All the orthodox ideas rejected by Sage Sankara. There is no need to indulge in rituals, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. There is no need to study philosophy, in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman then why you indulge in studying philosophy.
Sage Sankara pokes fun at ascetics and points out that all their austerities do not cause desires to go (Altar Flowers" Page 205, v.2 P.207 v.4)
Sage Sankara pointed out those rituals could in no way bring about wisdom, much less moksha.
Sage Sankara says the rewards of the rituals were not matter of direct realization. The Advaitic wisdom is based on personal realization.
The orthodox Advaitin believes that rituals alone would lead one to higher levels of attainment. Further, the deities would reward only those entitled to perform the rituals alone. The entitlement involved the caste, creed and other parameters.
The scriptural authority and value of rituals are part of the Advaitic orthodoxy, which is meant for ignorant people.
The Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is nothing to do with the religion, caste, rituals, worships, yoga and other practices. Therefore an obvious disparity between what Sage Sankara‘s path of Gnana and path of Karma. Path of Gnana is meant for the advanced seeker of truth and path of Karma is meant for the ignorant populace.
Even Sage Sankara appear and tell the orthodox people the path of orthodoxy is the path of ignorance they will not be able to drop their inherited samskara or conditioning, which they think is the only way to reach the heaven and reap happy life in the next life.
Many people quote Advaita without really understanding it in its highest aspect. The orthodox think the ritualistic path is real Advaita.
One who follows the path of Advaitic orthodoxy has taken the path of ignorance.
How does he know that what Sage Sankara says is true? There are conflicting teachings.
Advaitic orthodoxy has nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.
Even highly educated HIFI orthodox people refuse to accept anything other than their ritualistic path of orthodoxy.
First Mundaka, Chapter 2 (9): - Children, immersed in ignorance in various ways, flatter themselves, saying: We have accomplished life's purpose. Because these performers of karma do not know the Truth owing to their attachment, they fall from heaven, misery-stricken, when the fruit of their work is exhausted.
First Mundaka, Chapter 2 (8): - Fools, dwelling in darkness, but wise in their own conceit and puffed up with vain scholarship, wander about, being afflicted by many ills, like blind men led by the blind.
Ish Upanishad says:- Those people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide 10/11/12
The religious orthodox people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide, as it were, are doomed to enter those worlds after death.
This is a condemnation of people who do not try to attain Self-knowledge. They are, in a real sense, committing suicide, for what can be worse than being a slave to sense enjoyment, completely oblivious of the real purpose of life, which is to be one’s own master?
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 severely criticized 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 Sage Sankara as the rallying force of the doctrine.
Instead of finding fault and maligning others, the Orthodox must first realize that orthodoxy has nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.
Amazingly, honest introspection will reveal that all fault lies with“ them and their own perceptions and attitudes.
If there is an error in understanding what the Advaitic wisdom is in them, correcting this and changing to a rational and scientific attitude will change their perception
Remember:~
As regards the rituals, Sage Sankara says, the person who performs rituals and aspires for rewards will view himself in terms of the caste into which he is born, his age, the stage of his life, his standing in society, etc. In addition, he is required to perform rituals all through his life. However, the Self has none of those attributes or tags. Hence, the person who superimposes all those attributes on the changeless, eternal Self and identifies the ‘Self’ with the body is confusing one for the other and is, therefore, an ignorant person. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.(11, Adhyasa Bhashya)
First Mundaka, Chapter 2 (10): - Ignorant fools, regarding sacrifices and humanitarian works as the highest, do not know any higher good. Having enjoyed their reward on the heights of heaven, gained by good works, they still remain in ignorance of Atman, the real God.
Remember:~
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 aeons, without realizing the Oneness.
According to the Advaita Vedanta, the Vedas address themselves to two kinds of audiences: the ordinary ones who desire transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the more advanced seeker who seeks to know Brahman. Thus, the purva mimam.sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, Vedanta, with its emphasis on the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.
Those who lack the intelligence to discriminate between formless witness (subject) and three states (object) will not be able to grasp what is real and what is unreal. Both subject and object are consciousness, not subject alone.:
Remember:~
There are two kinds of audiences: the ordinary ones who desire transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the more advanced seekers who seek to know the truth beyond form, time, and space. The religious orthodoxy is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. The Atmic path, with its emphasis on Advaitic wisdom, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.
That is why Sage 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)
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) Vivekachoodamani, v 56, pg 25
Arguing with religious believers is fruitless. Belief in tradition and scripture as if they were true or factual quite clearly is delusion, but the payoff for holding such delusions is, for those who hold them, extremely compelling: the avoidance of the "wrath of God," the hope of heaven or salvation, or the imagined "end of suffering."
Religious orthodox think that through their good karma and performing rituals, they get moksha. Religious moksha is based on the birth entity, whereas spiritual moksha is based on the birthless Soul, the ‘Self’.
First Mundaka, Chapter 2 (9): - Children, immersed in ignorance in various ways, flatter themselves, saying: We have accomplished life's purpose. Because these performers of karma do not know the Truth owing to their attachment, they fall from heaven, misery-stricken, when the fruit of their work is exhausted.
First Mundaka, Chapter 2 (10): - Ignorant fools, regarding sacrifices and humanitarian works as the highest, do not know any higher good. Having enjoyed their reward on the heights of heaven, gained by good works, they enter again this world or a lower one.
That is why Sage Sankara gave religious, ritual or dogmatic instruction to the populace, but Advaitic wisdom only to the few who could rise to it.
If you mix Advaitic orthodoxy with Advaitic wisdom, you create confusion because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.
Sage Goudapada says : - The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upaasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.
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?
Everyone’s individual experiences are not the same. Some are so immersed in materiality, religion, and duty bound towards their family and society that they will not be attracted to the path of wisdom or understand and assimilate the Advaitic truth because they accept the world (dualistic illusion) as a reality, whereas the Sage Sankara says the world is merely an illusion.
Many are good at acrobatics with words, but their knowledge is limited to the domain of illusory form, time and space.
When the inner work is in progress, the realization will happen as the conviction about the Soul, the Self, becomes firm in the subconscious.
Remember:~
Sage Sankara says: ~ There is no need to study the Scriptures in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman
~ then why indulge in studying the scriptures.
Sage Sankara says: ~ There is no need to study philosophy to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman
Sage Sankara says: ~ There is no need to indulge in rituals to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman
~then indulge in rituals.
Sage Sankara says: ~ There is no need to indulge in yoga to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman
~then why to indulge in yoga.
Sage Sankara says the transparent Truth of the Self, which is hidden by illusion, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman. (Gnani)
~ then why stick with a Guru who is not a Gnani.
Sage Sankara says: ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation; then why indulge in other types of meditation.
Those who tell you that Brahman is unity, that you can get it only by intuition, that you should not reason, that you should not question or inquire, are deluding you. Verification must come by thought..: ~ Santthosh Kumaar.
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