.Sage Sri, Sankara :- VC- 61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one?

Sage Sri, Sankara :- VC- 61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one?

62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utter the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realisation one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.


The path of wisdom is only for those who found the path of religion, the path of yoga and all theoretical philosophy and scriptural studies inadequate and useless in quenching their inner thirst.   

People who are yearning for spiritual truth will not find it through intellectuality. Intellectual truth is individual truth. The urge to know the truth cannot be imposed on others.  It has to sprout within. One need not become holy Shepard because the holy Shepard is within to guide every seeker.

Thus, Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is meant only for those who have intense urge, and courage to accept the truth with humility and reject the untruth. Since people start comparing with their scriptural and intellectual knowledge, it becomes impossible to assimilate and realize the non-dual truth.   Therefore, there is no need to convince anyone other than our own-selves to get the firm conviction.

 It is for every seeker who is in the path of truth to prove himself to know “What is truth, “and “What is untruth?” through deeper self-search, to assimilate the Self –Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

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

10/11/12

Those 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?

In order to be one’s own master he has to realize that the mind is identical with the soul is present in the form of Pure Consciousness, ever free, without name and form, and unconditioned.

The soul the innermost self is not subject to any modification, without beginning and end, beyond thought and speech. The soul is Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute, and Bliss Absolute. When the soul knows this it is free from ignorance. It is no longer experiences the birth, life, death and the world as reality.

 If one does not try to know the truth of his true existence, he has indeed experienced the illusory birth, life, death and the world as reality. The soul or consciousness the innermost self, is one without a second, complete in itself.

 The soul never moves. Soul is always still, always the same. All the moments are within the illusion. Within the illusion one feels moves everything and it makes the whole world go the way it does. It gives those who mechanically perform rituals go into darkness that is like being blind. But those who worship gods and goddesses remain permanently in ignorance experiencing the illusory experience of birth, life, death and the world (waking) as reality.

Gaudapada says: - the merciful Veda teaches karma and upaasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

For those who are incapable of inquiring and not yet ready for Self-knowledge or  Bramha Gnana or Atma Gnana, the worship and glorifying of god and gurus is recommended.

Even, Mundaka Upanishad: - The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing The sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross The sea of samsara on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their own ignorance, yet wise In their own esteem, these deluded men Proud of their vain learning go round and round Like the blind led by the blind.

So they clearly indicate rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for the higher knowledge or wisdom.   The path of wisdom is the only means. 

All the orthodox Advaitins indulge and immersed themselves in the ritualistic oriented lifestyle and follow the path of karma and upasana which is meant for lower and middling intellect   and not for realizing the Advaitic truth.  Many chose these orthodox scholars as their gurus. But these gurus are good to learn the conceptual Adavaita meant for those orthodox who believe their conduct oriented life style leads to Moksha (liberation).  But religious based Advaita is not   the means to acquire Self –knowledge or  Bramha Gnana or Atma Gnana. Those who are seeking truth have to do their own homework in order to acquire self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

For a Gnani: - his body is not body, even though he has the body, his ego is not ego, even though he has the ego and his experience of the world is not the world, even though he is in the midst of the world, because he is fully aware of the fact that, his body, his ego and his experience of the world are mere mirage created out of consciousness. Thus his body, his ego and his experience of the world are reality within the waking experience, but waking experience itself is mere illusion. The dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Similarly the waking becomes unreal when wisdom dawns. The wisdom dawns when waking entity becomes aware of the fact that it itself is not the self, but the self is that, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states without the physical apparatus. The formless soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the innermost self. The innermost self is the formless substance and the witness of the three states. The formless substance and the witness of the three states are one in essence. That essence is formless consciousness. Thus there is no second thing exists other than the consciousness.

The soul, the innermost self has to be free from experiencing the duality as reality.  To overcome the duality, the waking entity has to know it itself is not the self but the self is the soul, which witnesses coming and going of the three states.  Thus self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is necessary to realize ‘what is truth’ and ‘what is untruth’ to reject the untruth by accepting the truth.  

Lust, anger, greed are part of the duality. From the ultimate standpoint the duality is mere illusion. If duality is mere illusion than the form, time and space are mere illusion. If form, time and space are mere illusion than the universe is mere illusion. If the universe is mere illusion, than the three states are mere illusion. If the three states are mere illusion than   the experience of birth, life, death and the world are mere illusion.  If birth, life, death and the world are mere illusion than the individualized god, heaven, hell, sin, and karma are part of the illusion.   Therefore it is necessary to realize ‘what is illusion’ and ‘what is reality’ in order to get freedom from falsehood.  

By inquiring WHO AM I?  It unfolds the fallacy of the forum thus only half the truth is revealed. The ignorant who fail to apprehend the ‘self’ are caught in the web of illusion experience, the birth, life, death and world as reality.  The people who think the ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as self are caught up in the web of duality experiences the pain and pleasure as reality. 

   

As the waking entity or ego becomes more and more inward turned, it becomes gradually free from experiencing the duality as reality.  When the soul, the innermost self becomes freed from all the obstruction by fully eliminating the ignorance it remains in its own awareness.  When the soul, remains in its own awareness in the midst of duality then the duality is mere illusion created out of the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

When the soul, the innermost self gives up identification with the waking entity than and recognizes its true nature is as undifferentiated awareness, unaffected by form, time and space and enter into its own awareness of its formless nondual  true nature. 

The seeker directs his attention resolutely towards the source of the three states and looking for the three states as a matter of indifference seeker has to release the mind, which is present in the form of the universe and the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness are one in essence.

The seeker should become aware of the fact that, the self is neither the waking entity nor the self is dream entity but the self is the formless soul. On the standpoint of the soul, the innermost self the three states are non-existent as reality.    

The seeker has to realize the fact that, it is not the waking entity (you) which witnesses the three states.  The formless soul is the witness of the coming and going of the three states. The soul is immutable. The soul is unaffected by the happening within the three states because the three states are mere mirage created out of the formless soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The soul or consciousness is the innermost self.

When the Upanishad says:  the human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana and they indicate the personal gods, scriptures, worship and rituals are not the means to Self –Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana,  then why anyone should indulge in it. The religion, concept of individualized god and scriptures are the greatest obstacle to realize non-dual truth or self-realization, because they are based on false self.  

The seeker of truth has to search the ultimate truth without losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, through deeper, inquiry, analysis and reasoning and assimilate and realize it.

That is why Sage Sri Sankara, indicated  in Bhaja Govindam says: - (Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena) - one without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.

Then it is no use going roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and the witness of the universe, which is in the form of mind.  By tracing the source of the mind or universe one will be able to realize the Brahman.