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Nothing Existed Except the Eyes of the Maharshi
by N.R. Krishnamurti Aiyer. Oct. 29, 2001
Who Are You? An Interview With Papaji by
Jeff Greenwald. Oct. 24, 2001
An Interview with Byron Katie by Sunny
Massad. Oct. 23, 2001
An Interview with Douglas Harding by Kriben
Pillay. Oct. 21, 2001
The Nectar of Immortality by Sri Nisargadatta
Maharaj. Oct. 18, 2001
The Power of the Presence Part Two by David
Godman. Oct. 15, 2001
The Quintessence of My Teaching by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Oct. 3, 2001
Interview With David Godman. Sept. 28, 2001
The Power of the Presence Part One by David
Godman. Sept. 28, 2001
Nothing Ever Happened Volume 1 by
David Godman. Sept. 23, 2001
Collision with the Infinite by Suzanne
Segal. Sept. 22, 2001
Lilly of the Valley, the Bright and Morning
Star by Charlie Hopkins. August 9, 2001
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• • • • • • • • •
Our
email address is editor
@realization.org.
Copyright
2001 Realization.org.
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Ramana
Maharshi
1879
–1950
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi was probably the
most famous Indian sage of the twentieth century.
He was renowned for his saintly life, for the
fullness of his self-realization, and for the
feelings of deep peace that visitors experienced
in his presence. So many people came to see him
at the holy hill of Arunchala where he spent his
adult life that an ashram had to be built around
him. He answered questions for hours every day,
but never considered himself to be anyone's guru.
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He
was born on December 30, 1879 in a village called
Tirucculi about 30 miles south of Madurai in southern
India. His middle-class parents named him Venkataraman.
His father died when he was twelve, and he went
to live with his uncle in Madurai, where he attended
American Mission High School.
At
age 16, he became spontaneously self-realized.
Six weeks later he ran away to the holy hill of
Arunachala where he would remain for the rest
of his life. For several years he stopped talking
and spent many hours each day in samadhi. When
he began speaking again, people came to ask him
questions, and he soon acquired a reputation as
a sage. In 1907, when he was 28, one of his early
devotees named him Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi,
Divine Eminent Ramana the Great Seer, and
the name stuck. Eventually he became world-famous
and an ashram was built around him. He died of
cancer in 1950 at the age of 70.
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| Ramana
Maharshi was born 30 kilometers south of Madurai
in Tamil Nadu, India. |
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His
Self-Realization
At
age 16, he heard somebody mention "Arunachala."
Although he didn't know what the word meant (it's
the name of a holy hill associated with the god
Shiva) he became greatly excited. At about the
same time he came across a copy of Sekkilar's
Periyapuranam, a book that describes the
lives of Shaivite saints, and became fascinated
by it. In the middle of 1896, at age 16, he was
suddenly overcome by the feeling that he was about
to die. He lay down on the floor, made his body
stiff, and held his breath. "My body is dead
now," he said to himself, "but I am
still alive." In a flood of spiritual awareness
he realized he was spirit, not his body.
His
Guru
Ramana
Maharshi didn't have a human guru (other than
himself). He often said that his guru was Arunachala,
a holy mountain in South India.
His
Teachings
Ramana
Maharshi taught a method called self-inquiry
in which the seeker focuses continuous attention
on the I-thought in order to find its source.
In the beginning this requires effort, but eventually
something deeper than the ego takes over and the
mind dissolves in the heart center. For more information,
see our page on Self-Inquiry.
Where
To Obtain Books and Videos
The ashram founded by Sri Ramana publishes all
his writings and many books about him. You can
purchase directly from the
ashram in India or from its American
affiliate.
Several
online bookstores carry a large number of publications
by and about Sri Ramana.
In
the U.S. contact AHAM,
Blue
Dove, Books
Beyond Words, and Kalpataru.
In
France, contact InnerQuest.
Photos of Sri Ramana Maharshi copyright Sri Ramanasramam
and others. Used by permission.
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| RELATED
PAGES ON THIS SITE |
Self-Inquiry
This
is our reference page on the main technique taught
by Ramana Maharshi.
Self-Enquiry
By
Sri Ramana Maharshi
This
is Ramana's first work, written in 1901 when he
was 22 years old. He explains how to practice
self-enquiry and gives an overview of other methods
for attaining self-realization. This translation
is by T.M.P. Mahadevan.
Forty
Verses on Reality
By Sri
Ramana Maharshi
The
most comprehensive statement of Ramana's teachings
written by himself.
David
Godman
David
Godman is the most important living writer of
books about Ramana Maharshi and his disciples.
This reference page leads to excerpts from David
Godman's books and many other items related to
Sri Ramana.
Advaita
Vedanta
Our
main page about the philosophy behind Ramana's
teachings. Contains an article, links, and book
recommendations.
What
Ramana's I-I Feels Like
By Anonymous
One
of Ramana's devotees describes what it felt like
to experience the Self for the first time.
Nothing
Existed Except the Eyes of the Maharshi
by N.R. Krishnamurti
Aiyer
Ramana
Maharshi's gaze ignited a college professor's
Kundalini and caused his heart center to open.
My
Meeting With Ramana Maharshi
By
Mercedes de Acosta
A
Hollywood screenwriter, famous for love affairs
with beautiful movie stars, describes the three-day
visit with Ramana Maharshi which she later called
the most important event of her life.
U.G.
Krishnamurti's Meeting With Ramana Maharshi
Krishnamurti's
account of what was said.
Ramana's
First Person Is Really a Place
By
Elena Gutierrez
One
of Ramana's best-known remarks about his method
of self-enquiry loses something important in translation.
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| RECOMMENDED
WRITINGS BY RAMANA MAHARSHI |
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Talks
with Sri Ramana Maharshi
By Sri Ramana Maharshi
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For serious students
of Ramana Maharshi, this is the Bible, the most comprehensive single volume
of Sri Ramana's teachings. It contains 668 pages of transcripts of conversations
he held between 1935 and 1939 with visitors who traveled to south India
from all over the world to ask for advice from the man whom many regard
as the greatest realized teacher of the twentieth century. The text, translated
here into English from the three Indian languages used by Ramana, is slightly
stilted but nonetheless lucid, direct, literate, and pleasant to read. Part
of the book is on the Web here.
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Who
Am I?
by
Sri Ramana Maharshi
One
of Ramana's earliest works, dictated to a student
in 1902. Explains the method of self-enquiry in
question-and-answer form. On the web here.
Spiritual
Instruction
by
Sri Ramana Maharshi
Another
compilation of questions and answers by a student.
On the web here.
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Arunacha-Ramana
This
CD includes 1400 photographs, the complete set of
The Maharshi Newsletter going back to 1991,
and more. Click here
for more information. |
| RECOMMENDED
WRITINGS BY OTHERS |
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Living
By The Words of Bhagavan
By David Godman
· · · · · · · · · · · ·
This
book is a biography of Annamalai Swami who became Self-realized after many
years of effort and intimate association with his guru, Ramana Maharshi.
This book is unusual in two ways. First, it paints the most intimate portrait
of Ramana Maharshi that we've ever seen, based on Annamalai Swami's ten
years of interactions with Sri Ramana, first as his personal attendant and
then as supervisor of building projects at Sri Ramanasraman. Second,
unlike other Self-realized disciples of Sri Ramana whose biographies and
advice have been published, Annamalai Swami worked very hard for many years
to realize the Self, making his advice especially useful to seekers for
whom Self-realization does not come easily. The final section of the book
contains transcripts of conversations that Annamalai Swami held with seekers
in the 1980s.
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| Where to order
it |
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In North America:
AHAM, Kalpataru,
BlueDove.
In Europe: InnerQuest.
Elsewhere:
contact the publisher:
· · · · · · · · · · · ·
Hardcover.
367 pages.
(No ISBN number).
· · · · · · · · · · · ·
Published by Sri Annamalai Swami Ashram Trust., Sri Ramanasramam
P.O., Tiruvannamalai 606603, Tamil Nadu, India
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The
Path of Sri Ramana, Part One
By Sri Sadhu Om
· · · · · · · · · · · ·
The definitive version
of Ramana Maharshi's teachings is contained in his writings such as Forty
Verses on Reality. Unfortunately, his works aren't easy to read. Most
of them are written in a terse, classical style of Tamil poetry which is
not easily understood even by many educated Tamils. In order to understand
him, most of us must therefore rely on translations and commentaries. This
book is possibly the best of that kind because it was written by a skilled
Tamil poet who was also a close disciple of Ramana's. It contains 145 pages
of exact instructions for practicing self-inquiry plus literal English translations
of several of Ramana's works. In this volume, part one of the work, the
author covers Jnana Marga (self-enquiry); part two deals with Bhakti
Marga (surrender).
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My
Reminscences
By
N. Reddy Balarama
This
enjoyable, illuminating book shows what it was like
to live at Ramana Maharshi's ashram under his guidance.
Click
here for a longer description.
Sri
Ramana Reminscences
By
G.V. Subbaramayya
This
beautifully written, candid memoir by a college
professor reveals a great deal about his childlike
dependence on Ramana Maharshi, but most readers
will find it tedious and effete. Click
here for a longer description.
A
Search in Secret India
By
Paul Brunton
A
famous modern classic that has sold more than a
quarter million copies, this book describes an English
doctor's search for a guru in India in the early
part of the twentieth century. After meeting many
acclaimed yogis, he decides his true guru is Sri
Ramana Maharshi and returns to Arunachala for several
weeks of intensive instruction. The final chapters
describe the oral teachings given to Brunton by
Ramana and the subjective experience of practicing
Ramana's method, including the first sudden experience
of the true Self. |
| RECOMMENDED
READING ON OTHER SITES |
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Biography
A
biography of Ramana by T.M.P. Mahadevan is on
the web here.
What
Is Meditation?
By Mouni Sadhu
A
devotee of Ramana's explains
the technique of self-enquiry.
The
Direct Path
By Mouni Sadhu
Another
article by Mouni Sadhu, a devotee of Ramana's,
explaining the technique
of self-enquiry.
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Sri
Ramanasramam
The
website of the ashram where Ramana Maharshi lived.
This is the main website for information and books
regarding him.
David
Godman's Writings on Ramana Maharshi
Essays
and interviews by David Godman, author of thirteen
books about Ramana Maharshi and other jnanis.
Who
Are You?
Superb
web animation that illustrates many of Ramana's
ideas. By Kees Schreuders and and Jan van Delden.
The
Maharshi Newsletters
Published
by a Canadian ashram and reproduced on Amber's
Advaita website.
Arunachaleswar
Temple
Information
about the temple where Ramana lived. Includes
photograph. On the website of anthropologist-photographer
Martin Gray.
Arunachala
Ashrama
American
ashram affiliated with Sri Ramanashramam in India.
Located in New York City. Telephone
(718) 575-3215.
Ramana
Maharshi Foundation UK
Monthly
meetings are open to the public; triannual journal
and newsletter.
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This
page was published on January 6, 2000 and
last revised on April 25, 2003. |
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