Worship of non-~Vedic Gods, the idol worship, temple worships introduced many centuries later are not of the Vedic origin.+

Hinduism is not a religion but more a way of life. The term "Hinduism" is used for labeling the entire Indian people.

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 sanctions, therefore, Hinduism is not Ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.

All Hindus indulge in non-Vedic practice barred by the Vedas introduced by the different founders of the different sects of Hinduism at a different time, whereas the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma is ancient and has no founder.

Hinduism is not Santana Dharma or Vedic religion.  Hinduism is not a religion. Rather it is a group of religions found within India that share common beliefs while still remaining very different.

The ancient peoples of India belong to the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma, therefore, they have nothing to do with the present-day Hinduism. The ancient peoples of Indus Valley of Undivided India were called as Hindus by Muslim invaders. 

Hindu idol or deity or the temples are nothing to do with the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.  Vedic people ate beef.  The Hindu practices of idol worship, temples worship and a ban on beef-eating introduced many centuries later.

As one peeps into the annals of religious history he finds that Hinduism which exists today is not a continuation of the Vedic religion, 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

The distinctive characteristics of the Hindu belief system cannot be traced in the Vedic literature. Besides, although the Vedas are revered as sacred texts, there are many people in India who 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.

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."

Hindus are idol worshipers of a large number of Gods and Goddesses whereas Vedas declares God is ‘ONE’ and that God is Atman.

In Vedas, God has been described as: ~

           v Sakshi (Witness)

           v Chetan (conscious)

           v Nirguna (Without form and properties).

           v Nitya (eternal)

           v Shuddha (pure)

           v Buddha (omniscient)

           v   Mukta (unattached).

The nature of the Atman (Soul) is:-     

         v Witness

         v Conscious

         v Without form and properties

         v Eternal

         v Pure

         v Omniscient

         v Unattached

Thus, it refers to formless and attributeless God, which is the Atman (Soul), the innermost self within the false experience. Thus it indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imagination based on the false self.  Thus, the Atman or soul, the innermost self is God.

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till 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 in i.e. Atman or soul but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.

It indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imagination based on the false self.

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 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 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 are 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. (Yajurveda 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.)

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.

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 innermost 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 that God is Atman, then why believes and worship anything else in place of real God.

Thus, Atman the  Self is God. Thus, Self-realization itself is real worship.    Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is necessary to get realization.

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.    

The seeker's aim is the search for the Ultimate Truth or Brahman.  The search to find the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth that in actuality never was lost, only hidden.

Upanishad aspiration is best expressed in the following way:~

OM Asato ma sad gaMaya , tamaso ma jyotir gaMaya , mrityor ma aamritaam gaMaya . Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

"OM Lead me from ignorance to truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. Peace, Peace, Peace" (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (1/3/28)).

The belief system was coherent because they had a transcendent individualized God as a central doctrine, whereas in the realm of truth individualized God cannot be considered as a center because the Soul, the  Self is the center of all that exists.

First, one should not hold a God as the center of existence without verification. Both the theist and atheist are theories, nothing to do with ultimate truth or Brahman. :  ~Santthosh Kumaar

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self: ~There is no birth, No death, No world.+

From  the standpoint of the  Soul, the Self: ~ 

There is no birth, No death, No world   ~.  This is the truth.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, there is neither birth nor death nor the world. From the non-dualistic perspective, the present birth itself is an illusion because, the Soul, the innermost Self is birthless and deathless.

The one which born, lives, and dies in this world is not the Self.  If the ‘Self’ is not the birth entity then whatever is seen, known, believed, and experienced as a birth entity is bound to be an illusion.  Thus, the reincarnation theory is based on the birth entity (you or ego), which is the false self within the false experience (waking).

 From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, The world in which we exist is merely an illusion.  If the world in which we exist is an illusion then the birth, life, death and rebirth, and reincarnation that happens within the illusory world are bound to be an illusion.

Accepting rebirth and reincarnation theory as reality is accepting false Self (waking entity or ego) as real Self and false experience (waking) as reality. Self-realization is impossible if one accepts the present waking entity as real Self because the Self is neither the waking entity nor the Self is a dream entity, but the Self is  Soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states. 

Reincarnation was not a Vedic belief.  Belief in reincarnation which is central to Hinduism of today is not really attested to in the Vedas though they hint at life after death. The doctrine of transmigration,  as elaborated in Hinduism, has no place in the Vedic hymns”. In the early Vedic literature, there is no express mention of the doctrine of transmigration.

It is in the Upanishads that it appears for the first time. The Rig Veda speaks of two paths for the souls of the deceased, namely, the path of the Gods (devayana) and the path of the fathers (pitriyana). Those who go by the former enjoy immortality and there is no return to physical life after that.

In fact, the Vedic man longed for this state of life. Whereas those who go by the latter path, unite with the fathers and then return to earth, after having enjoyed the fruits of his deeds.

People who are caught up with the idea of reincarnation and rebirth theories are not qualified for Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because they accepted the duality as a  reality.

People who believe in reincarnation and rebirth theories are unaware of the fact that their belief is based on the waking entity, which is the false self within the false experience. The waking entity itself is false Self within the false experience, it means the present experience of birth, life, death, and the world is a falsehood.  Thus, whatever is seen, known, believed, and experienced as the waking entity is bound to be falsehood because the Soul or consciousness the innermost Self is birthless because it is formless. Therefore, the rebirth and reincarnation theory based on the false Self is bound to be a falsehood. 

The three states are impermanent, but the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness, which is the witness of the three states, is permanent and eternal.  In reality, the three states are one, in essence. And that essence is consciousness. Therefore, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.  Thus, consciousness (Soul) is second to none.

Deeper Self-search reveals the fact that the waking experience itself is an illusion. It means the present experience of birth, life, death, and the world is an illusion. Thus, the reincarnation theory based on the false self within the false experience is bound to be a falsehood. 

When the waking entity is not the Self then whatever theories are based on the waking entity imagined theory. 

 This imagined theory based on the waking entity or ego is for those lower mindsets who are incapable of grasping the ultimate truth or Brahman.

People who are caught up with the idea of reincarnation and rebirth theories are not qualified for Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because they accepted the duality as reality. Birth implies duality. And duality is falsehood from the ultimate standpoint.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Scripture mastery, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the Self -realization.+

Scriptures mastery, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth or Brahman. The ultimate truth is revealed in the clear understanding and realization of ‘what is truth and ‘what is the untruth.  

When one realizes the untruth (universe) is created out of single stuff, Self-awareness rises in the midst of duality exposing the unreal nature of the form, time,  and space.

The ultimate truth has to be realized first then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying. I do not require any scriptures.

 I quote Scriptural citation and also the citation of the sages of truth only after verification of reality and proved the truth, to point out that the scriptures teach the same thing. If one quotes them before having demonstrated truth, then it is scholasticism.

Scriptures are being added from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme.

Self-knowledge cannot be attained by the study of the scriptures and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge.  Therefore,  there is no use in studying the scriptures and other scriptures to acquire non-dual wisdom.  That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of God, and the scriptures.

The seeker should not bother about finding the meaning of what is written in the scriptures.  The scripters are not necessary to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The scriptures are meant for the ignorant populace. Scriptures have no value for the seeker of truth.

That is why Sage Sankara said: ~ Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way. (1) VivekaChudamani v 56, pg 25

Even Upanishads clearly declare: ~

Katha Upanishad 1:2:23:~ The Soul cannot be realized through hearing a scholarly explanation of the discourses, not even by the intellect.

Katha Upanishad 1:3:6:~ “Through the knowledge of the Soul, God, one is pure and clean constantly.” Neither by reading the book nor by taking a bath at the holy place has one become pure. Inner purity is possible when one remains in constant touch with the Soul. Constant Soul-Consciousness is real purity.

Kena Upanishad 2:4:~   When it is known through every state of cognition, it is rightly known, for (by such knowledge) one attains life eternal. Through one's own 'Self' one gains power and through wisdom, one gains immortality.

Kena Upanishad 2:5:~ If here one knows it, then there is the truth, and if here one knows it not, there is a great loss. Hence, seeing the Real in all beings, wise men become immortal on departing from this world.

Mundaka Upanishad 1:2:8:~ “Remaining in the fold of ignorance and thinking “we are extremely wise and learned,” the fools with boastful nature ramble about like the blind led by the blind alone.”

Mundaka Upanishad 3:2:3:~ “The weak and timid cannot realize the Self. Self-Realization is not possible through intellect or hearing spiritual discourse.."

Mundaka Upanishad 3:2:3:~ The Soul cannot be realized by the weak and timid.

Sage Sankara says ~   VC~ 56. Neither by Yoga nor by Sankhya, nor by work, nor by learning, but by the realization of one's identity with Brahman is Liberation possible, and by no other means.

58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the scholar but are no good for Liberation.

59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.

60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest that merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence, men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.

61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one?

62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utters the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realization one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.

63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.

64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneself of the splendor of the entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an emperor by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.

Until one knows the truth of his true existence, whatever he knows about God is mere belief. Belief is individual whereas the ultimate truth is universal every belief system has its own idea of God thus there is no universality in the belief system.

All these experiences as the father, son, Guru, and pupil were one and the same consciousness appearing differently. All these distinctions disappear when one realizes the ultimate truth.

Remember:~

Sage Sankara strongly advocated the study of Upanishads, and at the same time cautioned that the study of Upanishads alone would not lead to moksha. In matters such as spiritual attainment, one’s own realization was the sole authority and it cannot be disputed

Sage Sankara also said the study of Upanishad was neither indispensable nor a necessary prerequisite for attaining the human goal, the moksha.

Sage Sankara pointed out; that even those who were outside the Upanishad fold were as eligible to moksha as those within the fold were. He declared that all beings are Brahman, and therefore the question of discrimination did not arise. All that one was required to do was to get rid of ignorance (Avidya or duality).:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ There is no other remedy for it than the realization that all this that we see is unreal.+

A  Gnani who has realized the world in which he exists as the consciousness. What is there to meditate or not to meditate, what to speak or not to speak, what to do or not to do? 

Those who give up the highest and purest Brahmic consciousness live in vain and though human, are like beasts. Having turned the visible into the invisible, one should realize everything to be consciousness itself. 

A  Gnani always dwells in nondual awareness in the midst of duality. The ever-existent Soul or the consciousness shining within the three states can be realized only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  

The Self indeed is this Soul which is present in the form of consciousness, not the phenomenal universe which is present in the form of the mind.

A  Gnani who has realized everything as consciousness. A  Gnani always dwells in nondual awareness in the midst of duality. 

Sage Sankara: ~"That which permeates all, which nothing transcends and which, like the universal space around us, fills everything completely from within and without, that Supreme non-dual Brahman — that thou art."

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 Sri, 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. 

The famous peace invocation of Isa Upanishad says: ~

Om Purna- madah, purna-midam purnat-purnam-udacyate Purnaysa purna-madaya purna-meva-vasisyate

This means ~ All this is full /from fullness, fullness comes when fullness is taken from fullness/ fullness still remains.

 This belief is all-comprehensive and all-absorbing. There is nothing that is not God.

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. However, the texts that combined rituals with wisdom (jnana_karma_samucchaya) more in favor of the Mimamsaka position came into vogue, projecting Sankara as the rallying force of the doctrine.

Avadhuta, the one who has cast off all concerns and obligations, like the Self, is the typical teacher of wisdom. He does that in a highly unconventional manner. He has no use for social etiquette; he has risen above worldly concerns. He is not bound by sanyasi dharma either. He roams the earth freely like a child, like an intoxicated or like one possessed. He is the embodiment of detachment and spiritual wisdom.

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ Truly dualism is the root of suffering. There is no other remedy for it than the realization that all this that we see is unreal and that the Self is the one stainless reality, consisting of consciousness. 2:16

The Self is pure awareness though through ignorance Self is imagined itself to have additional attributes. By continually reflecting like this, the 'Self' dwelling place is unimagined. 2:17

For the Self,  there is neither bondage nor liberation. The illusion has lost its basis and ceased. Truly all this exists in the Self, though ultimately it does not even exist in the Self.  2:18

In Self-awareness, ignorance vanishes, and the unreal nature of the form, time, and space are exposed. 

In Self-awareness (in the midst of duality),  the body is not considered as the body, the ego is not considered as the ego the world is not considered as the world because everything is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness (Soul).  

A Gnani has realized everything is consciousness (Brahman). There is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.   

Remember:

All is consciousness.  The whole universe is consciousness. From consciousness, the universe comes. When the universe disappears, the consciousness still remains without form, time, and space.

Sage Sankara: ~ “VC~ All this universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman (Consciousness) which is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought.

Sage Sankara:~ VC~.63- "Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know the 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.

After verifying through deeper inquiry if one finds the world is the reality within the illusion then he cannot again say the world is not an illusion.

If one is frightened to accept the world is an illusion (waking) then he is unfit to acquire ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Those who are stuck with the reality of the world are stuck with the reality of the individual experiences of birth, life, and death, which take place within the unreal world. Thus the pursuit of truth is for those who have the courage to accept reality as it is, that is the reality without form, time, and space.

When you finally realize the ‘‘Self’ ‘is not you but the ‘‘Self’’ is the Soul then you will realize the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Sage Sankara says:~ VC-47~ All the effects of ignorance, root, and branch, are burnt down by the fire of knowledge, which arises from discrimination between these two—the Self and the non-Self.

Until you think you are an individual separate from the world and the world existed prior to you and you are born in it afterward the ignorance will prevail as a reality. Till ignorance is there the universe prevails as reality.

Sage Sankara says: ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation, then why you are indulging in other types of meditation.

Perfect understanding and realization of ‘what is what’ leads to Self-awareness. By holding onto theories one remains in the realm of duality. 

You have to mentally go on dropping what is not the truth through deeper Self-search. Finally when you become aware of the fact that, your ego, your body, and the world are one in essence then there is Self-awareness in the midst of duality. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar