Sage Sankara is the Vedic Sage of universal order projecting him as non-Vedic Sage is a great error.+

Sage Sankara is one of the greatest geniuses of all time. This world owes him a deep debt of gratitude. He not only consolidated the classical values of life but also spiritual wisdom. 

Sage Sankara is the only Sage who has final authority on the Advaitic truth. The Advaitic truth is rational truth and scientific truth without dogmas.

Unfortunately, few philosophers in the world are as misunderstood and misinterpreted as Sage Sankara. Ironically, most of the harm came from his admirers and followers of Advaitic orthodoxy because they propagated rituals as a means to attain lower knowledge which is meant for those who believed in the physical existence (universe or waking) as a reality.

Sage Sankara is the Vedic Sage of universal order projecting him as a non~Vedic Sage is a great error.

The Vedic truth is a pure spiritual truth. The essence of the Vedas is pure spirituality. Advaita propagated by Sage Sankara is pure spirituality. Advaita has nothing to do with non-Vedic Advaitic orthodoxy, which is meant for the ignorant populace.

Swami Vivekananda: ~ “Advaita encompasses everything. Since Advaita requires heavy-duty intellectualism, it had to be progressively simplified.

When Sage Sankara himself declares: that Ataman is Brahman (God) then why to accept anything else as God other than Atman.

Sage Sankara says: ~ Ataman is Brahman. Thus, the Soul the innermost ‘Self’ is God. Therefore, all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imaginations based on the false self. Thus, there are adulterations and add-ons in the past, which have to be bifurcated if one wants pure Vedic essence.

This clearly indicates the nature of the ‘Self’, which is the Soul. Thus, the Soul is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

When the Soul is the ultimate truth or God why indulge in worshiping the belief individualized God, which is not God. 

The Hindu belief system which came into existence after the 2nd century has nothing to do with the Vedas and Vedic religion or Sanatan Dharma.

The ultimate truth or Brahman or God. God in truth is not the religious God we believe and worship.

Understanding what God in truth is not so easy. Religious people can only imagine God based on their beliefs.

Vedic God is Atman. God is the Soul, the Self. God becomes the universe in waking and the universe becomes God in deep sleep. The universe is nothing but an illusion created out of God. When you realize the ‘Self’ not but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, God then there is no second thing that exists other than God, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

Advaitic truth is very easy but it is most difficult to assimilate because of the inherited beliefs and accumulated knowledge.

Without dropping all the inherited religious beliefs and accumulated knowledge which is based on the illusory form, time and space it is difficult to understand and assimilate the knowledge of the formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

If you have the courage of Bhagavan Buddha, who dropped the religion, Vedas, and the concept of God then only you are fit to acquire Self -knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

That is why Sage Sankara:~ VC~.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?

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 goes on to say: ~A sickness is not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying “I am a king.”

A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual disciplines but never by subtle arguments.

Only when you realize God in truth you will realize the universe is nothing but God because the universe is an illusion created out of God the consciousness.

Advaita is “Science of the Soul, which is the ultimate truth or Brahman. Sage Sri, Sankara’s wisdom is the universal truth and ultimate truth par excellence.

Advaita does not belong to any particular religion. It is not philosophy but Advaita is the truth of our true existence.

Advaita is the Science of Truth; the Atmic path is the path of spiritual liberation par excellence, wide and deep as the ocean which contains virtually all the water of the world and in which all particular forms ultimately dissolve.

Advaita is “Science of the Soul, which is the ultimate truth or Brahman. Sage  Sankara’s wisdom is the universal truth and ultimate truth par excellence.

The Advaita is the Soul ~ the One without A Second

Advaita is the nature of the Soul. The Advaita is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness itself. The Advaita is the spiritual heart. The Advaita is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is impossible to deny the Advaita because It is the essence of the one who denies It. Advaita l is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs.

Advaita is present in the form of consciousness and is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Remember 

The Advaitic orthodoxy is dualistic and it is not the means to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Advaitic orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant mass that is unfit to grasp the highest truth. 

