Seeker has to drop all accumulated knowledge in order to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana

By studying various scriptures one cannot be established in  consciousness (soul) , the innermost self .  Seeker  has to  drop all accumulated knowledge in order  to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Scriptures and yoga are preliminary steps but they are not the means to acquire self-knowledge or non-dual truth.

Getting certainty and irrefutable proof of our true existence without dogmatic assertion and assumption and speculation is the attitude of true seeker. One has to know the self in the truth.

All the study of scriptures and texts and teachings has to be dropped when one becomes aware of the fact that, the self is not physical but self is the soul [consciousness].  One must think of always of the soul [consciousness] the witness of the three states; rather than the three states.    

That is why Sri, Sankara says in (VC) :-


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.

Thus what is the use of holding the scriptures as proof or pramaana or source of knowledge? When Sri, Sankara instructed clear cut message it is foolish to hold scriptures as authenticated authority. 

One may enjoy work or practice meditation but he will still yarn of that which is beyond all imagination ,all thinking and  the objects and  in which all the desire are extinguished.  The subconscious goal of one’s search can only be non-duality. 

Many seekers are unhappy because they exert themselves by running one teacher to another, one scripture to another, one teaching to another and when they don’t find the truth, they are in uncertainty, they are unable to accept anything else as truth, because they are sentimentally and emotionally involved with the teacher or teaching. And they are unable to drop them, and also unable to accept any new truth.  They are interested only which please or attracts them and they do not make an effort to know the higher truth, which requires mental effort to understand and assimilate. They prefer the teachings which are based on imagination because there is no strain of thinking deeply.  

Both Gnani and the ignorant outwardly exerting and acting, the difference is the Gnani is soul- centric and the ignorant is egocentric.  Gnani thinks his body and the world are unreal because he is fully aware they are created out of consciousness. The ignorant thinks he is an individual separate from the world, and world existed prior to him, and he is born in the world afterwards. Until he has this conviction he will not be able to  assimilate non-dualistic  truth.

Activity begets attachment; and abstention from it aversion. The one who is soul –centric is free from pair of opposites, like a child, and is thus established in the consciousness (soul , the innermost self).   The nature of the soul is equilibrium.   The psychology proves that ego comes later in life than birth, thus the child consciousness is free and not at egocentric.

One who is egocentric is attached to the world wants to renounce it in order to avoid the miseries of life. But one who is soul- centric – he is in the world but not of it.

The one who is ego-centric feels even towards liberation and considers even the body as his own he is neither Gnani nor yogi he suffers the physical life as reality. 

Until one forgets all the accumulated knowledge he cannot be established in ultimate truth.

One has to master the self-knowledge by his own thinking, his own realization  through inquiry analysis and reasoning on the true base.

One may learn the doctrine and master them buthe will not be able to realize them that is for certain, not hear say.

The man of truth does not identify his self with body but he considers the self to be the soul, which is in the form of consciousness.

The one who considers his-self as body with the name will not be able to cross the threshold of duality and he keeps experiencing the duality as reality.   Therefore, he refuses to accept the physical existence as illusion because he is in the intoxication of its reality.

All this (universe) is verily Brahman. By following back all of the relative appearances in the world, we eventually return to that from which it is all manifest – the non-dual reality

The nature of things necessarily unpreventable and uncontrollable when one regards world as world of diversity of duality.  Only when one is able to base his-self from ultimate standpoint view the experience of diversity as consciousness only, then one becomes aware of their unreal nature.

One, who has realized that existence and non-existence and change are in the nature of things, easily finds repose, being unperturbed and free from ignorance.  The pain and pleasure exist as reality because of having the idea of two [duality].  To get rid of the reality of the pain and pleasure one has to find the formless substance of the duality [mind] to realize the whole diversity is created out of single substance, which is consciousness. Realizing the consciousness as ultimate truth, one becomes aware of the unreal nature of the mind.

Whatever based on of physical self (waking entity or ego) is falsehood. Whatever one feels as a person is reality within the physical existence. If physical existence is taken as reality then there is no meaning in seeking truth because he has accepted the physical existence as truth.  Once physical existence is accepted as reality the experiences within the physical existence prevail as reality. 

For those who desirous to know the truth for them nothing bring contentment other than acquiring the self-knowledge or brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. For one who becomes aware of the fact that, the   self is not physical but consciousness becomes aware of the fact that, the physical existence [illusion] has no base from the ultimate standpoint.  

  

Our practical life is nothing to do with the formless soul, the innermost self.   The practical life within the practical world is reality within the waking.  The three states are mere illusion on the standpoint of the soul or consciousness, the innermost self. The formless soul or consciousness is the substance and witness of the illusory three states and it is within the illusory three states and it is without the three states.  

 As person perceiving the world one thinks he is born in this world and world existed prior to him, this conviction makes him physical oriented, thus he views and judges the worldview on the physical base therefore his understanding is limited to the physicality. 

 

Since people all are not aware of the fact that, they are an experience within another experience [waking/dream]. The mind is an experience, which contains everyone and everything and the universe. Since one limits the mind to the physical entity, he forgets the fact that, his body and the universe is an experience, within waking or dream experience. It is impossible to unfold the mystery of his true existence without realizing the fact that, the self is not physical but the self is consciousness.   If the self is not physical then it is erroneous to judge and conclude the truth on the base of the physical self or ego.  The ego [waking entity] is false self within the false experience [waking]. Thus the truth has to be judges on the base of the true self, which is formless consciousness which is not an individual but it pervades all the three states as their formless substance and witness. 

 Until and unless one rectifies the reasoning base from form [ego] to formless [soul or consciousness], the ultimate truth [Brahman] will not be revealed.

Deeper inquiry reveals the fact that the self is not physical but it is formless [consciousness]. On the base of formless [consciousness] as self, one becomes unreal nature of the mind, which appears as waking or dream.  Thus the waking is as unreal as dream. 

 

That is why Sri Sankara, indicated  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 the religion is not the means to self-realization.

When Upanishad itself declares:-   sarvam khalvidam brahma - All this (universe) is verily Brahman. By following back all of the relative appearances in the world, we eventually return to that from which it is all manifest – the non-dual reality [ Chandogya Upanishad].  

Then it is no use going roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and witness of the universe, which is in the form of mind.  By tracing the source of the mind or universe one will be able to realize the Brahman. 

Thus, Self-Knowledge  or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is meant only for those who have intense urge, and courage to accept the truth with humility and reject the untruth. Since people start comparing with their scriptural knowledge, it becomes impossible to assimilate and realize the non-dual truth.   Therefore, there is no need to convince anyone other than our own-selves to get the firm conviction.