The universe is verily consciousness in its essence.+

The universe is verily consciousness. Without realizing ‘what is the Mind? it impossible to get Self-realization.

The universe is not different from the Mind because the universe is the mind itself.

The mind is not different from the Soul because the mind is a dualistic illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, the universe is nothing but consciousness. The universe is unreal because it is not absolute and eternal like consciousness.

It is impossible for any human being to challenge successfully the Advaitic position, as Sage Sankara says.

Sage Sankara says: ~ VC-47 All the effects of ignorance, root, and branch, are burnt down by the fire of knowledge, which arises from discrimination between these two—the Self and the not-Self.

It really depends on his inborn natural capacity to understand and assimilate it. Sage Sankara’s wisdom is a Self-examiner, to test oneself to discover how near to Gnana he has approached what progress has already been made on the path, and what still remains to be done. It sets up criteria for Self-judgement. There are millions in search of truth but one in a million will be able to grasp it.

This whole universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms is nothing else but the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness. The consciousness is absolutely free from all the limitations of form, time, and space.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe.

Sage 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

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ “The universe raises from the Soul, the innermost ‘Self’ like bubbles from the sea. Thus, know the Self to be One and in this way enter into the state of dissolution."

Sage Sankara says the transparent Truth of the Self, which is hidden by the illusion, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, (Gnani).

First, know ‘what is the truth’ and ‘what is untruth’ for sure. Without realizing what untruth truth is, it is difficult to know what truth is.

That is why Sage Sankara says:- “VC ~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.

VC~65:~ “As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the Self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

VC ~66 - “Therefore, the wise should, as in the case of disease and the like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and deaths (dualistic illusion).

Mentally reduce the universe into consciousness by realizing the universe is nothing but consciousness. If everything is consciousness then how can anything exist that is not consciousness,

When the conviction about consciousness becomes firm then everything falls into the right slot.

What is the Soul? What is the consciousness? What is awareness? They all are one in Essene.

The universe is present only in waking experience. The waking experience is present only when the mind is present and the mind is present only when the ‘I’ is present.

The universe or the waking experience or the mind (I) are one and the same thing. This truth has to be assimilated first.

Mentally reduce the universe into a waking experience and waking into mind (I) and the mind into the consciousness by realizing the mind or universe or the waking is nothing but merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

Consciousness alone is real since there is nothing else but consciousness. In Atmic-awareness, there remains no other independent entity.

A permanent view of the world as unreal can come only after Soul-centric reasoning; such knowledge cannot change.

Where the seeker who is sufficiently sharp could grasp the unreal nature of the world by soul-centric reasoning alone.

To know the whole truth, one must know the whole universe, otherwise, he gets only a half-truth.

The pursuit of truth is not an intellectual discussion. All the intellectual wealth is mental garbage. Individual opinions are not a yardstick to judge the truth. There is no need to argue or discuss.

There is only need to think and reason deeply to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Until one makes his accepted truth as his yardstick without verification, he will never be able to cross the threshold of duality because his understanding is based on the ego, and is not mature enough to grasp the non-dualistic truth, which is prior to his physical existence (mind) which is in the form of the universe.

The Guru is not needed in pursuit of truth because the truth has to be ascertained by the seeker himself. Advaitic wisdom will not rise from intellectual spoon-feeding but it arises only from deeper self-search to the sincere and serious seeker who has an intense urge to know the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The guidance comes from within because the Guru is within. People think the Self is the body, they think their Guru also has the body and the Guru would do something tangible to them.

People who are stuck with branded Masters and Gurus take their Guru’s word as final without verifying the validity of their Guru’s teaching. They are stuck with their egocentric intellectuality, which is a great hindrance in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Sage Sankara says: ~ “What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead to the final Goal”. (Commentary on Vedanta Sutra)

Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verification. Nothing is needed for acquiring Self-knowledge of Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana other than perfect understanding, assimilation, and realization of ‘what is what”: ~ Santthosh Kumaar