Sage Sankara pokes fun at ascetics and points out that all their austerities do not cause ignorance to go.+

Sage Sankara said: ~ Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many gods as you please, observe ceremonies, and sing devotional hymns, but the liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

No religious God can exist apart from the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

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 more 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, with its emphasis on the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

All the religious Gods with form and attributes cease to exist without the dualistic illusion.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman 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)

How can you worship God? That implies two ~ the worshipper and the worshipped, whereas God is non-dual. One can worship his idea of God only or realize his unity with it when he can’t worship it as a part.

When the Upanishads and Vedas declare that “God is in the form of the Athma, and God is indeed Athma itself” then why accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?

God has to be realized not worshipped.

Advaitic Orthodoxy misinterpreted Sage Sankara and presented only the religious side of his teaching as the highest doctrine. Thus, people are misled. The orthodoxy is based on rituals and mythical Gods and Karma. Advaitic wisdom of Sage  Sankara is nothing to with Advaitic orthodoxy.

Let Advaitic wisdom annihilate ignorance (I) and reveal Soul, the Self the God in truth. Let your ears become deaf to the untruth propagated by the religion as a reality; enable you to realize the truth hidden by the ignorance (I). Let your eyes become blind to illusion to receive the Soul as the Self as it is in the midst of the dualistic illusion.

Sage Sankara makes a distinction between the absolute view and the relative view of things.

Genuine philosophy must be independent of religion, that in Sage Sankara himself the Saguna Brahman or a personal God is only a part of the phenomenal (if not illusory) world and the Nirguna Brahman is the only reality and has nothing to do with religion.

The Brahma Sutras together with Sage Sankara's commentary thereon do not contain the higher wisdom. They are intended for those who are incapable of thinking rationally.

Sage Sankara's commentary on the Brahma Sutras is  not on a philosophical basis but on an orthodox and mystic basis, with an appeal to the Vedas as a final authority.

In Brahma Sutra Sage Sankara takes the position that there is another entity outside us, i.e. the wall really exists separately from the mind. This was because Sage  Sankara explains in Manduka that those who study the Sutras are orthodox minds, intellectual children, hence his popular viewpoint to assist them. These people are afraid to go deeper because it means being heroic enough to refuse to accept Sruti, and God's authority, in case they mean punishment by God. A Gnani says the scriptures are for children, but wise seekers will think rationally.

In Brahma Sutras Sage Sankara takes for granted, and assumes that a world was created: He there mixes dogmatic theology with philosophy.

That God created the world is an absolute lie, nevertheless one will find Sage  Sankara (in his commentary on Vedanta Sutras) clearly says this! He has to adapt his teachings to his audience, reserving the highest for philosophical minds.

The text of Brahma Sutras based on religion, and dogmatism, but in the commentary Sage Sankara cleverly introduced some philosophy. If it is objected that a number of Upanishads are equally dogmatic because they also begin by assuming Brahman, only a few Upanishads do not but prove Brahman at the end of a train of proof.

Scholars' translation of Brahma Sutras in Sacred Books of East must be read cautiously as he has not understood its highest sense, e.g. for Advaita, they wrongly put "Unity" instead of “Non-duality."

Sage Sankara gave religion and scholasticism and yoga no less than philosophy, to the seeking world. He was great enough to be able to do so. His commentary on Manduka is pure philosophy, but many of his other books are presented from a religious standpoint to help those who cannot rise up to philosophy.

Remember: ~

All the orthodox ideas were rejected by Sage Sankara. There is no need to indulge in rituals, to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. There is no need to study philosophy, to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman then why indulge in studying philosophy.

Sage Sankara pokes fun at ascetics and points out that all their austerities do not cause ignorance to go.  (Altar Flowers" Page 205, v.2 P.207 v.4)

Sage Sankara pointed out those rituals could in no way bring about wisdom, much less moksha.

Sage Sankara says the rewards of the rituals are not a matter of direct realization. Advaitic wisdom is based on personal realization.

The orthodox Advaitin believes that rituals alone would lead one to higher levels of attainment. Further, the deities would reward only those entitled to perform the rituals alone. The entitlement involved caste, creed, and other parameters.

The scriptural authority and value of rituals are part of the Advaitic orthodoxy, which is meant for ignorant people.

The Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is nothing to do with religion, caste, rituals, worship, yoga, and other practices.

Therefore an obvious disparity between Sage Sankara‘s path of Gnana and the path of Karma. The path of Gnana is meant for the advanced seeker of truth and the path of Karma is meant for the ignorant populace.

Even Sage Sankara appear and tell the orthodox people the path of Advaitic orthodoxy is the path of ignorance, they will not be able to drop their inherited samskara or conditioning, which they think is the only way to reach heaven and reap happy life in the next life.

As regards the rituals, Sage Sankara says, the person who performs rituals and aspires for rewards will view himself in terms of the caste into which he is born, his age, the stage of his life, his standing in society, etc. In addition, he is required to perform rituals all through his life. However, the Self has none of those attributes or tags. Hence, the person who superimposes all those attributes on the changeless, eternal Self and identifies the ‘Self’ with the body is confusing one for the other; and is, therefore, an ignorant person. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.- (11- Adhyasa Bhashya)

The orthodox people only teach and preach their knowledge of ignorance but none of them wants to know the God in Truth, which is hidden by the dualistic illusion or Maya.

Remember:~

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 still remain in ignorance of the Atman the real God.

As a person, who performs rituals throughout his life. The person who performs rituals and aspires for rewards will view the world in which he exists as a reality. However, the Soul, the Self unborn eternal hidden by the world in which he exists. From the standpoint of the Soul, the world in which he exists is merely an illusion.

The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (9) ~ Children, immersed in ignorance in various ways, flatter themselves, saying: We have accomplished life's purpose. Because these performers of karma do not know the Truth owing to their attachment, they fall from heaven, misery-stricken, when the fruit of their work is exhausted.

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (8) ~ Fools, dwelling in darkness, but wise in their own conceit and puffed up with vain scholarship, wander about, being afflicted by many ills, like blind men led by the blind.

Ish Upanishad says:~ Those people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide.- 10/11/12

The religious orthodox people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide, as it were, are doomed to enter those worlds after death.

This is a condemnation of people who do not try to attain Self-knowledge. They are, in a real sense, committing suicide, for what can be worse than being a slave to sense enjoyment, completely oblivious of the real purpose of life, which is to be one’s, own master?

Sage Sankara says “he who knows the Brahman (God) is one and the ‘Self’ is another, does not know Brahman (God).”

Sage Sankara also asserts that the Self is realized when All the effects of ignorance, root, and branch, are burnt down by the fire of Self- knowledge, which arises from discrimination between these two—the Self and the non-Self.

Sage Sankara’s Gnanic path can help the seekers draw and prepare them for the journey to the reality hidden by the dualistic illusion or Maya.

Remember:~

Sage Sankara says rituals and rites such as yajna or fire rituals are meant for the ignorant populace. Sage Sankara asserts that will not prepare the mindset for the journey to Self-knowledge.

Moral, ethics, love compassion, code of conduct, celibacy, karma, sin, temple worship, ancestor worship, heaven, an nd hell are concerned with the one which is born, lives, and dies in the world.

Moral, ethics, love compassion, code of conduct, celibacy, karma, sin, temple worship, ancestor worship, heaven, and hell have nothing to do with the Soul, the Self because it is unborn and eternal. It is unborn eternal because it is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

Religion and yoga prevent seekers from attaining Self- knowledge.

According to Sage Sankara Atman, the unchanging entity itself is the ultimate reality or Brahman. Atman alone is real, while the universe is unreal. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The Avatar based on mythology is a religious fable.+

In mystical realization, they call Self- Realized person as Avatar.  In spiritualistic realization, they call the Self-realized person as Gnani. A Gnani is the one, who is fully aware of the fact that  the Self is not the form but Self is consciousness, and  he considers his body and his experience of the world as an illusion created out of the Soul or consciousness.

Righteousness, peace, and love for divinity are necessary within the dualistic illusion or Maya. Righteousness, peace, and love for divinity are created out of consciousness. Without consciousness, there is no Righteousness, no peace, and no love. Realizing the consciousness as the ultimate truth is truth realization.

Righteousness, peace, and love for divinity are necessary in practical life within the practical world, but they are no qualifications for truth realization.

A Gnani vision of the world, in which he exists, is, beyond time and space, embracing the Soul, ultimate reality. The universe in which you exist is within the Soul, the Self.

Gnani observes the reality hidden by the dualistic illusion (world) as it is in the midst of the dualistic illusion.

Self- Knowledge is only is true knowledge not the absence of duality. Self -Knowledge cannot destroy the world but it eliminates ignorance and exposes the unreal nature of the mind or universe.

A Gnani is the one who has realized the universe in which he exists is nothing but consciousness. Self-awareness is unique. It cannot be experienced because it is prior to any experience. It is possible only by the realization of the knowledge of the Infinite."

A Gnani sees only unity in diversity, just like a goldsmith estimating the gold in various items of jewelry sees only gold. When one identifies the Self with the form then only the form, time, and space are present. But when one transcends form, time, and space the duality never remains as reality.

The world in which you exist is not separate from the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness because the world in which you exist is an illusion created out of the consciousness.
Remember:~

The universe is nothing but matter. The matter is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, the Spirit. Just like ice is created out of the water the universe is created out of the Soul, the Spirit, which is present in the form of consciousness. The ice is not different from the water the same way the universe is not different consciousness.

The universe is the Avatara of the Soul, God. The universe is nothing but an illusion created out of God.  The universe ceases to exist without God, which is present in the form of the Spirit or consciousness. Without the universe, God alone exists.

Like an ornament made from gold is Gold, that which is born out of the Spirit (God) is Spirit. Like gold is the permanent thing, in ornaments made of gold, similarly, the universe is born out of the Spirit, is Spirit in its essence.

Meher Baba:~Every one of us is Avatar, in the sense that everyone and everything is everyone and everything, at the same time, and for all time.

Meher Baba: ~ “When the reality appears this ignorance which one thinks as reality becomes unreal. 

Meher Baba says:~    Unless and until ignorance is removed and Knowledge is gained . . . the Knowledge whereby the Divine Life is experienced and lived . . . everything pertaining to the spiritual seems paradoxical . . . God, whom we do not see, we say is real; and the world, which we do see, we say is false. 

In experience, what exists for us does not really exist; and what does not exist for us, really exists.

Meher Baba said: ~ "There is no higher or lower goal. There is only one goal, Self-Realization." 

Meher Baba said: ~ God is your innermost Self. Do not search for God outside of you. Let these words be inscribed in your heart. Nothing is real but God. Nothing Matters but love for God. God is everywhere and does everything. God is beyond us and is everything. God alone is and all else is an illusion. :~Santthosh Kumaar

A Gnani possesses perfect knowledge, perfect awareness clarity.+

Gnani is One who knows all the animate and inanimate things in the universe are merely an illusion created out of a single clay and that single clay is the Soul or consciousness. Knowledge of the Single clay is Advaitic Gnana.   A Gnani possesses perfect knowledge, perfect awareness clarity. 

A Gnani sees duality as nonduality in the midst of dualistic illusion or Maya because he has attained Gnana.

Gnani does not consider his body as the body and the world in which he exists as the world because he has realized he and his body and the world in which he exists are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.  

Remember:~ 

Ashtavakra Samhita: ~ "The man of knowledge (Gnani), though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him and only those like him understand his state.

The Gurus and yogis belong to religion, not Spirituality. Guru and yogis are meant for those who are emotionally involved with their religion and religious Gods and Gurus A Gnani will never force anyone to accept the path of wisdom.

Gnani will constantly bring the seeker back to the fact of his inherent perfection and encourage him to seek the truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space. A Gnani knows you need nothing, not even him, and is never tired of reminding you.

A Gnani continuously shares Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana with serious seekers.

A Self-declared Guru is more concerned with himself than with his disciples and plays with their sentiments and emotions. Sticking to such Gurus the seeker will not get the Self –realization.

Guru and yogis are meant for those who are emotionally involved with their religion and religious Gods.

Remember:~

Religion and yoga are not spirituality. Spirituality is nothing to do with religion and yoga. Spirituality is based on the Spirit the real God whereas religion and yoga are based on the matter (body). The matter is nothing but an illusion created out the Spirit the real God.

Manduka Upanishads:~ It is impossible to find out who is a Gnani because he bears no external mark. Neither nudity nor the yellow robe has anything to do with him.

A Gnani cannot have the idea of renouncing the world or giving up something of the practical world because that would connote the idea of duality. Duality is merely an illusion from the ultimate standpoint. Knowing no second thing at all there remains nothing to be given up.

Self- Knowledge is only is true knowledge not the absence of duality. Self -Knowledge cannot destroy the world but it eliminates ignorance and exposes the unreal nature of the mind or universe.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

You are struggling to realize the truth because you are caught up in the prison of your emotions and sentimentally involve with the physical Guru.+

You are struggling to realize the truth because you are caught up in the prison of your emotions and sentimentally involve with the physical Guru. Until you remain in the prison of the emotion you will never be able to cross the threshold of the dualistic illusion. Your physical Guru belongs to the dualistic illusion.

If you hold physical Guru as God and worship him then you are worshipping the illusion. You should not hold anything of the illusion as God. 

You do not require the grace of the physical Guru. You will get the grace of the inner Guru when you fix your attention on the Soul by realizing the Soul alone is real and all else is an illusion.

If you are seeking the truth you should not indulge in glorifying Gurus and yogis. Guru worship is meant for the religious and yogic path, not for the Gnanic path. You and Gurus and yogi belong to the dualistic illusion. Thus, their blessings and grace are bound to be illusory.

Yogis and Gurus are not Gods.

This idea of worshiping Guru as God is not a Vedic idea but adopted from Jainism and Buddhism.

Vedas bars human worship: ~

Yajur Veda:~

"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.)

Then to why worship and glorify the Guru s and Yogis (human form) in place of God when Veda bars such activities and it 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.

God exists prior to the form, time and space. The form, time and space cease to exist as a reality when wisdom dawns. Thus, the Gods and Guru s have no place in the domain of the Advaitic reality. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, which is the real God. Thus, Self-realization is the only way to God-realization.

By worshipping the religious Gods and Guru s one will not get Self-realization or God-realization.

The Soul, the inner Guru revels ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal” when the seeker is receptive and ready.

Advaita is the inner revolution. If you are serious and sincerely seeking truth then you have to drop what is not needed in pursuit of truth.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread." (Select Works of Sage Sri, Sankara" also his commentary on Brihad)

Thus, the above passage proves that all those who were the sanyasin robes are wearing it for the sake of bread belongs to the religion; they are nothing to do with the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. There is no need to criticize and condemn the Gurus, yogis, and swamis because they are needed for the welfare of ignorant masses in the dualistic world.

Sage 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.

That is why Swami Vivekananda said: ~ “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher, but your own Soul.

A person who realized the ultimate truth or Brahman will throw off his religious robe and all religious identity and live like a commoner. He never identifies himself as Gnani nor does he identify himself as superior to others. He only shares his knowledge with fellow seekers.

A Gnani never identifies himself as a Guru or a Yogi or someone disciple. The one who accepts himself as a Guru or someone’s disciple is not a Gnani.

Ashtavakra Samhita: ~ "The man of knowledge (Gnani), though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him and only those like him understand his state.

A Gnani can point at the sky, but the seeing of the star is the seeker's own work. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

It is generally believed that the Buddha and Mahavira were the first to attack the Vedas. It is not so. +

In Vedanta it is that Lord teaches us in the Gita and in it,  he lashes out against the karmakanda. It is generally believed that the Buddha and Mahavira were the first to attack the Vedas.

It is not so. Lord Krishna himself’ spoke against them long before these two religious leaders. At one place in the Gita, he says to Arjuna:: "The Vedas are associated with the three qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas.

 You must transcend these three qualities. Full of desire, they (the practitioners of Vedic rituals) long for paradise and keep thinking of pleasures and material prosperity. They are born again and again and their minds are never fixed in Samadhi, these men clinging to Vedic rituals.

“In another passage, Krishna declares: "Not by the Vedas is ‘Self’ to be realized, nor by sacrifices nor by much study.

Lord Krishna himself’ declares that Self’-realization is not possible by neither by the study of the Vedas nor by sacrifices nor by many studies. Then why you are still thinking, by studying Vedas you get ‘Self’-realization.

Bhagavad- d Gita 2:46:~ "A man of true knowledge who has attained enlightenment, has the same use for all the scriptures as one has for a small reservoir of water in a place flooded on all sides.

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.

Know the Self in truth means Know God in truth. That is God without form, time and space. The Soul, the  ‘Self’, is God in truth. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the cause; the Soul is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Soul the Self. Never accept another God in place of the Soul nor worship other than the Soul.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God) 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.

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

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman 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)

 The Soul alone is God. Never accept another God in place of the Soul, which is present in the form of the Spirit.

Even Bible says: ~ “God is a Spirit, and they that worship God must worship Godin 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 ‘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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara says: - Gnana is common to all religions.+

As one goes deeper in annals of 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.

Sage Sankara endeavored towards establishing 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 Vedic religion that flourished before the Buddhist revolution in its pure form is discernible.

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, castes, and belief. Once one gets involved with the religious class it is the end of the pursuit of truth.

The theistic (orthodoxy) Advaita is based on the dualistic perspective but the Advaita wisdom of Sage Sankara is based on the nondualistic perspective. The theistic (orthodoxy) Advaita bifurcated from Advaitic philosophy.

The theistic (dualistic) Advaita is meant for the ignorant populace.

Sage Sankara and Sage Goudpada are independent thinkers other schools of Indian philosophy are mere theologies. Advaitic philosophy is a real philosophy. The dualistic philosophy cannot escape the charge of dogmatism.

 Advaitic wisdom propagated by Sage Sankara is on the non-dualistic perspective.

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

Philosophy does not begin with the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed. Hence, so-called philosophers who take Brahman for granted are not philosophers at all.

Lots of Advaitin scholars will teach that all is yourself, but none of them can show that this is so, none has analyzed it scientifically, and none can prove it. The rational proof is required so that one arrives at knowing the ultimate truth or Brahman i.e. Gnana. Theirs is mere dogma, parrotism, repetition of what they read in scripture. Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

Sage Sankara said:~ Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many Gods as you please, observe ceremonies, and sing devotional hymns, but the liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

Sage Sankara ’says: ~ Gnana is common to all religions.

There is nothing like One Gnana for a Hindu and another for a Christian. The entire philosophy of Sage Sankara can be summed up in the following statement:-

Brahma Satyam, jaganmithya, jivobrahmaivanaparah: - Brahman alone is real; the world is non-real, and the individual ‘Self’ is essentially not different from Brahman.

This is the quintessence of Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is the pure Vedic essence of the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.+

As we peep into the religious history of India.

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

Hinduism is based on myths and thus, people of Indian 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!

The people on the Indian side of the Sindhu were called Hindu by the Persian and the later western invaders. That is the genesis of the word `Hindu'.

 When we think of the Hindu religion, we find it difficult, if not impossible, to define the Hindu religion or even adequately describe it. Unlike other religions in the world, the Hindu religion does not claim any one prophet; it does not worship any one God; it does not subscribe to any one dogma; it does not believe in any one philosophic concept; it does not follow any one set of religious rites or performances; in fact, it does not appear to satisfy the narrow traditional features of any religion or creed. It may broadly be described as a way of life and nothing more.

 Hinduism seems to be a name without any content. Is it a museum of beliefs, a medley or rites, or a mere map, a geographical expression. 

The Vedas as a body of scripture contains many contradictions and they are fragmentary in nature. For most Hindus of today, scriptures like the Bhagavad-Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas are more attractive and appealing than the Vedas.

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 does not seem to have much significance for the Hindus of today.

Hinduism is based on mythology or Puranas. Vedic Gods like Indra, Varuna, Agni, Soma and the like, whom the Vedic people worshipped, hardly have any significance in present-day Hinduism. 

The Gods and Goddesses important to the Hindus of today are Ram, Krishna, Kali, Ganesh, Hanuman, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and the respective consorts of the last three, namely, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Shakti. None of these deities figured prominently in the Vedic pantheon and some of them are clearly non-Vedic. The major Gods of Hinduism like Vishnu and Shiva are non-Aryan in origin. Though they may have belonged to the Vedic tradition they played no major role in the Vedas.

