As one goes deeper in research one finds the fact that - Celibacy and living in a monastery was always strange to Vedic religion. In fact, almost all the great sages of Puranas and Vedas were householders. Observing celibacy and the monastery system in the Vedic religion is the influence of Buddhism and Jainism. Hinduism is a mixture of Vedic, Jain and Buddhist, and many other ideologies. The pure essence of Sanatan Dharma is lost by adopting the ideology of many other ideologies.
Sri, Sankara who wanted to drive away these religions was the first great sage who recommended celibacy to sanyasis and also established monasteries. Later saints followed this trend. People think that to be a Hindu sage has to observe celibacy but this concept was not there in Vedic religion. Thus the Hindu religion has become hotchpotch of many ideologies.
People believes that if a Swamiji, indulges in sex activity he is doing a sin. And they also believe that a Swamiji and gurus should never marry and observe celibacy. If they fail to do so they are not fit to continue as Sanyasis.
Sex is human instinct like hunger. The Swamiji’s are forced to observe celibacy, which is against human nature. Only few will succeed in this venture and others carry on secretly indulge in their sexual venture until it comes to limelight.
Many Swamijis in the past got married after resigning from swamis’ order. Many times this became public debate but these people were soon forgotten. There are many self declared Swamijis with religious robes and indulge in accumulation of wealth and indulging in sex and all sorts of immoral and criminal activities happenings in their Ashrams and retreats. Many Swamijis indulge in sex with their disciples. Once this is brought to the knowledge of people, people start reacting negatively. Public memory is very short. People talk about all scandals for some time and later they forget about it.
There is a need to do deeper research on Vedic religion and bifurcate the present Hindu religion, which is mixed-up with Buddhism, Jainism and also idea adopted from other ideologies to know the pure essence of Vedas. It is also necessary to verify validity of dual and non-dual ideologies, which are based on Vedas to know they are mere add-ons. The original Sanatan Dharma was without all these ideologies.
Swamis or gurus who claim themselves to be God and people worship and glorify them as God in human form. They are trying to establish a regular religious sect of their own by taking advantage of the mass mind set, which accept to believe any one who are propagating about their religion and god as avatars. This is an unhappy development of the Hindu religious movement. Even Gandhiji resisted such deification of himself.
There can be no correct exposition in the Upanishads unless the guru has had experience of the truth. Otherwise it is merely adding words to words. The sage will not do immoral things that are impossible.
It is difficult for people to understand such texts as, “God, Guru and the Self are one." No on rises voice against the practice of deifying the Guru they think it is against their religion and tradition.
If god, guru and self are one -- it means the self is Atman and Atman is god and guru not the body. Thus, one who thinks himself as guru is considers the self as body and allows people to worship his body as god , thus he is not God because he is not aware of the fact that, the self is the formless Atman or consciousness or spirit.
There are few people who are able to think beyond physicality voice against the practice of deifying the Guru.
The traditional Hindu attitude towards the Guru is glorifying him as god. It is necessary to verify the facts on this subject at some length. This not referred to anyone in particular. The present verification of facts is general and irrespective of any particular person and their beliefs.
Hindu religious literature is full of such aphorisms as
There is no higher deity than the Guru'
The Guru is the ultimate Truth and Deity
God and Avatars (incarnations) are secondary to the Guru in importance
There is no higher refuge, no higher target, no higher destination than the Guru
The Guru is God Himself
God and the Guru are one
He who makes a distinction between the Guru and God is ignorant and stupid and scores of similar others. Some celebrated philosopher-saints like Jnandev, Eknath and so many others all over India have offered their first salutations to the Guru in their various books.
A good deal of chaos prevails in Hinduism. It has an ever increasing number of Avatar as and Gurus installed as God Himself, with the support and sanction of scriptures and teachings of saints and sages in the past. The crooks take advantage of the innocence of the masses and pretend to be god or god men.
Denunciation of practice of glorifying the guru as god is impossibility because people are sentimentally and emotionally involved with their inherited religious belief.
Brahmacarya, monastic celibacy, is the complete abstinence from sex, which is only incumbent upon monastics. Householders practice monogamy as a way to uphold Brahmacarya in spirit.
"Non-possession", is the renunciation of property and wealth, before initiation into sanyasa, without entertaining thoughts of the things renounced. This is done so one understands how to detach oneself from things and possessions, including home and family, so one may reach moksa.
For householders, non-possession is owning without attachment, because the notion of possession is illusory. The reality of life is that change is constant; thus, objects owned by someone today will be property of someone else in future days. The householder is encouraged to discharge his or her duties to related people and objects as a trustee, without excessive attachment.
Since, the guru is bound to follow by some ethics and code of conducts prescribed in scriptures; the immoral acts of gurus are harmful, as it might cause doubt and confusion in the minds of many people, who strive with simple faith and earnestness to practice the discipline for enlightenment and self- development. Thus, gurus have to be accountable to all his acts and actions because they are bound by religion and their religious code of conducts.
Isa Upanishad says:- By worshipping gods and goddesses you will go after death to the world of gods and goddesses. But will that help you? The time you spend there is wasted, because if you were not there you could have spent that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of gods and goddesses you cannot do that, and thus you go deeper and deeper into darkness.
Thus the Upanishads indicates that true goal is to acquire self knowledge.
Katha Upanishad says:
[Upanishads Nikhilananda]
Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. [Ch II-5 P-14]
It indicates that the one who is ignorant [darkness] of the true self [formless witness/Ataman] searches truth by accumulating knowledge of every path and practice and uncertain about the truth, and thinks every path leads towards reality. The ignorance of the true self leads one towards unreality or hallucination.
This Ataman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Ataman reveals Its own form. [Katha Upanishad Ch-II -23-P-20]
This Ataman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Ataman—by him alone is Ataman attained. It is Ataman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. [ 3 –page-70 Mundaka Upanishad. Upanishads by Nikilanada]
The above passages further prove that: self-knowledge cannot be attained by study of the Vedas and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge. Therefore there is no use of studying the Vedas and other scriptures in order to acquire the non-dual wisdom. That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sri, Sankara indicated that, the truth lies beyond religion, concept of god and scriptures.
For those who are incapable of inquiring and not yet ready for Self-Knowledge, the worship and glorifying of god and gurus is recommended.
Even, Mundaka 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.
Even in Vedas:-
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.)
[Yajurved 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.]
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.)
[Yajurved 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.]
"Na tasya pratima asti"
"There is no image of Him."[Yajurveda 32:3]
"Ekam evadvitiyam"
"He is One only without a second." [Chandogya Upanishad 6:2]
"Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah."
"Of Him there are neither parents nor lord." [Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]
"Na tasya pratima asti"
"There is no likeness of Him." [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]
"shudhama poapvidham"
"He is bodiless and pure." [Yajurveda 40:8]
"Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam."
"His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye." [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]
The religion of the Veda knows no idols
"The religion of the Veda knows no idols," says Max Müller; "the worship of idols in India is a secondary formation, a degradation of the more primitive worship of ideal gods."
The stone idols have drowned the world
Kabeer, some buy idols and worship them; In their stubborn- mindedness, they make pilgrimages to sacred shrines.
The stone idols have drowned the world
Kabeer, some buy idols and worship them; In their stubborn- mindedness, they make pilgrimages to sacred shrines.
They look at one another, and wear religious robes, but they are deluded and lost.
Kabeer, someone sets up a stone idol and the entire world worships it as the Lord.
Those who hold to this belief will be drowned in the river of darkness.
Kabeer, the paper is the prison, and the ink of rituals are the bars on the windows.
The stone idols have drowned the world, and the pandits, the religious scholars, have plundered it on the way. [Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Shaloks Of Kabeer Jee:, p. 1371.]
People are unaware of the fact that, the god is the soul itself; they are going the wrong way by worshiping the individual gods. People act like blind and mute to know the truth. The ignorant worship individualized god and guru without being aware of the fact that, the god and guru is self /soul itself.
Sri Ramana Maharshi:-
The intricate maze of philosophy of different schools claims to clarify matters and reveal the Truth, but in fact they create confusion where no confusion need exist. To understand anything there must needs be the understanding being. Why worry about his bodies, his ahankar, his buddhi, creation, God, Mahatmas, world – the not-Self – at all? Why not remain yourself and be in peace?
Take Vedanta, for instance: it speaks of the fifteen pranas, the names and functions of which the student is asked to commit to memory. Will it not be sufficient if he is taught that only one prana does the whole work of maintaining life in the body? Again, the antahkarana is said to think, to desire, to will, to reason, etc. Why all these details? Has anyone seen the antahkarana, or all these pranas? Do they really exist? They are all conceptual divisions invented by teachers of philosophy by their excessive analysis. Where do all these concepts end? Why should confusion be created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, but goes straight to the Source from which they all rise.
Looking at all these facts it makes one clear that, the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is main goal of the every human being. Indulging in god and guru glorification is meant for the mass that is incapable of grasping the truth. Thus, people who are capable and have urge to know the ultimate truth/Brahman has to realize the truth is beyond religion, god and scriptures. By glorifying the fake gurus and indulging in rituals one will not be able to overcome the duality, which is mere mirage.
