Source: TW
A similar scathing attack on the Aindra/Daiva religion can be found in the Skāndapurāṇa, where both the Devas headed by Indra as well as the Ṛṣis praising them in the Veda are harshly castigated for, respectively, their addiction to praise & to material desires.
तस्मात् काल-मुखे सर्वे
पतिता नात्र संशयः॥
सर्वे श्रुतिपरा यूयम्
इन्द्राद्या देवता-गणाः॥ १०.७७ ॥
प्ररोचन-पराः सर्वे
क्षुद्राश् चेन्द्रादयो वृथा॥
नात्मानं च प्रपञ्चेन
वेत्सि त्वं हि शचीपते॥ १०.७८ ॥
कृतः प्रयत्नो हि महान्
अमृतार्थं त्वया शठ॥
अश्वमेध-शतेनैव
यद् राज्यं प्राप्तवान् असि॥
अपि तच् च पराधीनं
तन् न जानासि दुर्मते॥ १०.७९ ॥
यैर् वद-वाक्यैस् त्वं मूढ
संस्तुतोऽसि तपस्विभिः॥
ते मूढास् तोषयन्ति त्वां
तत्-तद्-रागपरायणाः॥ १०.८० ॥
While we ought to revere the Veda as the repository of great meanings, there is undeniably some truth in the assertion that at least many of the lay followers of the old Aindra/Sam̐hitā religion may have seen the Gods as means to their desired, material ends. It also can’t be emphasized enough that any understanding of religion (not the Veda or Devas themselves) that sees worship as a barter with guaranteed outcomes & envisions only victory will never be able to help one muster the strength during a famine or abject military defeat.
To clarify, was referring to the Ṛgveda Sam̐hitā, with its distinctly Aindra orientation. Of course, this does not mean that Rudra/Viṣṇu were non-important or that we can’t find transcendental positions for them from the Ṛgveda Sam̐hitā itself. We can also theologize away the predominance of other deities. But all said & done, as a matter of historical reality, we can understand the religious inclination of the Ṛṣis & avoid retrospectively projecting our iṣṭa-Sampradāyas on them. It is telling that older sources like the Skāndapurāṇa were quite clear about this fact.
The Brāhmaṇas, though it may seem like a text centered around human passions & their fulfilment through ritual, paved the way for a loftier understanding. The contemplations & mystical correspondences pervading the chapters on Agnicayana, Aśvamedha, etc pave the path for the Aupaniṣada & later, Āgama developments.
Returning back to the earlier point, it’s noteworthy how the Yahuda accommodation of defeats & failures in their theology helped their religion become more zealous & potent.