The formless soul or consciousness is the innermost self, is
birth- less, deathless and world -less eternal identity. The ‘Self’ is totality
dual (waking or dream) and non-dual (deep sleep) experiences that is both
conscious and unconscious and something that is always aware of coming and
going of these dual and non-dual experiences(three states).
The ego (waking entity) is not the self. Limiting the Self to the ego (waking entity) and
practicing meditation or Samadhi any other path on the base of ego (waking entity) is like trying to drain the ocean drop by
drop. The soul, which is in the form of consciousness, is the innermost self. Consciousness
transcends our ego and the mind which is in the form of universe. Universe appears
as waking and dream. Thus limiting the self to’ ego or waking entity’ is cause
of the ignorance.
Ignorance is cause of experiencing
the duality (universe or waking) as reality. Waking is cause of experiencing the
birth, life, death and the world as reality. If experience of birth, life, death and the world
(waking) is accepted as reality, than ignorance will prevail and if ignorance prevails
wisdom will not dawn.
That is why Sri, Sankara indicates in (VC):-
56. Neither by
Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by work, nor by learning, but by the realisation of
one's identity with Brahman is Liberation possible, and by no other means.
58. Loud speech
consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and
likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the
scholar, but are no good for Liberation.
59. The study of
the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is
equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.
60. The Scriptures
consisting of many words are a dense forest which merely causes the mind to
ramble. Hence men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature
of the Self.
63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without
knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere
utterance of the word Brahman? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.
65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its
extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other
such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being
(merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is
hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a
knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not
through perverted arguments.
66. Therefore the wise should, as in the case of disease and the
like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the
bondage of repeated births and deaths.
Thus Sri Sankara clearly indicated that - yoga, intellectualism,
scriptural mastery is not the means to self-knowledge. But by the realization of one's identity with
consciousness, which is ultimate truth or Brahman, freedom from experiencing
the illusion as reality is possible, and by no other means.
