Sage Sri, Sankara: ~ Like a servant who carries a lamp in front of you to find your way, and you have found it, so becomes the Veda to that person. What is the Veda?*****

Q by N: ~ Santthosh Kumaar you say that the base of the soul is not religious topic then why r u explain it by Bhagwat Gita and bible verses. Your carrying lines from religious books and also saying that religions are harmful to u.

Santthosh Kumaar: ~ “My blogs and postings it is only for the seekers who are seriously seeking the truth. Please do not misinterpret. I never said religion is harmful but the Sages of truth are declared the religion is meant for the ignorant populace.

Sage Sri, Sankara means Advaita and Advaita mean Sage Sri, Sankara. Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sri, Sankara is not theology. Theological Advaita is not Sage Sri, Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom.
Sage Sri, Sankara: ~ 'Like a servant who carries a lamp in front of you to find your way, and you have found it, so becomes the Veda to that person. What is the Veda? ~ utterances of those who have known the Truth. Here is one who has known the Truth; why should he or she depend upon the Veda further? Actual realization takes you beyond books. At a certain stage, books become a botheration. The Upanishad itself says that the 'words are only so much of distraction for such minds'
Many people believe by accumulating mastering the knowledge from the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the other scriptures and mastering the Sanskrit language makes one a Gnani.

The scholars who mastered the knowledge of the Vedas the Upanishads and the other scriptures and mastered the Sanskrit language looked upon other people as ignorant or as an illiterate. The religious scholars think people who have no knowledge of Vedas, the Upanishads, and the other scriptures and does not know the Sanskrit language are not qualified for higher truth. 

Mastering the Vedas the Upanishads and the other scriptures and mastering the Sanskrit language does not a qualifies one to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

According to Advaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences –

1, “The ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices”.

2, “The advanced seekers who seek to know the ultimate truth or Brahman.”

Thus, the purva mimam.sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, the Vedanta, with its emphasis on the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond the form, time, and space.

Thus, those who are seeking truth have to discard the Theological Advaita without mercy in order to realize the Advaitic truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

I quote Scriptural citation and also the citation of the Sages of truth only after verification reality and proved the truth, to point out that the scriptures indicate the truth, which is the Atman, the Brahman or God. I do not require any scriptures. It is only to help the seekers to drop what is not needed to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

Spirituality is not for the religious minded people. Spirituality is not suited for religious people. Religious people must tread their chosen path.

As per the scriptures, the three "Ashrams" or stages in life were originally intended for three grades of intelligence thus:

Religion: low intellects had to do 'karmas' works, ritual actions, chanting of mantras and indulging in bhajans and prayers etc.

Middle intellects: Yoga: taking yellow robes, going to caves, ashrams etc.

High intellects: wisdom who wanted the truth is concerned with no external rites no prayers or sanyasa but depend solely on the Soulcentric reasoning for their path.

Thus, the seeker has to choose his path according to his choice. Without intense urge to know the truth and sharpness to grasp the truth, it is difficult to tread the path of wisdom never mix different path with each other and make cocktail because it leads to all sorts of doubts and confusion.

The seeker of truth should be aware of everything that is untrue: stick to the truth and he shall succeed, maybe slowly, but surely.

If one quotes them before having demonstrated truth, then it is scholasticism.

Sage Sri, Sankara strongly advocated the study of Upanishads, and at the same time cautioned that study of Upanishad alone would not lead to moksha. In matters of such as spiritual attainment, one’s own realization was the sole authority and it cannot be disputed

Sage Sri, Sankara also said the study of Upanishad was neither indispensable nor a necessary prerequisite for attaining the human goal, the moksha.

Sage Sri, Sankara pointed out; even those who were outside the Upanishad fold were as eligible to moksha as those within the fold were. He declared that all beings are Brahman, and therefore the question of discrimination did not arise. All that one was required to do was to get rid of ignorance (Avidya or duality).

That is why Sage Sri, Sankara declare: ~ VC 56. Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by good work, nor by learning, but by the realization of one's identity with Brahman is Liberation possible, and by no other means.

58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the scholar but are no good for Liberation.

59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.

60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest which merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence, men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.

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?

62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utters the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realization one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.

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.

64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneSelf of the splendor of the entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an emperor by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.

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.

66. Therefore, the wise should, as in the case of disease and the like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and deaths.

Then there is no need for the scriptures, religion, and idea of God. One has to be more rational to realize the Advaitic truth, which is ultimate truth or scientific truth.

You have to bifurcate spirituality from religion. There are only a few spiritual insights in the scriptures or books scattered here and there which are signposts which indicate the truth is beyond the realign, which is based on the form, time, and space.

Scriptures are being added to from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme.

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- it was given 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 a few. Thus, we find traces of the knowledge of the spirit in the religious books in the form of parables.

Katha Upanishad says: ~ This Atman is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals Its own form. (II -23-P-20)

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 liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

Self-knowledge cannot be attained by the study of the scriptures and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge. Therefore, there is no use of studying the scriptures and other scriptures in order to acquire the non-dualistic wisdom.

Scriptures mastery, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth or Brahman. The ultimate truth is revealed in the clear understanding and realization of ‘what is truth and ‘what is the untruth. When one realizes the untruth (universe) is created out of single stuff, the Self-awareness rises in the midst of duality exposing the unreal nature of the form, time, and space.

The ultimate truth has to be realized first then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying. I do not require any scriptures.

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

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)

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.”

Sage Sri, Sankara says ~ VC-162- There is no liberation for a person of mere book knowledge, howsoever well-read in the philosophy of Vedanta, so long as one does not give up the false identification with the body, sense organs, etc., which are unreal.

The Soul the 'Self' reveals ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal” when the seeker is receptive and ready. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar