Vedas are telling us how to go to heaven if you want to go, and then the Vedas say:
अविद्यायामन्तरे वर्तमानाः स्वयं धीराः पण्डितं मन्यमानाः ।
जङ्घन्यमानाः परियन्ति मूढा अन्धेनैव नीयमाना यथान्धाः ॥Avidyāyām antare vartamānāḥ svayaṁ dhīrāḥ paṇḍitaṁ manyamānāḥ,
Janghanyamānāḥ pariyanti mūḍhā andhenaiva nīyamānā yathāndhāḥ.- Mundaka Upanishad 1.2.8
इष्टापूर्तं मन्यमाना वरिष्ठं नान्यच्छ्रेयो वेदयन्ते प्रमूढाः ।
नाकस्य पृष्ठे ते सुकृतेऽनुभूत्वेमं लोकं हीनतरं वा विशन्ति ॥Iṣhṭāpūrtaṁ manyamānā variṣhṭhaṁ nānyacchreyo vedayante pramūḍhāḥ,
Nākasya pṛṣhṭhe te sukṛite ’nubhūtvemaṁ lokaṁ hīnataraṁ vā viśhanti.- Mundaka Upanishad 1.2.10
The Vedas are saying the person who strives to and wants to go to heaven is not only an ordinary fool, but he is the greatest fool, Pramūḍha. The word Mūḍha in Sanskrit means murkh in Hindi, means stupid, foolish (in english). And in Sanskrit, when you put the prefix Pra before a word, it means the greatest, pramūḍha.
Why?
What does Bhagwan Shree Ram mean in the Ramayana when He says it (heaven) ends in suffering? So Bhagwan Krishna gives the answer in Gita.
He says:
ते तं भुक्त्वा स्वर्गलोकं विशालं क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।
एवं त्रयीधर्ममनुप्रपन्ना गतागतं कामकामा लभन्ते ॥Te taṁ bhuktvā svarg-lokaṁ viśhālaṁ kṣhīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśhanti.
Evaṁ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante.- Gita 9.21
You see, when you perform dharm (righteous action), etc., you will go (to heaven), that’s your desire.
Somebody may ask, “Well, if heaven is not the place to go, why is the scripture talking about heaven?”
The scriptures are put in greed. The Saints and Bhagwan know, especially in kaliyug, people have no interest in God. To sit down and have a natural yearning and longing for God, to love God, is not natural. So they put greed: “If you do this, yeah, you will go to heaven. You will get this thing.”
So at least people will be respectful to their elders, they will do good action, or else everybody will just (act without morals)—the world will finish in no time.
So in order for this world to run smoothly and people to live, you know, in harmony, these things have been written, but it’s not the actual, not the ultimate aim.
