Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing the sea of samsara, of birth and death

In ignorance,  everyone thinks amassing material wealth they will be happy. Some think indulging in sensual pleasure they get satisfaction. Some think only with the political power they get satisfaction. Some think indulging in religious orthodoxy their life mission will be completed. Some think that their academic qualification gives them satisfaction.  Some think their mastery over scriptural knowledge gives them satisfaction. Gurus and yogis think that   because they have followers they think they are God and when they are glorified by their followers they are satisfied, but all these satisfactions can satisfy their ego because they are unaware of the fact that they and their experience of the world are the product of ignorance.  

Thus all these satisfactions are individual happenings within the falsehood.  They are reality only on the standpoint of ego. The ego, body and the experience of the world exists as reality only when there is ignorance.  When wisdom dawns than the unreality of the ego, body and the world, (whole waking experience)  will be exposed.    

Education, social success, individual action and conduct are not qualification for Self-realization because they are part of the illusory waking experience.  Whatever social success and education qualification the dream entity has within the dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Similarly whatever   social success and education qualification the waking entity has within the waking becomes unreal when waking entity realizes the fact that it itself is not the self, but the self is formless soul or consciousness, witnesses the three states without the physical apparatus.

The self is neither the waking entity nor the self is  dream entity because it formless    consciousness, the innermost self.  Consciousness pervades everywhere and in everything in all the three states whereas the waking entity is limited to waking experience and dream entity is limited to dream experience.

Waking is the states of ignorance. And it is the state of forgetfulness where the self, forgets its formless true nature — which is nondual Conscious Existence — results in experiencing the illusory  waking experience   as reality.

Inasmuch as man is already overwhelmed by countless false concepts, and he keeps adding new to the already existing ones! The object of pursuit of truth is for the removal of these false worldly concepts.

The more one abandons our false concepts, the more he will become awake and aware; consequently, then he will find truth within. There is a need for completely shedding all wrong concepts.

Higher truth or ultimate truth or Brahman  is possible only when one is able to think beyond the experience of  birth, life and death [(samsara). The one who indulges in rituals and scarifies will remain immersed believing the duality (birth, life and death). Thus, the religious rituals and concepts are not the means to go beyond duality (samsara). Therefore, the seeking mind has to ignore the religion, the concept of God and scriptures to go beyond duality. 

It is no use going roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and the witness of the universe, which is in the form of mind.  By tracing the source of the mind or universe one will be able to realize the Brahman.

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.

Thus, self-knowledge is meant only for those who have intense urge, and courage to accept the truth with humility and reject the untruth. Since people start comparing with their scriptural knowledge, it becomes impossible to assimilate and realize the non-dual truth.   Therefore, there is no need to convince anyone other than our own-selves to get the firm conviction.

When one realizes the fact that, the whole universe and its contents, movable and immovable, is known to be consciousness, and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that the universe is universe. The universe and its contents bound to be consciousness.