Goudpada says:~ The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.+

All the religionists believe in God and Goddesses (vidya) and performing other sacrifices (Avidya) both hindrances to Self-knowledge according to Ish Upanishads, then why does the seeker of truth need to worship God and Goddesses, when the essence of Advaita is Atman is Brahman (Soul, the Self is God in truth).

When the ‘Self’ is formless, there is no need for pada Pooja (feet worship) Advaitin Gurus to get freedom.

A Guru who preaches conduct as the means to freedom believes in birth, life death, and the world as a reality, whereas the Advaitic Sage Sankara declares the world as unreal. Therefore, how actions performed within the unreal world can get moksha or freedom.

There is a need to know the fact that, the ‘Self ‘is not the form but the ‘Self’ is formless, timeless, and spaceless Soul, to understand and assimilate and realize the truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space.

That is why Goudpada says:~ The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

It means the people who follow religion and worship of Guru and conceptual God are lower and middling intellect. But in this modern world, people are sharp enough to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Thus, it is high time to discard the lower knowledge and move ahead to realize the ultimate truth, which is Brahman or God in truth.

Therefore, if one is seeking truth he has to know his true Self is not physical, but it is the Atman, which is in the form of consciousness.

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 toward Self-knowledge, which is the main goal.

One cannot reach the nondual destination by glorifying God and Goddesses and by doing that, one goes deeper and deeper into darkness.

It surely indicates that the seeker of truth has to drop worshiping God and Goddess to get Self-knowledge.

It also indicates that Religious Rituals (Avidya) are Karma (action) and therefore a hindrance. Performing Agnihotra and other sacrifices (Avidya) is a roundabout way of purifying the mind, and it is also groping in the dark.

In addition, it indicates that karma is limited only to religious rituals, not to the whole human life. This karma theory based on human conduct must have been adopted from Buddhism and other theories based on human conduct.

When it says: Perform the obligatory karmas without any attachment to the fruits, and at the same time worship Gods and Goddesses, again without any desire to go to heaven - then you can get the benefit of both, liberation and bliss. For those who are not yet ready to renounce, this path is recommended, it means that the religion and its idea of God and Goddesses code of conduct, and rituals are meant for the ignorant populace which is incapable of thinking of the beyond.

People speak of heaven the abode of Gods, where one goes after death as if they visited and come back.

All the religionists believe in God and Goddesses (vidya) and performing rituals and other sacrifices (Avidya) both are hindrances to Self-knowledge according to Ish Upanishads, Why why the seeker of truth need to worship God and Goddesses, when the essence of Advaita is Atman is Brahman (the Soul or Self as ultimate reality).

When the ‘Self’ is formless and non-dual, there is no need for pada Pooja (feet worship) Advaitin Gurus to get freedom.

A Guru who preaches conduct as the means to freedom believes in birth, life death, and the world as a reality, whereas the Advaitic Sage Sankara declares the world as unreal. Therefore, how actions performed within the unreal world can get moksha or freedom.

There is a need to know that, the ‘Self ‘is not the form but the ‘Self’ is formless Soul, to understand and assimilate and realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space.

That is why Goudpada says that: ~ The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

It means the people who follow religion and worship of Guru and conceptual God are lower and middling intellect. But in this modern world, people are sharp enough to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Thus, it is high time to discard the lower knowledge and move ahead to realize the ultimate truth, which is Brahman or God.

Therefore, if one is seeking truth he has to know his true Self is not physical, but it is the Atman, which is in the form of consciousness.

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 toward Self-knowledge, which is the main goal.

One cannot reach the nondual destination by glorifying God 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 worshiping God and Goddess to get Self-knowledge.

It also indicates that Religious Rituals (Avidya) are Karma (action) and, therefore, a hindrance. Performing Agnihotra and other sacrifices (Avidya) is a roundabout way of purifying the mind, and it is also groping in the dark.

In addition, it indicates that karma is limited only to religious rituals, not to the whole human life.

This karma theory based on human conduct must have been adopted from Buddhism and other theories based on human conduct.

When it says: Perform the obligatory karmas without any attachment to the fruits and at the same time worship Gods and Goddesses, again without any desire to go to heaven - then you can get the benefit of both, liberation and bliss. 

For those who are not yet ready to renounce, this path is recommended, it means that the religion and its idea of God and Goddesses and code of conduct, and its rituals are meant for the masses who are incapable of thinking of the beyond.

In addition, it also speaks of heaven the abode of Gods, where one goes after death, and it speaks of rebirth, this contradiction, the seeker has to conclude that religion, rituals, and its code of conduct are meant for the mass that is not receptive to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar