A great majority of
Hindus are not in contact with their religious history therefore, they believe
their inherited beliefs as the ultimate truth. People of India are sentimentally and
emotionally involved with their inherited religion, which is meant for the ignorant
populace. They think it is irreligious to think or speak that their religion is
not the ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma. People from the west
think Hinduism is Santana Dharma or Vedic religion but it is not so.
If one seeking the truth
of his existence then he must know Santana Dharma or Vedic religion is nothing
to do with Hinduism to realize the Vedic truth is Atman is Brahman
(God).
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 the non-Vedic belief system with all its ritual and conduct oriented
practices has been contributed largely by the orthodox priests to suit their
convenience!
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 the 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 experts in this language, translated it into the 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 state that Soul attains liberation.
It looks like the creator creation theory is also borrowed from Abrahamic religion and on the base, a new belief system has been introduced giving it a Vedic outlook and
propagating 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 are not able to settle in people's hearts in their
original form in the same old measure.
The Buddhist influence
is seen in a great measure in the Vedic philosophy which is followed by the
majority of Indians. Thus, it is clear that the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma
has not retained its original form, but has been influenced by other religions that have undergone a sea change. Thus the influence of Buddhism on Santana Dharma is
extraordinary. Even Kumarila Bhatta, who fought with great heroism for the
revival of Vedic religion, was so much influenced by Buddhism that he
established for the first time in the country, an atheist Vedic religion or
Santana Dharma. There is no room for any doubt to assert that the Kumarila
Bhatta School was influenced by atheist Buddhism because the school which
is based on the validity of the Vedas and rituals refutes the existence of God.
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.
Sage Sankara's inability to
revive the Vedic religion that flourished before the Buddhist revolution in its
pure form is discernible.
Hindu idol or deity
or temple is nothing to do with the Vedic religion. Vedic people ate beef. The
Hindu practices of idol worship and temples worship ban on beef-eating
introduced many centuries later.
Swami Vivekananda: ~, “The masses in
India cries to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods?
(In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900, of swami Vivekananda/volume 1)
As one peeps into the
annals of religious history he finds that Hinduism which exists today is
not a continuation of the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma, 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 that 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 Vedic
literature. Besides, although the Vedas are revered as sacred texts, many people in India 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.
God and Goddesses
worshipped in India today are non-Vedic Gods. Such God s and Goddesses cease to
exist without the dualistic illusion. Whatever belongs to the dualistic
illusion is bound to be a falsehood.
Hinduism is based on
myths and thus, the 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 the non-Vedic belief system with all its ritual and conduct
oriented practices has been contributed largely by the orthodox priests to suit
their convenience!
To be considered an
orthodox Hindu one need only accept the authority of Shruti, however, there is
no universal agreement among Hindus what constitutes Shruti. Vedantins consider
the Vedanta, i.e., the Upanishads as Shruti but also include the Bhagavad-Gita
and Brahma Sutras as authoritative. For some Vaishnavas, the Bhagavata Purana is
to be considered Veda. Some consider the Tantras are considered Veda. Thus, we
find that there is ample scope for different philosophies and practices under
the very broad umbrella of Hinduism.
Hindus indulge
non-Vedic beliefs such as idolatry, ancestor worship, pilgrimaging, priestcraft, offerings made in temples, the caste system, untouchability, sati, and
child marriages All these lack Vedic sanctions, therefore, Hinduism is not Ancient
Vedic religion or Santana Dharma. And all Hindus indulge in the non-Vedic practice
barred by the Vedas introduced by the different founders of the different sects
of Hinduism at different times, whereas the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma is
ancient and has no founder. Thus, 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.
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
Hindus are idol
worshipers of a large number of Gods and Goddesses whereas in Vedas the God
has been described as: -
Max Müller says: ~ "The religion
of the Veda knows no idols; the worship of idols in India is a secondary the formation, a degradation of the more primitive worship of ideal Gods."
In Vedas, God has
been described as: ~
Yajurveda – chapter-
32: - God Supreme or Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material
shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all
directions. Thus, Idolatry 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)
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 that 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 is intent." (Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H.
Griffith 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 Prakriti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who
worship visible things born of the Prakriti, 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." (Yajurveda
40:9.)
So, Yajur Veda indicates:
~
They sink deeper in
darkness than 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 Prakriti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human
and the like) in place of God is 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.)
If so, then why worship and glorify the non-~Vedic Gods in place of Vedic 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.
People are unaware of
the fact that God in truth is not that which they believe and worship.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:
~ "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from him
does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". (1.4.10)
Bhagavad Gita Chapter:
~ “All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they
worship many Gods. (7-
Verse -20)
Kena Upanishad 2-5 mentions that God
can be realized in one life. If you do not realize in one life, you are a great
loser.
It is necessary to
realize what God is supposed to be to realize God in truth.
Sage Sankara
said:~Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many Gods as you please,
observe ceremonies, and sing devotional hymns, but liberation will never come,
even after a hundred eons, without realizing the Oneness.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter:
~ “All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they
worship many God s. (7- Verse -20)
Swami Vivekananda: ~, “The masses in
India cries to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods?
(In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900, of swami Vivekananda/volume 1)
Religion breeds
superstition because religion is based on blind belief. Whatever is based
on blind belief is superstition.
God in truth is not a belief. One must know God in truth. Without knowing what God is supposed to be in
actuality worshipping God based on blind faith or blind belief is superstition.
Worshipping
superstitious Gods barred by Vedas. Know what God is supposed to be according to
Vedas Upanishads Bhagavad Gita and Bible.
Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad:
~ Brahman (God) is in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.
Kena Upanishad (6)
Chapter I: ~ “That which
cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is
apprehended-That alone know as Brahman (God), and not that which people here
worship.
Kena Upanishad (7)
Chapter I: ~ “That which cannot be perceived by the eye, but by which the eye is
perceived-That alone know as Brahman (God), and not that which people here
worship.
Kena Upanishad (8) Chapter I: ~ “That which cannot
be heard by the ear, but by which the hearing is perceived-That alone know as
Brahman(God), and not that which people here worship.
Kena Upanishad (9)-
Chapter I: ~ That which cannot be smelt by the breath, but by which the breath smells
an object-That alone know as Brahman(God), and not that which people here
worship.
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.
Bhagavad Gita says: ~ “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)
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 other than consciousness a God.
Vedas, Upanishad, and
Bhagavad Gita confirm the Soul, the Self, is present in the form
of the Spirit or consciousness.
Religion is regarded
as sacred and real by the common people, by the wise as false, and by the rulers
as useful.
The Upanishad says:
the human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana and
they indicate the personal gods, scriptures, worship, and rituals are not the
means to Self –Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, then why anyone should
indulge in it. The religion, concept of individualized god and scriptures are
the greatest obstacle to realizing non-dual truth or Self-realization because
they are based on false Self. The seeker of truth has to search for the ultimate
truth without losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, through deeper,
inquiry, analysis, and reasoning, and assimilate and realize it.
That is why Sage Sankara,
indicated in Bhaja Govindam says: ~ “One without knowledge does not
obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he
follows.
Then it is no use
going roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and the witness of the universe. The universe is present in the form of the mind. By
tracing the source of the mind (universe) one will be able to realize the
Brahman or God.:
~ Santthosh Kumaar
