Sage Sankara pointed out that those rituals could in no way bring about wisdom, much less Moksha.+

Sage Sankara pointed out that those rituals could in no way bring about wisdom, much less Moksha.

Sage Sankara gave religious rituals and 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 create confusion, because they mix up the two viewpoints.

Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.

Indulging in Non-Vedic rituals(Puranic Rituals) in place of Vedic rituals is enveloped in still greater darkness; in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time."

Thus, Puranic karmas are not Vedic karmas as per the Yajur Veda.

The Puranic karmas were introduced to suit the mass mindset of that time by the founders of present-day Hinduism by keeping the Vedas as their base. They also introduced a new modified belief system on Puranic GODS with a new code of conduct to revive the Vedic religion, which was in ruins in the hands of Buddhism and Jainism.

Thus, the present-day Hinduism with diverse beliefs is not a pure Vedic religion.

Thus, this hotchpotch ideology is the greatest obstacle to the realization of the ultimate truth. That is why Buddha rejected the Vedas.

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 throughout 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 the Atman, the real God.

As a person, one performs rituals throughout his life. The person who performs rituals and aspires for rewards will view the world in which he exists as a reality. However, the invisible Soul, the Self unborn, eternal hidden by the world in which he exists. From the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the world in which he exists is merely an illusion.

The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc., are therefore addressed to an ignorant person.

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 - 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.

The number of religious believers is more, but the number of seekers of truth is much less. The religious believer seeks the pleasure of his own devotion, while the seeker's only aim is to realize the truth of his true existence.

A religious believer accepted his belief as the ultimate reality. A seeker of truth finds his path independently. Many can become seekers, but only a few can become Gnanis.  :~Santthosh Kumaar