Why worship and glorify the Gurus and Yogis when Vedas bars human worship.+

Religion is the home of mysticism and deification which is why they are not very keen on the rational truth. Religion and scholasticism and yoga are for those to help who are incapable of grasping the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Religion is based on dogmatism, not philosophy. One finds philosophical insights here and there in religious doctrine. All the religious doctrines are dogmatic because they also begin by assuming their inherited Gods based on blind faith or blind belief. 

Religious Gods become a center of the religion, thus, every religion has its own idea of God thus there is no universality in religious beliefs.

Religion takes the position that God as a separate entity outside us, i.e. God really exists separately from us. Orthodox people are afraid to go deeper and refuse to accept anything other than their religious authority because of punishment by God.

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

Vedas bars human worship: ~

Yajur Veda:~

"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 it 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.

No one has ever seen God by practicing religion or yoga or indulging in glorifying the religious God and Goddesses because God exists prior to the form, time, and space. Form, time, and space cease to exist as a reality when wisdom dawns. Thus, the Gods and Gurus have no place in the domain of the Advaitic reality. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, which is the real God. Thus, Self-realization is the only way to God-realization.

By worshipping the religious Gods and Gurus one will not get Self-realization or God-realization.

There is no scope for God based on blind belief because God based on blind belief is not God in truth. Religion and its ideas of Gods are mere imagination based on the false Self (ego), within the false experience (waking).

All beliefs based on the false self are bound to be a falsehood. Thus, it is erroneous to worship the matter, instead of the All-Pervading Spirit (God in truth) and those who worship things born of matter.

 The religious-based Gods and Goddesses with form and attributes (matter) are not the Gods in truth. That is why Vedas declare, those who sink into the greatest depth of misery and suffer who worship the matter.

Ishopanishad says: ~ “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."

Rig Veda: ~ May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman

Vedas declare: ~ One should never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman. If one, worships any other God in place of Atman, 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."

So, it clearly indicates the so-called Gods worshiped in the temples today are not Vedic Gods. Vedas bars worshiping such Gods.

Why worship and glorify the Gurus and Yogis when Vedas bar human worship.

 If you are a truth seeker then it is better to spend time discovering the facts about your own existence than waste precious time discussing God’s existence. Religion blocks the realization of truth because religion is built on the foundation of form, time, and space whereas the ultimate truth is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space.

If one is ready to drop all his baggage of inherited accumulated knowledge then it becomes easy to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Freedom means becoming free from experiencing the illusion or duality as reality by realizing the fact that, the Self is not the form but the Self is the formless Soul. It is not possible to realize the Self without realizing the fact that, the individual Self (ego) is a reality within the false experience (waking). Thus, all the knowledge accumulated by judging on the base of the false Self (ego), is a false knowledge. 

All religiously propagated ideas of God, heaven, hell, and sins, karmas are mere imagination based on the birth entity whereas the Soul, the Self is birthless and deathless because it is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. 

Till all religious-based knowledge is dropped, it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The present moment is within the domain of the time, which is the dualistic illusion or Maya.+

The one who says about the present moment is you. You are the false self (ego) within the false experience (waking). 

You exist only in the domain of form, time, and space. From the standpoint of the Soul the innermost Self, form, time, and space are merely an illusion. 

If the form, time, and space are merely an illusion then the present moment is bound to be an illusion.

Thus, all the claims made about the present moment are part and parcel of that illusion. The illusion is created out of the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Thus, the Soul or consciousness alone is real and all else is merely an illusion. Thus, to realize this truth, you have to realize Self is not you, but the Self is the witness of you and the world together. 

Whatever is based on you is bound to be an illusion

Remember: ~ 

The present moment is possible only in the domain of form, time, and space, which is the dualistic illusion or Maya. Without form, time, and space, there is no present moment.

The present moment is within the domain of time. Without the past, the present will not appear. Every moment, the present becomes past. The present moves towards the future. Time appears along with form and space. 

The form, time, and space are merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Thus one cannot remain in the present moment. Time is the product of ignorance, therefore, every moment is the product of ignorance.

The theory of the present moment is based on the false Self (waking entity) within the false experience (waking).

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the form, time, and space are merely an illusion thus the theory of the present moment belongs to the illusion. ~Santthosh Kumaar

A Gnani sees no duality and differentiation but sees everything as Ātman.+

There are hundreds of commentaries from different authors on the Bhagavad Gita. Each one goes on spinning yarns imagining as he likes what the meaning may be.

Bhagavad Gita has been interpreted in a thousand ways, according to the author’s capacity to understand the test of all these is the reason. Only a few understood Bhagavad Gita.

Bhagavad Gita is a hodgepodge containing everything; hence it suits the populace because there is something in it for every type of mindset. It is difficult to find any tradition whose voice is not found in the Gita. It is difficult to find anyone who does not take solace from the Bhagavad Gita. But for such people, the Advaitic path will prove very difficult.

Once you are Soul centric you will know what Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures really meant, you will see that there is only one possible interpretation, irrespective of diverse opinion or imagination.

The Bhagavad Gita does not contain higher wisdom. Bhagavad Gita is intended for those who are incapable of thinking rationally.

People love Bhagavad Gita because it is very easy to extract one's own meaning from it. Reading Bhagavad Gita a religious believer extracts something of which he can make a belief because Bhagavad Gita speaks on bhakti, devotion. The karma yogi extracts his belief because Krishna has spoken on karma yoga, the Yoga of action. The believer in knowledge finds what he wants because Bhagavad Gita has spoken on knowledge as well. Somewhere Krishna calls bhakti the ultimate, somewhere else he calls knowledge the ultimate, again elsewhere he calls karma yoga the ultimate.

Lord Krishna taught the Karma and Bhakti yogis their own paths only in order to lead them up to the Gnana yoga path, which is the highest and the real object of his teaching.

Lord Krishna confesses that the oldest wisdom of India (our true Advaita philosophy) has been lost: people misinterpret and falsify it today as they did then. It is not yoga but the philosophic truth. But nobody knows it. The teachers of philosophy and leaders of mysticism or religion do not want to inquire into truth and have no time for it. (Gita ~ Chap ~IV~ v.2)

Why is the word Yoga used in so many different senses in the Gita? Because there are grades and the highest demands concentrated brains, not sitting mindless and imagining you are seeing God.

In Gita Chap.IV where Lord Krishna says: ~ “This yoga has been lost for ages" the word yoga refers to Gnana yoga, not other yogas: the force of the word this is to point this out.

Lord Krishna describes some of the other yogas but devotes this chapter separately to Gnana Yoga. So one sees even in those ancient days people did not care for Advaita; they wanted religion; hence Gnana got lost. That is why Krishna calls it "the supreme secret." Krishna points out that yoga must-see "Brahman in action."

Gita Chap.IV: ~ “He who achieves perfection in Yoga finds the Self in time." This means that after his yoga is finished, he begins the inquiry into ultimate truth, and in due course, this inquiry produces the realization of the universal spirit as the result.

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

Remember: ~

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

Only the path of wisdom leads the seeker of truth on his journey to the ultimate realization of the true nature of the Universal Essence, which is the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Bhagavad Gita: 7:19:~"Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, knowledge of Atman, worships ‘Self’ as~ Atman (God) alone exists~ everything is Atman there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare"

Bhagavad Gita:~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 then nothing has to be accepted as God other than consciousness.

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.

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 19:~ "Those who have achieved the true knowledge i.e. the 'Self-Knowledge' or the 'knowledge of Atman' and see no difference, are free from conflicting dualities have merged in Brahman"

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 20:~ "One who does not get excited out of happiness on getting good and does not get depressed on getting bad is situated in Brahman i.e. is merged in Brahman"

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 9:~  "The one who has equal the vision for a Selfless do-gooder, a friend, a foe, an unbiased, a well-wisher, a depressed and jealous man, relatives, a righteous and a sinner is the best (as he sees no duality and differentiation but sees everything as Atman)"

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 32:~ “.....as one seeks and treats oneself with equal vision, the same way one who has an equal vision for good and evil, for everybody is the best of all".

Bhagvad Gita: 6: 8:~ "For whom soil, a pebble, and gold are alike, he is merged in Brahman.

Bhagavad-Gita Gita: 7: 27:~ ".....people are getting entangled in the primordial ignorance (Avidya) of the conflicting dualities like good and evil, happiness and sorrow caused due to attachments, desires, and hatred....."

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 28:~ “.....who have cut-off conflicting dualities (like good and evil)is determinedly in my service. ...."

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, in the last birth in the series of many births worships Me as~ Atman alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare"

A Gnani sees no duality and differentiation but sees everything as Atman. The knowledge of both matter and spirit is True knowledge. The true knowledge is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara says It is of no use of renouncing the worldly life, and become and sanyasi or monk or Sadhu to acquire Advaitic Gnana.+

A Sanyasi or Guru who dressed in a religious robe, with coiled hair and a beard, and his whole body was smeared with ashes and for years he has lived aloof like a recluse, he has been visiting places of pilgrimage, but unless and until he gets Advaitic Gnana he will gain no Advaitic Gnana.  He will remain as ignorant.

Sage Sankara himself said: ~ A Gnani "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread."

So, he wore a Guru's robe only for the sake of the ignorant. So, he was identified as Guru with parampara by religious people. For the truth seekers, Sage Sankara is a Brahma Gnani.

Thus, it proves that religious Gurus and yogis are not Gnanis because they identified themselves as holy people and their religion. 

Sage Sankara says the knower of Brahman wears no signs. Gives up the insignia of a monk's life then it is of no use of renouncing the worldly life, and become and sanyasi or monk or Sadhu to acquire or Advaitic Gnana or Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Brahma Gnana.

It is easy to renounce the world by taking sanyasa and wearing a religious robe, but to find a Gnani is very difficult. Realizing the Self is even more difficult for the Sanyasi because they are unaware of the fact that the region is built on a false foundation based on the ego.  The most difficult of all is discarding religious conditioning.

The seeker of truth need not renounce the worldly life run to the mountains or run behind the Gurus or Yogis waste their precious life and fortune in order to get ‘Self’-knowledge. If the seeker has an intense urge to realize the truth, then that very urge leads to the realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

What is the use of renouncing anything within the dualistic illusion? By giving up anything the ignorance will not vanish. By hearing ornamental words from some guru wisdom will not dawn. Sticking to some Guru trying to get ‘Self’-realization is trying to drain the sea drop by drop.

The path of wisdom is the inner path. The inner path is a mental path. Without stepping out of the boundary of form, time, and space, it is impossible to assimilate Advaitic truth. The Advaitic truth is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

This Path of wisdom is Soulcentric, therefore, it is very difficult to tread this path on the egocentric perspective. Even the yogis and saints have not come to understand the state of the Soul, the Self’.

Ignorance is the cause of the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as waking or the dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).

Man and his experience of the world are the results of ignorance. Man and his experience of the world cease to exist as a reality in the realm of the Soul, the ‘Self’.

Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. The world in which you exist is created out of consciousness. When this truth is revealed from the inner core then the Advaitic wisdom will dawn. When wisdom dawns then the Soul, the innermost ‘Self’, remains in its own awareness in the midst of the diversity.

Remember:~

Clinging to any physical Guru is clinging to ignorance. The half-baked knowledge propagated as the ultimate truth leads the seeker to a hallucinated version of the truth.

Sage Sankara page 482: 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."

Sage Sankara: ~ The Knower of the Atman or the knower of Brahman or Brahma Gnani.

When the knower of Brahman (Gnani) wears no signs, it means he does not identify himself as Guru or yogi or teacher or Swami because a Gnani sees the form, the time and space are one in essence. Thus, there is unity in diversity in his realization. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

From nondualistic perspective there is no universe: it is only a delusion. From the dualistic perspective, there is a universe.+

From the non-dualistic perspective, there is no universe: it is only a  delusion. From the dualistic perspective, there is a universe. 

Both are real from their own perspective. The universe is an illusion from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, and the universe is a reality from the standpoint of the ego.

The Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness is the source of the universe from where the universe rises and subsides.

In reality, the Soul alone is real and the universe is merely an illusion. The illusion has no value in reality.

In reality, the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness itself is God.  In Self-awareness, the universe loses itself in Soul or Brahman, or God in truth. 

The Soul is Brahman or God in truth. The universe is present in the form of the ‘I’. God in truth is without the ‘I’. God in truth is the witness of the ‘I’, which appears and disappears.  

People say I AM THAT ~ I am God, I am Brahman. But when Brahman is, how can "I" remain? Only Brahman remains, not I,  it is erroneous to use the word ‘I’ for the Self, because ‘I’  represents the form, time, and space whereas the Soul, the  Self is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

Bhagvad Gita: ~ “The permanent is always there, only the transient ‘I’ comes and goes. (2.18)

Remember:~

The ‘I’ disappears as deep sleep, so what is the use of being attached to it? It is impermanent and illusory because ‘I’ is physical awareness. Physical awareness is not Self-awareness. ‘I-less awareness is Self-awareness.

It is erroneous to identify the Soul the Self as 'I' or 'I AM' because the Soul the Self is not 'I' or I AM’. The Soul the Self, is that witness of the 'I'.

To understand the false nature of the ‘I’, the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is necessary.

The Self is not ‘I’, but the Self is the Soul which is the witness of the ‘I’.  Holding the ‘I as the Self leads to hallucination based on the imagination.

The ‘I’ hides the Soul. Therefore, the seeker has to realize ‘what is this ‘I’ supposed to be in actuality

If the Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the Soul then on the standpoint of the Soul, the  Self: ~

Where is the ‘I’?

Where is the ego?

Where is the body?

Where is the mind?

Where is the world in which you exist?

Where are the form, time, and space?

Where is the waking experience?

Where is the duality?

Where is void?

They are or have become one with the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present only when the world is present. The world is present only when there is the waking experience.

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that the waking experience is not considered different from the world. The world is not considered different from the mind. The mind is not considered different from the’ I’. This truth has to be assimilated.

The ‘I’ is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. ‘I’ is not the subject. The ‘I’ is an object to the Soul, which is the formless, timeless, and spaceless subject.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then three states, are bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the form, time, and space are bound to be an illusion.

If I’ is an illusion then the individual experience of birth, life, death is bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the words and thoughts are bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the duality is bound to be an illusion.

The seeker has to make sure what is this ‘I’ supposed to be? The seeker has to make sure the unreal nature of the ‘I’ which comes and goes to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self.

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand the fact that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the witness of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is eternal.

That is why Ashtavakra Gita 16:10:~ If you desire liberation, but you still say "I," if you feel the ‘Self’ is the ‘I’, you are not a wise man or a seeker. You are simply a man who suffers.

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take as real because some Gurus have propagated the Self is the ‘I’. is no need to convince such a mindset. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth nothing but the truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Holding I AMNESS or I AM as Self-awareness is a great blunder caused by some scriptures and Gurus of the past misled the seeking world.+

Awareness is the nature of the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness because there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul the Self. Thus, the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

I AMNESS or I AM is physical awareness. Physical awareness is not Self-awareness. Holding I AMNESS or I AM as Self-awareness is a great blunder caused by some scriptures and Gurus of the past misled the seeking world

Remember:~ 

By thinking I am not the body, I AM FORMLESS, I AM BRAHMAN or I AM GOD,  the ignorance will not vanish.

People say Aham Brahmasmi -- I am not the body, I am formless, I am God, I am Brahman. But when Brahman is, how can "I" remain? Only Brahman remains, not I.

The Ultimate truth itself is God.  When the Upnishdic quote:  Ahum Brahmasmi is physicalized it gives wrong interpretation – I AM BRAHMAN.  But the Self is not ‘I AM’. 

The Self is the formless Soul which is in the form of the Spirit.   Ahum Brahmasmi, = the Soul the Self is Brahman – that is Atman is Brahman.  Thus, it is wrong to say ‘I AM’ Brahman because the Self is not ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ but the Self is the witness of the ‘I’ or ‘I AM’.

Yoga Vasistha:~ "Teachers, interpretations of sacred texts, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth which is revealed in the clear reflection of the Self, engendered from contact with Gnanis."

Sage Sankara: ~ ‘Reality can be realized only with the eye of understanding, not just by a scholar. What the moon is like must be seen with one's own eyes. How can others do it for you?"~Vivekachoodamani. 

When the ‘Self’ is not ‘I’ or ‘you’ but the ‘Self is the Soul then what is the use of saying I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am not this or I am not that.  What is the use of saying ‘I AM THAT’ without knowing what the ‘Self’ is in actuality?

Remember:~

Self–Awareness is not physical awareness. Physical awareness is present as the waking or dream experience. And physical awareness disappears as deep sleep, which is also a state of ignorance.

Self-awareness or Brahmic awareness arises when Advaitic wisdom dawns. Advaitic  Wisdom dawns when Soul, the 'Self' becomes aware of itself in the midst of the form, time and space (duality or waking) by realizing the form, time and space are one in essence.

How can you see God without knowing what God is in actuality?  When the ‘Self not you how can you find God within you? God is not within you. Those who say God is within you just propagating half-baked knowledge.

First, know what God suppose to be in actuality. 

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~ “It has been said that God Supreme or Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. God cannot be seen directly by anyone. God pervades all beings and all directions.

God with form, name, and attributes does not find any support from the Vedas.

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object as it is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other beside it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described because the description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not a distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constituted the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sankara is impersonal.

Even 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.

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

First, realize the ‘Self is not within you. You are bound by the experience of birth, life, death, and the world whereas the ‘Self is birthless and deathless because it is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the cause of the world in which you exist and it itself is uncaused.  Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

From the standpoint of the Soul, the  Self the world in which you exist is merely an illusion.  Thus, the world in which exists hides the Soul, which is the real God. 

Till you think the ‘Soul, the Self’ is within you, you will never be able to realize God in truth. God in truth is not limited to you but it pervades in everything and everywhere in the world in which you exist. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar