The argument is in the sphere of duality and is unnecessary to one who knows non-duality.+

Those who argue and try to provoke from their own standpoint based on their accumulated knowledge are like a worm in the dung, which cannot survive without the dung.

People with boastful nature remaining in the clutches of ignorance, thinking they are extremely wise and learned to keep on provoking and arguing from their own standpoint.  The argument is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and the argument is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known.

The argument implies duality.  There is nothing to argue the one who is aware of nonduality. 

The argument is in the sphere of duality and is unnecessary to one who knows non-duality

To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like injecting medicine into a corpse. 

Manduka Upanishad has no assumptions whatsoever. It is an honest and bold inquiry into truth. It rises above scripture.

Manduka Upanishad: ~Reality and illusion together make Brahman: nothing can be left out.

Manduka Upanishad: ~ Atman is the highest Reality.

Manduka Upanishad: ~Only a few will be able to understand and assimilate it.   

Manduka Upanishad is not meant for all, as it is based entirely on reasoning.

Remember:~

Thinker, thoughts, and the world in which thinker exists is nothing to do with the Soul, the Self, which is hidden by ignorance

You along with your words and thoughts and the world in which you exist are made of single clay. That single clay is Sprit or Consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

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

Do not accept any other truth other than the consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth; nothing is real but consciousness. Nothing matters but realize the ultimate truth. Consciousness is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

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.

All the words, thoughts, and the world are nothing but consciousness. Without consciousness, you and your words and thoughts and the world in which you exist cease to exist.

From the ultimate standpoint, the words are meaningless because everything is nothing but consciousness.

The words and their discrimination bind one to the duality; meaning stands alone and is a guide to non-dual awareness. Meaning is attained by much learning, and much learning is attained by becoming conversant with meaning and not with words; therefore, seekers of truth have to avoid the sticklers for particular words.

Remember:~

The words are used only for communication purposes. The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. In fact, our mental and intellectual conditions will determine the phenomenal world observed and experienced. Ignorant viewing the world confronting him sees it differently from a Gnani viewing the same world. Each one of us interprets the world one sees in terms of his existing knowledge. A Gnani sees the world and its contents as the illusory play as consciousness whereas ignorant sees the world and its contents as a reality.

Without the realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman man remains ignorant of the ultimate truth or Brahman. Without the realization of the ultimate truth, the seeker remains as a seeker. On the physical plane, there is a seeker, seeking, and destination but from the ultimate standpoint, there is neither seer, seeking, and or destination.

The words may give different meanings at different levels of understanding. As one moves deeper and deeper one realizes the thought, the thinker, words, and the world are one in essence. Thus, in the realm of truth, the thought and words become meaningless.

When one has realized that which lies beyond form, time, and space do not give importance to thoughts and words which have value only in falsehood.

The world is both real and unreal. It is real because it is a manifestation of consciousness, but is unreal, in the sense, that it is not absolute and eternal like the consciousness itself.

People's approach is more practical, and they are stuck with the reality of the world, they take it as real. That is why all the confusion.

Remember:~

People think the Soul or the consciousness is different from awareness. It is the different words that are used for the same stuff. They make their own intellectual theory and get stuck with intellectual prison thinking what they know is the ultimate truth. without dropping their intellectual attitude, it is difficult for them to grasp the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

By becoming more and more intellectual, one becomes more and more intoxicated with individuality. The intellectuality is limited to the domain of form, time, and space. In the realm of the truth, intellectuality is replaced by Advaitic wisdom.

There is no second thing that exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The nature of the Soul is awareness. The world in which you exist is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness. Everything is one, that is, unity in diversity.

Remember:~

Some people pass their opinion based on their accumulated knowledge thinking their accumulated knowledge as the ultimate truth but their ‘I’ know attitude merely brings on a little personal enjoyment to them but it is no good for Self-realization.

Atmic path is not a path of exchange of views and opinion but the path of realization of the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

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.

Some people just want to exhibit their accumulated knowledge accumulated from here and there. They think what they know is the ultimate truth.

They think whatever they propagate is the ultimate truth. The question never occurs to them, “Is what I know is really the truth?

Mundaka Upanishad 1:2:8:~ “Remaining in the fold of ignorance and thinking “we are extremely wise and learned,” the fools with boastful nature ramble about like the blind led by the blind alone.”

No one can teach anybody. Wisdom is hidden within the world in which you exist. A Gnani can only show the way that much is the work of a Gnani.

A Gnani only guides the seekers to apply their own reason and realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. When the seeker learns to view and judge and reason the three states on the base of the Soul, the truth will start unfolding on its own.

First, the seeker may find it difficult to use soulcentric reason but gradually it will become easy.

Instead of finding fault first realize what the Self is in actuality. Honest introspection will reveal that all fault lies with “you” and “your "own perceptions and attitudes. If there is an error in understanding what 'Self' is in actuality it is in “you". Correcting this and changing to a Soulcentric attitude will change your perception and then the Soul; the 'Self' will reveal its formless, timeless, and spaceless true nature.

If you are unable to grasp the truth hidden by the ‘I’ then you will never be able to grasp nonduality or Advaita. :~Santthosh Kumaar

If the Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the Soul then from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self ~ Where is the ‘I’?+

WHO AM ‘I’?’ - inquiry is good as a starter but in later stages, one finds it inadequate and useless to the realization of the 'Self' hidden by the 'I'.

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 mindsets. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth nothing but the truth.

Remember:~

Self-inquiry is for discovering the fact that the ‘Self is not the ‘I’ but the Self is the Soul, which witnesses the coming and going, of the ‘I’.

The ‘Self-inquiry’ is finding out the ‘Self’ which is hidden within the world, in which we exist. By inquiring -‘Who am I?’, the ignorance will not vanish.

Without getting rid of ignorance, the Advaitic wisdom will not dawn. Without the Advaitic wisdom, it is not possible to realize the truth, which is hidden within the world in which we exist.

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.

Remember:~

The purpose of the pursuit of truth is Truth-realization.  The seeker has to remove all the obstacle which is blocking his realization of the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

That is why Bhagavan Buddha said: ~ “Believe nothing because a wise man said it, Believe nothing because it is generally held. Believe nothing because it is written. Believe nothing because it is said to be divine. Believe nothing because someone else said it. But believe only what you yourself judge to be true.”

All the penances are external because they are based on individuality.  The Soul, the innermost Self is not an individual because it is formless.  Investigating the mind, alone leads to Self-realization. To know what is mind, profits much rather than searching the truth in the external world moving from one ashram to another and one Guru to another and one mountain to another.

Sage Goudpada: ~ To establish the truth of Nonduality by sheer reasoning alone. He begins by defining "What is real?" "What is unreal?" etc, because that is the right way to discuss or teach. People must first know what they are talking about. (Manduka Karika)

When one starts investigating the universe that confronts him will mentally move inwards and will reach the ultimate end and become fully aware of “What is the truth?”  and “What is untruth?” in his own home or city and establish in truth by realizing what is the untruth.

The seeker has to overcome all the doubts and confusion in later stages in ‘Self’-inquiry.  The seeker finds some doubts and confusion, which cannot be overcome if the inquiry is practiced on the present format prescribed in the Self-inquiry book. Deeper Self-search reveals the fact that the ‘Self’-inquiry in the present format will yield only half-truth. 

The following confusion arises from  Ramana Maharshi's Who Am I? -teaching:~

If the mind is the same as Atman (consciousness), how can it vanish--when the mind appears and disappears as Waking or dream?

How can one be certain when one leaves the external world--when the person is within the world?

Why leave the external world when everything is Brahman---when everything is Brahman why create division between the world and its perceiver?

How can the world alone cease to exist if one does not look at it—how can the person remain without the world and where he will exist without the world?

Who has the subtle mind projecting through the brain and senses? How can one see his subtle mind?--when the brain also a piece of the gross matter? ---then how can the brain come into existence after the world is created if the later depends on the brain.

