God is not within you, but the universe in which you exist is within the God.+

It is only one in millions who realize that consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.  A Gnani is fully aware of the fact that the consciousness alone is Real all else is merely an illusion.  No amount of studying Vedanta can give Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

On the spiritual path, the seeker must have an intense urge to realize the truth. All accumulated knowledge, accumulated from here and there leads the seeker away from realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman or God.  The seeker has to have a rational outlook to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

The Soul, the innermost self is God. The soul is present in the form of consciousness. Thus, consciousness itself is God.  God is not within you, but the universe in which you exist is within God. The universe in which you exist is created out of God, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, all those Gods people believe and all those Gods you worship are manmade because in reality God alone is real and the universe in which we exist is merely an illusion.   

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~ The Self is indeed Brahman (God), but through ignorance, people identify it with intellect, mind, senses, passions, and the elements of earth, water, air, space, and fire. This is why the Self is said to consist of this and that and appears to be everything. 

Yajurveda says: - If one worships what is not God: ~ 

Translation 1.

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

They sink deeper in 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 is intent.~("Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith 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: ~

They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc ~(Yajurved 40:9)

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.)

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. 

When the religion of the Veda knows no idols, then why so many Gods and Goddesses with different forms and names are being propagated as Vedic Gods. Why these conceptual Gods are introduced when the Vedic concept of God is free from form and attributes.

Someone has introduced the concept of God with attributes and attributeless Gods when Yajur Veda says: ~ 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. Therefore, all these add-ons prove that the form and attribute-based concepts are introduced by some sages of the past with a new belief system and code of conduct in the name of Vedas. 

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 glorify the conceptual Gods and Goddesses to go into deeper darkness. Instead, spend that time moving forward towards Self -knowledge, which is one’s prime goal.  

Since it is eternal and infinite, it comprises the only truth. The goal of Vedic religion, through the various yogas, is to realize that consciousness (Atman) is actually nothing but Brahman.

The Vedic pantheon of Gods is said, in the Vedas and Upanishads, to be the only higher manifestations of Brahman. For this reason,- "ekam sat" (all is one), and all is Brahman.:~Santthosh Kumaar