Gujranwala, Punjab (now Pakistan)·1910 – 1997
पापा जी
H.W.L. Poonja
Papaji — The Lion of Lucknow
Freedom is not somewhere else. It is here. It is now.
“There is no difference between yourself, Self, and Guru. You are always free.”
Life
Born into a devout Brahmin family in what is now Pakistan, Hariwansh Lal Poonja had his first glimpse of the Self as a boy of eight or nine — a stillness so total he could not move for an hour. He grew into a householder’s life, married, raised children, and served as an officer in the British Indian Army, all while longing for a direct encounter with God.
In 1944, seeking guidance, he traveled to Tiruvannamalai and met Ramana Maharshi. The meeting was decisive. Ramana’s silent recognition shattered his seeking at its root. After Partition in 1947, he settled in Lucknow and eventually began sharing the teaching informally.
From the late 1980s, a growing stream of Western seekers found his satsang hall in Lucknow. His meeting room became famous as a place where recognition could happen with extraordinary swiftness. He emphasized that freedom was not future attainment but ever-present reality. He died on September 6, 1997, having ignited the awakening of teachers across six continents.
One Heart
“Keep quiet. Do not do anything. This quiet is what you have always been looking for.”
Teachings
Freedom Is Here and Now
Liberation is not a goal to be reached through time. It is the nature of this very moment. Any concept of “not yet free” is itself the sole obstruction.
Keep Quiet
Not as a technique of suppression but as an invitation to stop generating mental activity and rest as the awareness in which all movement appears. This silence reveals itself to be alive, luminous, and free.
The Direct Pointing of the Guru
The guru’s role is not to teach information but to directly point to the student’s own nature. Papaji worked through sudden, disarming challenges and humor, bypassing the conceptual mind.
Works & Publications
The Truth Is
A wide-ranging collection of dialogues regarded as one of his most complete expressions.
Wake Up and Roar
Two volumes of transcribed satsangs that introduced him to thousands of Western readers.
Nothing Ever Happened
A comprehensive 1,200-page biography by David Godman — the essential documentary record of his life.
An Inspiration
Papaji’s fire and directness — his insistence that freedom is NOW — is a living presence in Ananta’s satsang. Through Mooji, Papaji’s transmission continues to flow.