Thus, the Advaitic orthodoxy is nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. Those who have chosen the Atmic path have to discard orthodoxy in order to get the pure essence of Advaita.

Sage Sankara disagrees with Buddhists who say, there is nothing - a nonentity.

Sage Sankara believes there is some reality, even though things are not what they appear to be. If one knows the truth, he will know what to do to find inspiration for action. The seeker of truth‘s subject is to know what is it that is Real.

Buddhists say ~ “All things are illusory and nothing exists. However, Sage Sri Sankara avers that it is not so. It says that the universe, of course,  is illusory, but there is Brahman (consciousness), that exists forming the very substratum of all things (illusion or universe)”.

In the context of Advaita: ~ Jagat (the world) is not different from Brahman; however, Brahman is different from Jagat

It has not been possible to preach Advaitic Truth entirely free from the settings of dualistic weakness it has not been more operative and useful to mankind at large because only a few will be able to grasp and realize it.

'To realize the Advaitic Truth a freer and fuller scope the seeker has to realize the form, time and space are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness. And the Soul, the innermost Self is present in the form of consciousness.

To realize the Advaitic truth the seeker has to be free from all superstitions and orthodox contaminations. The seeker dedicated himself to acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana alone. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

There is no need to search for the truth because Sage Sankara has declared what is real and what is unreal 1200 years ago.+

If you are a seeker of truth then you must seek only truth nothing but the truth. You will be distracted and you will find no time for this search after the Advaitic Gnana or Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana

For people who have any other object in view such as name or fame or prosperity then the Atmic path is not for them. Such people are not attracted to the Atmic path and they are holy beggars ready with begging bowls begging to their belief in God to fulfill their desires and they are unaware of the fact that their God of belief is not God in truth.

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.

The dualistic worship of "God” 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.

The Vedas confirm God is Atman (Spirit), the Self.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. God in truth is not the religious God we believe and worship.

Understanding what  God is supposed to be in truth is not so easy. Religious people can only imagine God based on their beliefs.

Vedic God is Atman. God in truth is the Soul, the Self. God in truth becomes the universe in waking and the universe becomes God in truth in deep sleep. 

The universe is nothing but an illusion created out of God in truth. When you realize the ‘Self’ not but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, then there is no second thing that exists other than God in truth, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Advaitic truth is very easy but it is most difficult to assimilate because of the inherited beliefs and accumulated knowledge.

Without dropping all the inherited beliefs and accumulated knowledge based on the illusory form, time, and space it is very difficult to understand and assimilate the knowledge of the formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

If you have the courage of Buddha, who dropped the religion, Vedas, and the concept of God then only you are fit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

That is why Sage Sankara:~ VC~.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?

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 goes on to say: ~A sickness is not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying “I am a king.”

A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it your own. 

In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual disciplines but never by subtle arguments.

Only when you realize God in truth you will realize the universe is nothing but God in truth because the universe is an illusion created out of consciousness, which is God in truth.

Advaita is “Science of the Soul, is the ultimate truth or Brahman. Sage  Sankara’s wisdom is the universal truth and ultimate truth par excellence.

Advaita does not belong to any particular religion. It is not philosophy but Advaita is the truth of our true existence.

Advaita is the Science of Truth; the Atmic path is the path of spiritual liberation par excellence, wide and deep as the ocean which contains virtually all the water of the world and in which all particular forms ultimately dissolve.

Advaita is “Science of the Soul, which is the ultimate truth or Brahman. Sage  Sankara’s wisdom is the universal truth and ultimate truth par excellence.

The Advaita is the Soul ~ the One without A Second.

Advaita is the nature of the Soul. The Advaita is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness itself. The Advaita is the spiritual heart. The Advaita is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny the Advaita because It is the very essence of the one who denies It. Advaita l is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs.

Advaita is present in the form of consciousness and is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

A Gnani is a rational thinker. A Gnani will not be so foolish as to argue with an irrational man.+

A Gnani is a rational thinker. A Gnani will not be so foolish as to argue with an irrational man; the latter will put great warmth of feeling into his words, whereas the other will remain cool and calm headed, not wasting his time in attempting to reason with someone who is incapable of reasoning calmly, but can only rationalize his emotions.

