Hijacking Ramana: How His Teachings Were Twisted into a Trap for Fools

 Vira Chandra: Rudyard Kipling once wrote:

"If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools..."

This perfectly describes what has happened to the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. A man of absolute clarity and silence, whose words were minimal and precise, whose method was direct and unwavering, has had his name hijacked by a group of people whose understanding is, at best, superficial, and at worst, a complete distortion.

Many sincere seekers, upon first encountering so-called "Ramana-inspired" teachers like Papaji, Mooji, Gangaji, and others, feel an immediate sense of unease. They sense that something is off, that something doesn’t align. Some, in their confusion, even conclude that Ramana himself must have been a fraud, assuming that these modern gurus are his true representatives.

But nothing could be further from the truth. The so-called "Papaji lineage" is not Ramana’s lineage at all. It is a complete perversion of his teachings, built upon misinterpretations and exaggerations.

Papaji, despite claiming to be a disciple of Bhagavan, openly disregarded the core practice that Bhagavan himself prescribed—Atma-vichara, the question "Who am I?" Instead, he told seekers that no inquiry was necessary, that realization was immediate, and that they were already free. He turned the profound dissolution of ego into a mere verbal confirmation.

Bhagavan never did this. Even in cases where devotees had deep experiences, he never confirmed realization lightly. He knew that unless the ego was permanently dissolved, realization was not final. Many of his closest disciples, such as Annamalai Swami —those who sat in his presence for decades—continued practicing self-inquiry until the very end and admitted that their Realization was achieved only after the decades of intense sadhana.

Yet Papaji, in complete opposition to Bhagavan’s approach, went around declaring people enlightened after a few conversations. Those people, in turn, became teachers themselves, and the falsehood spread further - that was brilliantly firsthand described by Sam Harris. Now there exists an entire industry of "nondual satsangs," where seekers sit passively, listening to a guru talk, with no real method of practice, no rigorous self-inquiry, and no actual transformation.

Bhagavan’s teaching was never about sitting in a comfortable hall, feeling momentary peace, and calling it liberation. His presence was utterly silent, and in that silence, seekers were forced to turn inward. He did not entertain questions endlessly. He did not build a following. He did not commercialize his teaching. He pointed directly to the Self, and those who were sincere took up the path and walked it.

Compare that to what happens in the neo-Advaita world. Satsangs have become a performance, a stage where a guru showers words upon passive listeners. Instead of turning within, seekers become emotionally dependent on the guru, returning again and again for reassurance, mistaking this brief peace for realization. Bhagavan never encouraged dependency—he urged seekers to find the Self within and be done with seeking entirely.

The distortions don’t stop there. Papaji and his followers removed all sense of sadhana, portraying enlightenment as something that happens effortlessly, with no need for vigilance. Bhagavan, in contrast, repeatedly emphasized that even for the most advanced seekers, effort was required until the ego was completely annihilated.

They turned realization into an intellectual understanding, claiming that simply hearing "You are already free" was enough. Bhagavan never made such a claim. He did not advocate parroting high truths without experiential depth. In fact, he warned that the ego would cling to these concepts and turn them into new illusions.

They made Bhagavan’s teaching seem like a rejection of all practice, when in reality, Bhagavan prescribed an intense and precise method—self-inquiry—which required perseverance, not casual listening.

Perhaps most tragically, they commercialized Advaita, turning it into an industry of enlightenment retreats, paid satsangs, and spiritual tourism. Bhagavan never asked for money, never charged for his presence, and lived in absolute simplicity.

If someone truly follows Bhagavan, they will see through these distortions. They will recognize that what is presented today in the name of "Ramana-inspired satsangs" is far removed from the actual fire of his teaching. That fire burns the ego to ashes. It does not comfort it with words.

For those who are sincere, the solution is simple. Ignore the noise. Forget the false gurus. Go straight to Bhagavan’s words. Read his dialogues, his written works, and most importantly, apply them. Engage in Atma-vichara directly. Find out what remains when all illusions fall away.

Bhagavan’s teaching is razor-sharp, and it has no room for self-deception. If one follows it properly, there is no need to depend on interpretations, on satsangs, or on external validation. There is only one thing to do—turn within, dissolve the ego, and be free.

That is the real teaching. That is Bhagavan. Anything else is just a trap.