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Introduction
Brahma Sootra is one of the prasthaana trayam. Here prasthaana means well beaten path and trayam means three; the other two being Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. It can be said that Upanishads are sruti prasthaana, Bhagavad Gita is smruti prasthaana and Brahma Sootra is nyaaya prasthaana. The Brahma Sootra are based on Upanishads.
Brahma Sootra is also one of the shat (6) darsanaas that are based on vEdas:
Kanaadaa's vaiseshika darsana
Goutama's nyaaya darsana
Kapila's saankhya darsana
Patanjali's yoga darsana
Jaimini's poorva meemaamsa darsana and karma sootra
Vedaanta darsana (Brahma Sootra)
It was presumed by some that Sage Veda Vyasa has compiled the Brahma Sootra just as he had done for other scripture like Vedas and Puraanas. However, the consensus is that Sage Baadaraayana is the author of Brahma Sootra. This is because Brahma Sootra singles out avaidika (not based on Vedas) religions which are not extant at the time of Veda Vyaasa. Baadaraayana is estimated to have lived around 500 BCE - 200 BCE. The Brahma Sootra are variously dated from 500 BCE to 450 BCE. So the Brahma Sootra of Baadaraayana, also called the Vedanta Sootra, were compiled in its present form around 400-450 BCE, but the great part of the Brahma Sootra were believed to have been in existence much earlier than that.
Why Sootra?
Sootra means that which points at something; in Brahma Sootra they point towards Para Brahma and specifically impart Brahma vidya. A sootra is an unambiguous (asangdigda) statement about certain slokas in the Upanishad. Since Upanishads are vast -- there are more than 100 of them out of which 12 are most popular and have Sankara's bhaashyam -- there is a need to access their content using mnemonics for nidhi-dhyaasana. In modern terms, if there is a way to randomly access the content in upanishads using fewest possible key-strokes, that will be Brahma Sootra. Other attributes of Sootra include:
alpaakshaara (brief)
saaravat (containing a gist)
viswatOmukham (gives a bird's eye view)
asthObham (does not have any unintended implications such as adhyaasa)
anavadyam (no dOshas or mistakes );
It has been said that a charuvaaka (atheist) is better when compared to a genius who shows no interest in upanishads or worse condemns them as unscientific, irrational, etc. Accordingly, the poorva meemamsa school deals with the karma kaanda (the action part) in vEdaas and the uttara meemaamsa dwells on the gnaana kaanda or the upanishads. Thus, the first step in vidya (learning Vedas) is charuvaaka and the last step is advaita (non-duality). Only an advaitin accepts all darsanaas and won't condemn any philosophy without reason.
What is the use of learning scripture?
one has to attain mOksha in this life
only vEdaanta says mOksha is possible in this life
only vEdaanta talks about para lOkas (different worlds after death)
one who doesn't learn scripture gets caught up in the cycle of rebirth and death
one who has no self-realization is subject to death
when one thinks he will die after body falls is never going to come out of ignorance
one who realizes the aatma will live for ever is amrita
Next we look at the constituents of Brahma Sootra. There are 4 main chapters (adhyaayaas):
samanvaya: there are many definitions for this word like regular succession; order; connected sequence; conjunction; coherence;relation, etc.
samanvaya is made of 6 lingas
upakrama (introduction)
upasamhaara (conclusion)
abhyaasa (what needs to be said has to be interspersed)
apoorva (one must have novelty in the narrative)
phala (the fruit or the benefit)
artha vaada (praise)
upapatti (one has to narrate with skill)
For example:
upakrama: at the beginning there is only sat Brahman
upasamhaara: Brahman is everything
abhyaasa: all that is there is Brahman; all those who claim their selves are nothing but Brahman
apoorvata: the Brahman without form has no pramaana or inconceivable
phala: one who does not limit himself to his body by giving up adhyaasa can attain mOksha through gnaana maarga or in karma kaanda can ascend to heaven and oordhva lOkaas
artha-vaada: praise is showered on Brahman as one whose knowledge will transcend everything else
utpatti: clay is the material cause for pots and other objects; one can modify the name given to a form through vikaara; despite doing so the various objects have the common factor clay in them; so clay is forever even as a pot can break; similarly paramaatma is forever.
avirOdha: no virodha meaning not concerned about doctrines that don't have sruti pramaanaa
saadhana: means bringing into experience the various tenets
phala: usually the stotras such as vishnu sahasranaama have phala sruti meaning the benefit or the fruit of reciting the stotra; in this case the phala sruti is about not only earthly things but also mOksham or liberation.
Further, each Brahma Sootra adhyaaya has been divided into 4 paadas which can contain further granularity in the form of adhikaranaas. Adhikaranam can be 1 to 4 sootras containing vishaya (subject), samsayam (doubt), poorva meemaamsa (karma), uttara meemaamsa (gnaana) and sangati. There are 191 such adhikaranaas. Overall there are 555 sootraas that have been arranged in this way.
Centuries after Brahma Sootra had been composed, Adi Sankara wrote a bhaashyam (interpretation) for the Brahma Sootra summarizing the prevalent thought in the 8th century. Just as Kapila in the Saankhya philosophy summarized the prevailing thought, Sankara became an exponent of advaita (non-duality).
It was posited that at the Sankara's time there were 3 main literary tools: abEdha (non discriminatory), bEdha (discriminatory); bEdha/abEdha (the inbetweens). The discrimination is with respect to vEdaas and sruti. Given that there was no Visishtaadvaita during Sankara's time, it can be inferred that he was the only true sage holding the lamp of advaita (non-duality). To understand the popularity of Sankara bhaashya for Brahma Sootra, Sage Sidhgaananda Puri reviewed about 10 Brahma Sootra bhaashyas existing in his time and ranked Sankara's bhaashya at the top. This comes as no surprise to those who had come in contact with Sankara's other literary works called prakarana granthaas such as:
vivEka choodaamani
aparOksha anubhooti
aatma bhOda
dakshinaamurthy stOtram
Link for adhikaranam and an intro to Brahma Sootra
What is the use of Brahma Sootra? Why should we know it?
Sankara gives an apt example. Usually one uses a sootra or a thread to arrange beads and flowers in a symmetric fashion. To access the meaning of Upanishad (also called manana), a sootra serves the same function as a thread on which the beads and flowers are held in place. The various slOkas are like flowers that make a garland of vEdaanta vaakya kusuma (flowers) that have been arranged skillfully by the sootradhaari (the creator) for the sake of mumukshus or those aspiring for liberation.
A more rewarding reason to study Brahma Sootra is to remove anartha which causes duhkha (sorrow), avidya and adhyaasa.
Sage Veda Vyaasa was credited with the statement: sarvam brahma mayam jagat (everything in the world is Brahman). Because most ordinary people don't understand the implication of Veda Vyasa's astute statement, we needed all the scripture related to Brahma Sootra such as bhaashyams and prakaraNa granthaas.
What is the nature of Brahman?
Some of the attributes or lakshanas of Brahman are nirgunam (devoid of sattva, rajas, tamas), nityam (always present), sudham (absolutely pure), nirmalam (always at peace), adviteeyam (there is no second), abEdha (non-discriminatory).
Before the Brahma Sootra bhaashyam, Sankara had written a bhaashyam on adhyaasa. It serves as a foundation for Brahma Sootra. One can read the full import of adhyaasa at https://www.advaita-vedanta.org/articles/adhyasa_bhashyam.htm
For the time being we can work with a definition of adhyaasa as projection of aatma (self) on anaatma (body) and vice-versa. Examples are when there is a pain in our body, we say "I have pain". When loved ones suffer for any reason, one experiences empathy and states "I feel pain". There is also the case when height, weight, color of skin, etc. are considered as the self (I am short, I am white, I am slim, etc.). In these cases, the "I" is referring to the self or aatma that does not have any of these attributes. For aatma is pure chaitanyam. It is the adhyaasa that makes us believe the anaatma body is the real aatma. Same adhyaasa applies to dharmas (functions) of antahkarana (manas, budhi, ahankaara and chitta)
Another example is the feeling of I as different from the world. This is the duality in our thinking. Given that a vishayee is one who wants to know and vishayam is the subject one wants to learn about, asmad pratchayam means about self and ishmad pratchayam means about everything other than self or the outside world. Thus we have been cultivating asmad vs. ishmad thinking about vishayam for thousands and millions of births. This is called avidya. So the realization that aatma is the real self that has been covered up by the projection of anaatma or the world around. The feeling of self when one thinks about aatma is what is required.
In particular, avidya can be dangerous. When one looks at a rope in the darkness as a snake or mistakes a snake for a rope, he can experience the danger on both accounts.
Baghavat Gita uses many examples to convey the real nature of aatma. One well known example from Bhagavat Gita is that a cloth gets replaced when it is worn out. In the case of body, it is the aatma that is wearing it as a cloth and when the body is worn out aatma moves to another body. The scripture says that vivEka is the ability to distinguish swaroopa (the real self) from body. Brahma Sootra helps us in that process. Hence it is also known as vidya
One has to drive away thoughts that cover up the asmad and the limitation of self to the body. All things said and done, the scripture is for those still under the thumb of adhyaasa. The scripture says one uses indriyas (loukika) and vEdas and learns Brahma Sootra to attain liberation or mOksha. Therefore, none but a handful of great men can claim they have no adhyaasa.
Consider a tree with leaves, flowers, and fruits upon which the sun is shining. The light from the sun is the chaitanya akin to the self. The Sun is like Brahman. The tree represents the world or samsaara. The various fruits and flowers can be called upaadhi or shapes and forms. One can see the various colors of upaadhis in the tree because of sun light (the self). When one projects the attributes of the tree to the light and vice-versa, then it is called adhyaasa. If light feels sad when the leaves fall and flowers wither away, then it is agnaana or ignorance. Light is not part of the tree, but originates from the Sun. Thus there is no difference between Brahman and self. The self indeed is resplendent because of Brahman. Therefore, light + sun = true, whereas light + tree = adhyaasa
Are pundits superior to the rest of us in overcoming adhyaasa? No one has done a survey but vyutpatti or paanditya or learned behavior is ever present alongside adhyaasa even among the best known advaita pundits. Pramaana (the vishayam that is means to knowledge), prameyam (subject of vishayam), pramaata (the vishayee or the person who wants to know) are the various attributes of adhyaasa. It can be said that adhyaasa has seeped into our thinking very deeply so much so that it has become naisargika or swabhaava or an ingrained mental attribute.
Before dwelling on the Brahma Sootra, we need to understand some of the basics that set the stage:
Brahmam=paramaatma=bhagavaan=iswara
jeeva bhaava = separate from Brahman; I am different from brahma
Upanishads tell us that there is only one Brahman.
Parichinna drishta: we think of ourselves as apart from Brahman
Sookshma is one that is not perceptible by indriyas or senses. For example Aakaasa (sky/space) is sookshma
Saadhana chatustaya or saadhana sampatti are the stepping stones for brahma gnaana :
nityaanitya vastu viveka (discrimination about things as permanent/impermanent)
vairaagya (disinterest) in ihalOka sukha (earthly pleasures) and paralOka sukha (pleasures in the netherworld)
shat sampatti
sama (restraining mind or nigraha)
dama (baahyEndriya nigraha or restraining the 5 senses and turning mind towards aatma gnaana)
uparati (to divert mind from vishaya)
titeeksha (sahana or forbearance)
samaadhaana (still or sthira such as focusing the mind on aatma tatva)
sradha (complete faith in saastra/scripture, guru and daiva)
Mumukshatva: intense longing for enlightenment and liberation
It is well known that dharmaarthakaama (dharma + artha/wealth + kaama/desire) are the goal of all in samsaara. Who wouldn't want sukham (happiness)? The consideration that is important here is whether the sukham gained from such purushaartha is enough or ever lasting. So we have the 4th purushaartha called mOksha or liberation from samsaara.
One can't attain ever lasting sukha by mere karma alone. That's what the scripture says in the form of the nether worlds (lOkas) that one attains based on punya (good deeds) and paapa (sins). One can't attain permanent sukha by visiting these lOkas. One can be rich, healthy, without enemies and a favorite of friends and relatives on the earth. If all the punya he had accumulated on the earth only results in attaining a punya lOka, then one day it will be depleted by the law of nothing comes out of nothing. Even Bhagavad Gita says the soul in the punya lOkas has to return to the marthya lOka (earth) when the karma phala runs out. Therefore, those who want to attain permanent and ever lasting liberation from samsaara must have brahma jignaasa or the dedication to the pursuit of brahma gnaana.
What is Brahman?
Brahma = bruhi vruddhou; the word is from the root bruhat which means the biggest of all beyond our imagination; for most of us earth is the biggest; some know that the outer space composed of stars/galaxies and other celestial objects is even bigger. Needless to say Brahman is bigger than anything we can imagine. At the same time Brahman is very sookshma meaning it is difficult to grasp with the 5 senses. As many know space does not mean emptiness/soonyam. It is full of energy and all pervasive. Indeed it fills up all the material world within/between objects. Hence it is called sarva vyaapaka (all pervasive), suddha (pure) like paramaatma. Whereas we have budhi (gnaana or knowledge), space/sky is jada by not having the self knowledge. We are endowed with the spurana about the self. And our aatma is sudha (pure). The things we are lacking and present in Brahman are mukta (salvation) + sudha (pure) + budha (gnaana). Hence the Brahman is called nitya-sudha-budha-mukta-sarvagnam (omni-scient)-sarva sakti (omni-potent).
The feeling that one exists is called sat and the associated consciousness is called chit. So why learn these? According to Sankara, one is unable to realize one's self. One's knowledge about Brahman has been covered by agnaana because of umpteen rebirths making us disbelieving that we originally came from Brahman. Thus we are limiting sudha-budha-mukta to the Brahman that is believed to be external to ourselves.
Also, Brahman is the originator of life. The entire creation, its maintenance, destruction and reemergence is because of him. He is the one assigning kartrutva-bhOktrutva (doership and experience). He is the divinity behind the nama-roopa (name and form). In short, he is the author of the work of creation.
Further qualities of Brahman:
tatastha lakshna: srushti/creation + sthithi/sustenance + layam / destruction are the 3 attributes that comprise this lakshana. The analogy given is when one answers to the question where is the moon as above the tree branch. It is called tatastha lakshana. Because moon does not depend on the tree branch nor the branch on the moon. It's all in one's juxtaposition.
swaroopa lakshana: for the same question where is the full moon, when one answers it is the biggest shining object in the night sky. Thus Brahma's swaroopa is known from: satyam -gnaanam-anantam brahma ; chit (budhi) + aakaasam (jadam; sudham) = chidaakaasam = daharaaakasam
Since we are under the adhyaasa to label all things with naama-roopa (name and form), we have reduced Brahman to the same duality.
In Bhagavat Gita bhakti/karma/gnaana have been variously described as paths leading upto the Brahman. In retrospect only the paths of bhakti (devotion) and gnaana (knowledge) lead to Brahman. The prerequisite for both of them is jignaasa and the deep curiosity to learn about Brahman besides the strong desire to merge with him.
No one knows how far space expands. The same is true about Brahman. If it is impossible to know about Brahman no matter how much jignaasa one has is of no use. On the other hand if one considers Brahman as trivial then there is no need to know about it
There are 3 aspects sareeraka (the soul behind the body), sareera (body) and Brahman. To understand this consider the light coming through a window is the sareeraka, the windows is the sareera and the light outside is the Brahman.
Common people and atheists claim aatma is simply one's body. The atheists/naastikaas/chaaruvaakas have used the analogy of chewing beetle leaves with lime giving the mouth a red color meaning when everything is viewed in a body-centric way, then it all adds up to our sentience.
Besides there are kshanika vaadas who claim the mind and thoughts are constantly changing without a particular coherence. The soonya vaadis believe there is karta (doer) and bhOkta (experiencer). The Sankhyas believe there is no kartrutvam or ownership of an act; only the experience (bhOktrutvam).
How to contemplate: vEdaanta and the tarka/logic that is consistent with it lead up to the mOksha without getting caught up in the fleeting temptations.
In vishnu shatpadee stotram (poem) there is a stanza: "satyapi bhEdaa pagamE naadha tavaaham na maama keenastvam saamudrO hi tarangaha- kvachana saamudrOhi na taarangaha". In this prayer it was said that jeeva is different from paramaatma such as a wave is ocean/water but ocean/water is not wave; asti(existence)-bhaati(prakaasaka or resplendence) is water; wave is naama-roopa (form and name);as waves water is manifold; but as ocean it is one whole.
Saankyas claim pradhaanaa created the universe. But it is not entirely valid. Naiyaayikas believe in a karta for the universe just as a pot-maker is the sentient cause for a pot. But to determine who is that karta the saastra pramaana is required. Why? Because the karta is not perceptible to the senses. Hence there is a need for vEdaanta.
Sootra#3
Brahman is the sentient cause for scripture. Or is the scripture the basis for knowing Brahman?
All of the knowledge can be classified as:
gouna vidya : the skill-based education (engineering, medicine, etc.)
mukhya vidya: vEdas
Since vEdas came from Brahman, it is a pramaanaa.
There are 2 thoughts to understand scripture
anulOma: one goads a person to take saastra/scripture as pramaana
vilOma: one warns a person that without accepting scripture one will be damned in hell
Whereas karma saastra is vilOma, such as performing yagnas as per strict procedures, vEdaanta is all about analyzing (vichaarana) the world.
But according to poorva paksha vEda itself should mention that it is a pramaana. Sankara then gives a quote from Brihadaaranyaka upanishad. Saastra came from Brahman and it is the only way to know Brahman.
Sootra#4
tat samanvayaat
tat refers to Brahman
samanvyayat: is to describe perfectly and unambiguously
Various saastras describe Brahman in various ways.
Poorva paksha rejects advaita (non duality)
How to do samanvyaya? Can the process of learning about paramaatma be called karma? Sankara says the karma abetting gnaana is sahakaara karma ; everything else is apahaari karma.
Orignally vEdas were made of karma and gnaana. Later on upaasana and bhakti were added.
For uttara meemaamsa: vEda is pramaana
karmkaanda: one must do it; no logical reasoning about it
vEdaanta: one can take logic that is not undermining or virodha; one learns it through sravana, manana, nidhi-dhyaasana (quote from chaandOgyam)
Sankara refers to the Gaandhaara metaphor where a man from the kingdom of Gaandhara gets kidnapped, blind folded and left in a forest. A stranger finds him and takes off his restraints. Once free, the man has to chalk out a way to get back to his kingdom. So he used his intellect to interpret the directions given by by-standers. Such is also the case of men who are lost in worldly distractions until they find a guru who can lead them to their destination with his upadEsa (tutelage).
Karma vs. Gnaaana
-karma: can be loukika/vaidika;one can perform karma, not perform karma or do it in a different way ; for example, one can go on a car, walk or not go; karma comes with a phala (fruit of action)
-gnanana: it is not like an exercise or some set bounds on what one can acquire; the fruit of gnaana is vastu sidha or always available
The last word of vEdaanta is Brahman is the only truth.
There are 2 doshas:
sruta haani: when one ignores that which is clearly perceptible
asruta haani: when one fabricates something out of nothing
Just as eye can see all around, aatma gives us the knowledge about self and our existence.
Gnaana has no kriya (act), karta (actor) and karma (action).
UpadEsa gives hEya (that which needs to be shed) and upaadhEya (that which needs to be cognized). Brahman does not have hEya and upaadhEya.
Jaimini sootra that says vEda is there to teach only about karma is refuted by Sankara. It is valid only in karma kaanda.
One may ask aren't sravana, manana, nidhi-dhyaasana etc. karmas? One can't attain gnaana from performing karma
Can one say gnaana is the kriya or the action side of upaasana? Sankara: gnaana maarga is upaasana; adviteeyam Brahmam (there is no duality in Brahmam); one cannot call rope-snake delusion as upaasana because no matter how much one meditates the delusion won't go away. One needs gnaana to disambiguate such situations. By the same token, mahaa vaakyas like "tattvamasi" or "pragnaanam brahma" are not to be meditated on.
Poorva paksha asks isn't it true that even a gnaani gets caught up in samsaara/bondage? There is a difference in the end result of karma and gnaana. There are several types of karma: vidhi (must do), nishEda (must not do), etc. And one is encouraged to pursue dharma and artha because adharma and anartha lead to sorrow. Conversely dharma and artha lead to comfort or sukha.
Meta Physics of Life After Death
For completeness one has to augment his knowledge about life after death. The common refrain in all religions is the existence of hell and heaven. The Hindu scripture has them and many more called lOkaas where the soul can end up depending on the life's karma.
It has been said in the scripture that those who perform acts with a pious mind and can attain samaadhi, travel to brahma lOka by the archiraadi path via surya (Sun) lOka.
Those who have the following 3 qualities are taken around chandra, indra, varuna, etc. lOkas.
ishta : those who performed yagnas, always spoke the truth, respected guests, etc.
datta: those who gave alms, practiced non-violence, etc.
poorta: those who carried out public works out of charity.
Those who worship a saguna brahma (the Brahman with name and form) are likely to attain brahma lOka and be eligible for krama mukti (gradual ascendance to mOksha)
To experience pain in hell (naraka) and pleasure in heaven (swarga lOka), one needs a physical body. Whereas for mOksha such a prerequisite is unnecessary. At its simplest, release from the bondage of samsaara is mOksha.
The Sukha-Duhkha Duality
Sukha-Duhkha are applicable to all embodied creatures (dEhadhaari). Even in duhkha (sorrow) there are gradations. The sukha-duhkha gradation are because of dharma-adharma. For as long as one experiences sukha-duhkha, one will be caught up in the bondage. And the priya (favorite) and apriya (undesirable) will not be overcome.
One who attains gnaana frees oneself from the limits imposed by the physical body. Such a person is called asareera.
Even though sukha-duhkha (pain and pleasure) happen because of dharma-adharma, one needs a physical body to experience them. Therefore, the role of the body is not entirely irrelevant. This has to be balanced with the realization that aatma gives us unlimited leeway from the limits imposed by the physical body.
The fruit of karma will never give mOksha or liberation.
A person who calls himself asareera is truly a bold person. In the perishing body there is an imperishable aatma. One has to crystalize the unchanging aspect of a constantly changing body and realize the presence of aatma.
Asareera : parinaama or aparinaama? Change or changeless? It has parinaama. It is paaramaarthika (spiritual), kootastha, sarva vyaapaka (omni-present), nitya trupti (forever satisfied), avyayam (imperishable), jyOti swaroopa (resplendent), etc.
Brahman is different from dharma-adharma, kaarya and kaarana. The person with asareera stithi attains mOksha here itself.
In Goutama nyaaya sootraa apavarga has been defined as:
duhkha
janma
pravrutti: dharma-adharma behavior
dOsha : raaga (attachment)/dwEsha (hatred)/mOha (desire)
mithyaa gnaana: one thinking that he is sasareera (body-centric) even though he is asareera (without body)
3 types of Upaasana
Prateeka upaasana: idol worship
SamvargOpaasana: worship of praana and vaayu (air)
Sampada Upasana: project one on another for worshipping
Mountains and other inert objects too have aatma just as sentient beings. The difference is it is not prakata (visible) in them.
The 4 fruits of Kriya
utpatti : attaining one that doesn't exist
vikaarya: transformation such as milk to curd/yogurt
kaapya : one has to go to netherworld to get it
samskaarya: obtaining by removing dOsha (impure)
End of sootra#4
When one is spiritual, both the sareera or aatma benefit. We are making aatma pure (sudhi) by reciting mantras. When one takes bath it applies to the body. How about aatma? When one receives holy water (aachamaneeya) in temple it is for the purification of both mind and body. One who has intertwined with body (taadaatmyam) needs samskaara.
One who has limited himself to his body experiences ill health or sound health as his own. The realization that our aatma transcends the body is required to detach oneself from such thoughts.
There is an interesting story about two birds sitting on a fruity tree: one eating the fruit and the other merely watching. The analogy drawn, most commonly, is that the tree represents samsaara and the birds represent jeevaatma and paramaatma. A second analogy drawn is the birds represent sukha-duhkha (pain and pleasure) for those caught up in samsaara. Sankara reminds us that the birds actually represent a baddha (under bondage) and mukta (one who is liberated). Specifically the bird eating the fruit is a baddha.
Aren't srOta-manana-nidhi-dhyaasana etc. are a must for a gnaani? Isn't it like in karma kaanda when one is supposed to carry out actions in strict conformance to vEdas? The answer given by Sankara is that a gnaani turns the senses, that race outward normally, inward toward pratyagaatma which is not possible in karma kaanda. And a gnaani is not under duress to perform any karma.
Conclusion
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The topics covered thus far don't fall within the categories of karma or upaasana.
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The substance of vEdaanta is Brahman
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Anubandha chatustaya
vishaya :Brahma jignaasa (desirous of Brahman)
phala : Brahman
adhikaara : atha
sambandha : that which describes a vishaya such as brahma saastra
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karma says dEha (body) is not aatma; there is a difference ; advaita says it is sudha, sarva vyaapaka
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mOksha is never the fruit of kriya
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upaasana and karma are not useful for aatma gnaana.
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At the same time inquiry about aatma should not be a kriya. Vedanata is initiated by upadEsa. There is no niyOga; no one tells to worship a dEva.
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One cannot attain mOksha by bahir-mukhatva (turning senses outward). It can only be achieved by turning mind inward toward pratyEgaatma.
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By the application of nEti, nEti, whoever rejects the material world, he will come to know that he is above all.
The content is based on the pravachanam delivered by Guru Sri SaamavEdam Shanmukha Sarma. The pravachanam in Telugu can be viewed on youtube.com
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