Holding anything as real from the illusory universe you will not be able to transcend from the dualistic illusion or Maya to nondualistic reality.+

In the olden days, men were primitive in their thought so a man having little knowledge was considered a genius. Nowadays our knowledge is so advanced that the genius of those days would be an ordinary man of today. Therefore, if one finds the truth, free the Self from the tyranny of environment and tradition, not by condemning them but by examining and testing them through deeper self-search o find out whether they be true or not. 

Accept nothing on the authority of a Godman or genius of the past or present but only if it proves true after the examination.

Like-minded people are always willing to examine facts and judge them calmly whereas religious scholars and intellectuals will be immune to all facts and hold hard to their delusions. Such people do not want the truth but only what pleases them. This is because of their egocentric attitude.  Their attitude is “What pleases them is the truth, what they dislike is false.

The worship or glorifying of Gurus does not free one from ignorance. The rewards are none to them, the reward achieved in their lives are of consequence and not the result of worshiping and glorifying the Gurus.

People always need some sort of hope when their minds are not yet enlightened. "Self is closer to man than his own veins." "With the Self- Knowledge, one will begin to know the ultimate truth, so as to finally realize the fact that, the Self is not the form and becomes conscious that the ‘Self’ is the ‘Spirit’.

Most people lack the patience and perseverance in investigating and collecting all the data before judging: hence they assume Guru are Godmen are great because other people say so, or that he is wise because he himself says so, or that what he teaches is true because it attracts them. Such an attitude and easy assumptions become an obstacle to folding the truth and it requires some trouble to put into effect.

'I-centric' gurus and their teaching is not the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara. Those who want Advaitic Gnana of Sage Sankara have to mentally discriminate between the real and unreal and drop the unreal. 

Holding anything as real from the illusory universe you will not be able to transcend from the dualistic illusion or Maya to nondualistic reality. 

Sticking to physical Guru sentimentally and emotionally will block Self- realization. No Guru can transmit wisdom to you. You have to do your own homework.

Vedas bar human worship: ~

"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal Prakriti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the Prakriti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time.":~ (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

Then why worship and glorify the Gurus and Yogis (human form) in place of God when Veda bars such activities and also warns people who indulge in such activities are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow and suffer terribly for a long time.

No one has ever seen God by practicing religion or yoga or indulging in glorifying the religious God and Goddesses because God exists prior to the form, time, and space. Form, time, and space cease to exist as a reality when wisdom dawns. 

Thus, the Gods and Gurus have no place in the domain of the Advaitic reality. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, which is God in truth. Thus, Self-realization is the only way to God-realization.

By worshiping the religious Gods and Gurus one will not get Self-realization or God-realization.

The Soul, the inner Guru reveals ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal” when the seeker is receptive and ready.

The Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and the Guru is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known.

A guru is needed in the religious and yogic path. The Soul is the inner Guru. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the source of all that exists as the universe. To realize the universe is consciousness there is no need for Guru.

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ VC-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.

VC-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 perverse arguments.

VC-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.

There is no need for a Guru for acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seeker must personally strive by all means of soulcentric reason to be free from the bondage of the illusory experience of form, time, and space.: ~ Santthosh Kumaar