Most people in the world are unaware of the grandeur of the ancient Santana Dharma or Vedic religion which existed prior to the Buddhism, Jainism and present day Hinduism. *****

One of Sage Sri, Sankara’s missions was to wean people away from ritualistic approach advocated by Mimamsakas and to project wisdom (jnana) as the means of liberation in the light of Upanishad teachings. Sage Sri, Sankara criticized severely the ritualistic attitude and those who advocated such practices.

Sage Sri, Sankara: ~ VC-  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 (verses-6)

Why Swami Vivekananda said:~ The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods, and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods?

 Knowing this, stand up and fight! Not one step back that is the idea. ... Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us! Death means only a change of garment. What of it? Thus fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards. ... Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. You have cried to all the Gods in the world. Has misery ceased? The masses in India cry to sixty million Gods and still die like dogs. Where are these Gods? ... The Gods come to help you when you have succeeded. So what is the use? Die game. ... This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself’ to your own mind does not befit you, my Soul. You are infinite, deathless, and birthless. Because you are the infinite spirit, it does not befit you to be a slave. ... Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight! Die if you must. There is none to help you. You are the entire world. Who can help you? - Swami Vivekananda  (Delivered In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900) -The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita II

It is because Hindus are idol worshipers of a large number of Gods and Goddesses whereas the Vedic people in Vedic era never worshiped idols and individualized Gods.  Therefore, the truth of the Vedas, one must know the falsity of our inherited non-Vedic religion, which blocks the realization of the Vedic truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

Most people in the world are unaware of the grandeur of the ancient Santana Dharma or Vedic religion which existed prior to the Buddhism, Jainism and present-day Hinduism.  The present-day Hinduism is not the ancient Santana Dharma or Vedic religion.

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 to help the ignorant populace. 

Many Gods and Goddesses with different form and name are being propagated as Vedic Gods by the saints and founders of different caste and creed in the past. All these conceptual Gods are introduced in place Vedic concept of God which is free from form and attributes.  Puranic Gods are non-Vedic Gods.  Vedas bar worship of such Gods.  

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshiped 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.

In Vedas, God has been described as: ~

The Vedas confirms God is Atman (spirit), the innermost ‘Self’.

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)

Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.

Rig Veda declares God is ‘ONE’ and God is Atman, then why believe and worship in place of real God.

In Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~   It has been said that God Supreme or 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.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ “Brahman (God) is the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself”.

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 Atman or Soul, the innermost ‘Self’ is God.

As indicated in ISH Upanishads: - By worshipping Gods and Goddesses you will go after death to the world of Gods and Goddesses. But will that help you? The time you spent there is wasted because if you were not there you could have spent that time moving forward towards ‘Self’-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of Gods and Goddesses, you cannot do that, and thus you go deeper and deeper into darkness.

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

‘Self’-realization is God-realization.  The ‘Self’-realization is real worship. ‘Self’-realization is the goal of Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.

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

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