All religious ideas of heaven, hell, sin, karma are mere an imaginary theory meant for the ignorant people.+

A great majority of Hindus are not in contact with their religious history therefore, they believe their inherited beliefs as the ultimate truth.

As one peeps into the annals of religious history, he finds that Hinduism which exists today is not a continuation of the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma, and it has no real historical foundation.  Hinduism is of a much later origin.

As per the researchers, the two faiths the Hindu belief system has drifted miles away from the Vedic faith so the two seem to be two distinct faiths. It is not difficult to discover that there is no noticeable continuity of Hinduism from the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.

Hinduism is not an Ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.  All Hindus indulge in non-Vedic practices barred by the Vedas introduced by the different founders of the different sects of Hinduism at different times. In contrast, the Vedic religion, or Santana Dharma is ancient and has no founder. Thus to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the seeker has to realize his inherited religion is adulterated in the past and it becomes a great obstacle is realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman.    

While they do not accept the texts past the Vedas, they are still monists and uphold other Hindu views. In their reformations,  they rejected Brahminical control and they were open to all castes and women.

Hinduism is based on myths and thus, the people of India are unaware of the facts of their inherited religious history. The Vedic Culture and Vedas are complete in themselves but Hinduism which is a non-Vedic belief system with all its ritual and conduct-oriented practices has been contributed largely by the orthodox priests to suit their convenience!

Supreme Court of India:~  Hinduism, as a religion, incorporates all forms of belief without mandating the selection or elimination of any one single belief,“ It is a religion that has no single founder, no single scripture, and no single set of teachings. It has been described as Santana Dharma, namely, eternal faith, as it is the collective wisdom and inspiration of the centuries that Hinduism seeks to preach and propagate,”  ---Hinduism has no single founder or scripture: SC, The Times of India (Delhi) Dec 17, 2015

Hindus are idol worshipers of a large number of Gods and Goddesses whereas in Vedas the God has been described as:-

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."

In Vedas, God has been described as:~ 

In Yajur Veda – chapter- 32: - God's Supreme or Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions. Thus,   Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul or Spirit) is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman the innermost ‘Self’. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

The Vedas as a body of scripture contains many contradictions and they are fragmentary in nature. For Hindus, scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas are more attractive and appealing than the Vedas. And also the Gods and Goddesses they worship differ considerably from the Vedic ones. The collection of hymns called Vedas are written in praise of certain deities by poets over several centuries and does not seem to have much significance for the Hindus

Yajur Veda says: ~

Translation 1

They enter darkness, those who worship natural things (for example air, water, sun, moon, animals, fire, stone, etc.)

They sink deeper into darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example,  table, chair, idol, etc.) (Yajurveda 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. Griffith 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: ~

 

Those who worship visible things such as the earth, trees, and bodies (humans and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater ignorance.  

Then why worship and glorify the non-~Vedic Gods in place of  Vedic 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.

The distinctive characteristics of the Hindu belief system cannot be traced in the Vedic literature. Besides, although the Vedas are revered as sacred texts, many people in India do not know what ‘belief in the Vedas’ means. In most cases, the acquaintance of the Hindus with the Vedas is limited to the few hymns that are recited in temples and household liturgies.

Hindu idols or deities or temples have nothing to do with the Vedic religion. Vedic people ate beef. The Hindu practices of idol worship and temple worship ban on beef eating were introduced many centuries later. The Advaitic orthodoxy belongs to Hinduism whereas the Advaitic wisdom belongs to the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.

It is for every seeker who is seeking truth must first know what God is supposed to be in actuality according to Vedas and Upanishads and reject all non-Vedic Gods to realize that Atman is the real God. 

Hinduism is based on myths and thus, the people of India are unaware of the facts of their inherited religious history. The Vedic Culture and Vedas are complete in themselves but Hinduism which is a non-Vedic belief system with all its ritual and conduct-oriented practices has been contributed largely by the orthodox priests to suit their convenience!

Vedas are in the Vedic language which was a high-class language. 

Rig Veda (excluding chapters II and X) was written before the Christian Era in Vedic language.  Vedic language is not Sanskrit.  It is the same language in which the Zoroastrian Scripture Zend Avesta is written – a form of Persian language.  All the other scriptures of India are written in Sanskrit.  

These include Rig Veda Chapters II and X and the Upanishads, Brahmanas, Puranas, and the Vedantas.  These were written during the Christian Era after the Thomas ministry. As the use of this language diminished, it became a tough language for the commoners. 

The priests, who were supposed to be experts in this language, translated it into Sanskrit language and manipulated the meanings in time and gradually, all the practices changed.

The DaVita, Vedanta borrows the concept from Abrahamic religions, such as Eternal Damanation (of certain Souls destined to hell forever) which goes against the belief of most Vedanta schools, which state that the Soul attains liberation. 

 It looks like the creator & creation theory is also borrowed from Abrahamic religion and on the base new belief system has been introduced giving it a Vedic outlook and propagating all non-Vedic rituals and worship by someone in the past.  

The vast ocean of Vedic religion or Santana Dharma was consistently steady and calm for a very long period. It appears that as a consequence of the rage of the Buddhist revolution, it got suddenly disturbed and flowed down to us in disorder. Even today Vedic religion or Santana Dharma has not recovered from the onslaught of Buddhism and Jainism and is not able to settle in people's hearts in its original form in the same old measure.

Sage Sankara endeavored to establish the Vedic religion overthrowing Buddhism. But even he was not able to avoid the influence of Buddhism. The influence of the revolutionary atmosphere of Buddhism has reappeared in the Advaita of Sage  Sankara. His inability to revive the Vedic religion that flourished before the Buddhist revolution in its pure form is discernible.

The orthodoxy is unaware of the fact that their inherited belief system is of superstition and dogmas based on the imagination. They think whatever they have inherited from their forefathers is the ultimate truth. 

After the 2nd century,  there was many adulteration and reforms in Indian society and there were saints formed their own belief systems and codes of conduct, and many new belief systems were formed within India. Each sect has its own founder. Thus,  the whole Indian society was divided into many sects and creeds creating separation in society. 

All these diverse groups of caste, sect, and creed together are called Hinduism. The Vedic religion or Santana Dharma does not exist today. The followers of Vedas today indulge in non-Vedic activities barred by Vedas in the name of Vedas.

It is time for the reform to build a strong society free from dogmas and superstitions. Orthodox people impose their outdated religious ideas on their children and force them into Self-imposed prison.

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.

It is high time for the orthodox people to realize the fact that their inherited belief system is meant for ignorant people. If they think they are on the right path, but from the  Vedic perspective are on the wrong path because they indulge in non-Vedic activities.  Orthodox people think that they are on the right path to Moksha, but such moksha is merely an imagination within the dualistic illusion.

It is high time to realize the truth of their own inherited religion is full of adulteration and they are simply indulging in worships and activities barred by the Vedas.  Vedas warns not to indulge in non-Vedic activities.     

According to Advaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the most advanced seeker who seeks to know Brahman. 

Thus, the purva mimam. sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, the Vedanta, emphasizing the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

The orthodox people are ordinary people. Thus, the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures are obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices. The karma kanda of the Vedas is meant for the ordinary audience, to help lead its followers along the way.

Most of the orthodox families,  today live in the prison of dogmas.   The orthodox people expect their clan to follow a certain outdated religious code of conduct (Shastras) and live dogmatically following the traditional lifestyle. Those children who are married out of religion are treated as not humans.  

Those who followed are favored and others are condemned and excommunicated from the family thinking they are going to get Moksha by doing this act. 

Their chosen path of orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant who have a sheepish mentality and blindly accept the inherited dogmas and superstition. From the ultimate standpoint,  the concept of God itself is a superstition. 

Thus, all religious ideas of heaven, hell, sin, and karma are merely imaginary theories meant for the ignorant people of ancient times.      

It is high time to stop judging who is right and who is wrong in this unreal world and instead spend the same time acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana to realize the world (Samsara) is unreal the Brahman alone is real. 

Remember 

In India, people think that religion is a stepping stone to the higher truth but it is not so because religion is based on the false self (ego) within the false experience (waking or world).

Sage  Sankara is one of the greatest thinkers of all time. This world owes him a deep debt of gratitude. He not only consolidated the classical values of life but also spiritual wisdom. Unfortunately, few philosophers in the world are as misunderstood and misinterpreted as Sage Sankara. Ironically, most of the harm came from his admirers and followers of the Advaitic sect because they propagated rituals as a means to attain lower knowledge which is meant for those who believed in the physical existence (universe or waking)  as reality. 

Sage  Sankara is the only Sage who has final authority on the Advaitic truth. The Advaitic truth is rational truth and scientific truth without dogma.

Sage  Sankara' gave religious, ritual, or dogmatic instruction to the masses, but pure philosophy only to the few who could rise to it. Hence the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.

Sage Sankara says: ~ What is accepted without a proper inquiry will not lead a person to the final goal. On the contrary, such acceptance will result only in evil, in something detrimental to our spiritual progress. 

Seekers of truth should not believe blindly in traditional orthodox nonduality without verifying all the facts from every angle. One has to reflect on reasoning over and over again without getting tired of the process. (Commentary on Vedanta Sutra).

Advaitic orthodoxy is a path meant for ignorant people. The Advaitic orthodoxy is not a means to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  

Advaitic orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant mass that is unfit to grasp the highest truth.   The Advaitic orthodoxy has nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Sage Sankara disagrees with Buddhists who say, there is nothing - a nonentity. Sage Sankara believes there is some reality, even though things are not what they appear to be. If one knows the truth, he will know what to do to find inspiration for action.  The seeker of truth‘s subject is to know what is it that is Real.

Buddhism says:~ all things are illusory, and nothing exists.  However, Advaita avers that it is not so.  It says that the universe, of course, is illusory, but there is Brahman (consciousness), that exists forming the very substratum of all things (illusion or universe).

The ignorant are always egocentric. He thinks what he knows is the truth.  He always indulges in pursuit of an argument. Ignorant is sentimentalized to his belief system. 

An ignorant person just to prove that he is correct, and others are wrong because the ignorant presumes he already knows and wants to see whether others know or not. 

The ignorant person provokes others to snub them. Ignorant accumulates knowledge and tries to show his intellectual wealth. Such intellectual sharing of knowledge is mere garbage. It is of no use in pursuit of truth. Because they are ego-centric and based on ignorance thus they will not yield any truth.

 Scriptures deal only with the Objects, the Seen, not with the Seer. If one starts with the idea that Samsara (universe) exists, he can never see Atman, because Samsara is an illusion and only ignorant people read it as a reality. Hence Sage  Sankara: ~~ "Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar