Santana Dharma has not retained its original form, but has been influenced by other religions that have undergone a sea change.+

The Hindus indulge in non-Vedic practices 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.

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.

Hinduism is based on mythology and thus people of India 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 rituals and conduct-oriented practices has been contributed largely by the orthodox priests to suit their convenience!

The Buddhist influence is seen in great measure in the Vedic philosophy which is followed by the majority of Indians.

Thus, it is clear that 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 Santana Dharma or 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 to establish 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 the Vedic religion that flourished before the Buddhist revolution in its pure form is discernible.

Many thinkers since his time have said about Sage Sankara that he made use of many important tenets of Buddhism and presented to the people the very Buddhism in the guise of Santana Dharma or Vedic Religion.

Though the Santana Dharma or Vedic Religion represented by Sage Sankara is like a conglomeration of many things he deserves the credit for having turned the Hindu mind which was once averse to Vedas -the root of Hinduism, towards the Vedas once again. For this, the followers of Santana Dharma or Vedic Religion should be grateful to Sage Sankara.

The brilliance shown by Sage Sankara, a man of wonderful genius, a matchless speaker, and an extraordinary dialectician is really a great spectacle in history. In his time, there was a severe conflict between Buddhism and the atheist Santana Dharma, or Vedic Religion of Kumarila Bhatta.

Utilizing this opportunity Sage Sankara intervened in the conflict and made use of some concepts and methodology of both the Kumarila Bhatta School and Buddhism to present a new coalition religion before the people.

Sage Sankara gave extraordinary charisma to this religion with the help of his methods of logic and style of exposition. Its influence was so great that both the Bhatta School and Buddhism had to flee from India without leaving a trace.

The absence, even today, of a single follower of the Kumarila Bhatta School as well as of Buddhism, is proof enough of the great achievement of Sage Sankara. This indeed is a historical miracle.

One can see in the Santana Dharma or Vedic Religion expounded by Sage Sankara a different version of the Kumarila Bhatta School and Buddhism. That is why the tradition of following Kumarila Bhatta's methodology in expounding the Advaita thought at the empirical level gained ground in the Advaita School.

Different types of the methodology of Buddhism were absorbed into the Advaita thought, of course, under new labels. There is a very clear similarity between the Vedic Religion of Sage Sankara and Buddhism and the Advaita School has given the world a common message. The essence of both schools is:~

The entire world which man perceives is illusionary; it is just an appearance of unreality and there is only one indeterminate and attributeless Sat at the root of this world".

Some Saints in the past introduced the concept of God with attributes and attributeless gods, but 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.

Thus, it proves that Hinduism has nothing to do with the ancient Santana Dharma or Vedic Religion. :~Santthosh Kumaar