Sage Sankara:- The individual has no reality. Only the invisible Soul, the Self is real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearance.+

India is the home of mysticism and deification, and very few are keen on rational Advaitic truth. The Indian populace is most interested in their caste and creed propagated by different founders in different regions of India.

Very few people are interested in Advaitic wisdom. In Atmic path has no place for an extra-cosmic God or for anything supernatural.

Without Sage Sankara, there is no Advaita. Without Advaitic wisdom, it is impossible to realize the truth, which is hidden by form, time, and space.

Sage Sankara’s whole wisdom can be summed up in one sentence, ‘There is nothing else but Brahman”.

Sage Sankara says that the Absolute Existence, Absolute Knowledge, and Absolute awareness are real. The universe is not real.

Sage Sankara says that Brahma 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.

Genuine philosophy must be independent of religion, as in Sage Sankara himself, the Saguna Brahman or a personal God is only a part of the phenomenal (if not illusory) world, and the Nirguna Brahman is the only reality and has nothing to do with religion.

Sage Sankara pokes fun at ascetics and points out that all their austerities do not cause desires to go (Altar Flowers" Page 205, v.2, P.207 v.4)

The Brahma Sutras, together with Sage Sankara's commentary thereon, do not contain the higher wisdom. They are intended for those who are incapable of thinking rationally.

Sage Sankara's commentary on the Brahma Sutras is not on a philosophical basis, but on an orthodox and mystic basis, with an appeal to the Vedas as a final authority.

In the Brahma Sutra, Sage Sankara takes the position that there is another entity outside us, i.e., the wall really exists separately from the mind. This was because, Sage Sankara explains in Manduka, that those who study the Sutras are orthodox minds, intellectual children, hence his popular viewpoint to assist them.

These people are afraid to go deeper because it means being heroic enough to refuse to accept Shruti and God's authority, in case they mean punishment by God.

A Gnani says the scriptures for children, but wise seekers will think rationally.

In the Brahma Sutras, Sage Sankara takes for granted, assumes that a world was created; He there mixes dogmatic theology with philosophy.

That God created the world is an absolute lie; nevertheless, one will find Sage Sankara (in his commentary on the Vedanta Sutras) clearly says this! He has to adapt his teachings to his audience, reserving the highest for philosophical minds.

The text of Brahma Sutras is based on religion, dogmatism, but in the commentary, Sage Sankara cleverly introduced some philosophy. If it is objected that many Upanishads are equally dogmatic because they also begin by assuming Brahman, only a few Upanishads do not but prove Brahman at the end of a train of proof.

Scholar's translation of Brahma Sutras in Sacred Books of the East must be read cautiously as he has not understood its highest sense, e.g., for Advaita, they wrongly put "Unity" instead of “Non-duality."

Sage Sankara gave religion and scholasticism, and yoga, no less than the Advaitic wisdom, to the seeking world. He was great enough to be able to do so. His commentary on Manduka is pure Advaitic truth, but many of his other books are presented from a religious standpoint to help those who cannot rise up to philosophy.

Orthodoxy is the home of mysticism and deification, which is why they are not keen on the rational truth.

Sage Sankara is the Jagadguru to the religious followers, and he is a Brahma Gnani to the seeking world.

Advaita is not a religion. Advaita is not philosophy. Advaita is not yoga. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Advaita is the Soul itself. Advaita is the ultimate truth. Advaita is Brahman. Advaita is God itself.

That is why Sage Sankara says:~ “VC-v6- Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity with the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together.

Sage Sankara said:~ “Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many gods as you please, observe ceremonies and sing devotional hymns, but liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is knowledge of the Spirit or God in truth.

Sage Sankara means Advaita, and Advaita means Sage Sankara. If the seeker is seeking truth, nothing but the truth, then he has to drop all theistic Advaita and different versions of Advaita created by eastern and western masters without mercy, to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Such teaching, instead of helping the seeker, blocks them from realizing the truth, hidden by the ‘I’.

Sage Sankara alone is Brahma Gnani the humanity has to bow with gratitude to the great Sage.

People who go round and round in search of truth still have to walk around the mountains and face other difficulties. The seekers who have come to the conclusion that the outer path is inadequate and useless to find the truth that they are seeking will take up the Atmic path.

Atmic path is the inner path or mental path. The Atmic path takes the seeker straight to the source and is not obstructed by any obstacles on the way. One also reaches the destination faster if one is sincere and serious in his quest for truth.

Upanishad says:~ “The human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge, and they indicate that belief in the personal Gods, yoga scriptures, worship, and rituals are not the means to Self –Knowledge, then why should anyone indulge in it.

The religion, concept of individualized god, and scriptures are the greatest obstacles to Self-realization because they are based on the false self.

The seeker of truth has to search for the ultimate truth without losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, through deeper Self-search and assimilate, and realize it.

Sage Sankara: ~ VC- Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about our own Self. The firm realization of the nature of the Self is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advice of the wise. (13)

All accumulated knowledge is of no use in the path of wisdom. Without realizing “What is the truth it is impossible to realize “What is untruth?” Without realizing what is the truth and what is the untruth, it is impossible to assimilate the Self–Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seeker must know with full and firm conviction what truth is.

That is why Bhagavan Buddha said: ~ “Believe nothing because a wise man said it, Believe nothing because it is generally held. Believe nothing because it is written. Believe nothing because it is said to be divine. Believe nothing because someone else said it. But believe only what you, yourself, judge to be true

The Advaitic wisdom consists in knowing the truth, that everything (mind or physical existence) is consciousness. The freedom (ultimate truth) is always there, yet one does not know it. But to those whose reason is turned away from physicality and who have attained the serenity of the invisible Soul or consciousness, the Self is quite near to realizing the ultimate truth, or Brahman or God in truth.

Yoga Vasistha says: ~ Self-knowledge or knowledge of truth is not had by resorting to a Guru (preceptor) nor by the study of scripture, nor by good works: it is attained only through inquiry inspired by the company of wise (Gnani). One’s inner light alone is the means, naught else. When this inner light is kept alive, it is not affected by the darkness of inertia.

Deeper thinking and Soulcentric reasoning help the seeker to unfold the truth that is hidden within form, time, and space.

Bhagavan Buddha: ~ “There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way... and not starting. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar