The formless soul or consciousness is the innermost self . The innermost self is the source of the the three states . These three states deceive, the people fail to look beyond them to its source, which is real, supreme and imperishable.
The three states are mere mirage(illusion). It is difficult to overcome the illusion without the wisdom. But one can cross over this illusion , by realizing and becoming aware of the fact that, the self is not physical but it is consciousness. People are deluded by illusion, because immersed in the illusion experiencing it as reality. They are ignorant because they think the self is physical and birth, life, death and world as reality. Having lost all discrimination, they follow the way of their physical nature.
When ignorance vanishes through wisdom then only it is possible to negate the illusion, the mortal becomes immortal. When all the physical shackles that strangle the self are loosened, the mortal becomes immortal, here in this very life.
The ultimate understanding is : Nothing has actually been created. All that appears is mere mirage. Everything is consciousness and nothing can be apart of it. No second thing exists other then consciousness, neither the man nor the world , which contains all the objects.
