Orthodox path was meant for the ignorant people in the past, therefore, it is outdated not suited for the modern mindset.+

Advaitic orthodoxy is nothing to do with Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom. Advaitic orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant populace.

According to Advaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences –

1, “The ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices”.

2, “The advanced seekers who seek to know the ultimate truth or Brahman.”

Thus, the purva mimam. sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, the Vedanta, with its emphasis on the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond the form, time, and space.

Thus those who are seeking truth have to discard the Theological Advaita without mercy in order to realize the Advaitic truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

The Advaitic orthodoxy is based on the birth entity. The one which is born lives, and dies in the world is not the ‘‘Self’’.

Sage Sankara says the world is an illusion Brahman alone is real and Atman is Brahman.

Thus, it proves the world in which birth and death happen is merely an illusion. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the cause of the world is real. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Orthodoxy is the path of ignorance. And ignorant worship mechanically performs the prescribed sacrifices without any thought as to why they are doing them.

That is why Ish Upanishads says:~ such people no wonder they grope in the dark. They are doomed unless someday the truth dawns on them that to save themselves they must seek ‘Self’-knowledge.

The Advaitic orthodoxy is conduct-oriented and trying to prove the truth on the basis of scriptural authorities, whereas the ultimate truth is based on the Soul, the 'Self'.

The religion, concept of God and scriptures are the greatest obstacle to acquiring ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The scriptural knowledge fuels the ego. And ego makes one experience the duality as reality. Duality makes one blind to the truth and makes one accept, the egocentric theories based on the false self as an authority. The ultimate truth has to be proved without the scriptures.

The Advaitic Orthodoxy holds the caste, religious rites, God and Glorifying the Gurus, scriptural studies, virtues, good deeds, and physical conducts as the means to acquire the ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

The Advaitic orthodoxy believes in the worship of non-Vedic Gods barred by Vedas.

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

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

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

Do not accept any other God other than the Soul. The Soul is God in truth,  Nothing is real but the Soul, which present in the form of consciousness. Nothing Matters but realize  God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

God in truth is hidden by the illusory universe. God in truth alone is real and eternal and all else is an illusion.:

Brahman is merely a word to indicate the ultimate truth or God in truth.  The ultimate truth itself is God in truth. 

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)

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.

Ish Upanishad: ~ those who worship Gods and Goddesses go into deeper darkness because they seek rewards for their worship.

That is why Sage Goudpada says that:~ The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

This clearly indicates that religion, which is based on individual conduct, prescribes karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, therefore religion is for the lower intellect. And wisdom is for those who are capable of inquiring into their own existence.

Remember:~

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. 

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 in 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.

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.

The orthodox people are ordinary people. Thus, the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices. The karma kanda of the Vedas is meant for the ordinary audience, to help lead its followers along the way.

The modern mindset is more advanced and capable of reasoning and discriminating. Thus, the modern mindset is the more advanced which seeks to know the ultimate truth or Brahman.

It is high time for the orthodox highly educated noble Advaitins to realize their religious-based orthodox chosen path was meant for the ignorant people in the past, therefore, it is outdated not suited for the modern mindset. 

The right path for the modern mindset is the path of the wisdom or reason of Sage Sankara. The orthodox religious Advaitic path is nothing to do with ultimate truth or Brahman. Thus, getting stuck with the religious path is geeing stuck with duality.

Getting stuck with duality is getting stuck with the falsehood. Getting stuck with the falsehood is accepting the experience of birth, life, death, and the world as reality. Thus the people who want freedom or Moksha right here, right now must that is in this very life and in this very world must follow the path of wisdom or Soulcentric reason. 

The orthodoxy is the path of ignorance because it is based on the illusory experience of birth, life, death, and the world as reality. ~ Santthosh Kumaar

If the Soul is free from the ‘I’ then it is free from ignorance.+

Bhagavad Gita: ~ “You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory. ~ CH.2 v.16

The ‘I’ itself is the illusory bondage because the ‘I’ itself is the cause of ignorance. Only in ignorance, the Soul is bound by the illusory experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

In reality, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If the Soul is free from the ‘I’ then it is free from ignorance.

If 'I' is illusory then the universe is bound to be illusory because 'I' itself the universe.

There is a need to realize what this ‘I’ supposed to be in actuality. The ‘I’ itself is the mind? “What is the Mind?” and “What is the substance of the Mind?” and what is the source of the mind? - in order to unfold the mystery hidden by the ‘I’.

Remember:~

You, your body, and the world in which you exits are within the dualistic illusion, which is present in the form of the ‘I’. Thus ‘I’ is not limited to you alone but the ‘I’ is the whole world in which you exist. Without the ‘I’, the world, in which you exist ceases to exist.

The ‘I-centric and you-centric gurus limit the ‘I’ to the physical body and think the ‘I’ is within the physical body. This is an error. The ‘I’ is the whole universe. The universe is an illusion created out of the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The ‘I’ is inborn samskara or conditioning, because of this inborn samskara or conditioning one has accepted the ‘I’ as the ‘‘Self’’, he is ignorant of the fact that the ‘I’ itself is the cause of ignorance. Because of this ‘I’ he has accepted illusion as a reality. Therefore, there is a need to realize what is this ‘I’?’ - in actuality. Without knowing what is this ‘I’?’ in actuality it is impossible to unfold the hidden truth which is beyond the form, time, and space.

Till you hold the ‘Self ‘as the ‘I’ you will never be able to get Self-realization. ‘I’ hides the Soul, which is the Self.

'I’ is ignorance.

‘I’ is the duality.

‘I’ is form, time, and space.

‘I’ is the universe.

‘I’ is the waking.

‘I’ is the dream.

‘I’ is the illusion.

‘I’ is the experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

Remember:~

Without the ‘I’ there is no ignorance.

Without the ‘I’ there is no duality.

Without the ‘I’ there is no form, time, and space.

Without the ‘I’ there is no universe.

Without the ‘I’ there is no waking.

Without the ‘I’ there is no dream.

Without the ‘I’ there is no illusion.

Without the ‘I’ there is no experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

The ‘I’ hides the truth of the whole. The ‘I’ hides the truth. 

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.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ The permanent is always there, only the transient ‘I’ comes and goes. (2.18)

It is time to discard the ‘I’. Never use the word the ‘I’ or I AM for the Self. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

You have been misled by the eastern and western Advaitic Gurus and their ‘I-centric teachings you are unable to grasp the ‘Self’ hidden by the ‘I’.+

Bhagavad Gita says: ~ Among thousands of men, scarcely one strives for perfection; and of those who strive and succeed, scarcely one knows the ‘Self’ in truth.

Sage Sankara says liberation comes, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way.

The path of wisdom attracts only those who are in search of truth and they appreciate it greatly. The ignorant are not spiritually matured the receive Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

You have been misled by the eastern and western Advaitic Gurus and their ‘I-centric teachings you are unable to grasp the ‘Self’ hidden by the ‘I’.

The ‘Self' hidden by the ‘I’ means the Spirit hidden by the matter. Remember the eastern and western Advaitic Gurus and their ‘I-centric teachings are not the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara. 

Sage Sankara says: ~ “What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead a person to the final goal. On the contrary, such acceptance will result only in evil, in something which is detrimental to our spiritual progress. 

Unless you drop all eastern and western Advaitic Gurus and their ‘I-centric teachings you will not be able to acquire the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sri Sankara who is the founder of the Advaitic wisdom. 

Being means a thing is. How do you know this world exists? How do you know that you exist in this world? It is the Self, the witness that gives you the idea of being in the world. Apart from the Soul, the 'Self', you never realize that there is such a thing as being. 

The first step is to distinguish between the real and the unreal. That is to know about the dual and nondual experience. The seeker has to discriminate between real and unreal. It means separating the subject from the object through deeper analysis. 

The real is the subject and the unreal is an object. The Advaitic Gurus of the east and west cannot think of the subject because they are unaware of the fact that the subject is hidden by the object. Unless you drop 

Without the subject, there is no object. The subject can stay without the object whereas the object is fully dependent on the subject for its existence because the object is nothing but an illusion created out of the subject.

The subject contained in the object. The consciousness cannot apart from the object because the object is merely an illusion. Thus, the objective illusion has no value because it is non-existent without consciousness. 

The dualists regard objects as a reality because they are ignorant have no idea of a subject and hence never seek for it. On the Advaitic perspective, the object is also regarded as the subject because the object is nothing but an illusion created out of the subject. 

The ice will not form without the water, the cloud will not form without the water, similarly, the world, in which you exist ceases to exist without consciousness. 

The world, in which you exist, is created out of single stuff. The Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

The world in which we exist is an object to the Soul, which is the formless subject. The object is created out of the subject. In reality, the subject and object are one, in essence. That essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Thus, the world in which we exist is nothing but the consciousness, which is the subject. 

Thus, the subject alone is real and eternal, the world in which we exist is merely an illusion. 

From the Standpoint of the Soul, the innermost Self, there is neither the object nor the subject, there is unity in diversity. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

All the gurus think whatever they propagate is the ultimate truth. The question never occurs to them, “Is what I know is really the truth.+

 

Do not search for Guru in the world in which you exist. God is the innermost Self Guru is the Soul, the  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 mindsets are 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.

The transparent truth of the Self is hidden by the ‘I’, which the dualistic illusion or Maya.

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.

All the penances are external because they are based on individuality. Investigating the mind, alone leads to Self-realization.

To know what is the mind profits much rather than searching the truth in the external world moving from one ashram to another and one Guru to another and one mountain to another. When one starts investigating the universe that confronts him will mentally move inwards and will reach the ultimate end and become fully aware of  “What is truth?” and “What is untruth?” in his own home or city and establish in truth by realizing what is the untruth.

Nothing is real but the Soul. Nothing Matters but love for the Soul. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is everywhere and pervades everything in the domain of the form, time, and space. The Soul is hidden within the form, time, and space and it is beyond the form, time, and space. The Soul alone is and the form, time and space are merely an illusion.

Remember:~

If you want to know what is this the world in which you exist in actuality then you must know its illusory nature.

If you change your ‘I know the attitude and indulge in deeper self-search you will be able to discover the truth, which is hidden by the world in which you exist.

Katha Upanishad says ~ Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. (Ch~ II-5 P-14)

Those who indulge in a perverted argument from their own standpoint and opinion are not seeking the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. They just want to exhibit their accumulated knowledge accumulated from here and there. They think what they know is the ultimate truth.

All the gurus think whatever they propagate is the ultimate truth. The question never occurs to them, “Is what I know is really the truth.

You are stuck up with some Gurus and their teaching you are like stagnant water of the dirty pond. Till you are stuck up with the idea that you get instant enlightenment from some enlightenment then you are hallucinating.

That is why 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.”

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.

People dwelling in the ignorance, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round by various blind beliefs and tortuous paths and practices, like the blind led by the blind.

Come out of your prison of emotion. Be independent. Sit think, reason, and reflect deeply.

You need to read or hear the words of wisdom of Advaita. Remember The Soul is the only reality and the world in which you exist is an illusion.

Reason and reflect upon the words of wisdom of Advaita constantly. Give up all further argumentation and realizing the truth. This realization comes from being certain that the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness alone, is real and the world in which you exist is an illusion created out of the consciousness. Thus, the Soul is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God or God in truth.

That is why Sage Sankara: ~ “Brahman is the truth. The world is unreal everything is truly Brahman and nothing else has any value.

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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara :~This apparent world is Maya and has its basis in Brahman, the Eternal.+

It is for every seeker who is seeking truth must first know what God supposed to be in actuality according to Vedas and Upanishads and reject all non-Vedic Gods to realize the Atman, God in truth.

Bhagavad Gita:~ “All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)

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

Thus, it refers to formless and attributeless God, which is the Atman (Soul), the innermost ‘Self’ within the false experience. Thus, it indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imagination based on the false ‘Self’. Thus Atman or Soul, the ‘Self’ is God in truth.

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshiped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers of Buddhism and Jains. There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme ‘Self’ in i.e. Atman or Soul but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.

It indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imagination based on the false ‘Self’.

Max Müller says: ~ "The religion of the Veda knows no idols; the worship of idols in India is a secondary formation, a degradation of the more primitive worship of idolized Gods."

In Vedas, God has been described as:-

Yajur Veda – Chapter- 32: - God is Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions. 

Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

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)

The Vedas as a body of scripture contains many contradictions and they are fragmentary in nature. For Hindus, scriptures like the Bhagavad-Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas are more attractive and appealing than the Vedas. And also, the Gods and Goddesses they worship differ considerably from the Vedic ones. The collection of hymns called Vedas are written in praise of certain deities by poets over several centuries does not seem to have much significance for the Hindus

Yajur Veda says:~

Translation 1

They enter darkness, those who worship natural things (for example air, water, sun, moon, animals, fire, stone, etc).

They sink deeper in darkness than those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc.) (Yajurveda 40:9)

Translation 2

"Deep into the shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti are intent." (Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Griffith pg. 538)

Translation 3.

"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of 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." (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

So, Yajur Veda indicates that:~

They sink deeper in darkness than those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc (Yajurveda 40:9)

Those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of 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." (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

Then why worship and glorify the non-~Vedic Gods in place of Vedic God when Veda bars such activities and it also warns people who indulge in such activities 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.

Remember:~

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 (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. (7)

Actions help to purify the mind, but they do not, by themselves, contribute to the attainment of Reality. The attainment of the Reality brought about only by ‘Self’-Inquiry and not in the least by even ten million acts. (11)

The fear and sorrow created by the delusory serpent in the rope can be ended only after fully ascertaining the truth of the rope through steady and balanced thinking. (12)

Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about our own ‘Self’. The firm experience of the nature of the ‘Self’ is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advice of the wise. (13)

Ultimate success in spiritual endeavors depends chiefly upon the qualifications of the seeker. Auxiliary conveniences such as time and place all have a place indeed, but they are essentially secondary. (14)

He alone is considered qualified to enquire after the supreme Reality, who has discrimination, detachment, qualities of Calmness, etc., and a burning desire for liberation. The four-fold qualifications (17)

Great sages have spoken of four qualifications for attainment which, when present, succeeds in the realization of Brahman and In the absence of which the goal is not attained. (18)

(While enumerating the qualifications), first, we count the ability to discriminate between the Real and the unreal; next comes a spirit of detachment from the enjoyment of the fruits of actions here and hereafter; after that is the groups of six virtues beginning with Calmness, and the last is undoubtedly an intense desire for liberation. (19)

A firm conviction that Brahman alone is Real and the phenomenal world is unreal is known as discrimination between the Real and the unreal. (20)

They have crossed the dreadful ocean of (embodied) existence through their own efforts and without any (personal) motives; they help others to cross it. (37)

The most valuable contribution of Sage Sankara is that he gained general consciousness on the issue that the authoritative explanation of Upanishads, Gita, and Brahma Sutra was the final say in the matter of religion. Anything that goes contrary to the trio is not authentic. He also made a clear distinction between Vedas and Upanishads in his commentary on Gita. He stated that the Karma Kanda of the Vedas deals with the injunctions relating to the performance of duties and actions. These are for ordinary householders.

The path of religion, the path of yoga, and the path of wisdom were intended for different classes of people. The wisdom is for the advanced seekers of truth. It deals with the nature of the ultimate Truth and Reality. It is meant for superior aspirants who have an inner urge to know the truth and it is not for those who are immersed in earthly desires.

Sage Sankara’s whole wisdom can be summed up in one sentence, ‘There is nothing else but Brahma. He says that the Absolute Existence, Absolute Knowledge, and Absolute Bliss is Real. The universe is not real. He says that Brahma and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the ‘Self’, which is one though appearing as many in different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the ‘Self’ is real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearances.

In fact, Sage Sankara states a paradox- the world is and is not. It is neither real nor unreal. It leads us to recognize the existence of Maya. He thinks that the world is illusory from one perspective and from the second it is nothing but Brahma, Itself’ in manifestation. This apparent world is Maya and has its basis in Brahman, the Eternal. It looks as real. It has names and forms and actually, it is not real In the light of true knowledge, it disappears, and ‘Self’-alone shines as real. However, Sage Sankara’s Mayavada has not been accepted by many preachers and philosophers.

When Sage Sankara says clearly, the universe is not real. He says that Brahman and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the ‘Self’, which is one though appearing as many in different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the ‘Self’ is Real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearances, then it indicates the form (waking/duality/mind) is unreal the formless is real (Soul/Spirit/Witness). Therefore, only Atman is real because there is no second thing other than Atman.

Sage Sankara also clearly mentions that: ~ The path of religion, the path of yoga, and the path of wisdom were intended for different classes of people. The wisdom is for the advanced seekers of truth. It deals with the nature of the ultimate Truth and Reality. It is meant for superior aspirants who have an inner urge to know the truth and it is not for those who are immersed in earthly desires. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The Soul appears as the universe and the universe disappears as the Soul.+

As soon as ‘I’ comes, there arises the universe. The Soul is the cause of the ‘I’ and it itself is ‘I-less Soul’.

That is why Bhagavad Gita: ~ The permanent (consciousness) is always there, only the transient ‘I’ comes and goes. (2.18)

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self, which is unborn eternal.

Remember:~

The Soul appears as the universe and the universe disappears as the Soul.

The universe is nothing but an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the ultimate Truth or Brahman. Brahman is God in truth.

‘I’ is not within your body because the ‘I’ is the whole universe. Therefore, by inquiring ‘WHO AM ‘I’? the truth of the whole will not be revealed.

First realize the ‘I’ is not limited to the body because the ‘I’ is present in the form, time, and space.

Bhagvad Gita: ~ “You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory. ~ CH.2 v.16

The truth will not be revealed without knowing what is this ‘I’ in actuality.

Holding the ‘I’ as real and identifying the Self as ‘I’ AM’ is getting stuck to ignorance.

Using the word ‘I’ and ‘I AM’ will not allow the seeker to transcend the form, time, and space. The stubborn attitude of the seeker to stick to the world ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ makes him remain in ignorance and he will never be able to succeed to transcend the dualistic illusion.

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.

That is why 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.”

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 'I' 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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Just as the body and the world in a dream are superimposed and, therefore, illusory, so is also this body, and the world in the waking is superimposed.+

Just as the body and the world in a dream are superimposed and, therefore, illusory, so is also this body, and the world in the waking is superimposed. The birth, life, death, and the world are part of the waking experience, and waking is superimposed, and in the absence of waking, which contains the body and the world there is no room for karma at all.

The ignorance to be verily the material /cause) of the waking/dream just as water is of a cloud. If the ignorance is destroyed, how can the three states subsist?

Just as a person out of confusion perceives only the snake leaving aside the rope, so does ignorant person experiences the world/dream within the waking without knowing their reality? The real nature of the rope being known, the appearance of the snake no longer persists; so the substratum being known, the waking no longer remains as real.

Believing in The karma theory is the greatest obstacle in the pursuit of truth because it is based on the physical Self. The word "karma" means "action. Karma through willful action, through thoughts, words and deeds are part and parcel of the dualistic illusion.

Sage Sankara says: The world is an illusion and Brahman alone is real, which means the birth, life, karma, death, which happens within the illusory world is bound to be an illusion. Thus, theory based on the birth entity (ego) has no value. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara: ~ Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge of the Self. +

Religion is regarded as sacred and real by the common people, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.

As one goes deeper into the annals of history he becomes aware of the fact that the so-called present Hinduism has adopted many things from Buddhism, the religion of Abraham, Jainism, and Islam. If one goes deeper enough he will become aware everything is mixed up and messed up in time.

No one is taken pains to rectify it because; because people have been inherited them, from their ancestors and they think it is blasphemy even to hear anything against their inherited religion and belief. Once one gets involved with the religious class it is the end of the pursuit of truth.

The theistic (orthodoxy) Advaita is based on a dualistic perspective but Advaita wisdom bifurcated from the theistic(dualistic) perspective is the real Advaita(nondualistic) propagated by Sage Sankara.

Fron Vedic perspective Lord Krishna is not God because Rig Veda says: ~ 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 Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?

God is not what you religiously believe and worship. He who worships God as an entity entirely separate from the Self does not know the God in truth.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter: ~ “All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many gods. (7- Verse)

God is in everything and everywhere in the universe because the universe is an illusion created out of God.

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.

The God you worship and pray is not God in truth. Rituals, ceremonies, and prayers in churches and mosques, and worship in temples will not bring any result without knowing God in truth.

Hinduism is not Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.    Hindus do idol-worship, while Vedas bars idol worship.  God pervades in everything and everywhere in all three states.

To be considered an orthodox Hindu one need only accept the authority of Shruti, however, there is no universal agreement among Hindus on what constitutes Shruti. Vedantins consider the Vedanta, i.e., the Upanishads as Shruti but also include the Bhagavad-Gita and Brahma Sutras as authoritative. For some Vaishnavas the Bhagavata Purana is to be considered Veda. Some consider the Tantras are considered Veda. Thus we find that there is ample scope for different philosophies and practices under the very broad umbrella of Hinduism.

Hindus indulge non-Vedic beliefs and practices such as idolatry, ancestor worship, pilgrimaging, priestcraft, offerings made in the temple, the caste system, untouchability, and child marriage. All these lack Vedic sanction therefore Hinduism is not Ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma. 

All Hindus indulge in non-Vedic practice barred by the Vedas introduced by the different founders of the different sects of Hinduism at different times, whereas the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma is ancient and has no founder.

Thus, to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the seeker has to realize his inherited religion is adulterated in the past and it becomes a great obstacle in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.    

The seeker's aim is the search for the Ultimate Truth or Brahman or God in truth. The search to find the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth that in actuality never was lost, only hidden.

Remember:~

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.

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (8) - Fools, dwelling in darkness, but wise in their own conceit and puffed up with vain scholarship, wander about, being afflicted by many ills, like blind men led by the blind.

Ish Upanishad declares: - Those people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide 10/11/12

The religious orthodox people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide, as it were, are doomed to enter those worlds after death.

This is a condemnation of people who do not try to attain Self-knowledge. They are, in a real sense, committing suicide, for what can be worse than being a slave to sense enjoyment, completely oblivious of the real purpose of life, which is to be one’s own master?

The obsession with "our sins" having been "washed away by the water of river would be regarded as evidence of a serious mental illness in an individual within any sane society, but when this is an obsession of millions of people it becomes "religious faith", held by many others to be something that should never be criticized.

Sage Sankara: ~ Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge of the Self. The firm realization of the nature of the Self is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advice of the wise. (13)

By dipping in the rivers, the diverse are getting polluted. All these religious propagated myths are noting but superstion.

It was desperately important for the believers of their belief system for some reason that others shared their beliefs because they assume that their religious doctrine is literally true, and then justify their beliefs because "God says so in their doctrine ".

It is no use in arguing with someone who has faith in his belief system because for him there can be no possible refutation of what he believes, so a rational argument is entirely useless. He clings to his belief so strongly that he makes no distinction between the truth and his belief.

One has to know the fact that the religious God cannot exist without his existence. The truth does not depend on Gods’ existence but it entirely depends on man’s existence. Thus it is foolish to venture into knowing the truth of God's existence without verifying the facts about his own existence. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar