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Sri Ramana Maharshi (December 30, 1879 – April 14, 1950), born
Venkataraman Iyer, was an Indian sage. He was born to a Tamil
Hindu Brahmin family in Tiruchuzhi, Tamil Nadu. After having
attained liberation at the age of 16, he left home for
Arunachala, a mountain considered sacred by Hindus, at
Tiruvannamalai, and lived there for the rest of his life.
Arunachala is located in Tamil Nadu, South India.[1] Although
born a Brahmin, after having attained moksha he declared himself
an "Atiasrami", a Sastraic state of unattachment to anything in
life and beyond all caste restrictions[2].
Sri Ramana maintained that the purest form of his teachings was
the powerful silence which radiated from his presence and
quieted the minds of those attuned to it. He gave verbal
teachings only for the benefit of those who could not understand
his silence.[3] His verbal teachings were said to flow from his
direct experience of Consciousness as the only existing
reality.[4] When asked for advice, he recommended self-enquiry
as the fastest path to moksha. Though his primary teaching is
associated with Non-dualism, Advaita Vedanta, and Jnana yoga, he
highly recommended Bhakti, and gave his approval to a variety of
paths and practices.
Life
Family Background
Sri Ramana was born in a village called Tiruchuzhi near Madurai
in Tamil Nadu, South India on Arudra Darshanam day, into an
orthodox Hindu Tamil (Iyer) family, the second of four children
of Sundaram Iyer (1845?-1892) and Azhagammal (?-1922), and named
Venkataraman at birth. His siblings were Nagaswamy (1877-1900),
Nagasundaram (1886-1953) and sister Alamelu (1891/92-1953).
Venkataraman's father was a respected pleader.[6]
Childhood
Venkataraman seemed a normal child with no apparent signs of
future greatness. He was popular, good at sports, very
intelligent but lazy at school, indulged in an average amount of
mischief, and showed little religious interest. He did have a
few unusual traits. When he slept, he went into such a deep
state of unconsciousness that his friends could physically
assault his body without waking him up. He also had an
extraordinary amount of luck. In team games, whichever side he
played for always won. This earned him the nickname 'Tangakai',
which means 'golden hand'[7]. When Venkataraman was about 11,
his father sent him to live with his paternal uncle Subbaiyar in
Dindigul because he wanted his sons to be educated in English so
they would be eligible to enter government service and only
Tamil was taught at the village school in Tiruchuzhi. In 1891,
when his uncle was transferred to Madurai, Venkataraman and his
older brother Nagaswami moved with him. In Madurai, Venkataraman
attended Scott's Middle School[8]
The Awakening
In 1892, Venkataraman's father Sundaram Iyer suddenly fell
seriously ill and unexpectedly died several days later at the
age of 42.[8] For some hours after his father's death he
contemplated the matter of death, and how his father's body was
still there, but the 'I' was gone from it.
After leaving Scott's Middle School, Venkataraman went to the
American Mission High School. One November morning in 1895, he
was on his way to school when he saw an elderly relative and
enquired where the relative had come from. The answer was "From
Arunachala."[9] Krishna Bikshu describes Venkataraman's
response: "The word 'Arunachala' was familiar to Venkataraman
from his younger days, but he did not know where it was, what it
looked like or what it meant. Yet that day that word meant to
him something great, an inaccessible, authoritative, absolutely
blissful entity. Could one visit such a place? His heart was
full of joy. Arunachala meant some sacred land, every particle
of which gave moksha. It was omnipotent and peaceful. Could one
behold it? 'What? Arunachala? Where is it?' asked the lad. The
relative was astonished, 'Don't you know even this?' and
continued, 'Haven't you heard of Tiruvannamalai? That is
Arunachala.' It was as if a balloon was pricked, the boy's heart
sank."
A month later he came across a copy of Sekkizhar's Periyapuranam,
a book that describes the lives of 63 Saivite saints, and was
deeply moved and inspired by it.[10] Filled with awe, and a
desire for emulation, he began devotional visits to the nearby
Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, and associated with this bhakti,
later reported fever like sensations[11]. Soon after, on July
17, 1896,[10] at age 16, Venkataraman had a life changing
experience. He spontaneously initiated a process of self-enquiry
that culminated, within a few minutes, in his own permanent
awakening. In one of his rare written comments on this process
he wrote: 'Enquiring within Who is the seer? I saw the seer
disappear leaving That alone which stands forever. No thought
arose to say I saw. How then could the thought arise to say I
did not see.'.[7] As Sri Ramana reportedly described it later:
"It was in 1896, about 6 weeks before I left Madurai for good
(to go to Tiruvannamalai - Arunachala) that this great change in
my life took place. I was sitting alone in a room on the first
floor of my uncle's house. I seldom had any sickness and on that
day there was nothing wrong with my health, but a sudden violent
fear of death overtook me. There was nothing in my state of
health to account for it nor was there any urge in me to find
out whether there was any account for the fear. I just felt I
was going to die and began thinking what to do about it. It did
not occur to me to consult a doctor or any elders or friends. I
felt I had to solve the problem myself then and there. The shock
of the fear of death drove my mind inwards and I said to myself
mentally, without actually framing the words: 'Now death has
come; what does it mean? What is it that is dying? This body
dies.' And at once I dramatised the occurrence of death. I lay
with my limbs stretched out still as though rigor mortis has set
in, and imitated a corpse so as to give greater reality to the
enquiry. I held my breath and kept my lips tightly closed so
that no sound could escape, and that neither the word 'I' nor
any word could be uttered. 'Well then,' I said to myself, 'this
body is dead. It will be carried stiff to the burning ground and
there burn and reduced to ashes. But with the death of the body,
am I dead? Is the body I? It is silent and inert, but I feel the
full force of my personality and even the voice of I within me,
apart from it. So I am the Spirit transcending the body. The
body dies but the spirit transcending it cannot be touched by
death. That means I am the deathless Spirit.' All this was not
dull thought; it flashed through me vividly as living truths
which I perceived directly almost without thought process. I was
something real, the only real thing about my present state, and
all the conscious activity connected with the body was centered
on that I. From that moment onwards, the I or Self focused
attention on itself by a powerful fascination. Fear of death
vanished once and for all. The ego was lost in the flood of
Self-awareness. Absorption in the Self continued unbroken from
that time. Other thought might come and go like the various
notes of music, but the I continued like the fundamental sruti
[that which is heard] note which underlies and blends with all
other notes.
After this event, he lost interest in school-studies, friends,
and relations. Avoiding company, he preferred to sit alone,
absorbed in concentration on the Self, and went daily to the
Meenakshi Temple, ecstatically devoted to the images of the
Gods, tears flowing profusely from his eyes.
Venkataraman’s elder brother, Nagaswamy, was aware of a great
change in him and on several occasions rebuked him for his
detachment from all that was going on around him. About six
weeks after Venkataraman’s absorption into the Self, on August
29, 1896, he was attempting to complete a homework assignment
which had been given to him by his English teacher for
indifference in his studies. Suddenly Venkataraman tossed aside
the book and turned inward in meditation. His elder brother
rebuked him again, asking, "What use is all this to one who is
like this?" Venkataraman did not answer, but recognized the
truth in his brother’s words.
The Journey to Arunachala
He decided to leave his home and go to Arunachala. Knowing his
family would not permit this, he slipped away, telling his
brother he needed to attend a special class at school.
Fortuitously, his brother asked him to take five rupees and pay
his college fees on his way to school. Venkataraman took out an
atlas, calculated the cost of his journey, took three rupees and
left the remaining two with a note which read: "I have set out
in quest of my Father in accordance with his command. This
(meaning his person) has only embarked on a virtuous enterprise.
Therefore, no one need grieve over this act. And no money need
be spent in search of this. Your college fee has not been paid.
Herewith rupees two."[15]
At about noon, Venkataraman left his uncle's house and walked to
the railway station. At about three o'clock the next morning, he
arrived at Viluppuram and walked into the town at daybreak.
Tired and hungry, he asked for food at a hotel and had to wait
until noon for the food to be ready. He then went back to the
station and spent his remaining money on a ticket to
Mambalappattu, a stop on the way to Tiruvannamalai. From there,
he set out, intending to walk the remaining distance of about 30
miles (48 km).
After walking about 11 miles (18 km), he reached the temple of
Arayaninallur, outside of which he sat down to rest. When the
priest opened the temple for puja, Venkataraman entered and sat
in the pillared hall where he had a vision of brilliant light
enveloping the entire place. He sat in deep meditation after the
light disappeared until the temple priests who needed to lock up
the temple roused him. He asked them for food and was refused,
though they suggested he might get food at the temple in Kilur
where they were headed for service. Venkataraman followed, and
late in the evening when the puja ended at this temple, he asked
for food and was refused again. When he asked for water, he was
directed to a Sastri’s house. He set out but fainted and fell
down, spilling the rice he had been given in the temple. When he
regained consciousness, he began picking up the scattered rice,
not wanting to waste even a single grain.[16]
Muthukrishna Bhagavatar was amongst the crowd that gathered
around Venkataraman when he collapsed. He was so struck by
Venkataraman’s extraordinary beauty and felt such compassion for
him that he led the boy to his house, providing him with a bed
and food. It was August 31, the Gokulastami day, the day of Sri
Krishna’s birth. Venkataraman asked Bhagavatar for a loan of
four rupees on the pledge of his ear-rings so that he could
complete his pilgrimage. Bhagavatar agreed and gave Venkataraman
a receipt he could use to redeem his ear-rings. Venkataraman
continued on his journey, tearing up the receipt immediately
because he knew he would never have any need for the ear-rings.
On the morning of September 1, 1896, Venkataraman boarded the
train and traveled the remaining distance. In Tiruvannamalai he
went straight to the temple of Arunachaleswara. There,
Venkataraman found not only the temple gates standing open, but
the doors to the inner shrine as well, and not a single person,
even a priest, was in the temple. He entered the sanctum
sanctorum and addressed Arunachaleswara, saying: "I have come to
Thee at Thy behest. Thy will be done." He embraced the linga in
ecstasy. The burning sensation that had started back at Madurai
(which he later described as "an inexpressible anguish which I
suppressed at the time") merged in Arunachaleswara. Venkataraman
was safely home.[14]
Early Life at Arunachala
The first few weeks he spent in the thousand-pillared hall, but
shifted to other spots in the temple and eventually to the
Patala-lingam vault so that he might remain undisturbed. There,
he would spend days absorbed in such deep samādhi that he was
unaware of the bites of vermin and pests. Seshadri Swamigal, a
local saint, discovered him in the underground vault and tried
to protect him.[17] After about six weeks in the Patala-lingam,
he was carried out and cleaned up. For the next two months he
stayed in the Subramanya Shrine, so unaware of his body and
surroundings that food had to be placed in his mouth or he would
have starved.
From there, he was invited to stay in a mango orchard next to
Gurumurtam, a temple about a mile out of Tiruvannamalai, and
shortly after his arrival a sadhu named Palaniswami went to see
him. Palaniswami's first darshan left him filled with peace and
bliss, and from that time on his sole concern was serving Sri
Ramana, joining him as his permanent attendant. From Gurumurtam
to Virupaksha Cave (1899-1916) to Skandasramam Cave (1916-22),
he was the instrument of divine protection for Sri Ramana, who
would be without consciousness of the body and lost in inner
bliss most of the time. Besides physical protection, Palaniswami
would also beg for alms, cook and prepare meals for himself and
Sri Ramana, and care for him as needed[18].
Gradually, despite Sri Ramana's silence, austerities, and desire
for privacy, he attracted attention from visitors, and some
became his disciples. Eventually, his family discovered his
whereabouts. First his uncle Nelliappa Iyer came and pled with
him to return home, promising that the family would not disturb
his ascetic life. Sri Ramana sat motionless and eventually his
uncle gave up.[19] It was at the temple at Pavalakkunru, one of
the eastern spurs of Arunachala, that his mother and brother
Nagaswami found him in December 1898. Day after day his mother
begged him to return, but no amount of weeping and pleading had
any visible effect on him. She appealed to the devotees who had
gathered around, trying to get them to intervene on her behalf
until one requested that Sri Ramana write out his response to
his mother.[20] He then wrote on a piece of paper, "In
accordance with the prarabdha of each, the One whose function it
is to ordain makes each to act. What will not happen will never
happen, whatever effort one may put forth. And what will happen
will not fail to happen, however much one may seek to prevent
it. This is certain. The part of wisdom therefore is to stay
quiet." At this point his mother returned to Madurai
saddened.[14]
Soon after this, in February 1899, Sri Ramana moved further up
Arunachala where he stayed briefly in Satguru Cave and Guhu
Namasivaya Cave before taking up residence at Virupaksha Cave
for the next 17 years, using Mango Tree cave during the summers
(except for a six month period at Pachaiamman Koil during the
plague epidemic).[21]
In 1902, a government official named Sivaprakasam Pillai, with
writing slate in hand, visited the young Swami in the hope of
obtaining answers to questions about "How to know one's true
identity". The fourteen questions put to the young Swami and his
answers were Sri Ramana's first teachings on Self-enquiry, the
method for which he became widely known, and were eventually
published as 'Nan Yar?', or in English, ‘Who am I?’.[22]
Several visitors came to him and many became his disciples.
Kavyakantha Sri Ganapati Sastri, a Vedic scholar of repute in
his age, came to visit Sri Ramana in 1907. After receiving
instructions from him, he proclaimed him as Bhagavan Sri Ramana
Maharshi. Sri Ramana was known by this name from then on.[23]
Discovery by Westerners
It was in 1911 that the first westerner, Frank Humphreys, then a
policeman stationed in India, discovered Sri Ramana and wrote
articles about him which were first published in The
International Psychic Gazette in 1913.[24] However, Sri Ramana
only became relatively well known in and out of India after 1934
when Paul Brunton, having first visited Sri Ramana in January
1931, published the book A Search in Secret India, which became
very popular. Resulting visitors included Paramahansa Yogananda,
Somerset Maugham (whose 1944 novel The Razor's Edge models its
spiritual guru after Sri Ramana),[25] Mercedes de Acosta, Julian
P. Johnson, and Arthur Osborne. Sri Ramana's relative fame
spread throughout the 1940s. However, even as his fame spread,
Sri Ramana was noted for his belief in the power of silence and
his relatively sparse use of speech, as well as his lack of
concern for fame or criticism[26]. His lifestyle remained that
of a renunciate.
Mother's Arrival
In 1912, while in the company of disciples, he was observed to
undergo about a 15 minute period where he showed the outward
symptoms of death, which reportedly resulted thereafter in an
enhanced ability to engage in practical affairs while remaining
in Sahaja Nirvikalpa Samadhi. In 1916 his mother Alagammal and
younger brother Nagasundaram joined Sri Ramana at Tiruvannamalai
and followed him when he moved to the larger Skandashram Cave,
where Bhagavan lived until the end of 1922. His mother took up
the life of a sannyasin, and Sri Ramana began to give her
intense, personal instruction, while she took charge of the
Ashram kitchen. Ramana's younger brother, Nagasundaram, then
became a sannyasin, assuming the name Niranjanananda, becoming
known as Chinnaswami (the younger Swami).
During this period, Sri Ramana composed The Five Hymns to
Arunachala, his magnum opus in devotional lyric poetry. Of them
the first is Akshara Mana Malai (the Marital Garland of
Letters). It was composed in Tamil in response to the request of
a devotee for a song to be sung while wandering in the town for
alms. The Marital Garland tells in glowing symbolism of the love
and union between the human soul and God, expressing the
attitude of the soul that still aspires.[27]
Mother's Death
Beginning in 1920, his mother's health deteriorated. On the day
of her death, May 19, 1922, at about 8 a.m., Sri Ramana sat
beside her. It is reported that throughout the day, he had his
right hand on her heart, on the right side of the chest, and his
left hand on her head, until her death around 8:00 p.m., when
Sri Ramana pronounced her liberated, literally, ‘Adangi Vittadu,
Addakam’ (‘absorbed’). Later Sri Ramana said of this: "You see,
birth experiences are mental. Thinking is also like that,
depending on sanskaras (tendencies). Mother was made to undergo
all her future births in a comparatively short time.".[28] Her
body was enshrined in a samadhi, on top of which a Siva lingam
was installed and given the name Mathrubutheswara [Siva
manifesting as mother].[29] To commemorate the anniversary of
Ramana Maharshi's mother's death, a puja, known as her Aradhana
or Mahapooja, is performed every year at the Mathrubutheswara.
After this, Sri Ramana often walked from Skandashram to her
tomb. Then in December 1922, he came down from Skandashram
permanently and settled at the base of the Hill, where Sri
Ramanasramam is still located today. At first, there was only
one hut at the samadhi, but in 1924 two huts, one opposite the
samadhi and the other to the north were erected.
The Later Years
The Sri Ramanasramam grew to include a library, hospital,
post-office and many other facilities. Sri Ramana displayed a
natural talent for planning building projects. Annamalai Swami
gave detailed accounts of this in his reminiscences.[30] Until
1938, Annamalai Swami was entrusted with the task of supervising
the projects and received his instructions from Ramana directly.
The 1940s saw many of Sri Ramana's most ardent devotees pass
away. These included Echamma (1945), attendant Madhavaswami
(1946), Ramanatha Brahmachari (1946), Mudaliar Granny and
Lakshmi (1948).[31] Sri Ramana was noted for his unusual love of
animals and his assertion that liberation was possible for
animals too. On the morning of June 18, 1948, he realized his
favorite cow Lakshmi was near death. Just as he had with his own
Mother, Sri Ramana placed his hand on her head and over her
heart. The cow died peacefully at 11:30 a.m. and Sri Ramana
later declared that the cow was liberated[32].
Sri Ramana was noted for his belief in the power of silence and
relatively sparse use of speech. He led a modest and renunciate
life, and depended on visitors and devotees for the barest
necessities. However, a popular image of him as a person who
spent most of his time doing nothing except silently sitting in
samadhi is highly inaccurate, according to David Godman, who has
written extensively about Sri Ramana. According to Godman, from
the period when an Ashram began to rise around him after his
mother arrived into his later years, Sri Ramana was actually
quite active in Ashram activities until his health failed[33].
Final Years
In November 1948, a tiny cancerous lump was found on the
Maharshi's arm and was removed in February 1949 by the ashram
doctor. Soon, another growth appeared, and another operation was
done by an eminent surgeon in March, 1949, with Radium applied.
The doctor told Sri Ramana that a complete amputation of the arm
to the shoulder was required to save his life, but he refused. A
third and fourth operation were performed in August and December
1949, but only weakened him. Other systems of medicine were then
tried; all proved fruitless and were stopped by the end of March
when devotees gave up all hope. During all this, Sri Ramana
reportedly remained peaceful and unconcerned. As his condition
worsened, Sri Ramana remained available for the thousands of
visitors who came to see him, even when his attendants urged him
to rest. Reportedly, his attitude towards death was serene. To
devotees who begged him to cure himself for the sake of his
devotees, Sri Ramana is said to have replied "Why are you so
attached to this body? Let it go.", and "Where can I go? I am
here."[13]
By April 1950, Sri Ramana was too weak to go to the hall, and
visiting hours were limited. Visitors would file past the small
room where he spent his final days to get one final glimpse.
Swami Satyananda, the attendant at the time, reports, "On the
evening of 14 April 1950, we were massaging Sri Ramana's body.
At about 5 o'clock, he asked us to help him to sit up. Precisely
at that moment devotees started chanting 'Arunachala Siva,
Arunachala Siva'. When Sri Ramana heard this his face lit up
with radiant joy. Tears began to flow from his eyes and
continued to flow for a long time. I was wiping them from time
to time. I was also giving him spoonfuls of water boiled with
ginger. The doctor wanted to administer artificial respiration
but Sri Ramana waved it away. Sri Sri Ramana’s breathing became
gradually slower and slower and at 8:47 p.m. it subsided
quietly." At that very moment, all over India, there were
independent reports of seeing a bright light rising into the
sky.[34] Henri Cartier-Bresson, the French photographer, who had
been staying at the ashram for a fortnight prior to Sri Ramana’s
passing, recounted the event:
"It is a most astonishing experience. I was in the open space in
front of my house, when my friends drew my attention to the sky,
where I saw a vividly-luminous shooting star with a luminous
tail, unlike any shooting star I had before seen, coming from
the South, moving slowly across the sky and, reaching the top of
Arunachala, disappeared behind it. Because of its singularity we
all guessed its import and immediately looked at our watches –
it was 8:47 – and then raced to the Ashram only to find that our
premonition had been only too sadly true: the Master had passed
into parinirvana at that very minute."[35]
Cartier-Bresson took some of the last photographs of Sri Ramana
on April 4, and went on to take pictures of the burial
preparations. Reportedly, millions in India mourned his passing.
A long article about his death in the New York Times concluded:
"Here in India, where thousands of so-called holy men claim
close tune with the infinite, it is said that the most
remarkable thing about Ramana Maharshi was that he never claimed
anything remarkable for himself, yet became one of the most
loved and respected of all."[36].
Teachings
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Sri Ramana's teachings about self-enquiry, the practice he is
most widely associated with, have been classified as the Path of
Knowledge (Jnana marga) among the Indian schools of thought.
Though his teaching is consistent with and generally associated
with Hinduism, the Upanishads and Advaita Vedanta, there are
some differences with the traditional Advaitic school, and Sri
Ramana gave his approval to a variety of paths and practices
from various religions.[5]
His earliest teachings are documented in the book Nan Yar?(Who
am I?), first written in Tamil. The original book was published
by Sri Pillai,[37] although the essay version of the book (Sri
Ramana Nutrirattu) prepared by Sri Ramana is considered
definitive as unlike the original it had the benefit of his
revision and review. A careful translation with notes is
available in English as 'The Path of Sri Ramana, Part One' by
Sri Sadhu Om, one of the direct disciples of Sri Ramana.
Selections from this definitive version follow[38]:
* As all living beings desire to be happy always, without
misery, as in the case of everyone there is observed supreme
love for one's self, and as happiness alone is the cause for
love, in order to gain that happiness which is one's nature and
which is experienced in the state of deep sleep where there is
no mind, one should know one's self. For that, the path of
knowledge, the inquiry of the form "Who am I?", is the principal
means.
* Knowledge itself is 'I'. The nature of (this) knowledge is
existence-consciousness-bliss.
* What is called mind is a wondrous power existing in Self. It
projects all thoughts. If we set aside all thoughts and see,
there will be no such thing as mind remaining separate;
therefore, thought itself is the form of the mind. Other than
thoughts, there is no such thing as the world.
* Of all the thoughts that rise in the mind, the thought 'I' is
the first thought.
* That which rises in this body as 'I' is the mind. If one
enquires 'In which place in the body does the thought 'I' rise
first?', it will be known to be in the heart [spiritual heart is
'two digits to the right from the centre of the chest']. Even if
one incessantly thinks 'I', 'I', it will lead to that place
(Self)'
* The mind will subside only by means of the enquiry 'Who am
I?'. The thought 'Who am I?', destroying all other thoughts,
will itself finally be destroyed like the stick used for
stirring the funeral pyre.
* If other thoughts rise, one should, without attempting to
complete them, enquire, 'To whom did they arise?', it will be
known 'To me'. If one then enquires 'Who am I?', the mind (power
of attention) will turn back to its source. By repeatedly
practising thus, the power of the mind to abide in its source
increases.
* The place where even the slightest trace of the 'I' does not
exist, alone is Self.
* Self itself is the world; Self itself is 'I'; Self itself is
God; all is the Supreme Self (siva swarupam)
Sri Ramana warned against considering self-enquiry as an
intellectual exercise. Properly done, it involves fixing the
attention firmly and intensely on the feeling of 'I', without
thinking. It is perhaps more helpful to see it as
'Self-attention' or 'Self-abiding' (cf. Sri Sadhu Om - The Path
of Sri Ramana Part I). The clue to this is in Sri Ramana's own
death experience when he was 16. After raising the question 'Who
am I?' he "turned his attention very keenly towards himself"
(cf. description above). Attention must be fixed on the 'I'
until the feeling of duality disappears.
Although he advocated self-enquiry as the fastest means to
realization, he was also known to have advised the practice of
bhakti and self-surrender (to one's Deity or Guru) either
concurrently or as an adequate alternative, which would
ultimately converge with the path of self-enquiry.[39]
Sri Ramana's teachings and Advaita
Sri Ramana's teachings and the traditional Advaitic school of
thought pioneered by Sri Sankaracharya have many things in
common. Sri Ramana often mentioned and is known to have
encouraged study of the following classical works: Ashtavakra
Gita, Ribhu Gita and Essence of Ribhu Gita, Yoga Vasista
Sara,[40] Tripura Rahasya[[41]], Kaivalya Navaneetam,[42]
Advaita Bodha Deepika,[43] and Ellam Ondre.[44] However, there
are some practical differences with the traditional Advaitic
school, which recommends a negationist neti, neti (Sanskrit,
"not this", "not this") path, or mental affirmations that the
Self was the only reality, such as "I am Brahman" or "I am He",
while Sri Ramana advocates the enquiry "Nan Yar" (Tamil, "Who am
I"). Furthermore, unlike the traditional Advaitic school, Sri
Ramana strongly discouraged most who came to him from adopting a
renunciate lifestyle.
To elaborate:
* The traditional Advaitic (non-dualistic) school advocates
"elimination of all that is non-self (the five sheaths) until
only the Self remains".[45] The five kosas, or sheaths, that
hide the true Self are: Material, Vital, Mental, Knowledge, and
Blissful.
* Sri Ramana says "enquiry in the form 'Who am I' alone is the
principal means. To make the mind subside, there is no adequate
means other than self-enquiry. If controlled by other means,
mind will remain as if subsided, but will rise again"[46]
Teachers in his tradition
He considered his own guru to be the Self, in the form of the
sacred mountain Arunachala. Sri Ramana did not publicize himself
as a guru, never claimed to have disciples, and never appointed
any successors. While a few who came to see him are said to have
become enlightened through association, and there are accounts
of private acknowledgements, he did not publicly acknowledge any
living person as liberated other than his mother at death. Sri
Ramana declared himself an atiasrama[47](beyond all caste and
religious restrictions, not attached to anything in life), and
did not belong to or promote any lineage. Despite his
non-affiliations,[48] there are numerous contemporary teachers
who publicly associate themselves with Sri Ramana, and some who
assert being in his lineage.
His method of teaching was characterized by the following:
1. He urged people who came to him to practice self-enquiry;
2. He directed people to look inward rather than seeking outside
themselves for Realization. ("The true Bhagavan resides in your
Heart as your true Self. This is who I truly am.");
3. He viewed all who came to him as the Self rather than as
lesser beings. ("The jnani sees no one as an ajnani. All are
only jnanis in his sight.");
4. He charged no money, and was adamant that no one ever ask for
money (or anything else) in his name;
5. He never promoted or called attention to himself. Instead,
Sri Ramana remained in one place for 54 years, offering
spiritual guidance to anyone of any background who came to him,
and asking nothing in return;
6. He considered humility to be the highest quality;
7. He said the deep sense of peace one felt around a jnani was
the surest indicator of their spiritual state, that equality
towards all was a true sign of liberation, and that what a true
jnani did was always for others, not themselves.
Notable followers
Over the course of Sri Ramana's lifetime, people from a wide
variety of backgrounds, religions, and countries were drawn to
him. Some stayed for the rest of their lives (or his) and served
him with great devotion, and others came for a single darshan
and left, deeply affected by the peace he radiated.
Quite a number of followers wrote books conveying Sri Ramana's
teachings. Sri Muruganar (1893-1973), one of Sri Ramana's
foremost devotees who lived as Sri Ramana's shadow for 26
years,[49] recorded the most comprehensive collection of Sri
Ramana's sayings in a work called Guru Vachaka Kovai (The
Garland of Guru's Sayings).[50] Sri Ramana carefully reviewed
this work with Sri Muruganar, modifying many verses to most
accurately reflect his teaching, and adding in additional
verses. Sri Muruganar was also instrumental in Sri Ramana's
writing of Upadesa Saram (The Essence of Instruction)[51] and
Ulladu Narpadu (Forty Verses on Reality).[52] Sri Sadhu Om
(1922-1985)[53] spent five years with Sri Ramana and about 28
years with Sri Muruganar. His deep understanding of Sri Ramana's
teachings on self-enquiry are explained in his book The Path of
Sri Ramana – Part One.[54] Suri Nagamma wrote a series of
letters to her brother in Telugu, describing Sri Ramana's
conversations with devotees over a five year period. Each letter
was corrected by Sri Ramana before it was sent. Attendants of
Sri Ramana included Palaniswami (from 1897), Kunju Swami (from
1920), Madhava Swami, Krishna Bhikshu and Annamalai Swami (from
1928).
Paul Brunton's writings about Sri Ramana brought considerable
attention to him in the West. Other Westerners who wrote about
Sri Ramana include Arthur Osborne (the first editor of the
ashram journal, The Mountain Path), Major Chadwick (who ran the
Veda Patasala during Ramana's time), and S.S. Cohen. More
recently, David Godman, a former librarian at the ashram, has
written about Sri Ramana's teaching, as well as a series of
books (The Power of the Presence) vividly portraying the lives
of a number of lesser-known attendants and devotees of Sri
Ramana. Swami Ramdas visited Ramana Maharshi while on pilgrimage
in 1922, and after darshan, spent the next 21 days meditating in
solitude in a cave on Arunachala. Thereafter, he attained the
direct realization that "All was Rama, nothing but Rama".[55]
Maurice Frydman (a.k.a. Swami Bharatananda) a Polish Jew who
later translated Nisargadatta Maharaj's work from Marathi to
English called "I Am That" was also deeply influenced by Sri
Ramana's teachings.
Books
Teachings
* The Spiritual Teaching of Ramana Maharshi (ISBN 1-59030-139-0)
* Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, by David
Godman (ISBN 0-14-019062-7)
* Guru Vachaka Kovai (Garland of Guru's Sayings) by Sri
Muruganar, translation Sri Sadhu Om PDF[56]
* The Collected Works Of Sri Ramana Maharshi. Contains
compositions by Sri Ramana, as well as a large number of
adaptations and translations by him of classical advaita works
(ISBN 81-88018-06-6)
* The Path of Sri Ramana, Part One and The Path of Sri Ramana,
Part Two, by Sri Sadhu Om (ASIN B000KMKFX0) PDF[57]
* Happiness and the Art of Being: A Layman's Introduction to the
Philosophy and Practice of the Spiritual Teachings of Bhagavan
Sri Ramana (ISBN 1-4251-2465-8) PDF[58]
* The Essential Teachings of Ramana Maharshi: A Visual Journey
(ISBN 1-878019-18-X)
* Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, by Munagal Venkataramiah,
covers the period 1935 to 1939 (ISBN 81-88018-07-4) PDF[59]
* Reflections: On Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, by S.S.Cohen
(ISBN 81-88018-38-4) PDF[60]
* Padamalai: Teachings of Ramana Maharshi Recorded by Sri
Muruganar, edited by David Godman (ISBN 0971137137)
* Sri Ramana Gita (ISBN 81-88018-17-1)
* The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi in his own words, by Arthur
Osborne (ISBN 81-88018-15-5) PDF[61]
* Day by Day with Bhagavan by A Devaraja Mudaliar (ISBN
81-88018-82-1). An account of daily discussions during the
period 1945 to 1947.
* Gems from Bhagavan, by A. Devaraja Mudaliar
* Maha Yoga, by 'Who' (Lakshmana Sharma), Rev 2002 (ISBN
81-88018-20-1), PDF[62]
* Ramana Puranam: Composed by Sri Ramana Maharshi and Sri
Muruganar (ISBN 81-8289-059-9)
* Origin of Spiritual Instruction by Bhagavan Sri Ramana
Maharshi
* Who am I?: the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi by
Ramana Maharshi
Biographies
* Self-Realization: The Life and Teachings of Bhagavan Sri
Ramana Maharshi, by B.V. Narasimha Swami (ISBN 81-88225-74-6)
* Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self Knowledge, by Arthur
Osborne online text
* Sri Ramana Leela, by Krishna Bhikshu (Telegu Original) PDF
version online[63]
* Timeless in Time: Sri Ramana Maharshi, by A.R. Natarajan (ISBN
81-85378-82-7)
* Ramana Maharshi: His Life, by Gabriele Ebert (ISBN
978-1411673502)
Reminiscences
* A Sadhu's Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi, by Major A. W.
Chadwick (ISBN 81-88018-37-6)
* Living By The Words of Bhagavan, by David Godman (no ISBN)
about Annamalai Swami
* The Power of the Presence, Part One, by David Godman (ISBN
0-9711371-1-0), about several devotees
* The Power of the Presence, Part Two, by David Godman (ISBN
0-9711371-0-2), about several devotees
* The Power of the Presence, Part Three, by David Godman (ISBN
0-9711371-2-9), about several devotees
* Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma (ISBN
81-88018-10-4), contains 273 letters from the period 1945 to
1950, each one corrected by Sri Ramana.
* A Practical Guide to Know Yourself: Conversations with Sri
Ramana Maharshi (ISBN 81-85378-09-6)
* Talks With Sri Ramana Maharshi: On Realizing Abiding Peace and
Happiness (ISBN 1-878019-00-7)
* Guru Ramana, by S.S. Cohen (ISBN 81-88225-22-3)
* Moments Remembered, Reminiscences of Bhagavan Ramana, by V.
Ganesan (ISBN 978-8188018437)
* Living with the Master, Reminiscences by Kunjuswami (ISBN
81-88018-99-6)
* Sri Ramana Reminiscences, by G. V. Subbaramayya
For Children
* Sri Ramana, Friend of Animals: Hobbler and the Monkeys of
Arunachala ISBN 81-8288-047-5
* Sri Ramana, Friend of Animals: The Life of Lakshmi the Cow
* Ramana Thatha (Grand Father Ramana), by Kumari Sarada ISBN
81-85378-03-7
* Ramana Maharshi (Amar Chitra Katha: The Glorious Heritage of
India series) ISBN 81-7508-048-5
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