Thus it is important to bifurcate Hinduism from the Ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma the importance of ‘going back’ to the Vedas’ in order to realize the Vedic religion is nothing to do with the Hinduism, which is based on diverse belief in non-~Vedic Gods, dogmas, ritual, and worship of human being, which is   barred by Vedas.

Indian people are sentimentally attached to religion because they have inherited an adulterated version of religion in the name of Vedism. Hinduism is founded by the different founders of sects and castes from time to time.   Thus, understanding our religion is necessary to realize Vedic Religion or Santana Dharma was cast free, temple free, priest free, free of dogmas. 

People dwelling in India belonged to different castes and communities, worshipped different Gods, and practiced different rites and different dogmas. all these castes and their ideologies are nothing to do with Vedas and Vedic Religion or Sanatana Dharma.  

Remember:~

Vedas are in the Vedic language which was a high-class language. Rig Veda (excluding chapters II and X) were 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 Chapter 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 an expert 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 states that 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 Vedic outlook and propagated all non-Vedic rituals and worships 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.

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

All Hindu Gods are non -Vedic God. The Vedas exclaim from time immemorial: ~

In Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~ It has been said that God Supreme or 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.

The Vedas exclaim from time immemorial: ~

Rig Veda, 1-164-146:~ Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti, Existence is One 

God is one and universal.

God is the Spirit. The Spirit is the Soul, the Self. God is the Soul, the innermost Self. The Soul is the Supreme Being the One eternal homogeneous essence, indivisible consciousness and intelligence, which is beyond the form, time, and space. To which the Sages describe in a variety of ways through diverse words.

God is the Spirit. The Spirit is the Soul, the Self. God  in truthis the Soul, the Self. The Soul is the Supreme Being the One eternal homogeneous essence, indivisible consciousness and intelligence, which is beyond the form, time, and space. To which the Sages describe in a variety of ways through diverse words.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (God in truth) 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)

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

The Upanishads say in effect that ~ If you believe that the Soul is one and God (Brahman) is another you cannot understand Truth.

Brihad Upanishad: ~ “If you think there is another entity, whether man or God there is no truth."

Religion advocates extreme asceticism. Asceticism is a waste of time. Religion is nothing but remaining in a false belief, dogmas, and superstition.

Mundaka Upanishad:~ The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing the sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross the sea of samsara on these poor rafts.

Ignorant of their own ignorance, yet wise In their own esteem, these deluded men Proud of their vain learning go round and round Like the blind led by the blind.

Sage Sankara says ~ “The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards are therefore addressed to an ignorant person. Thus, the rituals are meant for ignorant people.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread."

~ this shows he was wearing the religious robe only for the sake of bread." Thus, it means those who are wearing religious robe for the sake of bread.

All the rituals based on the false belief of Gods will not yield any fruits and they are meant for the ignorant populace who are unable to grasp the God beyond the form, time, and space.

One of Sage Sankara’s missions was to wean people away from a 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. However, the orthodox texts that combined rituals with wisdom (jnana_karma_samucchaya) more in favor of the Mimamsaka position came into vogue, projecting Sage Sankara as the rallying force of the doctrine.

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

The Vedic system did not have castes system. The caste system was a fake created in the name of Hinduism. This non~Vedic belief system called Hinduism created hatred in the low caste Hindu for the higher caste.

Conclusion: ~ Sage  Sankara gave ritual, karma, and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect which is followed by the Hindus of today is dualistic. Many founders of sect and caste and groups of Hinduism was introduced with different scriptures different non-Vedic Gods and Goddesses and rituals.

Hinduism is nothing to do with Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom, which is nondualistic. Those who want to acquire self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana have to drop all the non-Vedic beliefs, which is a hindrance in the path of wisdom.

Sage Sankara's  wisdom is nothing to do with Hinduism. Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is the pure Vedic essence of the Vedic Religion or Santana Dharma.

This is information is for the seekers of truth to help them to drop what is not needed for to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.: ~ Santthosh Kumaar