The worshiping belief of God in place of real God is superstition.+

To know what God is, we must know what the Self is in actuality. In deeper self-search, we become aware of the fact that our body, ego, and our experience of the universe are created out of single stuff, which is the Soul or consciousness.

Due to ignorance, we identify the Soul with the body and we become egocentric. When we become aware of the fact that, the Self is not the form but the Self is formless then we become Soul-centric and realize the fact that all the three states are merely an illusion created out of the consciousness. 

Consciousness is the ultimate truth. Consciousness is the Self. The ultimate truth is  Brahman or God in truth. 

Thus, the seekers and move ahead and reach the nondual destination through this mental (inner) journey.

In spirituality, the word “God” stands for the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. All that is needed then is to realize the fact that, that Self is not the body (you), not the mind, but the Soul, the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness (Spirit).

Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. Brahman is God in truth. A firm conviction about the Soul as the Self leads to nondualistic Self-awareness. Self-awareness is God-awareness.

First, realize the ‘Self’ is not you but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness. Mentally hold on to the Soul and mentally reduce the world in which you exist as consciousness by realizing the world in which you exist is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness.

Remember:~

Rig Veda: ~ 'Prajnanam Brahma'- Consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.

Do not accept any other God other than the Soul. The Soul is God in truth,  Nothing is real but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Nothing matters but realize  God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

God in truth is hidden by the illusory universe. God in truth alone is real and eternal and all else is an illusion.:

Brahman is merely a word to indicate the ultimate truth or God in truth.  The ultimate truth itself is God in truth. 

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~  God is Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. God cannot be seen directly by anyone. God pervades all beings and all directions. Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

Lord Krishna says Ch ~V: ~ “Those who know the Self in truth.". The last two words (tattvataha) are usually ignored by pundits, but they make all the difference between the ordinary concept of God and the truth about God.

Bible says: ~ “God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24)”,

The Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the Soul, the innermost Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. From the Spirit, the universe comes into existence. In the Spirit, the universe resides. And into the Spirit, the universe is dissolved. The Spirit is the parent of all that is there is.

The worshiping belief of God in place of real God is superstition.

Swami Vivekananda: ~ “If superstition enters, the brain is gone. Superstition is our great enemy, but bigotry is worse.

How can you worship the Absolute? That implies two ~ the worshiper and the worshiped, whereas the Absolute is nondual. One can worship his idea of the Absolute only or realize his unity with it when he can’t worship it as apart.

The Upanishads say in effect that: ~ If you believe that the ‘the Soul, the innermost Self’ is one and God (Brahman) is another you cannot understand Truth.

The religion preaches that God is one and the ways to God are many. It simply tries to lead them to darkness with its dogma and idea of many Gods, which is apart from the Self.

The universe is made of single clay. That single clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the cause of the universe and it is uncaused. The Soul is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God.

The Soul, the God is hidden by the universe, which is present in the form of the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is the dualistic illusion.

Thus, it is necessary to know what God is supposed to be in actuality. God is not a belief but God is the truth.

Bhagavad Gita says: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God) is considered the all-pervading consciousness, which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (14.27).

When Bhagavad Gita says, God is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material.

Even Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God) is present in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman, the Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

If you are seeking truth then you have to discard all the belief-based Gods to realize the ‘Self’. The ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

The world in which you exist is a dualistic illusion created out of the ‘Self’ which is not ‘I’ but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Whatever you have seen, known, believed, and experienced is within the dualistic illusion. Thus, your existence is bound to an illusion created out of consciousness, which is real and eternal.

Like an ornament made from gold is Gold, which is born out of consciousness is consciousness. Like gold is the permanent thing, in ornaments made of gold, similarly, the mind, which is in the form of the universe is born out of consciousness, is consciousness in its essence.

That is why 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 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)

Bhagavad Gita Chapter: ~ “All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many God s. (7- Verse -20)

That is why Swami Vivekananda: ~ “The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods? (In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900, of swami Vivekananda/volume 1)

Kena Upanishad (6) Chapter I: ~ “That which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (7) Chapter I: ~ “That which cannot be perceived by the eye, but by which the eye is perceived-That alone know as Brahman and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (8) Chapter I: ~ “That which cannot be heard by the ear, but by which the hearing is perceived-That alone know as Brahman and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (9)- Chapter I:~ That which cannot be smelt by the breath, but by which the breath smells an object-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Ishopanishad: ~ "They are steeped in ignorance and sunk into the greatest depth of misery who worships the matter, instead of the All-Pervading God and those who worship things born of matter like trees, animals, man, etc. are sunk deeper in misery."

When Upanishads itself says they are steeped in ignorance and sunk into the greatest depth of misery who worships the matter, instead of the All-Pervading God (Atman) and those who worship things born of matter (illusion) are sunk deeper in misery then why worship God in place of the real God, which is Ataman.

The dualistic worship of personal “Gods” is only for the ignorant populace. The God in truth is only Atman, the innermost Self. In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

God is hidden by the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is the dualistic illusion. You are part and parcel of the dualistic illusion. The Soul is the cause of the dualistic illusion but itself is uncaused. The dualistic illusion is present in the form of form, time, and space. The form, time, and space are present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).

Bhagavad Gita: ~ “You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory. ~ CH.2 v.16

Your existence is limited to the illusory form, time, and space. The form, time, and space are made of the same clay. That clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Knowledge of the single clay is Self –knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Self–knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana helps the seeker to unfold the truth (God) hidden by the ‘I’, which is the dualistic illusion.

You have to draw your attention back every time it turns worldliness (I) and fix it in the Soul the Brahman or GOD. Truth realization is Self-realization and Self-realization is God-realization and God-realization itself is real worship. :~Santthosh Kumaar