When one acquires Self- Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana than the three states become and object the the soul, which is the subject.

Ultimate truth or Brahman is nothing to do with the experience of birth,life,death and the world.  The experience of birth,life,death and the world  are product of ignorance because they are based on the form whereas the self is formless. If there is no ignorance than  the   experience of birth,life,death and the world are mere mirage.

Thus it is necessary to overcome  the ignorance,  to realize the experience of birth,life,death and the world are mere mirage.

As one goes in deeper self-search he becomes aware of the  illusory division between the spirit and the matter.  in reality  there is no division between the spirit and the matter because matter is mere illusion created out of consciousness. Simply recognizing the whole  experience of birth,life,death and the world as matter. And the  formless substance and witness of the whole experience of the experience of birth,life,death and the world  as  spirit. thus the matter is created out of spirit therefore matter is spirit in its essence. this spirit alone is real and matter mere illusion.   

The experience of birth,life,death and the world is mind. Mind is in the form of universe. Universe appears as waking or dream and disappears as deep sleep.   That is matter appears as  mind( universe or waking or duality)  and disappears spirit(deep sleep or non-duality) .

Mind  or universe or waking or duality  is matter.  Matter is created and sustained by spirit and  finally dissolves as  spirit. thus no second thing exists other than the spirit.  the spirit is the soul. the soul is the innermost self. the innermost self is in the form of consciousness.

 

A  Gnani  beholds the  the  consciousness  everywhere and in everything --- be it in mountain rock, flowing river, cloud, trees, sky sun, star, moon and planets in animal and all the creatures.

Gnani fully aware of the fact that the whole universe ,which appears as waking or dream  is created and sustained and finally dissolves as consciousness . for a Gnani the diversity is mere mirage created out of consciousness.

Form the standpoint of the formless soul, the innermost self , the three states are    mere illusion.  The individual  experience of birth, life  death  and the world are part of  the illusory waking experience.  Thus instead of searching the remedy for the suffering  in the practical life within the practical world one has to  realize the waking experience is  mere illusion. 

Seeker has to realize  on what stand point the universe is illusion.  By knowing the existence of  formless witness of the three states one becomes aware of the the fact that, the three states are illusory in their nature. The formless  soul or consciousness , the innermost self is the formless substance and also the  witness of the three states,which comes and goes in succession. On knowing the  formless soul or consciousness, the innermost self,  one  realizes the form,time and space are one in essence.

Soul or consciousness , the innermost self is whole undivided eternal without difference of any kind. But some  hold  that universe is come out of nothing. but they are unaware of the fact that  That nothingness itself is consciousness, the cause of the the three states and it itself is uncaused.  Therefore nothingness or emptiness has no meaning.   In the states of  ignorance, the  formless soul or  consciousness exist in the form of mind or universe or duality but  in reality nothing exists other than consciousness.

When one acquires Self- Knowledge  or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana  than  the three states become and object the the soul, which is the subject. the subject and object are one in essence because the object is created out of the subject. 

Religionists  think  that the Self-Knowledge  or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana are the private property of the religious scholars. it is meaningless to seek Self-Knowledge through religion and yoga because they are based on the ‘ waking entity ’ as self which is the false self within the false experience. 

 

 That is Sri Sankara, 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. 

Thus it proves that wisdom is universal irrespective of any religion of faith one belongs.  Thus religion is not the means to self-knowledge.  Thus Sri, Sankara’s Advaita minus orthodoxy is true Advaita. 

Sri Sankara himself says [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.

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.

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.

So long as one is in the realm of duality, one has to explain how or why one thing came from another; and contradictory views are expressed. But when a Gnani shows there is no second, there is no production, and the contradictions do not arise at all, when the ultimate thing is consciousness alone. Thus consciousness is ultimate truth or Brahman.

The dualist’ arguments are based on false self (ego or waking entity) and false experience (waking or dream or universe)    to show the weakness of the position of dualistic view point.  They at their wits end to explain.

 Existent cannot be a cause and effect at the same time, from the point of view of the dualist, but deeper self-search shows the Existent is no-two and causality can’t rise at all. Dualistic theory says that whatever was in the cause was also in the effect. They say that the gold brick, the gold medal, the gold ornaments --are in the seed--the gold. Deeper self-search reveals the fact that, if cause and effect are one what is the difference between the two

 

Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana  is the aim of every human being. Since everyone thinks the physical body is the self, their aim is misdirected and they focus their attention on materiality which makes one feel the duality(waking) as reality.

In pursuit of truth the ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed.  The individual experience bliss is not Brahmic bliss.

Individual truth is not universal truth.  Individual cannot claim that he has experienced the whole.  There is no proof he has seen it, because the whole is not individual experience. The man and the world are within the whole.  Thus such claims of experiencing the  formless soul, the innermost self  is mere hallucination.

Being a house holder and in the midst of the worldly life one can dwell in the spiritual pursuit to acquire the Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Whether man dwells at home or forest if he has the intense urge and courage to accept the truth and reject the untruth is the chief requisite for spiritual advancement.