Saturday, 4 October 2025

The ancient peoples of India belong to the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma; therefore, they have nothing to do with present-day Hinduism.+

The ancient peoples of India belong to the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma; therefore, they have nothing to do with present-day Hinduism.

Dharma is a very complex word. The concept of dharma is verily the core of our religion. In fact, the right name for our religion is 'Santana Dharma', which means 'Eternal Dharma'.

 The word 'Hinduism' has become a common word in the modern world. The real fact is that words like Hinduism, Hindu, etc., never appear in any of the ancient scriptures! So, to know our religion, the first step is to know what dharma means 

Hinduism is not a Vedic religion or Sanatana Dharma. Hindus do idol worship, while the Vedas bar idol worship. God pervades everything and everywhere in all three states.

The ancient peoples of the Indus Valley of undivided India were not identified themselves as Hindu.

Hindu idols or deities or temple is nothing to do with the Vedic religion. Vedic people ate beef. The Hindu practices of idol worship and temple worship ban on beef eating were introduced many centuries later.

As one peeps into the annals of religious history he finds that the Hinduism which exists today is not a continuation of the Vedic religion, 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 religion of the Vedas.

The distinctive characteristics of the Hindu belief system cannot be traced in the Vedic literature. Besides, although the Vedas are revered as sacred texts, there are many people in India who 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.

Max Müller says: ~ "The religion of the Veda knows no idols; the worship of idols in India is a secondary formation, a degradation of the more primitive worship of ideal gods."

Hindus are idol worshipers of the large number of Gods and Goddesses whereas in Vedas the God has been described as:

The ancient peoples of India belong to the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma, therefore they have nothing to do with present-day Hinduism.  

Hindu idols or deities or temple is nothing to do with the Vedic religion. Vedic people ate beef. The Hindu practices of idol worship and temple worship ban on beef eating were introduced many centuries later.

As one peeps into the annals of religious history he finds that the Hinduism which exists today is not a continuation of the Vedic religion, 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 religion of the Vedas.

The distinctive characteristics of the Hindu belief system cannot be traced in the Vedic literature. Besides, although the Vedas are revered as sacred texts, there are many people in India who 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.

Max Müller says: ~ "The religion of the Veda knows no idols; the worship of idols in India is a secondary formation, a degradation of the more primitive worship of ideal gods."

Hindus are idol worshipers of a large number of Gods and Goddesses whereas in Vedas the God has been described as:-

 Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~   God is the Supreme Spirit.

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 Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

To be considered an orthodox Hindu, one needs 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 a Veda. Some consider the Tantras to be the Veda. Thus, we find that there is ample scope for different 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 sanction; therefore, Hinduism is not the Ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.
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. Thus, to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the seeker has to realize that his inherited religion is adulterated in the past, and it becomes a great obstacle in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman.
The seekers' aim is the search for the ultimate truth or Brahman. The search to find the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth that in actuality never was lost, only hidden.
Upanishad aspiration is best expressed in the following sutra:-
OM Asato ma sad gaMaya, tamaso ma jyotir gaMaya, mrityor ma aamritaam gaMaya. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
"OM Lead me from ignorance to truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. Peace, Peace, Peace" (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (1/3/28)).
The belief system was coherent because they had a transcendent God as a central doctrine, whereas in the realm of truth individualized God cannot be considered as a center. After all, the Soul and the Self are the center of all that exists.
First, one should not hold a God as the center of existence without verification. Both theist and atheist are theories, nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

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