivekachoodamani v 56, pg 25

All these experiences as a father, son, Guru, and pupil the world in which they all exist were one and the same consciousness appearing differently. All these distinctions disappear when one realizes the Self is not ‘I’ but the Soul. The Soul is the cause of this world in which we exist and it itself is uncaused.

Remember:~

People who think it their duty to the world to remove others' sufferings are thinking within the illusion. People who think the world is full of suffering are also unaware their physical existence is limited to the illusion. All good and bad situations in the world are happenings within the illusion.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Even if you are most sinful of all the sinners, you will cross all the sins by the raft of the knowledge (IV-36)

All the happenings within the illusion are nothing to do with the Soul, the ‘Self’. The Soul is an ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self the waking entity and the waking world are an illusion. The experience of birth, life, death, and the world is a reality within the illusory waking experience.

People who declare “I AM GOD or “I AM BRAHMAN" are merely repeating like parrot words that he has read in the scriptures or heard. It does not prove that he has realized God or Brahman. With bookish or hearsay knowledge it is unable to prove that everything is Atman. One has to do lots of homework to realize the ‘Self’.

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.

Thus, saying ‘I AM God’ keeps one in duality. The duality is not reality. The duality is a product of ignorance. The body, ego, and the world are ignorant.

When wisdom dawns the ignorance disappears. When the ignorance disappears the duality will never be a reality even though there is duality, it is merely an illusion created out of 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. 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” but the ‘Self’ is the witness of the ‘I’ or I AM”. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The seeker of truth must know the difference between the religious God and the Spiritual God.+

The seeker of truth must know the difference between the religious God and the Spiritual God.

Religious Gods with forms and names belong to dualistic illusion whereas the Spiritual God is the Spirit.

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~ It has been said that God Supreme or Supreme Spirit.

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

God is not physical. God is present in the form of the Spirit. The Spirit is the cause of the world and the Spirit itself is uncaused.

In spirituality, the ultimate truth is God. The Atman is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

On the standpoint of the Spirit, the form, time, space, and name are merely an illusion. The spirit alone is real and all else is an illusion. In reality, the Spirit (God) matter (the world in which we exist) are one.

 Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God) is considered the all-pervading consciousness (Spirit), 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 (Spirit) which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material then nothing has to be accepted as God other than consciousness.

Lord Krishna Says Ch ~V: ~ “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.

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

The Vedas confirms God is Atman (Spirit), the ‘Self’.

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 innermost ‘Self’. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

Brihad Upanishad: ~ “If you think there is another entity, whether man or God there is no truth."

When Upanishad itself’ declares: ~ Sarvam khalvidam brahma ~ all this (universe) is verily Brahman. By following back all of the relative appearances in the world, we eventually return to that from which it is all manifest – the non-dual reality (Chandogya Upanishad).

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God) 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

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 the Soul, and ritual bathing.

Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.

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

Rig Veda declares God is ‘ONE’ and God is Atman, then why to believe and worship in place of real God.

Belief in multiple Gods, The worship of idols;  and worship of images that are not God, The worship of sacred images, ancestor worship, pilgrimage, priestcraft, the belief in avatars or incarnations of God, 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 these lack Vedic sanctions, therefore, Hinduism is not Ancient Vedic religion or Sanatana Dharma.

Realizing the universe is created out of single stuff and that single stuff is the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness leads to non-dualistic or Advaitic Self-awareness. Self-awareness is freedom or Moksha. Moksha is unity in diversity in the midst of duality.

It is very difficult to talk to people about the ultimate truth or Brahman because everyone thinks he knows the ultimate truth or Brahman. This I know business is dangerous. And whatever his reached conclusion is second-hand stuff. Therefore, accepting accumulated knowledge without verification will lead the seekers to hallucinated realization based on the ego. One may have some flashes of truth when someone tries to indicate it through fewer words. But it takes nearer to the truth, not realization. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Do not keep on glorifying the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is not within your body. Remember the ‘I’ is the whole universe.+

Do not keep on glorifying the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is not within your body. Remember the ‘I’ is the whole universe. The universe ceases to exist without the ‘I’.

If you are caught in the grip of the ‘I’ then you will remain permanently in the grip of ignorance. if you hold the Self as ‘I’ you will never be able to cross the dualistic illusion. If you follow the ‘I’ based teaching it is like the blind leading the blind

If You inquire  “Who am ‘I’? “The ‘I’ will not disappear. You must know the nature of the ‘I’, which appears and disappears.

The Soul is the witness of the ‘I’ which is permanent and eternal. The Soul is the subject and the ‘I’ is an object.

The ‘I’ hides the Soul. Therefore, the seeker has to realize ‘what is this ‘I’ supposed to be in actuality.

If the Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the Soul then from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self: ~

Where is the ‘I’?

Where is the ego?

Where is the body?

Where is the mind?

Where is the world in which you exist?

Where are the form, time, and space?

Where is the waking experience?

Where is the duality?

Where is void?

They are or have become one with the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present only when the world is present. The world is present only when there is the waking experience.

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that the waking experience is not considered different from the world. The world is not considered different from the mind. The mind is not considered different from the’ I’. This truth has to be assimilated.

The ‘I’ is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. ‘I’ is not the subject.

The ‘I’ is an object to the Soul, which is the formless, timeless, and spaceless subject.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then three states, are bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the form, time, and space are bound to be an illusion.

If the 'I’ is an illusion then the individual experience of birth, life, death is bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the words and thoughts are bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the duality is bound to be an illusion.

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 in order to realize the truth, which is hidden by the illusory 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.

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 as real because some Gurus have propagated 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 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 Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seekers.:~Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara says even women can realize truth if they persist.+

Many centuries back orthodoxy barred and restricted women from studying scriptures restricted women only to household and bearing children. In modern days, women are more capable of grasping truth like in the Vedic era.

Women Sages of India:~

Women Sages of India have been given less importance, for several reasons obvious to anyone studying history...

In the medieval period, women were confined to homes and according to some moral codes, women were not allowed to study scriptures and chant mantras while mantras were invoked as female deities or Goddesses.

The Vedic rishis had wives who were learned women and took part in philosophical discussions. The crippling social practices for women, considering them as inferior, unfit for scriptural studies were introduced by male-dominated societies...While women monastics or nuns were introduced in Buddhism; it was not a common practice to have nuns in Hindu monastic orders until recent times.

Sage Sankara has philosophical disputes and debates with an equally great scholar, Mandana Mishra. Mishra's learned wife Bharathi served as the umpire. She was taken as the incarnation of the Goddess of learning Saraswati.

If one realizes the words and the world in which we exist created out of single stuff, and that single stuff is consciousness then no word is required to explain the Soul, which is the ultimate truth, Brahman, or God. All the words and experiences are of duality. The duality is not reality.

Sage Sankara says even women can realize the truth if they persist. (Mand.P.351)

Thus, it proves that Sage Sankara wanted even women to acquire Advaitic wisdom, whereas the orthodox Advaitins bars women to indulging in the path of wisdom even in these modern days.

Orthodoxy is based on the experience of birth, life, death, and the world as a reality whereas the ultimate truth is based on the formless Soul of the Self. Thus, Advaitic wisdom is for the whole universe irrespective of any gender, race, creed, and religion.

Vedic women:~

In the Vedic era, women occupied a very important position, in fact, a superior position to, men. It is a culture whose only words for strength and power are feminine -" Shakti'' means "power'' and "strength.'' All male power comes from the feminine. Literary evidence suggests that kings and towns were destroyed because a single woman was wronged by the state.

The Rig Veda also refers to women engaged in warfare. One queen Bispala is mentioned, and even as late a witness as Megasthenes (fifth century B.C. E.) mentions heavily armed women guards protecting Chandragupta's palace.

In Vedic times, women and men were equal as far as education and religion were concerned. Women participated in public sacrifices alongside men.

One text mentions a female rishi Visvara. Some Vedic hymns are attributed to women such as Apala, the daughter of Atri, Ghosa, the daughter of Kaksivant, or Indrani, the wife of Indra. Apparently, in early Vedic times, women also received the sacred thread and could study the Vedas.

The Haritasmrti mentions a class of women called Brahmavaadins who remained unmarried and spent their lives in study and ritual. Panini's distinction between arcarya (a lady teacher) and acaryani (a teacher's wife), and upadhyaya (a woman preceptor) and upadhyayani (a preceptor's wife) indicates that women at that time could not only be students but also teachers of sacred lore. He mentions the names of several noteworthy women scholars of the past such as Kathi, Kalapi, and Bahvici. The Upanishads refer to several women philosophers, who disputed with their male colleagues such as Vacaknavi, who challenged Yagnavalkya.

"India of the Vedas entertained a respect for women amounting to worship; a fact which we seem little to suspect in Europe when we accuse the extreme East of having denied the dignity of woman, and of having only made her an instrument of pleasure and passive obedience." He also said: "What! here is a civilization, which you cannot deny to be older than your own, which places the woman on a level with the man and gives her an equal place in the family and society." : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

What is Maya.+

Different Gurus hold different views about Maya. In popular parlance, Maya means illusion. Only a Gnani knows what is Maya? and what is the ultimate reality?

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ ‘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' (Gnani).

We have to discard all accumulated knowledge accumulated from different Gurus and teachers.

In reality, three is no scope for two. Advaita means one without the second. Advaita means the Soul. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is one without the second.

Consciousness is one without the second because the world in which you exist is created out of consciousness. Thus, everything is consciousness. No second thing exists other than consciousness. Consciousness alone is real and eternal.

Advaitic truth has to be grasped mentally by realizing the form, time and space are one, in essence.

What is Maya: ~

The ignorance is Maya

The dualistic illusion is Maya

The ‘I’ is Maya.

The mind is Maya.

The form, time, and space are Maya.

The universe is Maya.

The three states are Maya.

The individual experience of birth, life, death, and the world is Maya.

Remember:~

When the Soul, the Self is caught up in the cage of ignorance then it is in the domain of the dualistic illusion or Maya.

The dualistic illusion or Maya is present in the form of the ‘I’.

The dualistic illusion or Maya is present in the form of the mind.

The dualistic illusion or Maya is present in the form of form, time, and space.

The dualistic illusion or Maya is present in the form of the universe.

The dualistic illusion or Maya is present in the form of waking.

The dualistic illusion or Maya is present in the form of the dream.

The dualistic illusion or Maya is present in the form of the individual experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

Remember:~

Without the dualistic illusion or Maya, there is no ‘I’.

Without the dualistic illusion or Maya, there is no mind.

Without the dualistic illusion or Maya, there is no form, time, and space.

Without the dualistic illusion or Maya, there is no universe.

Without the dualistic illusion or Maya, there is no form of waking.

Without the dualistic illusion or Maya, there is no dream.

Without the dualistic illusion or Maya, there is no individual experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

The Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness, is hidden by Maya.

Only through the sword of Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana the veil of ignorance vanishes and then the Soul, the Self shines as the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Remember:~

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’ which itself is Maya.

People take the ‘I’, which is Maya as real because some Gurus have propagated the Self as the ‘I’. They refuse to accept ‘I’ as mays because they hold the ‘Self’ as the ‘I’.

There 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.

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.

Remember:~

It really depends on his inborn natural capacity to understand and assimilate it. Sage Sankara’s wisdom is a Self-examiner, to test oneself to discover how near to Gnana he has approached and what progress has already been made on the path, and what still remains to be done. It sets up a criterion for Self-judgement. There are millions in search of truth but one in million will be able to grasp it.

Without Sage Sankara, there is no Advaita (nonduality). Since it was mixed up with orthodoxy there is lots of confusion.

All the Gurus who propagate Advaita of east and west air their knowledge base Advaita on the dualistic perspective and orthodox perspective.

I am highlighting all the obstacles, which are blocking one from realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

There are so many non-dualistic masters of the east and also from the west who expound Advaitic or non-dualistic knowledge but none of them are helpful to reach the ultimate end.

The seeker has to know and realize the Self not the ‘I’ but the Soul. the seeker has to identify the Self as the Soul to find liberation from the bondage of the Maya of birth, life, death, and the world.

The goal of human life is to find and realize our identity with our Soul, which is the Self.

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 Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seekers of truth accept only the truth nothing but the uncontradictable truth

Remember:~

Unless the seeker drops all his accumulated knowledge and strives to realize the truth with patience and humility it is not possible to realize the ‘Self’ hidden by the dualistic illusion. In the path of wisdom discussion of the unimportant subject matter and creates a hindrance. The path of truth is the path of verification. Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verification.

The seeker has to read umpteen times, think deeply, and reflect repeatedly until his reasoning base becomes Soulcentric. Once he becomes he becomes Soulcentric the truth will start revealing on its own. As the seeker digs into old and new posts, he will gradually start understanding and assimilating the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

We have to discard all accumulated knowledge accumulated from different Gurus and their teachings in order to realize the truth hidden by the Maya. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

Without Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom, Self-realization is an impossibility.+

There is no higher or lower goal. Self- realization is the only goal. Without Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom, Self-realization is an impossibility. When religion has become merely a matter of worshiping superstition, dogmas rituals, and ceremonies, it has become a cage for the Soul the Self.

God is not the religious Gods you believe in and worship. God is the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. Do not search for God in the external world because the god is hidden by the world in which you exist. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Nothing is real but the Soul, the God. Nothing matters but the realization of God. God pervades everywhere and in everything in the world in which you exist because the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of God, which is present in the form of consciousness. consciousness, which is God, alone is and all else is an illusion.

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

Some Gurus advised concentration on the sense “I” as a means to obtain realization. Some Gurus say “You should just go on thinking ‘I’ constantly the ‘I’ will shine as Self’. Such declarations are a great error because the ‘I’ itself is ignorance.

The ‘I-centric and ‘you-centric’ Gurus and their teaching deal with lower knowledge. The seeker has to ignore these ‘I-centric and ‘you-centric’ Gurus and their teaching to move to realize the higher truth hidden by the ‘I’.