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

Religious and yogic paths are not the Gnanic path or the Atmic path. Never mix religious and yogic ideas in the Atmic path.

Guru &  disciple concept is meant for the religious and yogic path. In the Atmic path, the Guru and disciple concepts have no value.

A person who realized the ultimate truth or Brahman will throw off his religious robe and all religious identity and lives like a commoner. He never identifies himself as Gnani nor does he identify himself superior to others. He only shares his knowledge with fellow seekers.

A Gnani never identifies himself as a Guru or a Yogi or someone disciple. The one who accepts himself as a Guru or someone’s disciple is not a Gnani.

Ashtavakra Samhita: ~ "The man of knowledge (Gnani), though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him and only those like him understand his state.

Even friends and family members of a Gnani will not know him as the Gnani. Due to ignorance, people will not be able to recognize a Gnani. Outwardly the Gnani behaves as an ordinary person behaves. 

A Gnani talks and jokes like others, but he is not understood as he really is. People may regard him as an exceptional person, but only a few can recognize him as a Gnani.

A Gnani is the one who has realized the matter itself is Spirit and the matter is an illusory expression of the Spirit. A Gnani there is no further quest. To a Gnani, there is nothing to realize because he has realized everything is the Spirit.

To a Gnani, the world in, which he exists is non-existent as a reality because the world in which he exists is nothing but the Spirit. 

A Gnani is free from experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality because he is fully aware of the Spirit, which is the cause of the dualistic illusion and the Spirit is uncaused.

Religious Gurus are not Gnanis, they propagate only religion. Religion is not spirituality. Religious Gurus do not propagate wisdom they are meant for guiding ignorant populace in practical life within the practical world. 

Many Religious gurus are serving humanity by giving free education and maintain love and harmony in society but they are nothing to do with the Atmic path.

The Guru is nothing to do with Advaitic wisdom. A Gnani never identifies himself as a guru.

There are so many in the guise of Gurus and Godmen with criminal records who indulge in cheating rape, murder.

The Gurus and Godmen who promise instant enlightenment or Self-realization are not Gnanis. Mixing religion with the Atmic path is like mixing oil in the water.

Seekers from west mistake whoever calls them as gurus are Gnanis, thus their mission of seeking the truth is misguided by such Gurus.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread." (Select Works of Sage Sri, Sankara" also his commentary on Brihad)

Thus, the above passage proves that all those who were the sanyasin robes are wearing it for the sake of bread belongs to the religion; they are nothing to do with the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

There is no need to criticize and condemn the Gurus, yogis, and swamis because they are needed for the welfare of ignorant mass in the dualistic world.

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)

~ Then why you are sticking a Guru who is not a Gnani.

That is why Swami Vivekananda said: ~ “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher, but your own Soul.”

Yogis and Gurus are not Gods.

This idea of worshiping Guru as God is not a Vedic idea but adopted from Jainism and Buddhism.

Vedas bars human worship: ~

"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time.":~ (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

Then why to worship and glorify the Gurus and Yogis (human form) in place of God when Veda bars such activities and warns people who indulge in such activities are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time.

A Gnani will easily appreciate the high flights of Sage Sri, Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is one of the 'most majestic structures and valuable products of the Genius of man in his search for Truth. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

There is no need of a Guru to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.+

Q: ~ Malireddi Veeraraghavulu: Is it possible without Guru to gain knowledge of truth and how to eradicate ignorance,

Santthosh Kumaar: People who are stuck up to the idea of a physical Guru will never be able to transcend the dualistic illusion.

The idea of Guru Shisya belongs to religion, not spirituality. There is no need for a Guru for acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

The seeker must personally strive by all the means of soul-centric reason to be free from the bondage of the illusory experience of the form, time, and space.

The Guru and disciple and the world in which Guru and disciple exist are created out single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth of Brahman or God in truth.

By identifying as a Guru or some Guru’s disciple keeps one in the cage of the ignorance. A person who identifies himself as a Guru or disciple will never be able to get Advaitic Gnana.

Guru &disciple concept is meant for the religious and yogic path. In the Atmic path, the Guru and disciple concepts have no value.

A person who realized the ultimate truth or Brahman will throw off his religious robe and all religious identity and lives like a commoner.

He never identifies himself as Gnani nor does he identify himself superior to others. He only shares his knowledge with fellow seekers.

A Gnani never identifies himself as a Guru or a Yogi or someone disciple. The one who accepts himself as a Guru or someone’s disciple is not a Gnani.

Ashtavakra Samhita: ~ "The man of knowledge (Gnani), though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him and only those like him understand his state.

A Gnani can point at the sky, but the seeing of the star is the seeker's own work.

The truth-seeker seeks only truth. The inner Sage will guide you with love. Your sincerity and seriousness lead you to your inner core. Sincere and serious seekers are not excluded.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread." (Select Works of Sage Sri, Sankara" also his commentary on Brihad)

Thus, the above passage proves that all those who were the sanyasin robes are wearing it for the sake of bread belongs to the religion; they are nothing to do with the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. There is no need to criticize and condemn the Gurus, yogis, and swamis because they are needed for the welfare of ignorant mass in the dualistic world.

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)

~ Then why you are sticking a Guru who is not a Gnani.

That is why Swami Vivekananda said: ~ “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher, but your own Soul.”

The Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and Guru is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known.

Religious or yogic Gurus propagate that, once a seeker identifies a Guru, he must totally surrender to the Guru and then from there onwards, the spiritual journey is fully the Guru's responsibility, not his... Hence, the importance of choosing the right Guru is necessary, but in the pursuit of truth, the Guru is not necessary, because the truth is not theoretical. Truth has to be ascertained by the seeker on his own through Soulcentric reasoning.

The one who identifies himself as a swami, a Guru or yogi, is not a Gnani. A Gnani never identifies himself as a swami, Guru, pundit or yogi. Swami, Guru, pundit or yogi,  belongs to the religious or the yogic path not to the path of wisdom.

Sage Sankara's:~ “The knower of Brahman (Self-realized or Gnani) wears no signs.

Sage Sankara's:~ “On Gnani: "The knower of Brahman wears no signs. Gives up the insignia of a monk's life…his signs are not manifest, nor his behavior."

When the knower of Brahman wears no signs -- it means he does not identify himself as a Guru or a teacher. A Gnani Gives up the insignia of a monk's life means he does not belong to the religion.

A Guru is needed in religious and the yogic path. There is no need for a Guru to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

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 by means of 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.

Thus, glorifying Gurus’ form is erroneous, because the body and the universe belong to the dualistic illusion. Thus indulging in glorifying and worshiping of myth becomes the greatest obstacle in the pursuit of truth.

The seeker of truth has to identify the Soul, the  Self as a Guru and proceed in his spiritual endeavor. The inner grace of the inner Guru (Soul, the Self) will guide until the ignorance disappears and one realizes  his body and the universe, are a merely  an illusion created out of the Soul which is present in the form of  consciousness

The world in which you exist, your thoughts and your world are made of single stuff. Knowledge of that single stuff is the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

Mentally reduce the world in which you exist into waking experience and waking experience into mind and mind into consciousness by perfect understating of ‘what is what’.

When you realize’ what is what’ then you will realize everything is nothing but consciousness. There is no second thing exists other than consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

From the nondualistic perspective the Karma theory has no value.+

Mundaka Upanishad: ~ “These performers of karma do not know the Truth owing to their attachment, they all from heaven, misery-stricken, when the fruit of their work is exhausted.

Arguing with religious believers is fruitless. Belief in religious tradition, lineage or paramparas, and the scripture as if they were true or factual quite clearly is delusion, but the payoff for holding such delusions is, for those who hold them, extremely compelling ~ the avoidance of the "wrath of God," the hope of heaven or salvation, or the imagined "end of suffering."

Religious orthodox think that through their good karma and performing rituals they get moksthe ha. Religious moksha is based on birth entity whereas spiritual moksha based on the birthless Soul, the ‘Self’. 

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (9) - Children, immersed in ignorance in various ways, flatter themselves, saying: We have accomplished life's purpose. Because these performers of karma do not know the Truth owing to their attachment, they fall from heaven, misery-stricken, when the fruit of their work is exhausted.

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (10) - Ignorant fools, regarding sacrifices and humanitarian works as the highest, do not know any higher good. Having enjoyed their reward on the heights of heaven, gained by good works, they enter again this world or a lower one.

Sage Sankara says: ~ From the point of any of these four uses karma is of no use for attaining liberation. Remaining in one's own true form is released. It consists of realizing the true nature of the Self which is ever-existent and eternal. Moksha, therefore, is not something to be produced, for it is eternal (nityatvat). It is not something to be purified, for it is bereft of all qualities and impurities (nirgunatvat, nirdoshatvat cha). There is also another reason here. It cannot be purified since it is not a means (asadhanadravyatmakatvat). Only a thing that serves as a means can be purified, as the sacrificial vessel or clarified butter by a sprinkling of water and so on. (Commentary on Bhr, Upanishads 3-3-1) 

Sage Sankara says:~ Karma is not competent to remove ignorance, for it is not opposed to it. It does not matter in what way we characterize ignorance, whether as the absence of knowledge as doubt or as erroneous knowledge. It is always removable by knowledge, but not by action in any of its forms, for there is no contradiction between ignorance and karma. (Commentary on Brah.3-3-1 ) 

Taittiriya Vartika, verse-24:~ There is also another reason for rejecting this view. Karma involves duality in the form of means and end, doer, and deed. The perception of duality is ignorance. Further, it is only a person who has the desire to perform karma. Since he is ignorant of the non-dual Self, he thinks that there are objects other than the Self which he should strive for and that there are persons for whom he should suffer in his body. "He struggles to desire something for himself, something else for his son, the third thing for his wife and so on and gets involved in the cycle of births and deaths." (Brh. Up. Sankara's Commentary, 4-4-12) 

In short, karma presupposes desire, involves duality, and is, therefore, a product of avidya. If so, how can it destroy avidya, the root cause of bondage, and thereby cause liberation? 

Religious orthodox think that through their good karma and performing rituals they get moksha. Religious moksha is based on the birth entity whereas spiritual moksha is based on the birthless Soul, the innermost Self. 

There are two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of Karma, and the more advanced seeker who seeks to know the truth beyond the form, time, and space. The religious orthodoxy is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. The Atmic path, with emphasis on the Advaitic wisdom, is meant for those who wish to go beyond form, time, and space. 

Remember:~

The Karma Theory is the theory of ignorance and is meant for the ignorant populace.

The ‘Self’ is not you but the Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The karma theory is based on the birth entity whereas the Soul is birthless and deathless because it is the ever-formless, timeless and spaceless existence. The Soul, the ‘Self’ is not limited to you because it pervades everything and everywhere in the world in which you exist.

The Karma theory is based on form, time, and space. Without the form, time, and space the doer, doing and the world cease to exist. From the standpoint of the Soul, form, time and space are an illusion. If the form, time, and space are an illusion the doer, doing and the world are bound to be an illusion. Thus, the karma theory is based on the illusory reality that is bound to falsehood.

The individual experiences within the practical world are a reality only within the waking experience but the waking experience itself is an illusion created out of consciousness. If the waking experience is an illusion then practical life within the practical world is bound to be an illusion.

The karma theory is not meant for those who have chosen the religious and yogic paths which are based on the birth entity whereas the Atmic path is pure spirituality based on the birthless Soul, the Self.

That is why Sage Goudpada says:~The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

The Atmic path or the path independentependent path. The Soul has no karma, therefore; the karma theory is nothing to do with the Soul, which is birthless and deathless.

Thus, the experience of birth, life, death, and the world is a dualistic illusion. The Advaitic orthodoxy is stuck with the karma theory and rituals are stuck with the theory meant for the lower mindset think by glorifying their guru and conceptual god and indulging in all sorts non-Vedic (Puranic) rituals they get Moksha.

Religious orthodox think that through their good karma and performing rituals they get moksha.

According to Advaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences -There are two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the most advanced seeker who seeks to know the truth beyond the form, time, and space. The religious orthodoxy is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. The Atmic path, with emphasis on the Advaitic wisdom, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

That is why Sage Sankara: ~ VC- 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 (verses-6)

Sage Sankara: ~ “Action (karma) cannot destroy ignorance, for it is not in conflict with or opposed to ignorance. Knowledge does verily destroy ignorance as light destroys deep darkness. (Atma Bodha)

Sage 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 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 the 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 in 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 karma is a reality only from the dualistic perspective. From the non-dualistic perspective, the Karma theory has no value.

The Advaitic orthodoxy is based on the birth entity so it accepts the karma theory as a reality. The karma theory is the theory of ignorance. If you accept the karma theory as a reality, you will never be able to come out of ignorance. And ignorance makes you believe the cycle of birth, life, and death as a reality. 

Thus, the freedom which you are seeking will remain a distant dream. The one who accepts birth, karma, and death as reality is unfit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

If you believe the Vedas are your sacred scriptures and final authority, then you have to accept only Vedas and Vedic God as truth.+

If you believe the Vedas are your sacred scriptures and final authority, then you have to accept only Vedas and Vedic God as the truth.

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 realizing 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.

People are not aware that there is no religious God that can exist, apart from consciousness.

Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.

Rig Veda says: ~ 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 innermost self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

Rig Veda 1/164/46: ~ “They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, or the heavenly sunbird Garutmat. The seers call in many ways that which is One; they speak of Agni, Yama, Matarishvan.

Rig Veda 8/58/2:~ Only One is the Fire, enkindled in numerous ways; only One is the Sun, pervading this whole universe; only One is the Dawn, illuminating all things. In very truth, the One has become the whole world.

 Yajurveda: ~  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. (Chapter- 32)

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

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~ The Self (Soul or Spirit) is indeed Brahman (God in truth), but through ignorance, people identify it with intellect, mind, senses, passions, and the elements of earth, water, air, space, and fire. This is why the Self is said to consist of this and that and appears to be everything.

Even The Bhagavad Gita says: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God in truth) 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 then nothing has to be accepted as God other than consciousness.

But remember:~

The masses in India worship sixty million Gods, which are non-Vedic Gods. There is no reference to these sixty million Gods in the Vedas.

That is why Swami Vivekananda: ~ “The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods?

 Knowing this, stand up and fight! Not one step back that is the idea. ... Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us! Death means only a change of garment. What of it? Thus fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards. ... Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. You have cried to all the Gods in the world. Has misery ceased? The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods? ... The Gods come to help you when you have succeeded. So what is the use? Die game. ... This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself to your own mind does not befit you, my Soul. You are infinite, deathless, birthless. Because you are the infinite spirit, it does not befit you to be a slave. ... Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight! Die if you must. There is none to help you. You are the entire world. Who can help you? - Swami Vivekananda (Delivered In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900) -The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita II

The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is God in truth. God in truth is invisible to physical eyes.

The Soul, the real God. The Soul is the Self, the Soul, the God is Self-evident. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny the Soul because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. The Soul is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs.

Then hold on to God in truth mentally and drop all other Gods you believe worship and rest in God in truth, which is present in the form of consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

There is no need to condemn any Gurus or their teaching but this Gurudom business become a great hindrance to realize the truth, which is hidden by the ignorance.+

There is no need to condemn any Gurus or their teaching but for those who are seeking truth nothing but the truth this Gurudom business becomes a great hindrance to the truth they are seeking. The seeker has to independently strive to realize the truth, which is hidden by the illusory 'I'.

Swami Vivekananda: ~ “The wicked are always looking for defects. Flies come and seek for the ulcer, and bees come only for the honey in the flower. Do not follow the way of the fly but that of the bee.

The Advaitic wisdom is not suited for the unsettled mind, which is stuck to religion, yoga, and all non-Vedic worship and activities. There is no use in convincing such a mindset. Everyone is free to move on his chosen path. 

The ignorant (unsettled mind) will not be able to grasp the esoteric truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. there is no use in convincing the unsettled mind because they are unfit to tread the Atmic path.

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

That is why Bhagavan Buddha said: ~ “Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you, yourself test and judge to be true.

The goal of the truth-seeker is to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is inherent in every seeker of truth. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana does not come from outside, it is hidden within the world in which we exist.

Self-knowledge cannot be attained by the study of the scriptures and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge. Therefore, there is no use in studying the scriptures and other scriptures to acquire non-dual wisdom. That is why Bhagavan Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of God, and the scriptures.

Bhagavan Buddha gave up yoga after practicing it for six years. He saw it could not yield truth.

Bhagavan Buddha gave up his austerities of yoga as impossible and useless. Thus, Bhagavan Buddha got enlightenment only after he gave up Yoga. (Page.70/71 "Buddhism In Translation” by Warren)

Unless one exercises his Buddhi--reason--there is no chance of getting the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Bhagavan Buddha: ~ “We live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality. We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That is all.

The Soul is the universe because the universe is an illusion created out of the Soul, the  ’Self’. 

The physical Guru and the disciple are part of that illusion. The Soul is within the dualistic but it is apart from the dualistic illusion. 

The Soul is within the dualistic illusion neither an entity nor as an identity nor as a thing but it is the formless substance of the dualistic illusion and it is apart because it is the formless witness of the dualistic illusion.

The dualistic illusion is present in the form of the ‘I’, perfect understanding of ‘what is what', is needed not Guru or Guru teaching.

Advaita is not any type of teaching or philosophy. Advaita is the knowledge of your true existence. Advaita is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Advaita is the ultimate reality, Brahman, or God in truth.

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.

The ‘Self’ is not you but ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If you are stuck with any physical Guru or if you identify yourself with any Guru’s disciple then your spiritual journey is incomplete.

Sticking to physical Guru is sticking to ignorance. If you hold yourself as a follower or disciple of a Guru then you are stuck by accepting the dualistic illusion as a reality.

The seeker's main aim is to transcend dualistic illusion into Advaitic reality. The dualistic illusion is created out of a single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is the Spirit or consciousness. The knowledge of the Soul is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Thus, by, sticking to the Guru you will not be able to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Come out of the old outdated idea of having a Guru.

Identifying as a Guru or some Guru’s disciple keeps one in the cage of ignorance. A person who identifies himself as a Guru or disciple will never be able to get Advaitic Gnana.

The Guru and disciple and the world in which Guru and disciple exist are created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth of Brahman or God in truth.

Ashtavakra Samhita: ~ "The man of knowledge (Gnani), though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him, and only those like him understand his state.

A Gnani can point at the sky, but the seeing of the star is the seeker's own work.

The truth seeker seeks only truth. The inner Sage will guide you with love. Your sincerity and seriousness lead you to your inner core. The sincere and serious seekers are not excluded.

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)

~ Then why you are sticking a Guru who is not a Gnani and whose teaching is not Advaitic Gnana.

That is why Swami Vivekananda said: ~ “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher, but your own Soul.”

Swami Vivekananda: ~Jñāna Yoga is divided into three parts. First: hearing the truth--that the Atman is the only reality and that everything else is Maya. Second: reasoning upon this philosophy from all points of view. Third: giving up all further argumentation and realizing the truth. This realization comes from being certain that Brahman is real and everything else is unreal.

Yogis and Gurus are not Gods.

This idea of worshiping Guru as God is not a Vedic idea but adopted from Jainism and Buddhism.

Vedas bar human worship: ~

"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time.":~ (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

Then why worship and glorify the Gurus and Yogis (human form) in place of God when Veda bars such activities and also warns people who indulge in such activities are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar