One of Sage Sankara’s missions was to wean people away from the ritualistic approach advocated by Mimamsakas and to project wisdom (jnana) as the means of liberation in the light of Upanishad teachings. Sage Sankara criticized severely the ritualistic attitude and those who advocated such practices.
Sage 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)
Why Swami Vivekananda said 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 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, and 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
It is because Hindus are idol worshipers of a large number of Gods and Goddesses whereas the Vedic people in the Vedic era never worshipped idols and individualized Gods. Therefore, the truth of the Vedas, one must know the falsity of our inherited non-Vedic religion, which blocks the realization of the Vedic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.
Most people in the world are unaware of the grandeur of the ancient Santana Dharma or Vedic religion which existed prior to Buddhism, Jainism, and present-day Hinduism. Present-day Hinduism is not the ancient Santana Dharma or Vedic religion.
The Hindus believed in polytheism, believing all of their Gods to be separate individuals, which were introduced much later by the founders of Hinduism which contains diverse beliefs caste, and creed to help the ignorant populace.
Many Gods and Goddesses with different forms and names are being propagated as Vedic Gods by the saints and founders of different castes and creeds in the past. All these conceptual Gods have introduced in place the Vedic concept of God which is free from form and attributes. Puranic Gods are non-Vedic Gods. Worship of Such Gods is barred by Vedas.
The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, until about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshipped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers of Buddhism and Jains. There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme ‘Self’ i.e. Atman or Soul but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.
In Vedas, God has been described as: ~
Rig Veda: ~ 'Prajnanam Brahma'- Consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.
God in truth is the Atman, the Self. Atman is present in the form of consciousness.
Do not accept any other God other than Atman not worship other than Atman.
Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.
Nothing is real but God. Nothing Matters but love for God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything.
God in truth is hidden by the illusory universe. God in truth alone is and all else is an illusion.
The Vedas confirm God is Atman (Spirit), the ‘Self’.
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 ‘Self’. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)
Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.
Rig Veda declares God is ‘ONE’ and God is Atman, then why believe and worship in place of the real God.
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. Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ “Brahman (God in truth) is in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself”.
Thus it refers to a formless and attributeless God, which is the Atman (Soul), the ‘Self’ within the false experience. Thus it indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imaginations based on the false ‘Self’. Thus Atman or Soul, the ‘Self’ is God.
As indicated in ISH Upanishads: ~ 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.
It clearly indicates that:-If the human goal is to acquire ‘Self’-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana then why one has to indulge in rituals and glorifying the conceptual Gods, Goddesses, and Gurus to go into deeper darkness. Instead spend that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is one’s prime goal.
‘Self’-realization is God-realization. The ‘Self’-realization is real worship. Self-realization is the goal of Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.
Since it is eternal and infinite, it comprises the only truth. The goal of Vedic religion, through the various yogas, is to realize that the consciousness (Atman) is actually nothing but Brahman (God in truth).
Swami Vivekananda: ~ No blind belief can save you, work out your own salvation. Have only one idea of God.
The Vedic pantheon of Gods is said, in the Vedas and Upanishads, to be only higher manifestations of Brahman. For this reason, "ekam sat" (all is one), and all is Brahman. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.