Those who believe in the karma theory are unfit to acquire Self-knowledge or Bramha Gnana or Atma Gnana***.

Karma (Action) will not dispel the  ignorance. Karma itself is based on ignorance Only Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana will destroy ignorance.

The karma theory is based on the birth entity whereas the Soul, the innermost Self is birthless and deathless because it is the formless, timeless and spaceless existence.

The present birth itself is an illusion because the world in which birth, life and death happen is mere an illusion of the standpoint of the Soul, the innermost Self.Those who believe in the karma theory are unfit to acquire Self-knowledge or Bramha Gnana or Atma Gnana.

The Karma theory is meant for those who are immersed in worldly life thinking the individual life within the particle world as reality. In the path of wisdom, the Karma theory becomes a great obstacle in realizing the truth, which is based on the form,time and space. in reality, the form,time and space is no-existent as a reality. 

When Sage Sri, Sankara says clearly, the universe is not real. He says that Brahman and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the Self, which is one though appearing as many different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the 'Self 'is Real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearances, then it indicates the form (waking) is unreal the formless is real (Soul). Therefore, only Atman is real because there is no second thing other than Atman.

The individuality is a reality within the illusory world. Therefore, all the theories created within the illusion on the base of false entity, within the false experience, has to be the part and parcel of the illusion. Thus, it is necessary to realize the fact that Atman is the innermost Self and all else is illusion, to overcome the illusory concept of the cycle of birth, life and death. Thus, to understand and assimilate Sage Sri, Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom the seeker has to do his own homework through deeper Self-search, without mixing the religion, the scriptures, the theories, the concept of God and the yoga. 

The karma theory is reality only for those who believe their present physical identity (ego) as real, and world as reality. When the Sage Sri, Sankara declares the world itself is an illusion, and Brahman is real, then what value the karma theory has when the world is an illusion, because man is part and parcel of the illusory world. Therefore, one has to view and judge the three states on the standpoint of the formless Soul, the innermost Self in order to overcome the duality, which he is experiencing it as a reality. 

Sage Sri Sankara says in Aparoksh Anubhuti: ~ 88. When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman, and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that the body is Atman?

89. O enlightened one, pass your time always contemplating on Atman while you are experiencing all the results of Prarabdha; for it ill becomes you to feel distressed.

90. The theory, one hears of from the scripture, that Prarabdha does not lose its hold upon one even after the origination of the knowledge of Atman, is now being refuted.

91. After the origination of the knowledge of Reality, Prarabdha verily ceases to exist, inasmuch as the body and the like become non-existent; just as a dream does not exist on waking.

92. That Karma which is done in a previous life is known as Prarabdha (which produces the present life). But such Karma cannot take the place of Prarabdha (for a man of knowledge), as he has no other birth (being free from ego).

93. Just as the body in a dream is superimposed (and therefore illusory), so is also this body. How could there be any birth of the superimposed (body), and in the absence of birth (of the body) where is the room for that (i.e., Prarabdha) at all?

94. The Vedanta texts declare ignorance to be verily the material (cause) of the phenomenal world just as earth is of a jar. That (ignorance) being destroyed, where can the universe subsist?

95. Just as a person out of confusion perceives only the snake leaving aside the rope, so does an ignorant person see only the phenomenal world without knowing the reality?

96. The real nature of the rope being known, the appearance of the snake no longer persists; so the substratum being known, the phenomenal world disappears completely.

97. The body also being within the phenomenal world (and therefore unreal), how could Prarabdha exist? It is, therefore, for the understanding of the ignorant alone that the Shruti speaks of Prarabdha.

98. “And all the actions of a man perish when he realizes that (Atman) which is both the higher and the lower”. Here the clear use of the plural by the Shruti is to negate Prarabdha as well.

99. If the ignorant still arbitrarily maintain this, they will not only involve themselves into two absurdities, but will also run the risk of forgoing the Vedantic conclusion. So one should accept those Shrutis alone from which proceeds true knowledge.

The above proves that the karma is reality only on the base of the false Self, where one thinks body and the universe as reality. When one becomes aware of the fact that, the true Self is formless Soul, then the karma becomes part and parcel of illusion. 

My point is that, if one accepts the karma theory as reality, he will never be able to come out of the ignorance. And ignorance makes him believe the cycle of birth, life and death as a reality. Thus the freedom which one is seeking will remain a distant dream. For the one who accepts the birth, life and death as a reality, Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is impossible.

The path of religion, theory of karma, the path of yoga and the path of wisdom were intended for different classes of people. The wisdom is for the advanced seekers of truth. It deals with the nature of the ultimate Truth and Reality. It is meant for superior aspirants who have an inner urge to know the truth and it is not for those who are immersed in earthly desires.

Gnana means the full and firm realization of truth – a realization beyond all doubts, change and contradiction.

What is Gnana? Gnana means the full and firm realization of truth – a realization beyond all doubts, change and contradiction.

Neither the control of breath, or regulating the breath, nor the performance of selfless service, nor by devotion to gods and gurus, not the performance of penance, nor pilgrimaging, nor by yoga nor by scriptural mastery, the ignorance will not vanish. But only   through nondual wisdom the ignorance can be eradicated.  The three states are state of ignorance. All the three states are falsehood. The formless substance and witness of the three states is real and eternal. 

 Sage Sri Sankara-BG: - [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.

The mind is in the form of Universe. Universe appears as waking or dream. Waking as it presents itself is unreal, same way as the dream. Thus waking or dream is simply illusion created out of consciousness.  To the man within the universe it is not an illusion because he has the conviction that he is an individual separate form the universe and he is born in this universe and universe existed prior to him.  Until this conviction is there he is bound to believe the birth, life, death and universe as reality.  Only in deeper self-search he becomes aware of the fact that, the mind is not within the body but body and the universe are within the mind.   And he also becomes aware of the fact that mind itself is the whole universe ,which appears as waking or dream and disappears as deep sleep.

To think once own body and his experience of the world is an illusion is difficult matter, unless one realizes the self is not physical but it is formless soul it is difficult to have glimpse of truth.

When one realizes the fact that, the self is not physical but the formless soul, naturally the body and universe becomes illusion.

The mind (universe)is emanating from soul (consciousness) means the mind is being effect from consciousness is not different from it. Deeper analysis shows it. Analysis needs deeper thinking and reasoning. Mind is whole universe thus it has a form. But where is the form in consciousness (soul) because consciousness is like an ocean and mind is like wave.  The universe is same consciousness, as the ocean produces the wave, so the consciousness produces the mind (universe).

The moment one knows the mind (universe) is consciousness, and then there is no ignorance. If one knows consciousness as self then everything is consciousness, the consciousness is second to none.  The mind is consciousness but due to ignorance one mistakes it for something else. One thinks the self is within the body; but the self is without the body and the world.

Mind ceases to exist without the matter. Without the matter mind ceases to exist as mind but it exists as matter- less awareness or consciousness. Without the mind neither the world nor its perceiver can exist.

Without the matter there is no duality. Without duality there is no experience. Without experience it is non-dual reality. Therefore, whatever prevails without the mind is ultimate reality.

The true nature of the soul (consciousness) is camouflaged by the illusion/duality.  To know the truth one has to discover and realize the formless substance of the mind or illusion. One has to learn to view and judge the worldview on the standpoint the formless soul as self.   Self-Knowledge or Bramha Gnana or Atma Gnana   is the prime goal of the truth seeker. This goal is hidden within the mind as its invisible substance and witness. Therefore, it is necessary inquiry, analyse and reason in to the nature of mind/ duality/illusion in order to unfold the mystery of mind or duality or illusion.

The validity of the judgements which one continually pass on events taking place around him is not denied but all these experiences are happening within the universe (waking or dream) is mere illusion. It is true that the phenomenal world is the outcome of ignorance, but it has a certain relative reality but the relative reality is mere illusion from ultimate standpoint.  Thus the relative reality is based on the false self within the false experience because there is no second thing exist other than consciousness thus there is only nondual reality.   

For those who believe in practical life within the practical world as reality, and have belief in individualized God feel the path of Gnana is atheistic.

Sage Sri Sankara –VC--"All this universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman which is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought.

"It is this Supreme Oneness which alone is real, since there is nothing else but the Self. Verily, there remains no other independent entity in the state of realization of the highest Truth." 

Nothing works unless one realizes the self is not the form but formless  soul or consciousness. Once one realizes  the self is formless soul  as it is, everything naturally falls in its place. When one realizes the fact that, soul is the innermost self   then he is free and automatically detached mentally from illusion, because there remains no second thing other than consciousness to get attached.

Self is the “Soul”. The soul is in the form of consciousness. The consciousness pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states. Consciousness is essentially the Self luminous in everything that exists in waking  because the consciousness is the formless substance and witness of the three states.

The consciousness is the cause of everything that exists and it itself is uncaused. the consciousness is ultimate truth or Brahman, knowing which one is free from experiencing the duality as reality.

There is no individual, individualized god and universe exists in the realm of truth because the whole experience of diversity (waking )is created out of single stuff, which is consciousness. Consciousness is universal and ultimate truth. The ultimate truth is God. For those who believe in practical life within the practical world as reality, and have belief in individualized God feel the path of Gnana is atheistic.

 The individual ego falsely imagines that it exists independently, and that other beings have similar independent existence. The ignorance, which accounts for this, is the root of all evil. The soul through ignorance is misunderstood, and instead of being known as it is, it is identified with the three states. The ignorance is cause of the limitations.  The limitation is cause of the duality. The duality is cause of experiencing the illusion as reality.  Till one becomes aware of the formless true self mentally, it is difficult to cross over to the limitless existence.

Within the illusion the false self thinks of itself as doer, agent and enjoyer within the false experience of waking or dream. And it is this illusory self, alike deceiving and deceived by the intoxication of illusion. Through self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the self becomes free from experiencing the illusory bondage of birth, life and death and the world.  The consciousness is everything. The universe is consciousness because it created out of consciousness.  It is not through becoming something which now it is not, but by realizing what it is: the consciousness is the  innermost self and ultimate truth or Brahman. 

The only medicine that one can cure his ego is a little spoon of "humility.

Those with an iota of humility will be able to recognize what they know about the true self is so little in comparison to what they need to know. The only medicine that one can cure his ego is a little spoon of "humility." Without this medicine, he will likely argue forever and lose the path to attain freedom from experiencing the duality as reality.

The first step for seeker to take is to study to understand the fact the ‘I’ based understanding is the cause of all misunderstanding and becomes main hurdle in the pursuit of truth.  The seeker has to view and judge the worldview on the base of true self, to clear our own misunderstandings and hurdle mentally by perfect understanding.

 The doer ship is part and parcel of the illusion. In the doer ship the physical body with the name is the author of the action.  In the realm of truth, there is no scope even for knowledge of enjoyer ship   or doer ship to say "I am not an enjoyer, I am not a doer".  Thus the sense of ‘I’ exists only in duality and it becomes ‘I’- less in the realm of truth. Thus to say I am that, and I am this, or I am as I am, or who am ‘I’, what am I , it  is ok  for beginners. But the  seeker who becomes aware f the fact that ‘I’ is not self has to drop identifying the ‘I’ as self.  This is difficult task for the seekers in the beginning, but gradually when the mind becomes receptive; then it will start accepting the fact that ‘I’ is not the self, but formless witness is the self.

The one who thinks ‘I’ is the self is bound by illusory duality. The sense of ‘I’ - 'I am'  is the notion - that is I am the Self - it is a notion since it is not true, but one who feels it is true is bound by that feeling, since all his actions are colored by that notion that I am is the self – ‘I’ is the false entity within the false experience.

The mind includes the body and the whole universe.  Limiting the mind to the physical entity is the cause of the ego. Because of the identification with the false self, the ego becomes dominant. When ego is dominant the illusory duality becomes reality. The only path is through realizing the Atman/spirit, as true self.

People think that, more they think, the more they will get; but it is really an error. It remains only a thought and gives them back only thoughts.  Anything seen, observed, cannot be the Self or the Witness. 

Consciousness (soul) is the substance and witness of the duality.  The duality is present in the form of mind. Mind is present in the form of universe. The universe appears as waking or dream and diapers as deep sleep. The one which is aware of the coming and going of the three states is neither the waking entity nor the dream entity but the formless soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  When the soul becomes aware of its formless non-dual true nature in the midst of duality it is called self –awareness. It is foolish to limit the consciousness only to duality because the consciousness pervades all the three states 

How can the ‘I’ know the truth, when ‘I’ itself is false?

A Gnani is the one who has that wisdom - hence from his self-analysis and understanding he realizes the non-dual truth – Atman alone is real and the true self is that Atman.

 The one who acquired physical based wisdom is called genius, on the base of in physical dimension. The one who acquired self- knowledge or non-dual wisdom is called Gnani, in Spiritual dimension.

It is quite evident that no seeker of truth would conceive of a freedom from experiencing duality as reality without the transcendence of individuality, i.e. giving up the holding the ‘I’ as self. Since everyone is trying to view and judge the truth on the standpoint of the false self, it becomes difficult understand and assimilate the non-dual truth. Non-dual wisdom is not based on the physical experience, because the true self is beyond physical/individual experiences.  On the standpoint of the formless soul the innermost self (Atman) all experiences are mere mirage, thus the non -dualistic or Adriatic  truth has to be grasped and realized. 

How can the ‘I’ know the truth, when ‘I’ itself is false? Since, many teachings hold ‘I’ as self and physical body as false and the world as reality, it becomes very difficult to understand and assimilate the non-dualistic  truth. That is why step by step one has to remove all his accumulated ideas and obstacle and move towards his nondual destination.  It is easy to assimilate the truth for one who is free from religious/philosophical/yogic/theoretical knowledge.

The Atman only knows the Atman. The Atman is the knower not the known. The physical body and the world are known; therefore they are a mere mirage on the standpoint of Atman as self.  

Many people give the impression that "they know the Atman; the Atman exists prior to the body and the universe, thus the knower is apart from the known. But he  knower is within the known as its formless substance and it is without the known as its formless witness.

Till  one takes the whole known to be Atman the Atman cannot be grasped and realized.

The seeker should take a few moments and think what he states and its implications before saying ‘I’ am Atman or ‘I’ am that, without verifying and assimilating what it is. It is not the man who has to realize the self, but it is the mind that has to realize it is not a man, but it is the spirit. 

‘So long as one thinks “I am” is the self”, thoughts of liberation and bondage will remain.

‘So long as one thinks “I am” is the self”, thoughts of liberation and bondage will remain. When seeker sees the true self through the inquiry and becomes aware of the fact that, “ Atman is the true self”, and the Atman alone remains, eternally attained and eternally free.  The one who realize the ‘I is not the self but Atman is the true self for him the thought of bondage ceases to exist.’

The general supposition amongst most seekers is that  the sannyasa demonstrates one’s commitment to following the spiritual path full time, and by extension, somehow makes it easier to meditate and realize the Self. But it is not so that the inner renunciation is more important than outer renunciation which is base on the body.

The seeker should  not accept the generally accepted premise that the  sannyasins were in a better position to realize the Self than householders. Living a normal life in the world is not a disadvantage when it comes to making spiritual progress.

Non-dual Peace can never be attained by one who subjects himself to ignorance by embracing the body and the world, regarding them as enduring and beneficial. Equally, suffering or fear will never be experienced by one who renounces this ignorance and reaches the permanent resting place of the mind which is soul or  Atman. the soul or Atman is present in the form of consciousness.

What is it that remains as impossible to renounce after all that can be renounced has been renounced? It is the Atman the true Self, which cannot be renounced.

The earliest ancient sages used the word ‘I’ to the witness of the three states not to the ego as moderns use it and think the ‘I’ without the body is self. The seeker has to understand the fact that the fact that ‘I’ is not the self but the witness of the ‘I’ is the true self, which is eternal. 

People think that the ‘soul’ or ‘spirit’ is something different from the mind. They believe that the mind is really two. This is the confusion among religionists and intellectuals. If ‘Soul’ has any meaning, if ‘spirit’ has any meaning, so long as one thinks of them, they are merely ideas. No, Mind is the highest: it is consciousness, non-dual wisdom.

The individual is a bundle of memories, desires within the waking or dream. The memories and desires are part of the duality. Therefore the individual self is entirely part and parcel of the mirage. Peoples ideas of that they will go to some world after death, some astral plane or religious heavens will disappear as nonsense with the disappearance of belief in the reality of the ‘I’.  

Truth realization takes place when one becomes aware of the fact that, ‘I’ is not  the true self, and start identifying with the formless Self. Giving up one physical identity such as ‘I am this and replacing it with another ‘I am that, does not get to the root of the problem of false identification:

Thinking, ‘I am a person who has realized the Ataman’ is only a mental imagination. In realm of truth transcends such imagination. Only discovering the knowledge of the formless non-dual substance, and realizing it as true self, is true liberation from experiencing duality as reality.

 It is not thinking repeatedly, ‘I am someone who has self-realized. Therefore, the thought, ‘I am bondage’; the thought, ‘I am’ is a prison’.  The thought I am is the cause of ignorance.  ‘I’ am ‘indicates the self as being limited to the physical body. When that delusion ‘I am ‘is destroyed, along with it, the duality will cease. Unless the ‘I am the body’ belief is present the duality prevails as reality.

Simply repeating /reading/hearing what the scriptures say or whatever god men or guru says does not make one to assimilate, understand and realize the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth.

Just as a ripened fruit separates effortlessly from the tree and falls, when a truth seeker who is aiming to merge himself in the Atman attains maturity, he will definitely reach his non-dual destination and gets freedom from experiencing the duality as reality.

Every religionists/yogis /theorist are saying their own accepted truth, over and over again. They are merely propagating their truth, but none of them are able to establish it with certainty, which can be verified here and now, not in the next life or the next world.

Simply repeating /reading/hearing what the scriptures say or whatever god men or guru says does not make one to assimilate, understand and realize the non-dualistic or Advaitic  truth. The seeker should not accept anything as truth, until he verifies the fact of all the claims, for himself by his own reasoning on the true base.

 Seeker has to understand the fact that whatever is based on the form (universe)  is falsehood and whatever is based on the formless [Ataman] is the truth. When the subconscious is able to discriminate everything on the base of Ataman,   then it will start discriminating everything on the base of formless, and reject whatever is based on the form. Finally nothing exists to reject other then Ataman.  Finally, the Ataman will prevail as ultimate truth.

Seeker has to establish the truth for himself by verifying himself by reasoning on the true base, not by blindly believing what others say, or what scriptures say.  Once he creates a formless base mentally by replacing the form base which was discriminating good and bad, negative or positive in worldly life will start discriminating truth and untruth or real or unreal and start rejecting the untruth/unreal and starts accepting only truth /real.

Simply quoting the doctrines and sages will not help true seekers, in their pursuit of truth. Seeker has to use appropriate methodology for one to cognize those truths that are being stated within oneself by oneself. Truth pursuit is not an intellectual pursuit, but a spiritual understanding/realization.

Gaudapada’s rational exposition of Advaita:-That whatever is seen, whether external or internal, whether by the ordinary persons or yogis, is unreal. 

When the ultimate truth is rightly known and one attains eternal life thereby. Through soul, the innermost self he gains strength and through its knowledge immortality.

 Not by intellectual   speculation but only by an awakening to the reality of his true existence he gets soulcentric vision. Soul, the innermost self’s nature is like state of deep sleep.

Religion, yoga and intellectualism are not the means to acquire self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  Without getting rid of the ignorance and trying to get self-awareness through religion and yoga is like a sleeping man trying to know what he is about, without waking up. As sleep is to waking, so is ordinary life to the state of realization.

Duality is mere mirage created out of nondual stuff.

Duality is mere mirage created out of nondual stuff. That stuff is  soul . The soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is The formless substance and witness of the three states,which comes and goes in sucssion. The three states are mere mirage created out of consciousness.

  The man and world are present within the mirage. Thus whatever is felt as real within the mirage is unreal, only the substance of the mirage is real. Thus man and the world are unreal and consciousness alone is real and eternal.

 Man and his experience of  the world exist within the waking or dream. All the objects are present when the  mind is present . And the mind is present when the universe is present. The universe is present when the waking or dream is present. The  universe or the waking or  the dream is nothing but Mind because without the mind they ceases to exist.  

 Till man thinks he and the all other objects of the world are apart from him, the duality wills persist, and there will be no unity in diversity. mind   cannot exist independent of consciousness.

 Thus it is necessary for the seeking mind to realize whatever exists in waking or dream is created out of consciousness , therefore, the universe(mind)  as a whole is the consciousness.  Thus, whatever exists within the mind is bound to be the  consciousness . Thus no second thing exists other than the  consciousness   knowing and realizing this fact, brings unity in diversity.     

Consciousness (soul) is the substance and witness of the duality.  The duality is present in the form of mind. Mind is present in the form of universe. The universe appears as waking or dream and diapers as deep sleep. The one which is aware of the coming and going of the three states is neither the waking entity nor the dream entity but the formless soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  When the soul becomes aware of its formless nondual true nature in the midst of duality it is called self –awareness. It is foolish to limit the consciousness only to duality because the consciousness pervades all the three states. 

Science is based on objects; its invention is based on object as subject. Thus the modern science can get the truth of objectified subject

A man may wish to live for a hundred years, performing his duties as prescribed by the scriptures, but he will not be able to assimilate the self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  If one does duties in the way prescribed in the scriptures, it may be good for the worldly life within the waking experience. The results of whatever one do will cling to the duality, which he is experiencing it as reality. There is no other way other then, finding the true self and realizing the fact that ‘I’ is not the self, but the soul is the true self. 

There is no point in renouncing the practical life within the practical world in search of the ultimate truth.  There is no point in running after the pleasures the world within the practical world. These pleasures are momentary, because the waking experience is momentary. If one runs after them he will only become the pleasure hunter  within the practical world and bound to experience illusory suffering as reality.

Not everyone is in a position to acquire the self-knowledge. People want to enjoy life, and to such people the religion, god glorification and yoga are necessary. They must fulfill their desires strictly according to the rules laid down by the religious and yogic scriptures. This will slowly lead to the purification of the mind that is, the hankering for sense pleasures will go, the spirit of discrimination will grow strong, and love for Self-knowledge will develop. When this happens they will no longer be attached to what they have been doing all their lives. The result is that they will be receptive to self-knowledge.

Religion, yoga is for those who are not in the position to grasp the non-dual truth. They need not feel lost. They can take time. However, eventually they have to come to the path of the truth. Until then they must follow their chosen path.

Science is based on objects; its invention is based on object as subject. Thus the modern science can get the truth of objectified subject. Elimination of object mentally and realizing the subject then judging the worldview on the base of pure subject leads to discovery of ultimate truth.

The feelings and impressions and notions are based on the physical self. The scientific inventions are based on the physical self. Deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning revels the fact that the physical self is false self within the false experience.   

Modern science is the very opposite of the Gnani’s standpoint of view.  Gnani says that a thing exists on the standpoint of the form as self and form ceases to exist without the formless self.

Therefore, it is necessary to know the fact that, the true self is not physical but the formless spirit, which we call it soul or self.

There is a need for sufficient distinction or discrimination has to be made between the witness and the witnessed. The witness is   mixed and identified with what it witnessed and the result is doubts and confusion still prevailed without identifying the witness.  

Personal feelings, ideas,  judgments entered into the presentation of facts  by the so called gurus  and the whole mass passed as  truth, the process often being given the high-sounding name of Intuition, Vision or Revelation which are mere fancy based on the physical self.

The religious idea of rewarding the virtuous and punishing the sinner in graded degrees are popular among the mass. These are some of the very well-known instances of pathetic fallacy, that is to say, introducing the element of personal sentiment in our appreciation of events and objects. Even today literate mass follow or observe these religious dogmas   superstition and tradition.

Witness and Witnessed

Science cuts itself from the witness and remains aloof from the witnessed.  The scientist not only stands aside, outside the field of witness. It is because the scientist is unaware of the witness, is apart from the witnessed, and he and his invention are part of the witnessed. Therefore science cannot cross the threshold of the physical existence.  Thus its invention is limited to physicality, which is part and parcel of the witnessed [universe or waking or mind] . 

On the soul , the innermost self, everything rests.

Sage Sri Sankara -VC-  "All this universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman which is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought."

"It is this Supreme Oneness which alone is real, since there is nothing else but the Self. Verily, there remains no other independent entity in the state of realization of the highest Truth." 

People believe that teacher or mystic or priest has got so many followers and therefore there must be some truth in their teaching, is a common fallacy accepted by the mass due to their inherited conditioning. It proves only an ignorant can find a number of greater ignorant to follow him. 

A permanent view of world as unreal can come only after soul centric reasoning; such knowledge cannot change. Were the seeker who is sufficiently sharpness he could grasp the unreal nature of the world by soul-centric reasoning alone.  To know whole truth, one must know the whole universe, otherwise he gets only half-truth. 

Renouncing the worldly life and accepting sanyasa or monk-hood means incapacity to think deeper, an impotency to inquire and reason. 

People speak of getting rid of conditioning or samskara but they themselves are unaware of the fact that, the universe in which they exist is product of the inborn samskara or conditioning.  The ignorance is cause of the inborn samskara or conditioning which present as ‘I’ or ‘I AM’. 

In these three states, everything is subject to change, yet the three states are pervaded by the consciousness, which is the innermost self.  Seeker of truth has to  practice mental renunciation of the three states   and be strong in his  conviction of the true Self, which is the soul. One has to Realize whatever perceived within the waking experience is in the base of ‘I’ as self is mere illusion.  

The three states are of the nature of change. There is no permanence in them. However, that which sustains the three states it is never changing. It is always the same. That is the soul, the innermost self. On the soul, the innermost self,  everything rests. It is like a movie projected on a screen. The movie changes but the screen is constant. Similarly, the phenomenal waking/dream is projected on the soul. It is a mere superimposition like seeing a snake superimposed on a rope on a dark night.

The snake has no independent existence. It exists because of the rope, and it ceases to exist as soon as a light is brought. The snake then dissolves into the rope. In the same way, when one know the soul as self, the mind   merges into it and one realizes that mind and soul are one in essence. To attain this knowledge is the goal of the truth seeker. The three states then cannot taint the self.

Thus,  Gnani’s contact with it is merely like that of a piece of sandalwood, which has long been under water and has thereby come to acquire a bad odour. For a while, the fragrance of the sandalwood has been suppressed and the bad odour prevails. But if the sandalwood is rubbed a little, the bad odour disappears and the natural fragrance of the sandalwood becomes predominant.

Similarly, the soul, the innermost self’s attachment to the three states is temporary. It cannot be permanent. Think of the self as the  soul or  consciousness. When one thinks intensely and constantly in this way, the attachment to the three states will then go.

 One can attain the self-knowledge by the practice of renunciation of the three states. One has to keep reminding himself that the three states, with all its allurements are  not real,  that is, it is not real in the sense that it is transitory. Only the formless  soul   is real because it is imperishable. One must mentally  renounce these three states and concentrate on the soul, the innermost . Seeker of truth should never run after things that are ephemeral. Never become attached to the three states, which are ephemeral.

To one who knows the fact that these three states are transitory, the world is not the world and any form of sense pleasure is repugnant. Seeker of truth must be concerned only with soul, the innermost self become steeped in soul. The soul alone is real and the self is that soul. The soul is in the form of consciousness and become oblivious to everything else.