Sage Goudapada says: - The merciful Veda teaches Karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Gnana is taught to those of higher intellect.
Remember:~
Sage Goudapada says: - The merciful Veda teaches Karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Gnana is taught to those of higher intellect.
Remember:~
Remember:~
Past, present, and future are within the world in which you exist. The past, present, and future are based on form, time, and space. Form, time, and space are created out of a single clay. And that single clay is consciousness.
You are the false self within the false experience (waking). The world in which you exist within the Soul, and the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is the cause of the world in which you exist. And consciousness itself is uncaused.
From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the world in which you exist is merely an illusion. thus, the past present future is merely an illusion. Thus, consciousness alone is real and eternal. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.
Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana brings eternal freedom and frees the Soul, the Self from the bondage of the illusory form, time, and space. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar
Caste-infected Hinduism is nothing to do with the Vedic religion or Sanatana Dharma because Rigveda prohibits the very concept of castes by birth.
There is hardly any evidence of a rigid caste system in the Vedas. It is argued that the purushasuktahymn of the Rig Veda (X.90) which is often referred to in order to give a religious sanction to the caste system was a later interpolation.
The Vedas, however, speak of various classes of people, which appear to have been names of professions, and they were not hereditary.
The very concepts of castes by birth, upper/lower castes, superior/inferior castes, outcastes, untouchables, Dalits, etc. are clearly prohibited by Rig-Veda”.
The caste system which is so integral to Hinduism was also not practiced in the Vedic times.
The Book of Manu was made by Manu Dharma Shastra. The Book of Manu was a book that originated in India. This book of Manu was given a false spiritual interpretation by orthodoxy. And this book was projected as ‘Manu Dharma Shastra’ by orthodoxy. It is the Manu Dharma Shastra that is the foundation and cause of caste discrimination.
Sage Sankara endeavored toward establishing the Vedic religion and overthrowing Buddhism but Sage Sankara's inability to revive the Vedic religion that flourished before the Buddhist revolution in its pure form is discernible.
Santana Dharma or Vedic religion was not the religion of the Hindus, nor were the Vedic people Hindus, nor will the Hindus of today approve the replacement of the term ‘Hinduism’ with Santana Dharma or Vedic Religion. None can say exactly when the Aryans became Hindus because neither the name Hindu nor its major beliefs and practices existed in the Vedic times.
To this, one must add the marginal place the Vedic gods occupy in today’s Hindu pantheon. In addition, as we have seen, the Vedas themselves are not attractive to most of today’s Hindus as sacred texts. The Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad-Gita, Puranas, and Manusmriti, may have more to do with the Hinduism of today than the Vedas.
Thus, it is clear that there is no direct ancestry of modern Hinduism traceable in the Vedas, though it does have some influence on it “The Vedic corpus reflects the archetypal religion of those who called themselves Aryas, and which, although it contributed to facets of latter-day Hinduism, was nevertheless distinct”.
All 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.
Hinduism is not Vedic religion or Santana Dharma. Hindus do idol worship, while Vedas bar idol worship.
The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, until 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’ i.e. Atman or Soul but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.
The Hindus believed in polytheism, believing all of their Gods to be separate individuals, which was introduced much later by the founders of Hinduism which contains diverse beliefs caste, and creed.
When the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma 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.
Hindus do idol worship, while Vedas bar idol worship. According to Vedas, God pervades everything and everywhere.
People, who worship the belief in Gods, with forms and names, are hallucinating that they become one with such God because they believed the false God as the real God.
To be considered an orthodox Hindu one need only accept the authority of Shruti, however, there is no universal agreement among Hindus on 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 ideologies, philosophies, and practices under the very broad umbrella of Hinduism.
Hindus indulge in 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.
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: ~ 'Prajnanam Brahma'- Consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.
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.
Yajurveda: ~ There is no image of God in truth. God in truth is unborn and eternal. (Chapter 32, Verse 3)
Yajur Veda indicates that: ~ Those who worship visible things born of matter in place of God in truth 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.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God in truth) is present in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.
When Upanishads and Vedas declare that, “God is present in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself then why accept another God in place of the Atman or worship other than the Atman.
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 or God. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar
Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru: ~ “The word Hindu can be earliest traced to a source a tantric in the 8th century and it was used initially to describe the people, it was never used to describe religion. (The discovery of India” on page -74 and -75)
All religions survive on myths. The rationalists would be on more solid ground if they attack myths of all religions.
Religion is a prison of ignorance. People who follow religion are locked up in ignorance. God in truth is not what people believe and worship. The belief or faith-based is not God in truth.
Religious Gods are Mythical Gods based on blind belief. All Gods based on blind belief or faith is a myth. Whatever is based on myth is merely a superstition.
Mythological stories are a myth. Whatever is based on myth is merely a superstition.
Mythology was introduced in the past to the ignorant masses. It has to be discarded as one progresses in his spiritual advancement.
Mythology breeds superstition, blind belief, senseless rituals, and most irrational and gives them a divine outlook.
Religious Gods are not God in truth. One must know God in truth.
The Puranas are based on the false idea of a personal God because the writers have thought of God as a glorified man and woman.
The translations made till now of Indian philosophical works have represented religion and mythology, not philosophy.
The greatest pundits do not understand it, for they do not understand science. What has this mythological teaching done for India? Look at its state today. Look at the conversions.
Imagining that God has ashes on his forehead or blazing like the sun-- that is all poetry and depends only on faith.
All the Siddhantas are dualistic, and unphilosophical introduced by the founders of the different sects of Hinduism,
The religious Saints culled some paras from the Upanishads with convenient vagueness to establish their God and Theology.
Indians are more religious than other people in the world. The six systems of Indian Philosophy are really six systems of Indian speculation. For there is only one Truth.
The ancient Hindu tenet borrowed by theosophists of the universe appearing and dissolving, days and nights of Brahma, entering into pralaya, etc. is intended for mediocre intellects who cannot rise to the truth. It is a convenient fable representing the philosophic truth that the whole universe dissolves in your mind in deep sleep, thus entering pralaya, and rises again the next morning, i.e. it is all imagination, idea. The Brahma-God has nothing to do with it.
Unfortunately, every religion is attacking the other considering them to be a myth. The only way out is to unfold the mystery of existence.
Many paths and theories and practices make one confused about which path and practice to use because each one of them claims to get the truth. Everyone tries this and that still one is unable to unfold the mystery. The mystery of existence becomes a distant dream.
Religious truth is individual truth and it is not universal truth because religion is based on individuality. Spiritual truth is the universal truth.
There is no scope for individuality in the realm of ultimate truth or Brahman. In the realm of ultimate truth or Brahman the form, time, and space are one in essence. The essence is formless consciousness (Soul), the ‘Self’. Thus, consciousness alone is real and eternal and all else is merely an illusion.
The scriptures give many advice and remedies and each of them claims to be infallible. It is high time for them the shift their attention from all the theories and practices which are based on the physical ‘Self’ and indulge in ‘Self’-analysis and discover the facts of their own existence.
Yoga Vasistha:~ "Teachers, interpretations of sacred texts, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth which is revealed in the clear reflection of the heart, engendered from contact with the good."
The only way to unfold the mystery of existence is a deeper Self-search that helps the seeker of the truth to discover and realize the true facts of his true existence through deeper self-search without the help of religion, glorifying Gods, scriptural studies, or yogic practice.
When the seeker realizes the facts of his true existence then realizes that the Self is not ‘I’ but the ‘I’ is the mind, which is present in the form of the universe.
The waking experience is a dualistic illusion. Thus, the seeker realizes the fact that whatever he believed and experienced as a reality on the base of the ‘I’ is an illusion. The Self is the Soul, the witness of the ‘I’. Thus, it is necessary to seek the truth.
When the seeker inquiries into the nature of the mind, which is present in the form of the universe, then he realizes that ‘I’ is the mind. And the mind itself is the universe.
Truth realization is a gradual process. The seeker progresses gradually. The first requirement is a strong aspiration which gives rise to inquiry and reason.
Know what God suppose to be in truth according to the scriptures.
Religious Gods are mere beliefs. Belief is not God. Religious God cannot be considered as the center because the Soul the innermost ‘Self’ is the center of all that exists. Without the Soul the world in which you exist ceases to exist, which means the religious God is dependent on the Soul for his existence. God in truth is only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.
Even Bhagavad Gita says: ~ ‘Brahmano hi pratisthaham” ~ Brahman (God in truth) 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.
Even Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God in truth) is present in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.
Rig Veda: ~ 'Prajnanam Brahma': - Consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.
Even 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)
Yajur Veda – 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.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~ "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from the Self does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)".(1.4.10)
No mantras help to get rid of ignorance. All the mantras and rituals are meant for the ignorant populace, which strongly believes, in the world in which he exists as a reality. For one who wants to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the mantas will not help to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.
That is why Sage Sankara VC-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?
VC- v6~ Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity With the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together
Sage Sankara goes on to say: ~A sickness of not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman (God).” Brahman must be realized. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying “I am a king.”
A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual disciplines but never by subtle arguments.
Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman or God in truth is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object as it is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other besides it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described, because description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sankara is impersonal.
Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the Self. Advaita is the Soul itself. Advaita is the Soul, God. Advaita is another word for God, which is second to none. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar
Science may give the scientific answers, religion the religious answers, and the yogi will give yogic answers but in pursuit of truth the se...