The Vedic religion is nothing to do with Hinduism because Hinduism indulges in non-Vedic activities barred by Vedas, such as idol worship, ancestor worship and worshiping the human bodies in the place of God. Hindu belief system is based on mythological stories(Puranas) and the worship the mythological Gods which are merely a myth from ultimate standpoint. Vedic religion has no founder whereas the Hinduism is identified with many founders. Hinduism is not the religion but it is Indus valley culture which is full of different caste,creed, the sect with all sorts of dogmas, beliefs.
Swami Vivekananda:- Creeds and sects have their parts to play, but they are for children, they last but temporarily. (Talk given at Unity Hall, Hartford (Connecticut), USA, on March 8, 1895, as reported in "Hartford Times" (March 11, 1895). Complete Works, 1.324.)
The PURANAS, including Vishnu Purana and Siva Purana, are based on the false idea of personal God because the writers have thought of Him as glorified man and woman.
The translations made till now of Indian philosophical works have represented religion and mythology, not philosophy. The greatest pundits do not understand it, for they do not understand science. What has this mythological teaching done for India? Look at its state today. Look at the conversions. Imagining that God has ashes on his forehead or blazing like the sun-- that is all poetry and depends only on faith. The Saiva Siddhanta sect is dualistic, unphilosophical religion like the dualistic sect.
Why did not Ramanuja and Madhva write commentaries on the Upanishads (as Sankara did to establish Brahman) but stop, content with writing the commentary on Vyasa Sutras, and culling some parts only from the Upanishads with convenient vagueness to establish their God and Theology? Indians are more religious than other people. The six systems of Indian Philosophy are really six systems of Indian speculation. For there is only one Truth.
The ancient Hindu tenet borrowed by theosophists of universe appearing and dissolving, days and nights of Brahma, entering into pralaya etc. is intended for mediocre intellects who cannot rise to truth. It is a convenient fable representing the philosophic truth that the whole universe dissolves in your mind in deep sleep, thus entering pralaya, and rises again next morning, i.e. it is all imagination, idea. The Brahma-God has nothing to do with it.
The religion including orthodox Advaita is nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman because they worship idols, human worship, and symbol worship and indulge in non-Vedic ritual barred by Vedas.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad declares that:~ Brahman is the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.
DVI" means two. DVI" connotes dual existence and the non-dual. Which of these two is non-existence? People think that there is God and that the jivas--souls-- like them form the second, other than them. There is no such duality at all.
"Soul”, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the only reality and there is nothing other than this soul or consciousness, which is the innermost self. On the
stand point the formless soul or consciousness, the innermost self, there is no second thing exists other than consciousness. Because the whole universe in, which we all exist is created out of consciousness. There is no second thing exist other than consciousness. Hence, it is nondual (non-duality). The soul or consciousness is ultimate truth or Brahman or God.
That is why Yajurveda says:- Not to worship the things which are part of the falsehood.
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 the 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 religion of the Veda knows no idols:
Max Müller says:- "The religion of the Veda knows no idols; the worship of idols in India is a secondary formation, a degradation of the more primitive worship of ideal gods."
Therefore, there was no individual God or temples and worships in Vedic religion, which existed prior to Buddhism. Thus, the individualized gods and temples must have been built later on, when the worships of idol were introduced. Thus, the Vedic religion which existed in the past was free from idol and nature worship and idol worshiping rituals.
Thus, the present day’s worship of individual Gods created things, nature, and human are against Vedic teachings, and it looks like it has been fabricated and introduced by priest craft. Since it, has passed on from one generation to the next it is hard for the people to believe the truth of their own religion, because they have sentimentally and emotionally involved in it and they refuse to accept anything else other than their inherited beliefs.
The credulous and unintelligent masses must have a religion but those who bestow serious seekers of truth need none.
When Sruti itself declares:~ Sruti is made the final or exclusive authority in apara Vidya and that for supporting the tenet of the CAUSAL relation or creatorship of Brahman, Nirguna Brahman = the "Absolute beyond qualities," which can be defined only in a negative way. For the Shankarian school = the Ultimate Reality, higher than the Lord. i.e. of Saguna or apara Brahman ... The support of Scriptural Revelation is, therefore, absolutely necessary for this hypothesis of cosmology, this Saguna or apara (= inferior) Brahman, but not for the absolute truth of Nirguna Brahman. The Sruti itself says: "This Atma is NOT to be attained by a study of the Vedas. (Katha Upanishad I, 2, 23.)
The inferior knowledge based on the religion is not the means to Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Scriptural Revelation is, therefore, absolutely necessary for this hypothesis of cosmology, this Saguna or apara (= inferior) Brahman, but not for the absolute truth of Nirguna Brahman.
The Sruti itself says: "This Atma is NOT to be attained by a study of the Vedas. It means the Self-knowledge is beyond Vedas. Therefore, there is a need to drop all the scriptural baggage and reach the non-dual destination mentally using soul-centric reasoning.
Swami Vivekananda :~ The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods, and still die like dogs. Where are these gods?
Knowing this, stand up and fight! Not one step back that is the idea. ... Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us! Death means only a change of garment. What of it? Thus, fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards. ... Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. You have cried to all the gods in the world. Has misery ceased? The masses in India cry to sixty million gods and still die like dogs. Where are these gods? ... The gods come to help you when you have succeeded. So what is the use? Die game. ... This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself to your own mind does not befit you, my soul. You are infinite, deathless, birthless. Because you are the infinite spirit, it does not befit you to be a slave. ... Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight! Die if you must. There is none to help you. You are the entire world. Who can help you? - Swami Vivekananda - (Delivered In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900) -The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita II
Sage Sri, Sri, Sankara says:~ Atman is Brahman and everything is Brahman is scientific declaration not religious or yogic.
Sage Sri, Sankara, and Sage Sri, Goudpada are more scientific than anyone else in the world. Since the real Advaitic essence is hidden it cannot be got without the inner [mental] journey.
Sage Sri, Goudpada says that:- The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Gnana is taught to those of higher intellect.
Gnana here is knowledge uncontradictable truth or scientific truth. Thus, their scientific truth of the whole not part is declared by Sri,Sankara 1400 years back and thought only to those of higher intellect. Thus karma and upasana, yoga and orthodoxy have to be bifurcated in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.
Wisdom is for those are capable of inquiring into their own existence to know and realize the ultimate truth or Brahman
It is impossible to find and realize the truth via religion and the scriptural study. Even Upanishads confirm this.
There are many schools of thought in the so-called Hindu religion. These schools of thoughts are add-ons. Therefore, these add-ons have to be bifurcated from original Vedic Religion, to get the pure Vedic essence.
Sage Sri, Sankara said: The world is unreal and Brahman alone is real. It means the birth, life, and death, which happens within the world, has to be unreal. If birth, life, and death are unreal, then the rebirth and reincarnation and Avataric concept have to be unreal. Thus, it is for the seeker to find out, on what standpoint the world becomes unreal, to know the Brahman, which is the ultimate truth.
Causality taught in the Upanishads is only to enable us to understand the supreme truth of no-origination. The world is not different from the self and the self is not different from Atman and Atman is not different from Brahman. That the non-dual absolute appears as the diverse world is only an illusion. If it really became diverse then the immortal would become mortal.
The dualists who seek to prove the origination of the unborn, by that very enterprise try to make the immortal, mortal. Ultimate nature can never change - the immortal can never become mortal and vice versa.
Sage Sri, Gaudapada quotes from the Upanishads: "There's no plurality here"; "The Soul through its powers appears to be many"; "those who are attached to creation or production or origination go to utter darkness"; "the unborn is never reborn, for what can produce it?".
In Isa Upanishad says:~
MANTRA 10
Scholars say that the path of Avidya [performing Aganihotra and other sacrifices] and the path of vidya [worshiping gods and goddesses] produce different results. Wise men confirm this. [X]
Vidya and Avidya both are hindrances to Self-knowledge, but Vidya is even worse than Avidya. The word Vidya is used here in a special sense; here it means worshiping gods and goddesses. By worshiping gods and goddesses you will go after death to the world of gods and goddesses. But will that help you? The time you spent 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.
The Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is the main aim of Santana Dharma. All the physical based theories of creation and creator, Avatar, karma, individualized God, rituals, code of conducts are for the people who are unable to think and reason deeply. Since, there are many schools of thoughts, which are based on the Vedas, and they introduced many theories, which are accepted by the mass. But all these thoughts and theories are meant for the mass. Not for those who are seriously seeking the truth.
Since, our sages hid the ultimate truth, so it cannot be acquired by studying Vedas or comparing with any other scriptures of other religion, but only through deeper inquiry, analysis, and reasoning, it has to be discovered and realized.
Until one becomes aware of the fact that, the man and his experience of the world are a reality only on the base of the false self(waking entity or ego) and man and his experience of the world is an illusion, from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self.
Causality taught in the Upanishads is only to enable us to understand the supreme truth of no-origination. The world is not different from the self and the self is not different from Atman and Atman is not different from Brahman. That the non-dual absolute appears as the diverse world is only an illusion. If it really became diverse then the immortal would become mortal.
The dualists who seek to prove the origination of the unborn, by that very enterprise try to make the immortal, mortal. Ultimate nature can never change - the immortal can never become mortal and vice versa.
Thus, the concept of Avatar is a reality on the false physical self(ego) . Only through the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana one is able to understand what Brahman is. The ultimate truth is beyond religion, god and scriptures. The self –knowledge is possible only when one thinks beyond religion, scriptures and belief of god. Thus, comparing Vedas with other religious scriptures is not the yardstick to make any religion great or meager.
Only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana one is able to understand and assimilate and realize the fact that, the birth, life and death, rebirth, reincarnation and Avatar are a reality on the base of the false self (ego or waking entity) and false experience(waking). On the base of the soul, which is the true self they are mere illusion. Therefore, it is necessary for one to understand and assimilate: How the world is not different from the self and the self is not different from Atman and Atman is not different from Brahman. That the non-dual absolute appears as the diverse world is only an illusion
The non-dual truth has to be proved without religion, scriptures and concept of God. Only in Santana Dharma is the only religion, which caters different theories to different
mindsets. The scriptures also declare the fact that, the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, scriptures, and concept of god. Thus, the universal truth has to be proved without religion, scriptures and individualized god.
Upanishad says: the human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana and they indicate the personal gods, scriptures, worship and rituals are not the means to Self –Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana , then why anyone should indulge in it. The religion, concept of individualized god and scriptures are a great obstacle to Self-realization because they are based on false self. The seeker of truth has to search the ultimate truth without losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, through deeper, inquiry, analysis and reasoning and assimilate and realize it.
That is why Sage Sri Sankara, indicated in Bhaja Govindam says:~ [Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena] - one without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.
Then it is no use going a roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and witness of the universe, which is in the form of mind. By tracing the source of the mind or universe one will be able to realize the Brahman.
Thus, self-knowledge is meant only for those who have intense urge, and courage to accept the truth with humility and reject the untruth. Since people start comparing with their scriptural knowledge, it becomes impossible to assimilate and realize the non-dual truth. Therefore, there is no need to convince anyone other than our own selves to get the firm conviction.
So they clearly indicate rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for the higher knowledge or wisdom. The path of wisdom is the only means.
