Gods, ghosts, demons, and consequently sacrifices, rites, ordeals, and formulae were not incongruous with his philosophical opinions.

He himself believed in these spiritual powers and in the usefulness of serving them.

It is true that he believed in their eventual doom, but so far as man was concerned they were practically real.

There was, therefore, not only no reason why the sage should not inculcate the old rites, but there was every reason why he should.

Especially in the case of pious but ignorant people, whose wisdom was not yet developed to a full appreciation of divine relativity, was it incumbent on him to keep them, the lower castes, to the one religion that they could comprehend.
It is thus that the apparent inconsistency in exoteric and esoteric beliefs explains itself.