The heart is the idea created by the mind, how the mind can emerge from it---when the heart disappears along with the mind and reappears along with the mind, how the mind emerges from it.

In deep sleep, swoon, and trance, the mind turns inwards and enjoys its natural state--if so why should one inquire if one gets Atman in sleep. With the drug, one can get sleep and peace or bliss.

If sleep gives Brahman then why trouble with inquiry--better get it through pills. There are many seekers practicing inquiry for many years and waiting for something mystical to happen, why nothing happens, and why their inquiry does not yield fruits.

Since  Sage Ramana Maharishi is not present physically to guide the seekers to overcome these obstacles in the path of inquiry on his own.

I was surprised to know David Godman’s interview with Mr. Sivapraksh Pillai (one of the close aid to Sage Ramana Maharishi) that even after 50 long years he was unable to achieve his goal through inquiry, hats off to his sincere and honest statement.

In my honest opinion with all the due respect to every soul which was involved in recording and publishing the ‘Self’-inquiry which is a great treasure and which opens the golden gate to the seeker to enter into the spiritual world from the religious world, still, there is lots confusion and doubts which are impossible to get answer the way the inquiry is presented in the books. But one will be able to overcome the same after lots of research.

It is impossible to do research in the present framework of the ‘Self’-inquiry. Since everyone is waiting for some mystical experience to happen and refuses to verify and accept the truth because of their conservative outlook. Even the intellectual- classes who have authored many books are viewed and judged Ramana from the mystic point of view were unable to deliver goods due to their inherited religious background. Sage Ramana Maharishi was mystic for the mass, but he was Gnani for the class.

It also becomes evident that different people who have interviewed Sage Ramana Maharishi at different times had different backgrounds and mindsets. Therefore, it is necessary to bifurcate the religious views of Sage Sri Ramana Maharishi from his spiritual views to get the hidden essence of Sage Ramana Maharishi’s teaching.  

The great Sage Ramana Maharishi has indicated many ways to realize the ‘Self’,  other than WHO AM "I?, therefore it is necessary for the seeker to go beyond  WHO AM 'I'?  inquiry to cross the threshold of dualistic illusion, which is present in the form of the 'I'.

Sage Raman Maharishi: ~ He placed his right hand on his right breast and continued, "Here lies the Heart, the dynamic, spiritual Heart. It is called Hridaya and is located on the right side of the chest and is clearly visible to the inner eye of an adept on the spiritual path. Through meditation, you can learn to find the Self in the cave of this Heart." ~ Mercedes de Acosta, Here Lies the Heart

Santthosh Kumaar: ~ The spiritual heart is the Soul, the innermost Self, not the physical heart.   The world in which you exist is within the Soul, the spiritual heart. Mistaking the spiritual heart within the body is a great error. Even some Advaitic Guru says that the Self is within the spiritual heart. And the spiritual heart is on the left side.  Such a declaration is merely an imagination, based on the false Self. When the ‘Self’ is bodiless, then the question of the heart being left side or right side does not arise.

The Seeker must realize the Soul, the Self, itself is the spiritual heart.  The Soul the spiritual heart is ever formless. The Soul itself is the spiritual heart that is present in the form of the spirit or consciousness.

Without the form, time, and space, the Soul, the Self, becomes naked. The nature of the Soul, the Self, is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

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

• Where is the ‘I’?
• 
  
• Where is the body?
• 
  
• Where is the mind?
• 
  
• Where is the world in which you exist?
• 
  
• Where are 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 the consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

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 the '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.

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

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

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 reality 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.

That is why Sage Sankara says: - 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.

People refuse to accept anything other than their Gurus words. For them, their Gurus words are the ultimate truth. They do not accept anything else other than their accepted truth. There is no need to convince such a mindset.

Such a mindset is not fit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seekers of truth accept only the truth nothing but the uncontradictable truth. :~Santthosh Kumaar

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