Prior to birth, there was no second thing existed other than consciousness After the death consciousness alone prevails as the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.+

Prior to birth, there was no second thing that existed other than consciousness  After death consciousness alone prevails as the ultimate reality or Brahman or God. 

Without consciousness, you and the world in which you are born cease to exist because consciousness is the cause of you and the world in which you are born. 

Thus the Soul or consciousness has nothing to do with your experience of birth, life, death, and the world because the Self is unborn and eternal.

The Self is not you but the Self is the formless Soul which is the cause of the world in which you are born live and die. 

Realizing the world in which you are born created out of single stuff and that single stuff is the consciousness is freedom from experiencing the world in which you are born as a reality. 

From the standpoint of the Soul the Self,  the experience of birth, life, death, and the world is a reality within the dualistic illusion or Maya. The dualistic illusion or Maya is created out of the Soul, the Self which is present in the form of consciousness.  

Consciousness is ever-present. Without consciousness, the world, in which you exist ceases to exist.   Consciousness is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny consciousness, because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. 

Consciousness is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. Consciousness is everything. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Remember 

When you realize the words, thoughts, and the world in which you exist are created out of single stuff and that single stuff is consciousness, then you will realize the consciousness is hidden by the dualistic illusion or Maya (universe) 

The one which is born lives and dies in dualistic illusion or Maya is not the Self.  The Self is the formless Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. 

From the standpoint of the Soul,  the Self, birth, life, and death which happen within the world is bound to be an illusion. 

When the Soul remains in its own awareness, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness, because everything is consciousness.   

There is nothing that exists prior to consciousness. The dualistic illusion or  Maya ceases to exist without consciousness. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

Remember:~ 

You, your body, and the world in which you exist are within the dualistic illusion or Maya, which is present in the form of the ‘I’.

Realize you are not you, your body is not the body the world in which you exist is not the world but they are all made of single clay. That single clay is the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.  

Because of ignorance, you think you are an individual separate from the world and world that existed prior to you, you are born in it later on. The ‘I’ is inborn ignorance cause of experiencing the world in which you exist as a reality whereas the world in which you exist is a dualistic illusion.

By realizing your body and the world in which you exist are made of the single clay and that that single clay is the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of the consciousness you will realize your body and the world what really is in reality.

Thus it is necessary to realize ‘what is what’ the world in which you exist is nothing but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  Like an ornament made from gold is Gold, which is born out of consciousness is consciousness. Like gold is a permanent thing, in ornaments made of gold, similarly, the mind, which is in the form of the universe is born out of consciousness, is consciousness in its essence.

 A Gnani sees only unity in diversity, just like a goldsmith estimating the gold in various items of jewelry sees only gold. Thus, the Goldsmith everything is gold in jewelry. Same way Gnani knows the universe is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness.

When one identifies the Self with the form, then only the form, time, and space are present. But when one transcends form, time, and space the duality never remains as a reality.

All our doubts and questions arise because the Soul, the Self is in ignorance of its own Self. When the Soul remains in its own awareness, then there is unity in diversity (oneness).

Remember:~

Realize with a full and firm conviction that: ~ 

You are not you but the consciousness; your body is not the body but the consciousness, the world in which you exist is not the world but consciousness. 

Everything that is known, seen, believed, and experienced by you is nothing but the consciousness, and then what else remains, which is not consciousness. There is nothing else to realize other than to realize that consciousness alone is, everything else is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. 

By realizing everything is consciousness, the Advaitic wisdom dawns. Perfect understanding and assimilation of ‘what is what’ lead to Advaitic awareness. 

Without the world, in which you exist God alone exists. When God disappears the world, in which you exist appears. The world, in which you exist disappears God appears. Thus, realize the God to be the Soul. 

The Soul is the Self. Thus, the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

If you stick to the ultimate truth then the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of the consciousness. If you realize this truth you will live in this world but not of this world. Thus, consciousness alone is real and eternal. :~Santthosh Kumaar