Mundaka Upanishad:~How can you inquire into Atma which you cannot see? So first we deal with the known and seen.+

All religious injected dogmas and beliefs, rituals and ceremonies, can never be the essence of spirituality. Religion has become merely a matter of blindly following inherited outdated traditions, culture, external rituals, and ceremonies.

Faith in religion and its belief has become a prison for the Soul, the Self because religion is based on faith, not truth. Faith belongs o ignorance. Ignorance is the cause of the dualistic illusion(universe).

According to Sages of truth, the Atmic path is not meant for the religious and yogic mindset. There is no need to convince anyone and waste time in perverted argument and provocation.

The seeker aims to think deeply reflect constantly to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space. The ignorant who want to remain in ignorance is not qualified for the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

The Atmic path is not for religious and yogic-minded people. Religious and yogic people must move on their chosen path. The Atmic path is for only seekers of truth who are seriously searching for the truth of their existence.

Sages of truth restrained themselves parting the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana to the ignorant populace and only a selected few. It was hidden from the people who were not qualified and receptive to it. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana was not written down but was imparted orally to the chosen few.

Thus, religion was given to the mass and knowledge of the spirit is given only selected a few. Thus, we find traces of the knowledge of the spirit in the religious books in the form of parables.

Katha Upanishad says: ~ This Atman is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals its form. (II -23-P-20)

The inner Self reveals ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal” when the seeker is receptive and ready Do not believe in a thing because you have read about it in a book. Do not believe in a thing because a wise man has said it was true. Do not believe in words because they are hallowed by dualistic knowledge Find out the truth for yourself. Use Soulcentric reason, which leads to the realization of the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Advaitic wisdom can never be gained by argument and provocation. Discard all the accumulated dualistic knowledge by realizing the world in which you exist, exists because of ignorance. Get rid of the ignorance by realizing the world in which you exist is created out of single clay and that single clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness. Realizing the ‘Self’’ is not you but the Soul is Self-realization. The Soul is the cause of the universe and it, itself is uncaused.

Katha Upanishad says:~ Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. (Ch~ II-5 P-14)

Those who indulge in a perverse argument on their own standpoint and opinion are not seeking the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. They just want to exhibit their accumulated knowledge accumulated from here and there. They think what they know is the ultimate truth. They think whatever they propagate is the ultimate truth. The question never occurs to them, “Is what I know is the truth.

Remember:~

Mundaka Upanishad:~ The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing the sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross the sea of samsara on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their ignorance, yet wise In their own esteem, these deluded men proud of their vain learning go round and round Like the blind led by the blind.

How can you worship the Absolute? That implies two ~ the worshiper and the worshiped, whereas the Absolute is nondual. One can worship his idea of the Absolute (God) only or realize his unity with it when he can’t worship it as apart.

The essence of Mundaka Upanishads is: ~ Do not be satisfied with rituals, yoga, etc. which are good in their own way but inquire. Into what? Brahman and Atman are things you can never see. So do not inquire into them. Inquire into the world around you, which you can see. Science tells you it is passing away every second. Everything is dying repeatedly. Where is it going? Thus, you follow up your inquiry into what you can lay hands on. How can you inquire into Atma which you cannot see? So first we deal with the known and seen, this inquiry leads up to the unknown in the end.

Remember:~

Religious rites and rigid ceremonies were passed down from one generation to the next as a practice or set customs and tradition and performed automatically with blind faith. Such worship based on the belief of God does not reach God.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa-havans, or any other forms of ritual are meant for the ignorant populace.

Belief in God without knowing God in actuality holds the worshiper more firmly in the grip of ignorance.

All worship and the ceremonies rituals performed on the base of non-Vedic Gods will not yield any fruits. Deeper self-search reveals the fact that worshiped, the worship and worshiper, and the world are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

Mundaka Upanishad condemns rituals. The Para or Higher knowledge is the knowledge of the Supreme Being while the Apara or Lower Knowledge is that of following sacrificial rites and ceremonies. (1/2/ 1 – 6)

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa-havans, or any other forms of ritual formal observance have long since set in.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa-havans, or any other forms of ritual are meant for the ignorant populace. In the Atmic path, the seeker has to discard what is not needed to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

Religious rites and ceremonies, yagnas and homa-havans, or any other forms of ritual formal observance have long since set in.

Sage Sankara says ~ “The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.

Meher Baba: ~ When religion has become merely a matter of external rituals and ceremonies, it has become a cage for the Soul.

The beliefs are barriers to Self-realization.

Isa Upanishads indicate that:~ The time one spends in ritualistic practices is wasted; one can spend the same time moving forward towards Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, which is the main goal.

Isa Upanishads indicate that:~ By worshiping Gods and Goddesses and going to the world of gods after death is of no use. The time one spends in ritualistic practices is wasted; one can spend the same time moving forward towards Self -knowledge, which is the main goal. One cannot reach the non-dual destination by glorifying gods and goddesses and by doing that, one goes deeper and deeper into darkness. It surely indicates the fact that the seeker of truth has to drop the worshiping god and goddess to get Self -knowledge.

So, they clearly indicate rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for higher knowledge or wisdom. The path of wisdom is the only means.

Sage Sankara gave religious, ritual, or dogmatic instruction to the mass but pure philosophy only to the few who could rise to it. Hence, the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.

Sage Sankara:~ (11.1) This ignorance (mistaking the body for “Self’ ) brings in its wake a desire for the well-being of the body, aversion for its disease or discomfort, fear of its destruction, and thus a host of miseries(anartha). This anartha is caused by projecting karthvya(“doer” sense) and bhokthavya (object) on the Atman. Sage Sankara calls this adhyasa. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are, therefore, he says, addressed to an ignorant person.- Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara:~ (11.2) In short, a person who engages in rituals with the notion “I am an agent, doer, thinker”, according to Sage Sankara, is ignorant, as his behavior implies a distinct, separate doer/agent/knower; and an object that is to be done/achieved/known. That duality is avidya, an error that can be removed by vidya.-Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara: ~ (12) Sage Sankara affirming his belief in one eternal unchanging reality (Brahman) and the illusion of plurality, drives home the point that Upanishads deal not with rituals but with the knowledge of the Absolute (Brahma vidya) and the Upanishads give us an insight into the essential nature of the Self’ which is identical with the Absolute, the Brahman. -Adhyasa Bhashya

Sage Sankara: ~ Atman, the in Self’ is verily Brahman (God), being equanimous, quiescent, and by nature absolute Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss. Atman is not the body that is non-existence itself. This is called true Knowledge by the wise. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar