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Wake Up and Roar
Wake Up and Roar by Sri H.W.L Poonja introduces us to the idea that full awakening is possible here and now for everybody, regardless of background, practice or personal circumstances. This possibility is the teaching of Sri H.W.L. Poonja. Many people have experienced glimpses of the truth through psychedelics or meditating or unexpected moments of bliss. Yet, because of incorrect understanding, these moments usually get incorporated into the ego as just another experience. There is an unspoken belief that it is not possible to be totally awakened in this lifetime. Wake Up and Roar announces the possibility of true freedom now.
- GenresSpiritualityPhilosophy
279 pages, Hardcover
First published February 29, 1992
21 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
About the author
H.W.L. Poonja
14 books42 followers Sri Hariwansh Lal Poonja, lovingly referred to as Papaji, was born on October 13, 1910, in a part of the Punjab that is now in Pakistan. He had his first direct experience of the Self at the age of nine. He met his Master, Sri Ramana Maharshi, in 1944. Shortly afterwards he realized the Self in the presence of his master.
Papaji continued to work and support the many members of his extended family until his retirement in 1966. After his extensive travel Papaji settled down in Lucknow, India, where he received visitors from around the world. Papaji died on September 6, 1997.
You're invited to read a first-person account of Papaji's life, written by David Godman and approved by Papaji himself. It is published as the first chapter in the Papaji: Interviews book. Papaji's biography is published online at the Satsang Bhavan web site, www.satsangbhavan.net.
In addition, a moving, in-depth biography of Papaji is published in the 3-volume set of books called, Nothing Ever Happened, edited by David Godman. One reader wrote, that these books are a clear picture of a great and unassuming man. Another reader wrote, "My mind is permanently 'ruined' [by] reading this...[It] has increased my desire to be simple and free." Still another wrote,"This is one of the best biographies of a spiritual being and teacher I have ever read...He always stayed a simple, ordinary, caring, unpretentious man, never declaring that he was on a `mission'. He always remained, simply, a free man."
Papaji continued to work and support the many members of his extended family until his retirement in 1966. After his extensive travel Papaji settled down in Lucknow, India, where he received visitors from around the world. Papaji died on September 6, 1997.
You're invited to read a first-person account of Papaji's life, written by David Godman and approved by Papaji himself. It is published as the first chapter in the Papaji: Interviews book. Papaji's biography is published online at the Satsang Bhavan web site, www.satsangbhavan.net.
In addition, a moving, in-depth biography of Papaji is published in the 3-volume set of books called, Nothing Ever Happened, edited by David Godman. One reader wrote, that these books are a clear picture of a great and unassuming man. Another reader wrote, "My mind is permanently 'ruined' [by] reading this...[It] has increased my desire to be simple and free." Still another wrote,"This is one of the best biographies of a spiritual being and teacher I have ever read...He always stayed a simple, ordinary, caring, unpretentious man, never declaring that he was on a `mission'. He always remained, simply, a free man."
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 27, 2015
An incredible, insightful text and one that I can't help but refer back to.
The book always points back to yourself and what is seen within. This great master cuts through arrogance and ignorance in ways that are astounding and compassionate.
It took me awhile to get through because I wanted to take in as much as I could. I really wanted to pay attention.
There's a lot in here that I find to be inspiring, but also incredibly important. I highly recommend it if you are having questions about who you are (not who you "think" you are or who you "think" or "imagine" you should be).
The book always points back to yourself and what is seen within. This great master cuts through arrogance and ignorance in ways that are astounding and compassionate.
It took me awhile to get through because I wanted to take in as much as I could. I really wanted to pay attention.
There's a lot in here that I find to be inspiring, but also incredibly important. I highly recommend it if you are having questions about who you are (not who you "think" you are or who you "think" or "imagine" you should be).
October 12, 2017
(čeština níže)
"It is so simple. It is here. Right here. So you don't need to go anywhere. Yet we find it so difficult to achieve."
The book is about nothing we don't have or we don't know and yet it has so many pages. Why is that? I don't know. It definitely doesn't need to be that long, yet even those amount of pages is not enough to succeed, get enlighten, or find your true self, right?
Without a doubt this book is not for Westeros. There is not enough motivation or advertisement to read next. It is not about the author, or the Zen master, or is it?
This book gave me so much and nothing in the same time. I'm still the same, but my thought has changed a bit. This book is so peaceful and so powerful. Sometimes I was struggling with the meaning of the words even the words or the meaning of words was simple. Sometimes the words were hard to grasp for someone from today's society.
The only question arising after reading it is: "Is it possible? If yes, it is definitely worth to try it."
_____________________________
"Je to tak jednoduché. Je to zde. Tady, Nemusíš nikam chodit. Ale i přes to je složité toho dosáhnout."
Kniha je o ničem, co bychom neměli, nebo neznáme, ale i přesto má tolik stránek. Jak je to možné? To já nevím. Rozhodně by nemusela být tak dlouhá a to i přes to, že ani tolik stránek mi nestačilo k úspěchu, k osvícení, nebo k nalezení sebe sama.
Kniha není nic pro lidé ze západu. Chybí zde dostatek motivace a další reklamy, aby někteří četli dále. Kniha není ani o autorovi, anebo o mnichovi, nebo je snad?
Tato kniha mi dala tolik mnoho a zároveň nic. Nijak mě nezměnila, jsem pořád stejný, jen mé myšlenky byly trochu ovlivněny. Tato kniha je moc mírumilovná a také moc silná. Někdy jsem bojoval s významem slov, i když byla slova a jejich význam jednoduchý. Někdy bylo těžké uchopit slova z knihy někým jako jsem já. Člověkem vyrůstajícím v dnešní západní době.
Jediná otázka, která přichází do povědomí po přečtení knihy je: "Je to vůbec možné? Pokud ano, tak se určitě vyplatí to zkusit."
"It is so simple. It is here. Right here. So you don't need to go anywhere. Yet we find it so difficult to achieve."
The book is about nothing we don't have or we don't know and yet it has so many pages. Why is that? I don't know. It definitely doesn't need to be that long, yet even those amount of pages is not enough to succeed, get enlighten, or find your true self, right?
Without a doubt this book is not for Westeros. There is not enough motivation or advertisement to read next. It is not about the author, or the Zen master, or is it?
This book gave me so much and nothing in the same time. I'm still the same, but my thought has changed a bit. This book is so peaceful and so powerful. Sometimes I was struggling with the meaning of the words even the words or the meaning of words was simple. Sometimes the words were hard to grasp for someone from today's society.
The only question arising after reading it is: "Is it possible? If yes, it is definitely worth to try it."
_____________________________
"Je to tak jednoduché. Je to zde. Tady, Nemusíš nikam chodit. Ale i přes to je složité toho dosáhnout."
Kniha je o ničem, co bychom neměli, nebo neznáme, ale i přesto má tolik stránek. Jak je to možné? To já nevím. Rozhodně by nemusela být tak dlouhá a to i přes to, že ani tolik stránek mi nestačilo k úspěchu, k osvícení, nebo k nalezení sebe sama.
Kniha není nic pro lidé ze západu. Chybí zde dostatek motivace a další reklamy, aby někteří četli dále. Kniha není ani o autorovi, anebo o mnichovi, nebo je snad?
Tato kniha mi dala tolik mnoho a zároveň nic. Nijak mě nezměnila, jsem pořád stejný, jen mé myšlenky byly trochu ovlivněny. Tato kniha je moc mírumilovná a také moc silná. Někdy jsem bojoval s významem slov, i když byla slova a jejich význam jednoduchý. Někdy bylo těžké uchopit slova z knihy někým jako jsem já. Člověkem vyrůstajícím v dnešní západní době.
Jediná otázka, která přichází do povědomí po přečtení knihy je: "Je to vůbec možné? Pokud ano, tak se určitě vyplatí to zkusit."
June 7, 2025
Mi psicóloga me forzó a escoger una frase y pegarla donde la pueda ver, en su momento puse “Yo soy libertad”. Escogí esta lectura y todo el tema del libro fue la dicha libertad, muy rumiante pero, super valioso y acertado con mi frase. Me gusto mucho bery guaize(very wise). El karma para ellos es super denso, como que no entendía bien que ven la reencarnación como tremendo castigo. Hace poquito escuche Hope por Vampire Weekend y me acordó muchísimo a lo que enseña este libro. Algunas quotes que me gustaron;
“Abandon all desires, and you will be the happiest person on this planet, and perhaps you will help people on other planets also. But first help yourself. First know yourself, who you are. Then there will be no fires. There will be no desires. The only desire worth achieving is the desire for freedom. All other desires are worthless.”
“This is the most intense desire. All other desires are on the surface. They rise and fall, you see. The desire for freedom is intense and you must respond to it. When you respond, this desire will bring you back home. It will continue to trouble you if it is not fulfilled in this life span. This desire must be fulfilled, whether you like it or not. That is why you come here. What a farce! This desire follows you wherever you go, in whatever incarnation you take.”
“Don’t let desire stand between you and freedom, just for one second, and tell me. There is nothing. Just emptiness.”
“They have lost their expectations; therefore, they have experiences. If you don’t expect anything, then what is left? Nothing. Nothing. Then you will be happy. Giving up expectations is your nature. Not having expectations is your nature.”
“If you have ego, it has to be brought down to surrender to a higher authority. If you have no ego, there is no need to be obedient to anybody.”
“For freedom you don’t need a word. Freedom is transmitted in silence.”
“The wise man realizes that abandonment of desires is fulfillment of desires. Because when you take up a desire to be fulfilled, it does not give you lasting happiness. So you pick up another desire; again, it does not give you happiness.”
Speak the truth and you are hanged, burned, crucified—and you are happy. Look at Socrates. This Greek had lived a beautiful life, and he was given a cup of poison. Plato and others tried to save him, saying, “Master, we have bribed the policemen. In the night you come with us.” Socrates said, “No, my dear children, that is not going to happen. I have spoken truth all my life. I prefer death to living in a wrong way.”
“This is called removing the dust. First, “I am this and he is that.” This is dust. When the dust is removed, there is no you, no I, and no she. Get rid of craving, expectation, and desire. You won’t lose anything.”
“Abandon all desires, and you will be the happiest person on this planet, and perhaps you will help people on other planets also. But first help yourself. First know yourself, who you are. Then there will be no fires. There will be no desires. The only desire worth achieving is the desire for freedom. All other desires are worthless.”
“This is the most intense desire. All other desires are on the surface. They rise and fall, you see. The desire for freedom is intense and you must respond to it. When you respond, this desire will bring you back home. It will continue to trouble you if it is not fulfilled in this life span. This desire must be fulfilled, whether you like it or not. That is why you come here. What a farce! This desire follows you wherever you go, in whatever incarnation you take.”
“Don’t let desire stand between you and freedom, just for one second, and tell me. There is nothing. Just emptiness.”
“They have lost their expectations; therefore, they have experiences. If you don’t expect anything, then what is left? Nothing. Nothing. Then you will be happy. Giving up expectations is your nature. Not having expectations is your nature.”
“If you have ego, it has to be brought down to surrender to a higher authority. If you have no ego, there is no need to be obedient to anybody.”
“For freedom you don’t need a word. Freedom is transmitted in silence.”
“The wise man realizes that abandonment of desires is fulfillment of desires. Because when you take up a desire to be fulfilled, it does not give you lasting happiness. So you pick up another desire; again, it does not give you happiness.”
Speak the truth and you are hanged, burned, crucified—and you are happy. Look at Socrates. This Greek had lived a beautiful life, and he was given a cup of poison. Plato and others tried to save him, saying, “Master, we have bribed the policemen. In the night you come with us.” Socrates said, “No, my dear children, that is not going to happen. I have spoken truth all my life. I prefer death to living in a wrong way.”
“This is called removing the dust. First, “I am this and he is that.” This is dust. When the dust is removed, there is no you, no I, and no she. Get rid of craving, expectation, and desire. You won’t lose anything.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2022
Learned a lot of techniques and ways of thinking to incorporate into every day life. Got a bit repetitive, but the message most certainly needs to be driven home. Great read if you're interested in deepening your mediation practice.
May 28, 2025
Beautifull
January 27, 2014
This book is a fantastic reminder of who we truly are. It is rare in it's directness and personal accessibility. Papaji has the ability to make you realize that you are much more than your human assumptions without a hint of arrogance or piety. He is able to keep your ego in check in a very elegant way without disturbing it and at the same time point directly at your true nature. This book can be read over and over and over. Although, he says as most true teachers say, that your guru should not be your friend, but should make you feel a bit uncomfortable, somehow Papaji is able to render a beautiful balance. Wake Up and Roar can also be a great introduction to Advaita Vedanta.
October 10, 2014
I think the thing about books on spiritualism is that they aren't about the writing, so much as the content. And many of Poonja's ideas are that one should not cleave to any teacher or teachings because everything we need to be and understand we hold within ourselves. I'm still mulling this book over. Leaning into nothingness makes sense and doesn't make sense at the same time. I'm not sure yet how to be empty.
June 22, 2010
An interesting book from one of the main disciples of one of my favorite Indian Gurus. Written in question and answer style which may appear difficult to follow. It is also not recommended for the beginner on this road.
August 30, 2020
Full-power Satsang with Papaji
Reading these words is an immersion into the energy-field of Satsang - timelessness, blissfulness - just the pure fire of self-discovery.
Reading these words is an immersion into the energy-field of Satsang - timelessness, blissfulness - just the pure fire of self-discovery.
April 16, 2018
I truely brilliant and profound (and deep) book. Masterful.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews