Upanishads ridicules the worshipper of deities as a dim-witted person no better than a beast.+

Upanishads ridicules the worshipper of deities as a dim-witted person no better than a beast.

Mundaka Upanishad condemns rituals. The Para or Higher knowledge is the knowledge of the Supreme Being while the Apara or Lower Knowledge is that of following sacrificial rites and ceremonies. (1/2/ 1 – 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.

All the rituals based on the mythical  Gods will not yield any fruits and they are meant for the ignorant populace who are unable to grasp the God beyond the form, time, and space.

Sage Sankara criticized severely the ritualistic attitude and those who advocated such practice,

Ceremonials and sacrifices lead men round and round, and not to the ultimate goal to which an understanding of the Self alone can lead.

Worshipping of the non-Vedic Gods will not yield any fruit. The Vedas confirms God is Atman (spirit), the Self.

The religion of the Veda knows no idols, then why so many Gods and Goddesses with different forms and names are being propagated as Vedic Gods. Why these conceptual Gods are introduced when the Vedic concept of God is free from form and attributes.

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

God and Goddesses worshipped in India today are non-Vedic Gods. Such Gods and Goddesses cease to exist without the dualistic illusion. Whatever belongs to the dualistic illusion is bound to be a falsehood.

Rig Veda clearly declares the God is Atman and never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman. Then why to worship any other God in place of the Atman, the real God.

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 Self. In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

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

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.

Yajurveda says God is Supreme Spirit has no 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. Therefore, why to worship the Gods when they cease to exist without the dualistic illusion.

Yajurveda warns people those who worship non~Vedic Gods in place of Vedic God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." (Yajurveda 40:9.)

The rituals mentioned in the karmakanda of the Vedas are sought to be negated in the jnanakanda which is also part of the same scripture. While the karmakanda enjoins upon you the worship of various deities and lays down rules for the same, the jnanakanda constituted by the Upanishads ridicules the worshiper of deities as a dim-witted person no better than a beast.

This seems strange, the latter part of the Vedas contradicting the former part. The first part deals throughout with karma while the second or concluding part is all about jnana. Owing to this difference, people have gone so far as to divide our scripture into two sections: the Vedas (that is the first part) to mean the karmakanda and the Upanishads (Vedanta) to mean the jnanakanda.

Dogmas and beliefs, rituals, and ceremonies are the essences of the religion, not of spirituality. Religion has become merely a matter of external rituals and ceremonies. Religion hides the truth beyond form, time, and space.

Until the form, time and space are present the duality is present. The duality creates the illusory prison to the Soul, the Self.

Religious rites and rigid ceremonies were passed down from one generation to the next as a practice or set customs and tradition and performed automatically with blind faith. Such worship based on the belief of God does not reach God.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homas, havans, or any other forms of ritual are meant for the ignorant populace.

Belief in God without knowing God in actuality holds the worshiper more firmly in the grip of ignorance.

All worship and the ceremonies rituals performed on the base of non-~Vedic Gods will not yield any fruits.

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that worshiped, the worship, and the worshiper and the world are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homas, havans, or any other forms of rituals formal observance have long since set in.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa, havans, or any other forms of ritual are meant for the ignorant populace. In the Atmic path, the seeker has to discard what is not needed to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa, havans, or any other forms of rituals formal observance have long since set in.

Sage Sankara says:~ The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards are therefore addressed to an ignorant person. Thus, the rituals are meant for ignorant people.

One of Sage Sankara’s missions was to wean people away from a ritualistic approach advocated by Mimamsakas and to project wisdom (jnana) as the means of liberation in the light of Upanishad teachings.

Sage Sankara criticized severely the ritualistic attitude and those who advocated such practices. However, the orthodox texts that combined rituals with wisdom (jnana_karma_samucchaya) more in favor of the Mimamsaka position came into vogue, projecting Sage Sankara as the rallying force of the doctrine.

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:~ (11) As regards the rituals, Sage Sankara says, the person who performs rituals and aspires for rewards will view himself in terms of the caste into which he is born, his age, the stage of his life, his standing in society, etc. Also, he is required to perform rituals all through his life. However, the Self has none of those attributes or tags. Hence, the person who superimposes all those attributes on the changeless, eternal Self and identifies the Self with the body is a confusing one for the other; and is, therefore, an ignorant person. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.-Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara:~ (11.1) This ignorance (mistaking the body for Self) brings in its wake a desire for the well-being of the body, aversion for its disease or discomfort, fear of its destruction, and thus a host of miseries(anartha). This anartha is caused by projecting karthvya(“doer” sense) and bhokthavya (object) on the Atman. Sankara calls this adhyasa. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are, therefore, he says, addressed to an ignorant person. -Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara:~ (11.2) In short, the person who engages in rituals with the notion “I am an agent, doer, thinker”, according to Sage Sankara, is ignorant, as his behavior implies a distinct, separate doer/agent/knower; and an object that is to be done/achieved/known. That duality is Avidya, an error that can be removed by vidya. -Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara: ~ (12) Sage Sankara affirming his belief in one eternal unchanging reality (Brahman) and the illusion of plurality, drives home the point that Upanishads deal not with rituals but with the knowledge of the Absolute (Brahma vidya) and the Upanishads give us an insight into the essential nature of the Self which is identical with the Absolute, the Brahman. -Adhyasa Bhashya

No conceptual God can exist, apart from the consciousness. People are not aware of the fact that there is no individual God can exist, apart from the Soul, which is in the form of consciousness. Thus, the Soul or consciousness is the innermost Self. If there is no consciousness, then there is no physical body, no ego, no universe, no religion, and no conceptual God. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Meher Baba says:~The Infinite belongs to the non-dual order of being.+

The Infinite belongs to the non-dual order of being.

Meher Baba: ~ "There is no higher or lower goal. There is only one goal, Self-Realization."

Meher Baba: ~ “When religion has become merely a matter of external rituals and ceremonies, it has become a cage for the Soul.

Meher Baba says:~ UNLESS AND UNTIL ignorance is removed and Knowledge is gained . . . the Knowledge whereby the Divine Life is experienced and lived . . . everything pertaining to the spiritual seems paradoxical . . . GOD, whom we do not see, we say is real; and the world, which we do see, we say is false. In experience, what exists for us does not really exist; and what does not exist for us, really exists.

Meher Baba said: ~ God is your innermost Self. Do not search for God outside of you. Let these words be inscribed in your heart. Nothing is real but God. Nothing Matters but love for God. God is everywhere and does everything. God is beyond us and is everything. God alone is and all else is an illusion.

God is everywhere, God is in everything, and God also beyond everywhere and beyond everything. God is in the firmament and in the depths; God is manifest and unmanifest.

Meher Baba: ~ “The scriptures are like rotten bones rotted and are as food for worms.

Theosophy and philosophy are like good bones rotted and are as food for vultures.

The writings of inspired poets are like fresh bones and are as food for dogs.

The writings of spiritually advanced saints are like flesh and are as food for tigers.

The writings by living Perfect Masters are like brain and are as food for men!

Good bones when rotted have some semblance of bone, but rotten bones when rotted are like filth.

So, you may go through the scriptures superficially — only to drive away the barking dogs when necessary; for instance, when you are called upon to answer the queries of the priests and the orthodox. [Lord Meher 15: 5267]

Meher Baba: ~ “When the reality appears this ignorance which one thinks as reality becomes unreal.

Meher Baba said: - To love God as he ought to be loved, we must live for God and die for God, knowing that the goal of life is to know God and find him as our own Self.

To realize God is to attain liberation from the bondage of illusion.

Live only to find and realize your true identity with your Beloved God.

The energy which is expended in mere thinking, talking or writing is like steam that escapes through the whistle of the railway engine …

That is why the sages have always insisted on practice rather than theory. This applies particularly to those who want to know and realize God.

Meher Baba~ “When we talk of the Infinite and the finite, we are referring to them as two, and the Infinite has already become the second part of the duality. But the Infinite belongs to the non-dual order of being.

If the Infinite is looked upon as the counterpart of the finite, it is strictly speaking, no longer infinite, but a species of the finite, for it stands outside the finite as its opposite and is thus limited.

Since the Infinite cannot be the second part of the finite, the apparent existence of the finite is false. The Infinite alone exists.

God cannot be brought down to the domain of duality. There is only one being in reality and it is the Universal Soul. The existence of finite or limited is only apparent or imaginary.

~ It means one has to know and realize his innermost Self is God and identify it as his true identity to find liberation from the bondage of the illusion of birth, life, death, and the world (duality). The goal of our life is to find and realize our identity with our beloved God, which is our innermost Self. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Scientists need only to prove whether the universe can exist without consciousness.+

Max Planck ~Father of quantum physics says: ~ Science has no answer to it. Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are part of the mystery that we are trying to solve.

Scientific inventions are based on the dualistic perspective whereas the ultimate truth of existence is based on the nondualistic perspective. Scientific inventions are limited to the domain of the form, time, and space whereas the truth is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

When the scientists and the world in which they exist and their inventions are created out of single stuff. And that single stuff is consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Advaita.

Thus Advaita is the rational truth, scientific truth, the ultimate truth, and universal truth cannot be contradicted. The Advaitic truth was declared by the Sage Scientist Sankara 1200 years back.

One day the scientist also will confirm and declare that the universe is nothing but consciousness. 

Remember:~

Scientists need only to prove whether the universe can exist without consciousness.

Sages of truth already declared:` The consciousness is ever-present. Without consciousness, the world, in which you exist ceases to exist. 

The 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. The consciousness is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. The consciousness is everything. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Whatever, the Scientists can monitor the pattern of brain activity through modern scientific equipment are based on the physical Self. The physical Self and physical activities are limited to physical existence. The physical existence is nothing to do with the ultimate truth. The universe is the physical existence

The scientists and their inventions are based on believing the physical Self and its experience world as a reality, whereas, the truth lies beyond physical existence.

Scientists discover, with what the physical body, can function itself as a person, and perceives the world, the truth will not be unfolded. Therefore there is a need to know with what the physical body can know itself because the physical body is not the knower of the physical body. Therefore, there is a need to be aware of the formless knower of the physical body to unfold the mystery of the mind.

Until and unless scientists become aware of the fact that, the Self is not physical their experiments will not yield any fruit. The experiment on the physical body and trying to find the truth is like trying to drain the ocean drop by drop.

Until scientists realize the fact that, the gross world is merged into the mental experience in the sense that when it is analyzed, it is found to exist inseparably in and as the mind alone. All "spiritual" planes are really mental: those who regard them as different or higher are taking the physical body and the world as reality.

Scientists take birth, life, and death as a reality, their scientific inventions are based on physical awareness, and they will not be able to go deeper into this subject, because they cannot cross the threshold of physicality.

Modern equipment can investigate objects within the physical existence but it is impossible to investigate the physical existence as a whole i.e. man and the world together. The whole cannot be investigated with laboratory conditions. Only through deeper thinking through inquiry, analysis, and reasoning, the whole has to be investigated.

One has to reach beyond the physical existence, mentally, and discovers, grasps the fact that, the physical existence is merely an illusion created out of single stuff; otherwise he will remain the conviction believing the duality is a reality.

The consciousness is the cause of the universe and it itself is uncaused. The universe is nothing but consciousness. Modern science has yet to discover the consciousness is the cause of the universe, which was discovered and declared by Sage Sankara many centuries back. :~Santthosh Kumaar

To realize Brahman or God in truth is not easy. One has to mentally reject physical awareness by a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’.+

To realize Brahman is not easy. One has to mentally reject physical awareness (form, time, and space) by a perfect understanding of ‘what is truth?’ and ‘what is untruth?’. Without knowing what truth is’ it is impossible to reject the untruth.

Till one holds the form, time, and space as a reality it is impossible to realize the ultimate truth of Brahman. Realization of the fact that the form, time, and space are one, in essence, leads to Self-awareness.

All the activities within the waking experience are nothing to do with the Soul, the innermost ‘‘Self’’. The Soul, the ‘Self’ is birthless whereas the waking entity (you) is bound by birth, life, death, and the world.

All the activities within the dream are nothing to do with the Soul, the ‘Self’. The Soul, the innermost ‘‘Self’ is birthless whereas the dream entity is bound by birth, life, death, and the world.

The dream becomes unreal when waking takes place the same way the waking becomes unreal when the Soul, the ‘Self’ remains in its own awareness.

The Soul remains in its own awareness unconsciously in deep sleep and consciously when the wisdom dawns.

Thus the Soul, the ‘Self’ is nothing to do with the three states because the Soul, the ‘Self’ is only the formless substance and the witness of the coming and going of the three states. In reality, the formless substance and witness of the three states are one in essence. That essence is consciousness.

Thus, all three states are of the same substance. Hence, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

As you go on reading the post your subconscious will start dropping the dualistic egocentric knowledge and start accepting the Soul-centric Self-knowledge.+

The Advaitic truth is very simple. It is only to realize the world in which we exist is created out of single stuff. Knowledge of single stuff is Self-knowledge. Self-knowledge frees us all from ignorance.

The seeker has to discard all accumulated knowledge accumulated from different Gurus and teachers.

That is why Sage Sankara says:~ V C-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.

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.

Mundaka Upanishad condemns rituals. The Para or Higher knowledge is the knowledge of the Supreme Being while the Apara or Lower Knowledge is that of following sacrificial rites and ceremonies. (1/2/ 1 – 6)

Swami Vivekananda said: ~ “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher, but your own Soul.”

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

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

Bhagavan Buddha:~ There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way... and not starting

Rest in consciousness by realizing the world in which you exist is nothing but consciousness. The Soul is the fullness of the consciousness without division of the form, time, and space. Thus, consciousness alone is real and eternal all else is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed. Only an intense urge to know the truth, humility sincerity, and patience are the only qualifications to realize God in this very life and in this very world.

Till you make sure intellectually the ‘Self’ is not within you but the ‘Self’ is hidden within the world, in which you exist and the world, in which you exist is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness, it is difficult to become soulcentric.

In the past, Self-knowledge, or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana was imparted only with few because sages of truth had preserved it people were more interested in their religious beliefs.

Now a day’s people are more advanced, capable of understanding assimilating, and realizing the truth beyond form, time, and space.

Start your journey even you may find it difficult in the first as you go on reading the post your subconscious will start dropping the dualistic egocentric knowledge and start accepting the Soul-centric Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Everyone’s inner work is on. The Soul, the inner guru (Self) guides us all till we get the stillness of its non-dual true nature.

As you raft upon which you cross the swift river to get to the other side; once you are on the other side of the shore; there is no longer any need to carry the raft. The far shore is the reality, when you reach it, you can see quite clearly that there was never any river at all. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

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