The untrained mind is often compared to a monkey and not without reason. Give it something valuable, and it will happily drop it the moment something shinier flashes past. In modern language, we call this Shiny Object Syndrome.
Once upon a time, it was superfoods. Last year it was crypto. Today, unfortunately, it has entered Mantra Sadhana and Tantra practice.
In spiritual circles, this shows up as a restless hopping from one Devata to another, from one practice to the next driven not by inner calling, but by novelty. What was once deep sādhana slowly turns into spiritual tourism.
Newbies gather with other newbies, forming groups where sādhana is discussed endlessly but practiced rarely. There are long voice notes, elaborate theories, and heroic philosophies yet very little japa, discipline, or silence.
Talking about sādhana has quietly replaced doing sādhana.
Then comes the next act. Someone begs to be taken in as a student. An experienced practitioner; out of compassion; actually agrees. Guidance is given. Structure is offered. And a few weeks or months later? The same seeker is sliding into someone else’s inbox, looking for something “more exotic.”
Call it experimentation if you like.
In reality, it’s spiritual promiscuity.
Trying ten practices at the same time to discover your “true path” is like sleeping with ten people at once to figure out who your true love is. Commitment doesn’t work that way ; spiritually or otherwise.
Ironically, we admire commitment deeply… as long as someone else is doing it.
So Ganesha is “boring.”
Hanuman is “too basic.”
Batuk Bhairava is “mainstream.”
“I’m special,” the mind whispers. “I only want guhyā sādhana.”
Yet there’s a reason Ganesha, Bhairava, and Hanuman have been the backbone of multiple sampradāyas for over a thousand years.
They work.
Reliably. Ruthlessly. Transformationally.
Then there’s selective devotion:
“I want Ganesha sādhana, but no vrata on Chaturthi.”
“I want Bhairava upāsana, but no alcohol offering.”
“I love Hanuman, but discipline for 21 days feels restrictive.”
At some point, honesty is kindness. If you want a path that reshapes itself around your preferences, ritual accountability will always feel uncomfortable.
Don’t be fooled by appearances.
The feather flies high, but the pearl lies low.
True Mantra Sadhana isn’t exotic.
It’s deep, repetitive, humbling and profoundly effective when done with patience and commitment.
If these words stirred something uncomfortable yet familiar within you, perhaps that’s an invitation; not to seek something new, but to go deeper where you already stand.
Our Tantra circle: https://shorturl.at/6gxgH exists precisely for seekers ready to move from fascination to foundation, from dabbling to devotion. When you feel that pull, you’ll know where to step next.
Karuppan Thunai
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