Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana comes through one's own direct realization of truth, not through beliefs and dogmas or by following religious code of conducts.

Till  one has the conviction that he is born in this world and world existed prior to him, he will not be able to assimilate Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana . When he realizes the fact that, he and his experience of the world co-exits together and disappears together then he becomes aware of the fact that the physical entity is not the self.  Therefore, it is impossible to judge the truth on the physical entity, and come to some conclusion and conviction and then accepting the imaginary truth based on the false self as ultimate truth is mere theory based on the false self.  

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana comes through one's own direct realization of truth, not through beliefs and dogmas or by following religious code of conducts. The religion and its concepts have value with in the illusion, and have nothing to do with the ultimate  truth, which is based on the consciousness,which is the innermost self.

The three states come into being because of ignorance of the permanent self. Thus, they have no existence of their own without a permanent self, which is the consciousness. There is neither the three states nor the witness; only non-dual reality.

Only when the wisdom dawns the waking become unreal. The man who believes himself as a person born in this world and world existed prior to him will not be able to assimilate self-knowledge.

What's most important to understand about the three states is that they are unreal in their nature. They are mere appearances, because there are impermanent.  Thus the physical self/ego is not the self because it is limited to the waking or dream. The true self is the formless substance and witness of the three states, which is the consciousness. The consciousness is apart and permanent.  The consciousness is the true self because the three states are dependent on the consciousness for their existence, whereas the consciousness exists with or without the three states, which appear and disappear in succession.

The physical is not an integral, autonomous entity. The individual self, or what we might call the ego, is part of the waking/dream. The ego ceases to exist without the waking/dream.

If one can view the three states on the standpoint of the consciousness as self, he becomes aware of the fact that, the true which is the consciousness is not subject to the birth, life and death. The true self is only formless substance and witness of the three states.

To understand and assimilate this truth there is no need for the seeker to lose himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, but goes straight to the source from which they all arise and subside.

Everything here refers to consciousness,which is the innermost self, because everything (three states) is created out of consciousness.   On the standpoint of consciousness there is nothing exists other than the consciousness.  Thus everything, which is consciousness, is perfectly perfect.  People who view and judge on the standpoint of the physical self/ego will not understand this because they see diversity as reality. They think ‘I’ is self, and body is illusion, whereas, the body and the ‘I’, both are part of the illusion.   They think whatever exists within the waking experience that is, man and his experience of the world as reality. 

There are so many obstacles if one tries to reach non-dual destination through physical/ego based paths and practices. Therefore, physical/ego based paths and practices are roundabout way to reach the non-dual destination. 

The scholars are sentimentally and emotionally involved with their inherited philosophy which is based on the scriptures they will not be able to grasp the non-dual truth. The non-dual truth has to be grasped without the religion, scriptures and god glorification.  

Gnani is the one who has that wisdom - hence from his self-analysis and understanding he realizes the non-dual truth – Atman (soul or consciousness) alone is real and the true self is that Atman.

The one who acquired physical based wisdom is called genius, on the base of in physical dimension. The one who acquired self- knowledge or non-dual wisdom is called Gnani, in Spiritual dimension. 

It is quiet evident that no seeker of truth would conceive of a freedom from experiencing duality as reality without transcendence of individuality, i.e. giving up the holding the ‘I’ as self. Since everyone is trying to view and judge the truth on the standpoint of false self, it becomes difficult understand and assimilate the non-dual truth. Non-dual wisdom is not based on the physical experience, because the true self is beyond physical/individual experiences.  On the standpoint of the true self (Atman) all experiences are mere mirage, thus the non dual truth has to be grasped and realized.  

How can the ‘I’ know the truth, when ‘I’ itself is false? Since, many teachings hold ‘I’ as self and physical body as false and world as reality, it becomes very difficult to understand and assimilate non-dual truth. That is why step by step one has to remove all his accumulated ideas and obstacle and move towards his non-dual destination.  It is easy to assimilate the truth for one who is free from religious or philosophical or yogic or theoretical knowledge.