The ‘I-centric and ‘you-centric’ Gurus and their teaching are unsafe rafts for crossing the sea of ignorance. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross The sea ignorance on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their ignorance, yet wise in their esteem, these deluded men proud of their vain learning go round and round like the blind led by the blind.

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

It is foolish to say ‘I AM GOD’ when the Self is not you, but the Self is the Soul. Therefore, the Soul, the Self, is God.

People say Aham Brahmasmi ~ I am God, I am Brahman. But when Brahman is, how can "I" remain? Only Brahman remains, not the ‘I’.

People study Vedanta and they are under the delusion and conclude that they say, ‘I AM Brahman’ or ‘I AM THAT’ but they fail to realize the fact that Brahman is everywhere and in everything! The existence of Brahman is not limited to his physical identity because, it the very essence of the form, time, and space.

Yoga Vasistha: ~ "Teachers, 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 heart, engendered from contact with the good."

Sage Sankara: ~ VC 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 (verses-6)

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread."

~ This shows he was wearing the religious robe only for the sake of bread." Thus, it means those who are wearing religious robes for the sake of bread.

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

Thus, it proves that religious Gurus and yogis are not Gnanis because they identified themselves as holy people. The religious Gurus, yogis, and ‘I-centric’ ‘you-centric’ Gurus and their teachings are not Advaitic wisdom.

If you hold anyone as holy or anything as sacred you will never be able to transcend from dualistic illusion to non-dualistic reality. Other than the Soul nothing is holy and sacred.

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.

Advaita is not a theory or a philosophy. Advaita is the nature of the Soul the Self. There is no need for any theory or philosophy or scriptures to acquire Self-knowledge. Only a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed.

Rig Veda: ~ May ye never turn away from the Atman (Soul) the innermost self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

Sage Sankara: ~"That which permeates all, which nothing transcends and which, like the universal space around us, fills everything from within and without, that Supreme non-dual Brahman or God in truth ~ that thou art."

That is why Sage Sankara says :~ The transparent Truth of the ‘Self’, which is hidden by the Maya (‘I’) and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman (Gnani).

If you concentrate on the ‘I’ then you are concentrating on ignorance. If you focus your attention on believing the ‘‘Self’’ as the ‘I’ then your ignorance will become more and more deeply rooted.

Those who are stuck up with this ‘I-centric’ and ‘you-centric’ Gurus and their teaching will never be able to get rid of the ignorance.

At a certain point, advice and words become meaningless. Those words may have served as a pointer along the way, and that’s fine, but sooner or later the seeker will have to discard these ‘I-centric’ and ‘you-centric’ Gurus and their teaching in order to get rid of ignorance.

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

All accumulated knowledge is of no use in the path of wisdom. Without realizing “What is the truth it is impossible to realize “What is untruth?” Without realizing what is truth and what is untruth it is impossible to assimilate the Self –Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seeker must know with full and firm conviction what truth is.

The wisdom consists in knowing the truth, that everything (mind or physical existence) is the consciousness. The 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 or the consciousness, the innermost ‘Self’, are quite near to realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

It is tough for those who strongly believe the ‘I’, as the ‘Self’, to realize the truth. Most of the spiritual paths hold the ‘I’, as the ‘Self’ and spin their imagination on the base of ‘I’, which leads them to hallucination. People mistake that ‘Self’ as “I” whereas the gross bodies are many. So the ‘I’ cannot be ‘Self’. By sentimentally and emotionally getting involved with some teachings or Guru is a great hindrance in pursuit of truth.

People hold their Guru as the ultimate authority and drop their pursuit of truth and indulge in their glorifying and worshiping the Gurus, which keeps them permanently in ignorance.

The serious seeker should constantly reflect on the ‘Self’ through a deeper ‘Self’-search. The Soul, the innermost ‘Self’ is in the form of consciousness.

Realizing the ‘Self’ is not ‘I’ but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which witnesses the ‘I’. ‘Self’-knowledge is the only tool for the acquisition of final freedom from experiencing the illusory duality as reality.

Sage Goudpada: ~ To establish the truth of Nonduality by sheer reasoning alone. He begins by defining "What is real?" "What is unreal?" etc, because that is the right way to discuss or teach. People must first know what they are talking about. (Manduka Karika)

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 in order 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 truth of the Soul. The Soul is the whole universe because the universe is nothing but an illusion created out of the Soul. the soul becomes the universe in waking experience and the universe becomes Soul in deep sleep.

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 as real because some Gurus have propagated the ‘Self’ is the ‘I’. There 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 come 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 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 Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seekers of truth accept only the truth nothing but the uncontradictable truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar