Yogic Path is not the Path of Wisdom or Gnanic Path***

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Yogic or religious truth is individual truth, not universal.  The mystics cannot claim that they have experienced the whole.  There is no proof they have seen it, because the whole is not individual experience. The man and the world are within the whole. 

If they say, “they know from experience” they merely assume so.” mystics experience is based on ego thus it is part of the illusion. Self realization is not individual experience.  The yoga and mysticism are individualized truth. If they consider the ‘I’ as the self,  they cannot know the Universal self / Atman or the whole. 

The Samadhi and  yogic bliss experienced on the base of  the false self  (ego or the waking entity)within the false experience (waking)  is bound to be falsehood.

When the yogi enters this highest Nirvikalpa (effort-less) Samadhi, he will at once enter deep sleep. This will make plain to him after he wakes, that the inner self he sought and found, the Atman, is reached only when all his ideas are refunded into it, when there is then all the features of non-duality, one without a second.

However, the yogi must later wake up, emerge from Samadhi and there is duality again, for the world of objects confronts him. So now he has to work on the next stage which is to find consciously in the waking experience the same non-duality that he unconsciously knew in sleep. This is done by learning that the universe is an idea or object for the formless subject, and then refunding the universe -idea back into its source, which is consciousness. Only at this final stage dare he says "Atman (consciousness) is the same as Brahman (ultimate truth)." Now he is fully aware of it.

All yogic visions, however wonderful will pass away; they go as they come. They have the value of dreams. They are not truth which is un-passing and beyond change.

One can’t shut his eye to the universe, which confronts him as in Samadhi of yoga and see supreme reality. One can know it only by keeping himself clear and open. Sri,Sankara says:-   The yogi must add discrimination to his quest.

Nirvikalpa Samadhi and deep sleep are the same from the point of view of non-duality the absence of the known. The knower was there. How does Samadhi give Gnana? Only by preparing the mind to see that the world disappears and re-appears and, that non-duality is here and duality there, to convince the man that in non-duality one  won’t disappear as he  doesn't disappear in Samadhi or deep sleep. Another advantage of Samadhi is one gets the capacity to forget the external world and to treat it as an idea.

Yoga can never give you the fundamental thing, that the world is an idea. Only Gnana can give it. Nirvikalpa Samadhi is unquestionably the same as deep sleep, and all ideas are refunded back there too. One must learn what ideas are, when all the ideas of the universe-existence go back into one’s mind through Yoga. Then one learns this. How has he to learn that the entire universe is consciousness or Brahman if he stops at Nirvikalpa Samadhi? Without perceiving the universe, and having a duality before him, it is impossible.

Nirvikalpa has no duality, hence it cannot tell you about the universe. The yogi who emerging from Samadhi and says he found Gnana there, says it to a second person, hence there is duality again. If he were a real Gnani, there would be nobody for him to tell that he had experienced Gnana.

Self-knowledge will interest only few people; the rest are interested in Religion, yoga other paths and pleasure hunting.  

It is not the body that has to get freedom, but it is the self that is seeking freedom from experiencing the birth, life, death and universe as reality. Only when self-wakes up from the sleep of ignorance by realizing its formless nondual true nature the freedom happens. For this it has to drop the inborn samskara or conditioning of ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ by realizing it not ‘I’ or ‘I AM’.     

Thus, it is erroneous to think on the body base when the self is not the body. The self is not the body; therefore the individual life is nothing to do with the formless self. The experience of birth, life, death and the universe are part and parcel of the illusion.  Thus, one need not here enter into any account of the course that the soul with its ignorance takes after death—along the way of the fathers, or of the gods, or being debarred from either, according to its works and knowledge. Nor need one enter into any of the other psychological-eschatological questions connected with the state of the soul after the death of the body.  The self is not an individual and self is birthless, deathless, therefore it is erroneous to base the truth of the individual experience of birth, life, death, god and universe.  

Suffice it to say that the round of samsara remains for all except those who have attained the higher knowledge. He who has attained to the knowledge of the identity of the self with consciousness, which involves the distinction of the self from its ignorance and consequently its freedom from them, has thereby attained Moksha, or freedom. This is a freedom for which one has not to wait till after death, but it may be possessed even in this very life. 

Advaitin orthodox hold virtue is essential for the attainment of Moksha or freedom. But when the self is not and individual this question is hardly a relevant one. It is not quite just to interpret the knowledge which brings freedom as if it were of the nature of a purely intellectual intuition. 

As one goes in deeper self –search one becomes aware of the fact that: - The Upanishads are self-contradictory. Different scholars give different conflicting interpretations of them. Final authority therefore is using our own reason. This does not mean one need to give up the scriptures, but he should apply his reason to them. Reason is common to all, whereas orthodoxy belongs to separatist.

The scriptures are for ignorant masses, who wholly accept the material world as it presents itself. Gnana is for those who have begun to realize that things are not what they seem.

Scriptural citations may be quoted only after one has shown the reality and proved the truth, for then he can point out that the texts teach the same thing. If one quotes them before having demonstrated truth, then it is scholasticism.

Scriptures are of value only when dealing with persons who are incapable of understanding truth. They have no value as an authority for those who use reason.

Reason is the common ground for all humanity, whereas the appeal to scriptural relations reaches only groups. Because all the religions are based on the false self and the false experience,  there are   so many conflicting ideas , many changes, divisions and subdivisions ,which leads to all sorts of  doubts and confusions.  When one meets with suffering and disappointment doubts arises. Doubts are absolutely necessary to make one inquire. Pursuit of truth is for getting rid of all doubts.  The pursuit of truth begins with doubt, that doubts one’s own self, one’s own beliefs.

Those that want ultimate truth Brahman will not practice control of mind.  (Mandukya p.231).

One who knows the universe as an illusion by making use of reason becomes aware of ‘what is truth’ and ‘what is untruth’. One who loses touch with the external world and gives himself over to his thoughts alone takes the illusory world to be reality and remains in ignorance believing the experience of birth, life and death as a reality.

Both sides of experience have to be inquired into—waking or dream and deep sleep, mind and matter if one to find the truth. Yogi avoids external inquiry, hence cannot find truth. If he thinks he does not see the world by shutting his eyes and omitting it from his thought, he is an ignorant and not a Gnani. If there is nothing to be seen, if mere absence of the universe from cognition gave self-knowledge, then every creature would attain the knowledge of truth because it loses the universe n deep sleep.

It is not possible by mental control alone, by yoga, to realize the ultimate truth, but at best one falls into a sleep. It is like draining an ocean drop by drop, to try the yogic way. When the yogi shuts his eyes and does not see the universe because   he takes that universe as real but only his body is unreal. He does not examine the phenomenal universe and hence cannot realize the ultimate truth.

The people  who speak of knowing, seeing, existing, intuiting a second being--God, betrays thereby, that he is of limited intelligence; unable to grasp nondual  truth.

People who talk of sending spiritual telepathic waves or energies to help the world is only a mind game. People do not want reason, but blind faith.

The whole universe must be included in the inquiry. Gnana cannot come if anything is left out. Only when all is known can all be known to be but ideation. Hence yogis blotting all out in Samadhi cannot lead to Gnana.

 The ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ thought, the ego, belongs to the duality as does the universe thought. The yogi may get the knowledge that the formless witness (subject) is separate from three states [object], but he will never know ultimate truth or Brahman, without inquiring into the universe, because he is giving up the universe, and hence cannot discover his unity with the universe or diversity. The Gnani regards everything in the universe as consciousness, which is ultimate truth or Brahman; the yogi rejects the universe. Thus, there is a fundamental difference.

Yoga is alright so far as it goes, but one has to look at the world, which confronts him. Everyone has to eat and they have to attend to all these physical necessities of the body. Therefore, no yogi can remain without ideas in Samadhi thro' out the 24 hours. Once out of Samadhi he is like every other ignorant man, unless he indulges in deeper self-search.

As soon as the yogi comes down from Samadhi he finds the world that confronts his to be real. If he did not why does he seek their food again?

People who say the world is unreal are like the fox in the sour grapes in the fable.  The people do not know ‘What mind is?’  ‘What the universe  is?’ , and  are unable to prove that, hence their glib statement is worthless, not proceeding from the understanding, or realization of  Mind 's true nature, following inquiry into it, but proceeding from some feeling of disappointment.

Without knowing what is the mind and what is the substance of the mind and without inquiry into the universe that confronts him and its nature i.e. matter, there can be no such thing as Gnana.

The yogi assumes that he has realized ultimate truth or Brahman. And he claims he realized it through by practicing Samadhi.

A  Gnani can explain what the ultimate truth is,  but yogi says his experience of Samadhi is ultimate state or Brahman. The yogic literature says this mystic experience is liberation.” People being self-deluded they accept and indulge practicing Samadhi without verifying their validity of the claim if they are true.

People say that they enjoy mystic exaltation, trances, meditations and peace by practicing yoga for many years. Then this state passed away. This proves he had attained a yogic condition, but not Gnana. It vanished because it was not the highest insight. The Gnani, however never loses his Gnana. Dislodging a Gnani from his insight is impossibility. Once he has thoroughly seen the truth he simply can't fall away from it.

Many claim that they are enjoying mystic exaltation and peace, but whether it passes away soon or endures the whole of life, it is not Gnana, because it did not come through striving to investigate the nature of the mind and universe, it came only through meditation on the self; that is the yogic reward for such meditation, but it is only one half. The Gnani not only gets such inner peace but also the truth because he has turned outwards also and grasped the truth about matter, which is as much consciousness as his self.

Yogi and mystics immersed into their selves, but they do not understand that that is only one half of the truth and that this immersing  is also a mental discipline to fit their minds to understand the true nature of the mind or  universe ,which confronts them, which understanding they must next get if they are to become Gnani.

Gita, Chap.XII Krishna tells Arjuna: - that knowledge of both matter and mind is the True knowledge.

Everyone has the inborn conviction or samskara that, he is an individual separate from the world and the world existed prior to him the born in this world afterwards.  Until this conviction is there the ignorance is there.   Until ignorance is there one thinks he is living in this world, and he has to eat and move and work in the external environment. No one   can get away from it. It is one’s life.  But one is unaware of the fact that, the universe in which man experiences his individual life as reality itself is mere illusion.  This illusion is experienced as reality due to ignorance.  Thus, one has to get rid of the ignorance to realize our experience of the birth, life, death and the world are falsehood.     Therefore, we ought to know, understand and grasp on what standpoint the universe is an illusion to realize what is real and what is unreal.  The yogi or mystic who refuses to do so is refusing to face the whole of reality.  Visions and Samadhi’s are illusions from the ultimate point of view.

In Sutra Bashya and Mandukya it is given that Samadhi and sleep are identical. And Brihad Upanishad does not advocate Samadhi.

It is not possible to stop thought for more than a half-second whilst in the waking experience. If one succeeds in controlling thought and then banishes it, one passes into Nirvikalpa Samadhi, which is identical with deep sleep. The only difference between ordinary deep sleep and Samadhi therefore is that the ordinary man falls asleep involuntarily whereas the yogi has the satisfaction of knowing that he has passed into sleep by his own effort of will in banishing thoughts.

Patanjali warns against sleep as a hindrance to yoga, he means when it occurs in the early stages of the practice before one has obtained the power of control and consequently to banish thought. This fact that Samadhi is deep sleep is kept secret because people would not be tempted to take up yoga. Then what is the value of it? Why, to sharpen the mind, to enable it to keep away all extraneous thoughts when one gets out to reason in the practice of the next higher stage, i.e. Gnana.

 Yoga is thus simply a sharpening-stone for the mind to enable it to take up Gnana. Living without thoughts is Impossible. The very thoughtless state itself is a thought.  Holding the thoughtless thought and entering the Samadhi   is impossible without the thought of thoughtlessness. How can one enter the Samadhi without the thought of thoughtlessness?   He does not know the Gnanic truth if he says thoughtlessness is the perfect stage of self.

When thoughts are stilled, it is not the Self that is found. It is only mind. Thus, Yogic Samadhi is not Gnana and therefore yogi does not know the highest truth. Yoga is good to give peace and concentration, but only in order to start reasoning, i.e. thinking again to find the truth.

Yogic Samadhi is not the goal but a means to an end, i.e. Gnana. Samadhi in itself is useless, because the mind is withdrawn and there is no memory of it until after it is over and one returns to waking experience.  Yogi who attains Samadhi: it is only sleep.

Yogi who is said to experience non-duality in his ecstasy must still come back to the normal state and see the world confronts him, after his ecstasy. And then he will find that world separates from him because he has ignored it and not tried to understand it. Only the Gnani can say of the external world, "This is Brahman, Mind." and prove his statement, and that it is none other than the innermost-self.

Many yogis are largely pretenders or self-deluded. They think they are masters who can lead the whole humanity. They set themselves up as different from others. Many yogis promise blessings etc. to those who surrender their wealth or person to them. Many here live questionable lives with women disciples.  They seek influence over others, or wealth, by thus differentiating themselves.  They market their yogic product in the spiritual supermarket.  A Gnani never does this.

If a yogi says "I feel Bliss" who is having the experience? His 'I' is the ego. Hence that is not the highest Gnana.  If one carefully examines the experiences of mystics, then he finds that they do differ. It is superficial to say that yogis and mystics all have the same experience.

In dream one knows that the dream figures are also mind, not different from it; similarly when one knows that everything is consciousness, there is no need for yogic control of mind. Control presupposes second, a duality. Hence yoga is in the sphere of duality and is unnecessary to one who knows non-duality.

Self-Knowledge requires the mind to be active in order to examine the world and discriminate. Hence nondual wisdom means knowing that there are no ideas different from the innermost self, which is in the form of consciousness, as the dream mountain is not different from Mind, knowing which they automatically the mind reaches stillness. This is different from Yogic Samadhi, which is only deep sleep.

The Yogis and Mystics want meditation, sitting still, etc. only because it gives them pleasure: the satisfaction is for their own selves only, not others; hence it is something sought by the ego and cannot get ultimate truth or Brahman in consequence.

The Yogi wants to do something, some action, even that of sitting still, to control this or concentrate that. This means he is still attached to his physical body. He wants his physical body to be quiet. He is still thinking of illusory physical body. He does not know that, the physical body is part of the mirage. On the contrary, he takes it for a reality.

The world must be seen before one can know its true nature in Gnana. The yogi, who shuts it out, thereby deprives himself of the opportunity to achieve Gnana.

The yogi must go to the ashram, some special place, some cave or other. Whoever must sit in a posture is attached to the body.

Inquiry must begin with duality, i.e. with a world to inquire into. It will end with unity. The yogi tries to avoid this duality by ignoring the universe. Hence he gets a false unity only.

The seekers of truth will inquire and practice discrimination.  The ultimate truth has to be attained not by intuition but by reason, which is superior to it. Not even a combination of intellect and intuition will find the truth.

Yoga will only let one know what he imagines. Self-Knowledge is the sum of all sciences. Scientists think only of the external world, the seekers of truth the inner self. Both are needed. Answers to prayers are imagination, due to chance.  Religion and Yoga are useful from utilitarian viewpoints, but from the point of view of seeking truth they are useless.  Yoga belief is a self-mesmeric condition out of which it is extremely difficult to escape. 

Yoga has its place rather than its value and that its value is for a certain type of mindset.  Yoga will remove restlessness, receptiveness, but never Truth because it ignores the external world.  Yoga cannot remove ignorance. It is only a step. It removes obstructions. 

Yoga can yield only duality because everything that one can do or practice becomes a vanishing 'known.' It yields relative truth, i.e. true from a particular viewpoint, not ultimate truth.

Yoga implies duality! Yoga = joining two things, a something to which the yogi is to be joined. He thinks I want to know God, I want to attain Union. So he has the ego and cannot attain. Whereas the first thing in path of truth is to question the ‘I’ until its illusory nature is perceived and the seeker no longer says "I want to attain ultimate truth." One has nothing to get for the self, as it has vanished on inquiry, not even will he say I will work for the sake the humanity.

The ordinary yogi follows yoga, wants to sit in a place and think "I’ am shutting my eyes, ‘I’ am sitting in a room, ‘I’ am meditating." This egoistic yoga has nothing to do with Gnana. (This has been pointed out even in Mandukya Upanishad - p.229-30)

The yogi is always thinking in terms of me and mine. He always thinks of what he is to get from his practice; whereas in pursuit of truth the seeker  first examine and get rid of this ‘I’ by inquiry for he wants the truth, not something for the self.  The yogi says "I’ want to gain Samadhi”. A Gnani wants to gain nothing for he knows, ‘I’ is the mind. And mind is in the form of   the whole universe.  The universe appears as waking or dream and diapers as deep sleep.  The formless substance and witness of the three states is the consciousness, which is the innermost self. The innermost self is ultimate truth and ultimate truth is Brahman.

Suppose one says the self is the energy than he has to become aware of that energy, which is the cause of   the universe and its contents without the forms and names. When one becomes one’s body and his experience of the universe itself is a mere mirage created out of energy than he will become aware of the fact there is no other energy other than consciousness. The consciousness is the ultimate truth.  The ultimate truth is the innermost self.  The innermost self is Brahman or god.

Yoga and religion are egocentric. Egocentricity is individuality.  Individuality is cause of duality. Duality is cause ignorance. Ignorance is cue of experiencing the illusion as reality. Yoga basis itself on the ego and does not kill it. The Gnani alone can conquer the ego which he does by penetrating to the understanding of its illusory nature.

All ecstasy, exalted feeling is a reality within the illusion. And illusion is something known. Whatever is known is and objects. The subject is formless substance and witness of   the object. Thus, universe is an object.  Thus, one has to find the formless subject in order to unfold the mystery of the universe.

Yoga practice is that it temporarily suppresses ego. What the yogi does not understand is that while he talks of experiencing bliss in trance, he reveals the presence of an ego which is the experiencer.  Thus, his experience of the bliss and trace is individual whereas the self is not individual it pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states. To transcend bliss and to transcend trance, one must have gone into, through and out of Yoga.

Yoga lulls the ego to sleep, but it will reappear when the practice is ended, the only way to overcome the ego is to realize ‘What is mind? ‘What is the substance of the mind?’ and ‘What is the source of the mind?’.

It is not enough to see a mere nothingness. One has to see consciousness as the universal self, which pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states. One is free from ignorance not when he sees nothing at all, as in Yoga but only when he sees this entire universe as consciousness, which is the true self. Hence seeker must ask the question “What is this universe?” in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Sankara says (page 132-133 of his commentary on Brihadaranyakopanishad):~ Yoga is not the means of liberation

Neither Yogic Samadhi or bliss or worldly pleasure should be allowed to draw one away from evenness; for neither can give ultimate truth or Brahman. When the one is distracted by either, either internal or external bliss, it should by effort be drawn back to steadiness, evenness. This state alone yields the ultimate truth or Brahman.  Intellectually knowing the truth is only an imagination, whereas realizing the truth knows it as such.

Yogis assume that, thoughtlessness will give experience of ultimate reality. How can one keep out a portion of consciousness? It is utterly impossible. It is erroneous to say that such thoughtlessness experience is possible Moreover even if it were possible, what is it that the yogi will keep out? They will only be keeping out reality! The universe is none other than consciousness, as everything is consciousness. The yogi has got the idea of duality and therefore cannot realize truth.

Even the mind, which is in the form of the universe disappear in deep sleep. Mind is changing and unreal. It passes away every moment. The consciousness appears as waking or dream (mind) and disappears as deep sleep (no mind).  

Yogic experience of bliss is not wisdom, for Bliss is something one have to experience, therefore it will have to go as it came; hence it is only part of the duality. Duality is an object to the formless subject. Yogis seek bliss through ignorance because he has accepted the ‘I’ as the self.

The yogi who wants to go to mountains or an ashram to acquire self –knowledge has not risen above thinking of his body, and will not be able to acquire self-knowledge. For he wants to take his body from one place to another in the belief this will bring the realization of the self.

Yogis make the fundamental mistake of assuming that these are things meditation or actions which are other than consciousness. The very idea they concentrate on is itself consciousness and hence needs no special effort. It is impossible to treat the mind as different from the soul, which is in the form of consciousness. The Awareness i.e. consciousness must be there prior to all attempts to control the mind: therefore it is a fallacy to believe that any yogic exercise can create this awareness, this knowledge of self.

Katha Upanishad (Chap.4 V.12):- says~ "Atman is meditated upon as the size of thumb in heart" i.e. for yogis who cannot concentrate without concrete picture, such an idea is useful.  

Some sages declared Atman was in the heart, later with Patanjali in the lotus in the head.

If in the head it showed ignorance of the relation between mind and brain.   When self, which is consciousness is immeasurable than how one can localize mind.  The consciousness is not limited to head or heart because it pervades the whole universe.  All these statements must not be believed but verified because deeper self-search revels the fact that, the self is formless, therefore question heart, brain, mind does not arise.

When Yogi comes out of Nirvikalpa Samadhi than immediately duality confronts him again. His peace goes, for it depended on the non-duality of Samadhi-sleep. Hence no yogi attains true peace, but imagines it.

When one sees second thing and though seeing it know it to be consciousness, then he get Gnana. On the other hand, Nirvikalpa Samadhi is the non-seeing of the second thing; hence cannot yield Gnana, for the yogi does not see and does not know what the universe is.

If one grasps and understands and assimilates non-duality then it is impossible to have any doubt. And doubt is the essence of error, mistake and delusion. Those who are not established in non-duality have to guess, or imagine, i.e. doubt.

Yogi says everything is Brahman, but cannot prove it. The Gnani says the same thing; even this universe is Brahman, but he can prove it.

If one feels ecstatic or an exalted peace in the presence of yogi or mystic is not the truth it is mere feeling. People, who are disturbed, agitated, troubled, unhappy finds tranquility at Ashrams, because there was restlessness, probably over business, family or finance etc. But that is because they do not know the truth and they mistake this peace for Brahman or ultimate truth. It merely indicates the state of mind possessed on arrival at Ashram; they had a mental disease and the ashram cured it for the time. There is no permanent cure however without Gnana, and Yoga does not yield Gnana.

If one is imaginative or poetic, mysticism and religion is suitable for him, but not path of wisdom.   In religion there is an element of imagination. Ordinary peoples have limited a view and they like their religion because it gives them some sort of   satisfaction and please their taste.  Wisdom discards religion and yoga because they are based on the false self and false experience.

Emancipation can occur without yoga. What can be done by yoga can be done by Gnana. Yoga alone leads to Samadhi, but Gnana also liberates one from experiencing the illusory experience of birth, life, death and the world as reality. .

If it is said that one gets Gnana in yogic Samadhi in which there is no duality, it is no better than deep sleep. If it is said that there is a direct cognition in profound contemplation in which there is no difference between the perceiver and the perceived and in which no duality can occur; then why not admit the same in deep slumber.  If it be objected that there is no knowledge of the nature of self [soul or Atman] in deep sleep, than one admits that self-  knowledge only is true knowledge and not the absence of duality.

That consciousness remains as the sole real factor, means that there should be self – realization that is, Consciousness as the sole entity and not a not a mere absence of the cognition of the universe; otherwise there would be no such thing as emancipation in this life.

Those people, who talk of experiencing the supreme reality, do not know that the word experience implies something else, a second to be experienced, i.e. duality, i.e. non-reality, and those who talk of "direct knowledge" of reality again do not perceive that knowledge implies a second thing to be known; i.e. duality exists. i.e. no reality here!

To know the supreme reality means to know the complete negating of all that is not this reality. Hence one does not make an object of it.

The notion of attaining Nirvikalpa Samadhi, complete blankness, non-seeing the universe is for those who are still infancy stages in their pursuit of truth. The universe must be seen but known for what it is, mental.

Many yogis teach that Brahman is in the top chakra of the skull; that therefore we have to ascend there. This is mere imaginary theory based on the false self or ego. Nirvikalpa Samadhi helps one to renounce attachments, it is a corrective medicine to remove this disease; hence it is for seekers only who are still on the disciplinary or infancy level. For peace of mind does not necessarily indicate truth; one can get it by taking opium or ganja.

Yogic Samadhi cannot get one Gnana. Yoga is useful in preparatory stages. Realization thro’ yoga is merely bait to seekers to adopt his preliminary state, but it is not literally true. Yoga cannot give Gnana. Those with weak minds tire soon and cannot keep up the concentrated inquiry into the truth, the three states etc. without which one cannot grasp nonduality and their real meaning.

Some texts in some of the Upanishads which assert that the soul returns to Brahman in Samadhi are another form, a different standpoint. When one sees all the three states, that is one standpoint, but when he is in waking experience and takes his stand on that, the view is lower and different. If the opponent says world is real from waking experience, then a different argument is given him from one who can understand Manduka and see it as an idea. Manduka Upanishads alone gives the ultimate truth basis. The other Upanishads treat from a lower standpoint to help beginners.

One who is in Samadhi will not know that this universe is consciousness; therefore yoga is not the means to self- knowledge. In Samadhi the yogi knows nothing, sees no universe; so if there be nothing whatever, how can the yogi know that the universe which is something is consciousness? If the universe is not seen in Samadhi than why are word Atman and Brahman are used?

By shutting his eyes in Samadhi yogi do not know the universe, which confronts him. Hence the universe can't be known as Brahman through yoga alone. One is in a non-dual condition in sleep or Samadhi, One without a second, true, but he did not know it at the time. You say only in the waking experience afterwards. Hence there must be an inquiry so that you find non-duality whilst you are awake, so that you can see non-duality at the time not afterwards. Hence too the need of inquiring into the universe and knowing it as Brahman whilst one is awake, and not during sleep or Samadhi.

When can one say there is no error in his knowledge? When one sees all the three states as consciousness, which the true self; then there will be no doubt. Hence one must see the beings and objects, if he is to see them as consciousness, the true self. But sleep and Samadhi does not show them to him. Hence their knowledge is not perfect, not free from error and doubt.

The completion of the course of Yoga, whether Raja or Dhyana leads as Patanjali rightly says in sloka 1 to stopping of all ideation. When this is attained, only one thing can then occur--the yogi will enter a condition like sleep. "Like," because he will have done it by set effort and voluntarily, whereas ordinary man falls into sleep involuntarily and when Patanjali lists sleep as one of the five hindrances, he means that while a practitioner is still struggling and has not yet attained his goal of concentration, naturally to fall asleep prematurely is a sign of failure.

The ignorant emerging from deep sleep does not regard his body and his experience of the world as consciousness, which is the true self, but he thinks he is an individual separate from the world. Hence he feels duality as reality, similarly, with the yogi. The one, who does not see duality, can have no Gnana. A Gnani sees and says all this is an  illusion made out of consciousness, which is the true self. Hence there is unity in diversity, whereas, the yogi who enters Samadhi or sleep has none to start with.

Gnanic Samadhi is Sahaja Samadhi that is natural state of the self. In natural states in which self is in full wakefulness, and then one asks what is meant by this universe, the universe is seen in this Sahaja Samadhi. Whereas Yogic or Nirvikalpa Samadhi, is just like swoon or deep sleep, where one is unaware of anything, not even the universe. (See page 640,641 and verse 132,133 of Tattireya Upanishads and panchadeshi regarding this).