There are two popular careers in modern spirituality.
The Performer.
And the Policeman.
Both call it Sadhana.
The first group is easy to spot. Teenagers, young adults; sometimes even enthusiastic elders announcing, “My experience with insert trending Mantra or Tantra practice in 30 days.” Thumbnails glowing. Eyes intense. Background music dramatic.
It’s spiritual cosplay.
But let’s not be too harsh. Every generation experiments. We had reality TV. They have algorithm-driven enlightenment. Curiosity mixed with performance is often just youth trying things on. Most of them will either deepen into real practice… or quietly move on when the novelty fades.
Immaturity usually comes with an expiry date.
The second group is subtler.
The Gatekeepers.
“This stotra is Gupta.”
“This Navaratri practice was meant to be secret.”
“This Mantra should not be discussed.”
They hover like museum guards in a temple of their own making; whistle ready.
What follows is rarely guidance. Rarely method. Rarely encouragement.
Instead: Warnings. Restrictions. Raised eyebrows. The faint aroma of superiority.
And here is the uncomfortable truth: both performance and policing are ego in different costumes.
One seeks attention.
The other seeks authority.
But a true Sadhaka matures differently.
Experience, if genuine, softens a person. It reduces insecurity. It does not harden into fragility disguised as orthodoxy.
A practitioner seasoned in Mantra and Tantra radiates steadiness. Not territorial anxiety.
Every serious seeker once stumbled. Once mispronounced a Mantra. Once misunderstood a ritual. Someone tolerated their ignorance long enough for wisdom to take root.
Lineages survive through transmission.
Transmission requires patience.
There is often a quiet fear beneath excessive gatekeeping:
If the sacred becomes accessible… what have I truly embodied after all these years?
It is easier to guard a door than to walk someone down the road.
A true practitioner corrects when needed but without contempt. Restricts when necessary but with reason. Enables growth without pandering.
Anything else is not protection of dharma.
It is simply ego wearing the costume of tradition.
And if reflections like this stir something thoughtful within you; if you value depth over display, and guidance over grandstanding; you may find yourself at home in our Tantra circle: https://shorturl.at/6gxgH where practice is lived gently, transmitted responsibly, and deepened with humility.
Shri Maha Ganapataye Namaha.
Joy Ma. Karuppan Thunai.
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