The Commodification of Indian Cultural Knowledge: Why Financial Access Doesn’t Equal Spiritual Authority

Decolonising Your Spiritual Business

The appropriation of yoga and Vedic wisdom has become increasingly commonplace, and a recent encounter with a post on social media highlighted this disturbing trend. In the comments, a Westerner proclaiming the title of Jyotishi argued that paying money to study in India grants her legitimacy to practice — suggesting that financial access alone confers rightful transmission of sacred knowledge.

This piece is not intended as a blanket critique of all Westerners who study and practice Jyotish or Yoga, but rather a reminder that the path to wisdom requires humility, spiritual growth, and discipline — qualities that go far beyond financial access or surface-level study. True learning in this sacred tradition comes not from entitlement, but from cultivating the right qualities in the heart and mind.

A true Jyotishi, as well as a ‘Yogi,’ does not self-proclaim, nor do they indiscriminately share details of their own birth chart in public (which is what she did). This is a glaring red flag. Not everyone with the financial means to attend a ‘programme’ is fit to be taught, and access to instruction does not equate to rightful authority. In fact, this transactional approach to knowledge risks distorting the sacred teachings and misguiding those who are not prepared, both intellectually and spiritually.

Sacred knowledge is not a commodity — it must be received through proper Adhikāra (spiritual eligibility), which requires śakti (divine grace), discipline, sincerity, and the right disposition. Without these, such knowledge is easily misused, leading not to wisdom but to distortion. When sacred knowledge is misused or taught without the necessary inner preparation, it harms not just the practitioner but can also mislead others, leading them down paths of confusion, misguided life choices, or even deeper spiritual harm.

Better to teach the right student than to teach only those who can afford to pay. Otherwise, one merely upholds a system of privilege that excludes those who have genuinely cultivated the character to embody the wisdom of the Vedas.

A restless and ranting mind, an inflated ego, and superficial understanding are signs of unpreparedness, not authority. This is the inevitable consequence of commodifying Vedic wisdom, where transactional learning replaces the traditional path of Adhikāra (spiritual eligibility), Guru-Śiṣya paramparā (authentic teacher-student lineage), and Tapas (inner refinement through discipline).

The erosion of Bhārat’s traditions through cultural digestion and misappropriation is intensifying, and this is deeply unsettling.

Payal

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