The Vedic pantheon of gods is said, in the Vedas and Upanishads, to be only higher manifestations of Brahman. For this reason, "ekam sat" (all is one), and all is Brahman.
Thus, the goal is to realize Atman (consciousness). If Atman (consciousness) is nothing, but Brahman and by realizing Atman (consciousness) as Brahman (ultimate truth) is truth realization or Self-Realization , then there is no need to follow the religion, study scriptures or glorifying gods or gurus and
follow the path of doubts and confusion by losing oneself in the
labyrinths of philosophy, when there is an easier path. By mentally tracing the source of the mind
from where it rises and subsides one becomes aware of the fallacy of the mind,
which rises as waking or dream and subsides as deep sleep. The mind raises form consciousness and
subsides as consciousness.
The Self is indeed Brahman, but through
ignorance people identify it with intellect, mind, senses, passions, and the
elements of earth, water, air, space, and fire. This is why the Self is said to
consist of this and that, and appears to be everything. -
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Yajurveda says: - if one worships God
Translation 1.
They enter darkness, those who worship natural things (for
example air, water, sun, moon, animals, fire, stone, etc.).
They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol etc.) - (Yajurveda 40:9)
Translation
2.
"Deep into shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti are intent.("Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith pg 538)
Translation
3.
"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 prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, 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.)
So, Yajur Veda indicates that:-
They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol etc _ (Yajurved 40:9)
Those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, 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.)
The Hindus believed in polytheism, believing all of their Gods
to be separate individuals, which were introduced much later by the founders of Hinduism which contains diverse beliefs caste and creed.
When the religion of the Veda knows no idols then why so many
gods and goddesses with different form and name are being propagated as Vedic
gods. Why these conceptual gods are introduced when the Vedic concept of God is
free from form and attributes.
Vedic religion was modified and reintroduced with new add-ons by Sri, Sankara a great Advaita Master to uplift the Vedic culture and Santana Dharma , which were in ruins in the clutches of Buddhism. 18 puranas are introduced in the name of Veda Vyasa not by Sri, Sankara but someone else because the Puranic gods are non-Vedic Gods. Worship of Such gods are barred Vedas.
As one goes deeper in the annals of the history, it indicates the fact that somewhere someone has added the puranas in the name of Veda Vyasa the grand master of Vedas. It is impossible to accept and believe that Veda Vyasa authored and introduced puranas which has all conceptual gods because:-
Genuine philosophy must be independent of religion, that in Sage Sri, Sankara himself the Saguna Brahman or a personal God is only a part of the phenomenal (if not illusory) world, and the Nirguna Brahman is the only reality and has nothing to do with religion. The main hurdle in his way of thinking is the fact that Sage Sri,Sankara did not claim to be an original thinker at all, and his philosophy took the form of commentaries on the generality of Hindu scriptures, particularly the Upanishads and the Gita. Sage Sri, Sankara was independent thinker. His philosophy has not been taken seriously by many in India because most of the followers of Sage Sri, Sankara are orthodox. It is that philosophy in India was for centuries more an exposition of the ancient classics than the independent thought of individual thinkers as in ancient Greece or modern Europe and America.
Sage Sri, Sankara and his parama Guru Sri, Gaudapada are independent thinkers other schools of Indian philosophy are mere theologies. Advaitic philosophy is real philosophy. The dualistic philosophy cannot escape the charge of dogmatism.
Intelligence and thought, is not applicable to Advaitism intelligence and thought are based on false self (waking entity) within the false experience (waking). The whole Advaitic philosophy is an attempt to transcend the limitations of intelligence and thought.
The two points of view A Gnani is not cut off from experience of practical life within the practical world because Advaitic truth is neither realism nor idealism; it is beyond both these.
Sage Sri,Sankara
said:- Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many gods as you please, observe ceremonies and sing devotional hymns, but the liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.
Philosophy does not begin with the ultimate truth. Ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed. Hence, so-called philosophers who take Brahman for granted are not philosophers at all.
Lots of Advaitin scholars will teach that all is yourself, but none of them can show that this is so, none has analyzed it scientifically, and none can prove it. Rational proof is required, so that one arrive at knowing the ultimate truth or Brahman i.e. Gnana. Theirs is mere dogma, parrotism, repetition of what they read in scripture. Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.
Consciousness is that which knows everything, that which sees. Consciousness alone remains after one gets rid of all thoughts and ideas by identification with self. Consciousness is only the seer; it is not Brahman that is an error. It becomes Brahman only after inquiry and reasoning.
The ‘I ‘or mind or universe, waking or dream, duality are one and the same thing. Since, ‘I’ is identified as self all the confusion. And taking ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as self is the cause of confusion. Taking ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as self is blocking the realization of ultimate truth. The ‘I’ or universe is an object to the formless subject. Thus, it is necessary to include the universe in the inquiry to realize the unreal nature of the ‘I’ or universe.
When the whole
universe, movable and immovable, is known to be consciousness, which is the
inner most self and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is
then any room to say that the body is the self.
Without causing
the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how
is one to achieve.
Santana
Dharma meaning that has no beginning or an end, righteousness forever. Today
going to a temple would make you a follower of Hinduism.
Orthodox Advaitins must try to get more empathy and mere Rituals and expertise in Sanskrit do not lead you to Moksha.
Sage Sri, Sankara ’says:- "Kuruthe Ganga sahar gamanam Vratha paripal mathva dhanam. Gyana Vihine..Sarva Mathene.”
Gnana is common to all religions. There is nothing like One Gnana for a Hindu
and another for a Christian.
