Astavakra: ~ “My child you may speak upon various scriptures or hear the sermons on the scriptures. But you cannot establish in the ‘Self’ unless you forget all.*****

Astavakra: ~ “My child you may speak upon various scriptures or hear the sermons on the scriptures. But you cannot establish in the ‘Self’ unless you forget all. 16-1 – p49

Sages of truth restrained themselves parting the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana to the mass and only a selected few. It was hidden from the people who were not qualified and receptive to it. Self’ - knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana was not written down but was imparted orally to the chosen few. Thus, religion was given to the mass and knowledge of the Spirit is given only selected few. Thus, we find traces of the knowledge of the spirit in the religious books in the form of parables.

Sri Swami Vivekananda: ~ “Advaita encompasses everything. Since Advaita requires heavy-duty intellectualism, it had to be progressively simplified. (From 'The Complete works of Swami Vivekananda)

Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is not based on any teaching or teacher.  The Pursuit of truth is the pursuit of verification not the pursuit of an argument.   Intellectual discussion is a great hindrance in pursuit of truth.

Katha Upanishad 1:3:6:~ “Through the knowledge of the Soul, God, one is pure and clean constantly.” Neither by reading the book nor by taking a bath at the holy place has one become pure. Inner purity is possible when one remains in constant touch with the Soul. Constant Soul-Consciousness is the real purity.

It takes the time to become receptive to receive Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because it is Soulcentric knowledge whereas all accumulated knowledge is egocentric.

All accumulated knowledge is of no use in the path of wisdom. Without realizing “What is truth it is impossible to realize “What is untruth?” Without realizing what is truth and what is untruth it is impossible to assimilate the Self –Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  The seeker must know with full and firm conviction what truth is.

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.

Sage Sri, Sankara says: ~ “Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one?

For one who wants to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the mantas will not help to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time and space.

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?

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

A sickness of 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 a 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.

Katha Upanishad says:~ Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. (Ch~ II-5 P-14)

There is no need to follow anyone. There is no need to practice anything but perfect understanding and assimilation of ‘what is what’ leads to realizing the truth, which is beyond the form, time and space.

The Soul the ’Self’ reveals ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal” when the seeker is receptive and ready. 

Sage Sri, Sankara said: ~ Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many Gods as you please, observe ceremonies and sing devotional hymns, but the liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

The seeker of truth must shed prejudices and get disentangled from all that is not needed to acquire Self-knowledge.  You must tread the path to the formless, timeless and spaceless existence.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is the knowledge which unfolds the mystery of the universe. The universe is created out of a single stuff. And that single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

The world in which you and guru exist is the product of the ignorance. If there is no ignorance, then the world in which you and your guru exist cease to exist as a reality.

When the reality appears this ignorance which one thinks as reality becomes unreal.

Sage Sri, Sankara: ~   VC Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about our own Self.  The firm experience of the nature of the Self is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advice of the wise. (13)

Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, but he tries to get the direct realization of truth hidden by the ignorance.

The ultimate truth has to be realized first without any philosophy, then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying.

The Reality is simply the loss of ignorance. Until the ignorance is there the body, ego and the world exist as a reality. When ignorance vanishes, then the Soul, the innermost Self,  remains in its own awareness. In Self - awareness there is unity in diversity, thus there is only oneness.  : ~ Santthosh Kumaar