Ramana Maharishi

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200px-Ramana_3_sw.jpg
Real NameVenkataraman Iyer
Alternative NamesRamana, Ramana Maharishi
Date of BirthDec 30, 1879
Date of DeathApr 14, 1950
Spiritual TraditionVedanta
MethodsMeditation, Contemplation
HeadquartersTiruvannamalai, India
Websitehttp://www.sriramanamaharshi.org
TeacherNone
RegionSouth India
LanguageTamil

Contents

Introduction

Right from the age of 16, he became spiritually inclined after contemplating on death and what survives death. In his own words:

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.[1]

According to some accounts, he set his mind on being a religious person after being rebuffed at school: "Ramana was nearing the end of high school when a careless criticism describing him as a person not fit to be a student jarred him into making a final decision to leave school. He had been reading a book on famous Tamil saints and resolved to leave home and lead the life of a religious seeker."[2]

For the rest of his life, he lived the life of a spiritual monk and a teacher and remained committed to the idea of a non-material soul and its survival beyond bodily death.

He was deeply influenced by a book containing biographies of Saivite saints[3], and later by Adi Shankaracharya's Vivekchudamani, an important non-dualist text (which he translated into Tamil).

Teachings

Primarily a non-dualist teacher, he taught that the real world is illusory and only the "Self" is real. He was very fond of the mountain Arunachala near Tiruvannamalai, and considered it his teacher. He composed hymns in its veneration.

His teachings can be summarized as follows:

  • To inquire "Who am I" and to negate every identification which says "I am this". This process will lead one to the ultimate reality.
  • To be sincere and simple in one's life.

Influence and Followers

One of the foremost non-dualist sages to emerge in modern times in India, he has had a wide influence amongst modern western seekers, and amongst later Gurus such as Osho, Nisargadatta Maharaj, etc.

Controversies and Criticism

  • Deeply spiritual, Ramana Maharishi advocated the age-hold "truths" of reincarnation, existence of a soul and karma.
  • When asked any question for which there was no easy answer, he would respond back with the simple aphorism: "Inquire only as to who is asking the question, and you will find your answer."
  • Accepted veneration and worship. His disciples frequently sang hymns for him in his presence.
  • Considered the mountain Arunachala as God itself. In his testimony in the court case relating to the possession of land by the temple authorities, he said:

There is an aitikya [tradition] that his hill is linga swarupa, that is to say, that this hill itself is God. This aitikya is not to be found anywhere else. That is the cause of the glory of this place. The tradition of this place is that this hill is the form of God and that in its real nature it is full of light. Every year the Deepam festival celebrates the real nature of the mountain as light itself. Authority for this is found in the Vedas, the Puranas and in the stotras [poems] of devotees. Because this tradition maintains that this hill is Siva swarupa, the practice of giri pradakshina, walking clockwise around the mountain as an act of reverence or worship, has arisen. I also have faith in giri pradakshina and have had experience of it.[4]

I am a devotee of Arunachaleswara. I have composed a poem in Tamil which says that the Arunachala hill is Iswara swarupa.[5]

  • His mother came to live with him in his ashrama after he left his home. It is said that his mother constantly asked him to return home. When his mother died, Ramana said, "She did not pass away. She was absorbed," and a samadhi shrine was built for her. Around her tomb grew the ashram, which has become a pilgrim center for international devotees. Today the ashram administration remains in the family; Sri T.N. Venkataraman, current president of the board of trustees, is Ramana's nephew.[6]
  • To maintain the control of the temple and the ashrama with himself and his brother, he successfully argued against a devotee, Perumal Swami, who sought control of the premises. In his court deposition, Ramana Maharishi used a clever argument that he, i.e. Ramana himself, was neither a monk (hence he could legally hold property) nor a householder (since he had left his home and possessions), but someone beyond all ashramas (someone who is in atiasrama). When asked if he knew anyone else who was living in this category, he replied in the negative.[7]

Organizations and Websites

Works

  • 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 [1]
  • 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 [2]
  • 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 [3]
  • 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 [4]
  • Reflections: On Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, by S.S.Cohen (ISBN 81-88018-38-4) PDF [5]
  • 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 [6]
  • 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 [7]
  • Ramana Puranam: Composed by Sri Ramana Maharshi and Sri Muruganar (ISBN 81-8289-059-9)

Further Reading and Links

Articles

Forum and Discussion Threads

Notes

  1. ↑ http://bhagavan-ramana.org/sriramanaslife.html
  2. ↑ http://www.om-guru.com/html/saints/maharshi.html
  3. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramana_Maharishi#The_Awakening
  4. ↑ http://www.davidgodman.org/rteach/bhagdep1.shtml
  5. ↑ http://www.davidgodman.org/rteach/bhagdep1.shtml
  6. ↑ http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1997/3/1997-3-12.shtml
  7. ↑ http://www.davidgodman.org/rteach/atiasrami1.shtml
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