To realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth, scriptures are not needed. I am highlighting only the rational views of the Sag Sankara.+

If you seeking truth nothing but the Advaitic truth you must set yourself free of orthodoxy and Gurus and their teaching and all accumulated knowledge gathered from different sources.

Your present pattern of reasoning is egocentric. The truth will reveal when you learn to view and reason the worldview on the base of the Soul, the ‘Self’. 

When the ‘self’ is neither man nor woman nor even the human then why you are saying ‘I AM THAT’ for the ‘Self’, which is the ever formless, timeless and spaceless existence.

Until you rectify this mistake you will never be able to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

You impose limitations on Soul by saying ‘I AM THAT’ without knowing ‘what this ‘I’ is in actuality.

You are making a vain struggle to transcend the form, time and space without realizing the ‘I’ itself is illusory.

‘I’ is not limited only to the ego. ‘I’ is the whole universe. Without the ‘I’ the universe ceases to exist. The egocentric teaching half-baked teaching.

Remember:~

Bhagavad Gita: ~ “You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory. ~ CH.2 v.16

First, realize what this ‘I’ supposed to be in actuality.

I quote scriptures to show that scriptures are also saying there is no need to study scriptures.

To realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth,  scriptures are not needed. I am highlighting only the rational views of the Sag  Sankara.

Manduka Upanishad: ~ 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.

People think that by studying Vedas one will be able to get Self-realization, but it is not so. Vedic studies lead nowhere. What is the use of studying scriptures when Upanishads itself declares: ~

Katha Upanishad: ~ This Atman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, nor by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals Its own form. (Katha Upanishad Ch-II -23-P-20)

Manduka Upanishad: ~ This Atman cannot be attained through the study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Atman—by him alone is Atman attained. It is the Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. (3 page-70 - Manduka Upanishad- Upanishads by Nikilanada)

Sage 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.

People dwelling in ignorance, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round by various blind beliefs and tortuous paths and practices, like the blind led by the blind.

Swami Vivekananda said:~ "The Vedas teach that the Soul is divine, only held in the bondage of matter; perfection will be reached when this bond will burst and the word they use for it is, therefore, Mukthi - freedom, freedom from the bonds of imperfection, freedom from death and misery."

When the Upanishad says the human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. And they also indicate the personal Gods, scriptures, worship, and rituals are not the means to Self –Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana therefore, why anyone should indulge in such things.

The Upanishads declare: ~

Manduka Upanishad 1:2:8: ~ “Remaining in the fold of ignorance and thinking, “we are extremely wise and learned,” the fools with boastful nature ramble about like the blind led by the blind alone.”

Manduka Upanishad 3:2:3: ~ “The weak and timid cannot realize the Self. Self-Realization is not possible through intellect or hearing the spiritual discourse. One who welcomes God in every activity, through a thorough controlled and disciplined life, to him also the Soul is revealed.

The Upanishads declare: ~

Katha Upanishad 1:2:23: ~ “The Soul cannot be realized through hearing the scholarly explanation of the discourses, not even by the intellect.

Katha Upanishad 1:3:6: ~ “Through the knowledge of the Soul, God, one is pure and clean constantly.” Neither by reading the books 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 real purity.

Kena Upanishad 2:4: ~ “When it is known through every state of cognition, it is rightly known, for (by such knowledge) one attains life eternal. Through one's own self one gains power and through wisdom, one gains immortality.

Kena Upanishad 2:5: ~ “If here one knows it, then there is the truth, and if here one knows it not, there is a great loss. Hence, seeing the Real in all beings, wise men become immortal on departing from this world”.

Remember:~

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

The Upanishads are self-contradictory. Every pundit even gives conflicting interpretations of them. The final authority, therefore, is using one’s own reason. One should apply his reason to them.

The scriptures are for ignorant masses, who wholly accept the material world as it presents itself. Gnana is for those who have begun to realize that things are not what they seem.

The scriptures are of value only when dealing with persons who are incapable of understanding the truth. They have no value as an authority for those who use reason.

I quote only verified citations from the scriptures. I need no scriptures, but I quote then to help the seekers to realize it is possible to acquire the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana without the scriptures.

The Upanishads are the only scriptures in the world that declare: ~ It is impossible to find and realize the truth via religion and scriptural study.

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ VC-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 are to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

The seeker has to overcome all the obstacles in his pursuit of truth by a perfect understanding of what is what'. 

There are so many scholars who mastered philosophy, but It is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana through theoretical philosophy. Because their preaching is based on Spirit and practices is based on the matter (you or waking entity).

Thus, the seeker of truth has to realize the Advaitic truth without the scriptures and without getting involved with the orthodoxy or any other teaching.: ~ Santthosh Kumaar