Hindus who hold the Vedas and Upanishads as their authority have to make sure what is God according to the Vedas and Upanishads.+

Sanatana Dharma or Vedic religion existed thousands of years before the term  Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism came into existence. The term ‘Sanatana Dharma’ finds reference in Veda the oldest literature in the world.

 The Vedic culture is a real Indian culture and tradition which existed prior to Buddhism, Jainism, and present-day Hinduism.

Buddhism and Jainism wiped out the Vedic Religion or Sanatana Dharma. Identifying Hinduism as an ancient Vedic Religion or Sanatana Dharma is a great error. Present-day Hinduism is nothing to do with the ancient Vedic Religion or Sanatana Dharma.

Hindus who hold the Vedas and Upanishads as their authority have to make sure what is God according to the Vedas and Upanishads then drop all the non-Vedic Gods and non-Vedic rituals and beliefs.

Vedas and Upanishads confirm the Soul, the Self, is present in the form of the Spirit or the consciousness. There is a clear-cut idea of God in the Vedas, Upanishad, and Bhagavad Gita. And also there is a clear-cut idea of what not to worship as God in place of real God. Thus, it proves from the Vedic perspective the Puranic Gods are not Vedic Gods.

Mythological stories are a myth. Mythological Gods are a myth. Worshipping mythological heroes as God produces only myth. There is a need to realize what God is supposed to be. Religion has been very influential.

Mythology is a synthesis. They are more concerned with synthesis than with truth. The attraction for synthesis is so strong that people accept it blindly without verifying its validity. 

Mythology is a hodgepodge containing everything; hence it suits everyone because there is something in it for everyone. It is difficult to find any tradition whose voice is not found in mythology. 

It is difficult to find anyone who does not take solace in mythology. But for such people, Self-realization will prove complicated Vedas say never to accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman.

Realize God in truth.

Religious Gods are based on blind belief. Belief is not God. Religious God cannot be considered as the center because the Soul the ‘Self’ is the center of all that exists. 

Without the Soul the world in which you exist ceases to exist, which means the religious God is dependent on the Soul for his existence. God in truth is only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Bible says: ~ “God is a Spirit, and they that worship God must worship God in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) 

The Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the Soul, the innermost Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. 

From the Spirit, the universe comes into existence. In the Spirit, the universe resides. And into the Spirit, the universe is dissolved. The Spirit is the parent of all that is there.

There is no God but God. There is no God because the world in which we exist is merely an illusion created out of God, the Spirit. Call it by any name God is universal. God belongs to the whole of humanity. Religion creates separation God is unity in diversity. 

God is one which the cause of the whole world in which humanity exists. there is no God but God means the world in which we exist is an illusion that God is the cause of the world and is real and eternal. 

God alone is real and all else is an illusion. There is no second thing that exists other than the Spirit, God thus, God is Advaita.

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~ God is Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. God cannot be seen directly by anyone. God pervades all beings and all directions.

God with form, name, and attributes 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)

Even Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God in truth) is in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God in truth) is considered the all-pervading consciousness, which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (14.27).

When Bhagavad Gita says, God is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material then nothing has to be accepted as God other than consciousness.

Religious Gods are not God in truth. One must know God in truth.

Lord Krishna says Ch ~V: ~ “Those who know the 'Self' in truth.". The last two words (tattvataha) are usually ignored by pundits, but they make all the difference between the ordinary concept of God and the truth about God.

The dualistic worship of "God” is only for the ignorant populace. The God in truth is only Atman, the ‘Self’. In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God)  is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object as it is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other besides it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described because the description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not a distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constituted the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman(God) of Sage Sankara is impersonal. 

There is a clear-cut idea of God in the Vedas, Upanishad, and Bhagavad Gita. And also there is a clear-cut idea of what not to worship as God in place of real God. Thus, it proves from the Vedic perspective the Puranic Gods are not Vedic Gods.

Vedas says never to accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman. Hindus assert their religion is monotheistic, even though they honor a number of Gods, including Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer. Hindus claim these various Gods are all manifestations of the oneness of the universe.

Hindu religious practices vary from place to place, but they frequently include yoga, physical and mental discipline to harmonize body and Soul, and ritual bathing. Belief in multiple Gods, the worship of idols and images that are not God, the worship of sacred images, ancestor worship, pilgrimage, priest-craft, the belief in avatars or incarnations of God, the hereditary caste system on the grounds that all these lack Vedic sanction.

Hinduism indulges non-Vedic beliefs such as idolatry, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, priest-craft, offerings made in temples, the caste system, and untouchability and child marriages. All these lack Vedic sanction; therefore, Hinduism is not Ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.

Religious Gods are not  God in truth. One must know God in truth. Those who are seeking the truth have to discard inherited beliefs. There is no need to criticize their inherited religion but it is for the seekers to realize the religion is meant for the ignorant people who are unable to grasp the real God.

It is necessary to realize what is God according to the Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita for their own personal information. Many Gods and Goddesses with different forms and names are not of the Santana Dharma or veridic religion.

The Vedic God is Atman. The Atman is the ‘Self’, which is present in the form of the Spirit or the consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar