The scriptures have been passed down by hearing from one
generation to the next. They were written down only relatively late. So, no one
would know whether to rely on the times they give. Also, a lot depends on the
translation. Each 'Shloka' (sanskrit verse) is open to many layers of
interpretation.
Non-duality has no place for an individualized God
or anything supernatural. The formless soul,
which is present in the form of consciousness, is the innermost self, which
pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states. When wisdom dawns one becomes aware of the
fact that the soul is the innermost self and the soul or consciousness
witnesses all the three states. The witness and witnessed are one is essence.
All the name and form has no value from the
ultimate standpoint, because all the names and forms are mere mirage created
out of consciousness. Consciousness
alone is real and eternal. Thus formless soul or consciousness, the innermost
self, is ultimate truth or Brahman. Nothing higher than that can be, when there
is unity in diversity.
That
universal unity is what Buddha, Sri, Sankara and Goudpada discovered by
investigating the depth of dimension of the mind, which is present in the form
of the universe. They realized this ultimate truth and enlightened. They
achieved Gnana or Bodhi, the Self-Knowledge of Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
