One need not run pillar to post to realize the Advaitic or non dual truth.+

If one wants Self-realization, he has to first discard all inherited beliefs and stop going after the gurus or any teaching. 

If one is not after self-realization then he must follow what makes him happy and contended.  Self-knowledge is only for those who are in quest of ultimate truth or Brahman.    

People who think of worshiping their gurus as God in human form to get Self-realization are unaware of the fact that, accepting someone as a guru and himself as a disciple is the greatest obstacle in the path of truth. 

The person who accepts himself as a guru is not a Gnani because he has already accepted his-self as a body whereas the Self is not the body. 

The person who accepts himself as a disciple of some guru also considers himself as a body thus; it becomes a great hindrance in the path of truth. Guru is essential in the religious and yogic path but not for Self-Realization.      

The seeker must mentally grasp the wisdom propagated by Sages of truth very deeply and try to attain the same realization which they had, rather than spend their energies by indulging in glorifying and worship their form. 

As per the scripters worshiping human form leads on to darkness.  The main aim of human life is to acquire Self-knowledge or Bramha Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Religious literature of Hinduism one finds many such aphorisms as ' there is no higher deity than the Guru', 'the Guru is the ultimate Truth and Deity; 'God and  Avatars (incarnations) are secondary to the Guru in importance;  ' there is no higher refuge, no higher target, no higher destination than the Guru, the Guru is God himself;  God and the Guru are one, he who makes a  distinction between the Guru and God is ignorant; and scores of similar others. They abound both in Sanskrit and in modern Indian languages.  Some celebrated philosopher-saints also like Jnandev, Eknath and so many others all over India have offered their first salutations and importance to the Guru in their various books.

GURUR BRAHMD GURUR VISHNU

GURUR DEVO MAHESHVARAH,

GURUH SAKASHATH  PARAM BRAHMA

TASMAI SRI GURAVE NAMAH.

Remember Guru belongs to religion. If you mix religion with Spirituality or Adyathma you will never be able to acquire the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara. 

Sage Sankara says all the holy people are not Gnanis.

Sage Sankara says the world in which we exist is an illusion, therefore all the holiness of the holy places within the illusory world are unholy.

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.

Vedas bar human worship: ~

Yajurveda:~

Translation:~

"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."- (Yajurveda 40:9.)

Many people are stuck to the idea that without a Guru, Truth -realization is impossible. Guru is only a religious fable. They do not even know that the Guru teaches, is the truth.

Gurus themselves dwelling in darkness preach their way is the only way and the followers of the gurus follow the dualistic path like the blind led by the blind.

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

Mundaka Upanishad says: The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing the sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross the sea of samsara on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their own ignorance, yet wise In their own esteem, these deluded men Proud of their vain learning go round and round Like the blind led by the blind.

When sages themselves found rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing The sea of samsara, of birth and death and ignored them and they the Mundaka Upanishad further suggest that, such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing the realm of duality those who try to cross The realm of duality on these poor rafts are  Doomed to shipwreck are. Ignorant of their own ignorance, yet wise in their own esteem, these deluded people [pundits] proud of their vain learning go round and round like the blind led by the blind.

If one wants to acquire Atma Jnana or   Bramha Jnana or Self- Knowledge or knowledge of consciousness one has to drop all ritualistic and orthodox baggage to move forward in their pursuit of truth.  

Until and unless one overcomes physical shackles it is impossible to understand and assimilate the nondual truth, which is beyond the physical existence or the universe.  Consciousness itself is lord of itself though not of the universe. And having nothing it has all.:~Santthosh Kumaar