Namaste Indraneela and all,
Most of things what MH has suggested has grown by itself (Swayambhu) in the fertile minds of MH. So, please take it with a pinch of salt.
Your question was on Upanishads ... are they ignored by the Hindus ? First of all, there is absolutely no ban on any person to study Vedas in today's Hindu society. In Vedic times, the Veda-sutras have been composed by many non-Brahmins even the so-called Sudra-Rishis. I should not remind that Maharishi VyAs who has written many authoritative scriptures was a Sudra in strict sense. Again, all the six schools of Vedanta who actually spent considerable time to learn the Upanishads' message accepted people from all castes without any hitch, as far as I know. The Arya Samaj who goes purely by the Vedas and doesn't believe in the authority of any scripture other than the Vedas doesn't believe in caste-structure at all ! So, MH's attempt can be counted only as an attempt to malign the Hindus in general. His generalisation and confidence in writing a cooked up and twisted material as the fact is appalling ! I don't know what purpose is served by doing this.
Actually, the message of the Upanishads is not simple to understand. This is clear from the fact that in Hindu Dharma there are Six different schools who have their own interpretation of the Upanishads or the Vedanta. The Reality which can be described only by negation is not everyone's cup of tea. More so, the proclamation of the Vedanta like "Aham BrahmAsmi", "TatTvamasi" etc. was considered not appropriate for the common people. The Upanishads themselves state that imparting the knowledge of the Vedanta to all and sudry will harm the people who are not spiritually ready. That is why this knowledge was not made free for everyone.
To keep the people on the path of righteousness things had to be told in very simple language which was greatly served by the Itihasas and the Puranas. Even the great saints of the Bhakti Kaal (the period of Bhakti) chose to spread the spirituality among common men through telling stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It was easy for common men to go to temples and worship the deity in form for their worldly desires to fulfill than to discuss on the difficult subjects on Brahman, the characteristics of the soul, Universe and Brahman etc.
Slowly, this became the character of the Hindu family. You do what you learn from your father/mother/elders. You see that the spirituality ends with worshiping some forms of God/ fasting on some days / observing some rituals etc. The Brahmin who does all the Pooja for you in the temples and in your house on various occasions himself has never read Upanishads ... then why the house-holder would do it. That is how this study was neglected even by the people of intellect.
I hope it answers your question.
OM
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