Sage Sri Goudpada says:~ The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upaasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Gnana is taught to those of higher intellect.+*****.

Religion is regarded as sacred and real by the common people, by the wise as false and by the political class as useful.   Religious orthodox think that through their good karma and performing rituals they get moksha. 

There are two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the more advanced seeker who seeks to know the truth beyond the form, time and space. The religious orthodoxy is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. The Atmic path, emphasis on the Advaitic wisdom, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

The rituals mentioned in the karmakanda of the Vedas are sought to be negated in the jnanakanda which is also part of the same scripture. While the karmakanda enjoins upon you the worship of various deities and lays down rules for the same, the jnanakanda constituted by the Upanishads ridicules the worshipper of deities as a dim-witted person no better than a beast. This seems strange, the latter part of the Vedas contradicting the former part. The first part deals throughout with karma, while the second or concluding part is all about Gnana. Owing to this difference, people have gone so far as to divide our scripture into two sections: the Vedas (that is the first part) to mean the karmakanda and the Upanishads (Vedanta) to mean the Gnanakanda.

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (10) - Ignorant fools, regarding sacrifices and humanitarian works as the highest, do not know any higher good. Having enjoyed their reward on the heights of heaven, gained by good works, they enter again this world or a lower one.

That is why Sage, Sri, Sankara gave religious, ritual or dogmatic instruction to the populace, but Advaitic wisdom only to the few who could rise to it.

If you mix Advaitic orthodoxy with Advaitic wisdom create confusion,   because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.

Sage Sri Goudapada says: ~ The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upaasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Gnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

That is why Sage Sri, Sankara:- VC- 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?

Although Sage Sri, Sankara puts the mystic goal highest in his mystical books, he is careful to say that this goal leads to Brahman, not that it is the realization.

A wise man, having realized Self as the Soul, should focus his attention on the Soul, which is Brahman.

That is why Sage Sri, Sankara: ~ VC- Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity with the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together (verses-6)

As one goes deeper in annals of the history he becomes aware of the fact that the so-called present Hinduism has adopted many things from Buddhism, the religion of Abraham, Jainism, and Islam. If one goes deeper enough he will become aware everything is mixed up and messed up in time.

No one is taken pains to rectify it because; because people have been inherited them, from their ancestors and they think it is blasphemy even to hear anything against their inherited religion and belief. Once one gets involved with the religious class it is the end of the pursuit of truth.

The theistic (orthodoxy) Advaita and Maharishi Dayananda Saraswati‘s Vedic religion is based on dualistic perspective but Advaita philosophy bifurcated from the theistic (dualistic) perspective is the real Advaita(non-dualistic) propagated by Sage Sri, Sankara.

There is no need to study neither Advaita nor Vedas nor Buddhism to realize ultimate truth or Brahman. It is no use going roundabout way; trace the Brahman.

Sage Sri, Sankara said: ~ Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way. (1) Vivekachoodamani v 56, pg 25

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to study the Scriptures, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

 ~ then why you indulge in studying the scriptures.

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to study philosophy, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~then why you indulge in studying philosophy.

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to indulge rituals, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

~ then why you indulge in rituals.

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to indulge yoga, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~ then why you indulge in yoga.

Sage Sankara says: ~ there is no need to indulge yoga, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman

~then why you indulge in yoga.

Sage Sri, Sankara says the transparent Truth of the ‘Self’, which is hidden by the illusion, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, (Gnani) then why you are sticking a Guru who is not a Gnani?

Sage Sri, Sankara says: ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation, then why you are indulging in other types of meditation. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar