Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
Ramana Maharshi
Date of Birth	30 December 1879(1879-12-30)
Place of birth	Tiruchuzhi
Birth	Venkataraman Iyer
Date of death	14 April 1950 (aged 70)
Place of death	Bhagavan Sri Ramana's ashram in Arunachala
Philosophy	Advaita Vedanta
Quote	Of all the thoughts that rise in the mind, the thought 'I' is the first thought.
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Sri Ramana Maharshi (Tamil: ரமண மஹரிஷி) (December 30, 1879 – April 14, 1950), born Venkataraman Iyer, was an Indian sage. He was born to a Tamil-speaking 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.^[5]

[edit] Life

[edit] Family Background

Sri Ramana was born in a village called Thiruchuli 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]

[edit] 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 Dindigul, Venkataraman attended a British School.

[edit] 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, Ramana 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" i.e. the Vedas and Upanishads] a note which underlies and blends with all other notes."^[12].

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.^[13]

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^[14].

[edit] 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).^[10]

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]

[edit] 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]

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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]

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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].

[edit] 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." 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."^[34]

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."^[35].

[edit] Teachings

Part of a series on Hindu philosophy

Schools Samkhya · Yoga · Nyaya · Vaisheshika · Purva Mimamsa · Vedanta (Advaita · Vishishtadvaita · Dvaita · Achintya Bheda Abheda)

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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,^[36] 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^[37]:

• 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.^[38]

[edit] 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,^[39] Tripura Rahasya[^[40]], Kaivalya Navaneetam,^[41] Advaita Bodha Deepika,^[42] and Ellam Ondre.^[43] 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".^[44] 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"^[45]

[edit] 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^[46](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,^[47] 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.

[edit] 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,^[48] recorded the most comprehensive collection of Sri Ramana's sayings in a work called Guru Vachaka Kovai (The Garland of Guru's Sayings).^[49] 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)^[50] and Ulladu Narpadu (Forty Verses on Reality).^[51] Sri Sadhu Om (1922-1985)^[52] 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.^[53] 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), Ethel Merston, 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".^[54]

Maurice Frydman (a.k.a. Swami Bharatananda) a Polish Jew who later translated Nisargadatta Majaraj's work from Marathi to English called "I Am That" was also deeply influenced by Sri Ramana's teachings.

William Somerset Maugham, the English author, wrote a chapter entitled "The Saint" in his last book "Points of View" -- this chapter is devoted to Maharishi Ramana, whom Maugham had at one time visited before Indian independence.

The American yogi, Richard Hittleman, had Ramana Maharshi as his guru and frequently spoke of him in his Yoga teachings. Hittleman went on to become the first person to bring Hatha and Raja Yoga to the English-speaking world through the medium of a television series (in the 1960s and 1970s)^[55] Hittleman quoted from Maharshi with great approbation in the last lecture that he (Hittleman) gave, at the very end of his life.

Indian National Congress politician and freedom-fighter, O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar, who served as the Premier of Madras from 1947 to 1949 was also a devoted follower of Ramana Maharishi.

[edit] Aksharamanamalai

Many of Ramana Maharishi's followers asked for a hymn to sing while on their rounds for alms. They felt this would help distinguish them from other hermits.

After much persuasion, Sri Ramana Maharishi composed Sri Arunachala Aksharamanamalai (The Marital Garland of Letters) in praise of Lord Shiva, manifest as the mountain Arunachala.

The hymn consists of 108 stanzas composed in poetic Tamil, praising the formless Shiva as Arunachala and the different aspects of life and salvation that it symbolizes.

The lyrics of the song are presented below, in transliterated Tamil, followed by the translation

Tarunâ runamani kiranâ valinihar, taruma ksharamana mahizhmâlai

Terunâ diyatiru vadiyâr terumaral, teliyap paravudal porulâha

Karunâ karamuni Ramanâ riyanuva, haiyinâr soliyadu gatiyâha

Arunâ chalamena ahamê yarivodu, mazhvâr Sivanula hâlvârê

This joyful Marital Garland of Letters, which resembles a beam of the rays of the rising sun, was sung by the noble sage, Ramana, the ocean of compassion, with the object of removing the delusion of the devotees who sought his grace. Those who look upon it as their sole refuge will realize within themselves that they are Arunâchala and will reign in the world of Siva.

Arunâchala vararkêtra, aksharamana mâlaisâtra

Karunâkara ganapatiyê, karamarulik Kâppâyê

Gracious Ganapati with thy (loving) hand bless me, that I may make this marital garland of letters worthy of Sri Arunâchala, the bridegroom!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

1.Aru/nâ/chala/mena

Aha/mê/ninaip/pavar

Aha/taivê/rarup/pây

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Arunachala! Thou dost root out the ego of those who meditate on Thee in the heart, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Arunachala! Thou dost root out the ego of those who dwell on their (spiritual) identity with Thee, Oh Arunachala!

2.Azha/hu/sundaram/pôl

Aha/mum/nî/yumutru

Abhin/namâ/yirup/pôm

Arunâ/chalâ.

May Thou and I be one and inseparable like Azhagu and Sundara, Oh Arunachala!

3.Aham/buhum/dîrt/tun

Aha/guhai/sira/yây

Amar/vitta/den/kol

Arunâ/chalâ.

Entering (my) home and luring me (to Thine) why didst Thou keep me prisoner in Thy heart's cavern, Oh Arunâchala?

4. /ruk/kâ/venai

Yân/danai/yahat/ridil

Aki/lam/pazhit/tidum

Arunâ/chalâ.

Was it for Thy pleasure or for my sake Thou didst win me? If now Thou turn me away, the world will blame Thee, Oh Arunachala!

5.Ip/pazhi/tap/punai

Ên/ninaip/pit/tây

Ini/yâr/vidu/vâr

Arunâ/chalâ.

Escape this blame! Why didst thou then recall Thyself to me? How can I leave Thee now, Oh Arunachala?

6.În/dridum/an/naiyil

Peri/darul/puri/vôy

Idu/vô/una/darul

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Kinder far art Thou than one's own mother. Is this then Thy all-kindness, Oh Arunachala?

(b) Kinder indeed art Thou than one's own mother, such is thy love, Oh Arunachala!

7.Unai/yê/mât/ri

Ô/dâ/dulat/tinmêl

Uru/diyâ/yiru/pây

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Sit firmly in my mind, lest it elude Thee, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Change not Thy nature and flee, but hold fast in my mind, Oh Arunachala!

8.Û r/sut/rulam/vidâ

Dunaik/kan/dadan/gida

Un/nazha/haik/kât

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Display Thy beauty, for the fickle mind to see Thee forever and to rest (in peace), Oh Arunachala!

(b) The strumpet mind will cease to walk the streets if only she finds Thee. Disclose thy beauty then and hold her bound, Oh Arunachala!

(c) The mind by her unsteadiness prevents my seeking Thee and finding peace; (hold her and) grant me the vision of thy beauty, Oh Arunachala!

9.Enai/yazhit/tip/pô

Denaik/kala/vâ/vidil

Idu/vô/ân/mai

Arunâ/chalâ.

After abducting me if now Thou dost not embrace me, where is Thy chivalry, Oh Arunachala?

10.Ê /ninda/urak/kam

Enaip/pirar/izhuk/ka

Idu/vunak/kazha/hô

Arunâ/chalâ.

Does it become Thee thus to sleep when I am outraged by others, Oh Arunachala?

11.Aim/bulak/kal/var

Ahat/tinil/puhum/bô

Dahat/tilnî/ilai/yô

Arunâ/chalâ.

Even when the thieves of the five senses break in upon me, art Thou not still in my heart, Oh Arunachala?

12.Oru/vanâ/mun/nai

Olit/tevar/varu/vâr

Un/sû/dê/idu

Arunâ/chalâ.

One art Thou without a second; who then could dare elude Thee and come in? This is only Thy jugglery, Oh Arunachala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

13.Ô n/kâ/rap/porul

Op/puyar/vil/lôy

Unai/yâr/ari/vâr

Arunâ/chalâ.

Significance of OM unrivalled - unsurpassed! Who can comprehend Thee, Oh Arunachala?

14.Ow/vaipôl/enak/kun

Aru/lait/tan/denai

 /luva/dun/gadan

Arunâ/chalâ.

As (Universal) Mother, it is Thy duty to dispense Thy grace and save me, Oh Arunachala!

15.Kan/nukkuk/kan/nây

Kan/nindrik/ka/nunaik

Kâ/nuva/devar/pâr

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Who can ever find Thee? The eye of the eye art Thou, and without eyes Thou seest, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Being the sight of the eye, even without eyes find me out Thyself. Who (but Thyself) can find out Thee, Oh Arunachala?

16.Kân/tami/rumbu/pôl

Kavarn/denai/vidâ/mal

Kalan/denô/dirup/pây

Arunâ/chalâ.

As a lode-stone attracts iron, magnetizing it and holding it fast, so do Thou to me, Oh Arunachala!

17.Giri/yuru/vâ/hiya

Kiru/paik/kada/lê

Krupai/kûrn/daru/luvây

Arunâ/chalâ.

(Unmoving) Hill, melting into a Sea of Grace, have mercy (on me) I pray, Oh Arunachala!

18.Kîzh/mê/len/gum

Kila/roli/mani/yen

Kîzh/maiyap/pâzh/sey

Arunâ/chalâ.

Fiery gem, shining in all directions, do Thou burn up my dross, Oh Arunachala!

19.Kut/romut/rarut/tennai

Guna/mâyp/panit/tâl

Guru/vuru/vâ/yolir

Arunâ/chalâ.

Shine as my Guru, making me free from faults and worthy of Thy Grace, Oh Arunachala!

20.Kûr/vât/kan/niyar

Kodu/mayir/padâ/darul

Kûrn/denâî/chêrn/darul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Save me from the cruel snares of fascinating women and honour me with union with Thyself, Oh Arunachala!

21.Ken/jiyum/van/jiyâyk

Kon/jamu/miran/gilai

An/jalên/drê/yarul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Though I beg, Thou art callous and dost not condescend. I pray Thee! Say to me 'Fear not!' Oh Arunachala!

22.Kê/lâ/dalik/kumum

Kê/dil/puha/zhaik

Kê/dusey/yâ/darul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Unasked Thou givest; this is thy imperishable fame. Do not belie Thy name, Oh Arunachala!

23.Kai/yinir/kani/yun

Mey/rasan/kon/duva

Hai/veri/kola/varul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Sweet fruit within my hands, let me be mad with ecstasy, drunk with the bliss of Thy essence, Oh Arunachala!

24.Kodi/yit/tadi/yaraik

Kol/lunaik/kat/tik

Kon/dengan/vâzh/vên

Arunâ/chalâ.

Blazoned as the devourer of Thy votaries, how can I survive who have embraced Thee, Oh Arunachala?

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

25.Kô/pamil/gunat/tôy

Kuri/yâ/yenaik/kolak

Kurai/yen/sey/dên

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Thou, unruffled by anger! What crime has marked me off (for Thy wrath), Oh Arunachala?

(b) Thou, unruffled by anger! What (austerities left) incomplete (in previous births) have won me Thy special favour, Oh Arunachala?

26.Gau/tamar/pôt/rum

Karu/naimâ/malai/yê

Kadaik/kanit/tâl/vây

Arunâ/chalâ.

Glorious Mountain of love, celebrated by Gautama, rule me with Thy gracious glance, Oh Arunachala!

27.Saka/lamum/vizhun/gum

Kadi/roli/yina/mana

Jala/jama/lart/tiyi

d' Arunâ/chalâ.

Dazzling Sun that swallowest up all the universe in Thy rays, with Thy light open the lotus of my heart I pray, Oh Arunachala!

28.Sâp/pâ/dun/nai

Chârn/duna/vâ/yân

Sân/tamâyp/pô/van

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Let me, Thy prey, surrender unto Thee and be consumed, and so have peace, Oh Arunachala!

(b) I came to feed on Thee, but Thou hast fed on me; now there is peace, Oh Arunachala!

29.Chit/tangu/lirak/kadi

Rat/tamvait/tamu/davâ

Yait/tira/arul/mati

Arunâ/chalâ.

O Moon of Grace, with Thy (cool) rays as hands, open (within me) the ambrosial orifice and let my heart rejoice, Oh Arunachala!

30.Sî/raya/zhit/tunir

Vâ/namâ/chey/darut

Sî/raiya/lit/tarul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Tear off these robes, expose me naked, then robe me with Thy love, Oh Arunachala!

31.Sukak/kadal/pon/ga

Sol/lunar/vadan/ga

Sum/mâ/porun/didan

g' Arunâ/chalâ.

There (in the heart) rest quiet! Let the sea of joy surge, speech and feeling cease, Oh Arunachala!

32.Sû/dusey/den/nai

Sô/diya/dini/yun

Jô/diyu/ruk/kât

t' Arunâ/chalâ.

Do not continue to deceive and prove me; disclose instead Thy transcendental self, Oh Arunachala!

33.Sep/padi/vid/dhaikat-

Rip/padi/mayak/kuvit

Turup/padu/viddhai/kât

t' Arunâ/chalâ.

Vouchsafe the knowledge of eternal life that I may learn the glorious primal wisdom, and shun the delusion of this world, Oh Arunachala!

34.Sê/râ/yenin/mey

Nî/râ/yuru/hikkan

Nî/rât/razhi/vên

Arunâ/chalâ.

Unless Thou embrace me, I shall melt away in tears of anguish, Oh Arunachala!

35.Chai/yenat/tal/lir

Sey/vinai/sudu/malâl

Uy/vahai/yê/dural

Arunâ/chalâ.

If spurned by Thee, alas! What rests for me but the torment of my prarabdha? What hope is left for me, Oh Arunachala?

36.Solla/du/soli/nî

Sol/lara/nil/lendru

Sum/mâ/virun/dây

Arunâ/chalâ.

In silence Thou saidst, 'Stay silent!' and Thyself stood silent, Oh Arunachala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

37.Sôm/biyây/chum/mâ

Sukha/mun/duran/gidil

Sol/vê/ren/gati

Arunâ/chalâ.

Happiness lies in peaceful repose enjoyed when resting in the Self. Beyond speech indeed is Thy prowess resting in the Self. Beyond speech indeed is this my State, Oh Arunachala!

38.Sau/riyan/gât/tinai

Chazhak/katra/den/drê

Chali/yâ/dirun/dây

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Thou didst display Thy prowess once, and the perils ended, return to Thy repose, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Sun! Thou didst sally forth and (the siege of) illusion was ended. Then didst thou shine motionless (alone), Oh Arunachala!

39.Jñâma/liyir/kê/dâ

Nâ/nen/nuru/diyâ

Nâ/dinin/nuru/vên

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) (A dog can scent out its master); am I then worse than a dog? Steadfastly I will seek Thee and regain Thee, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Worse than a dog (for want of scent), how can I track Thee (to Thy home), Oh Arunachala?

40.Jñâ/namil/lâ/dun

Nâ/sayât/ralar/vara

Jñâ/nan/derit/tarul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Grant me wisdom, I beseech Thee, so that I may not pine for love of Thee in ignorance, Oh Arunachala!

41.Jñimi/rupô/nî/yum

Malarn/dilai/yen/drê

Nêr/nin/dranai/yen

n' Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Not finding the flower open, Thou didst stay, no better than a (frustrated) bee, Oh Arunachala!

(b) (In sunlight the lotus blossoms), how then couldst Thou, the Sun of suns, hover before me like a flower bee, saying 'Thou art not yet in blossom', Oh Arunachala?

42.Tat/tuvan/deri/yâ

Dat/tanai/yut/rây

Tat/tuva/midu/ven n' Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Thou hast realized the Self even without knowing that it was the truth. It is the truth itself! Speak (thus if it be so), Oh Arunachala!

(b) Thou art the subject of most diverse views, yet art Thou not this only, Oh Arunachala?

(c) Not known to the tattvas, though Thou art their being! What does this mean, Oh Arunachala?

43.Tâ/nê/tâ/nê

Tat/duva/mida/nai

Tâ/nê/kât/tuvây

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) That each one is reality itself, Thou wilt of thy nature show, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Reveal Thyself! Thou only art reality, Oh Arunachala!

(c) 'Reality is nothing but the self'; is this not all thy message, Oh Arunachala?

44.Tirum/biya/han/danai

Dina/mahak/kan/kân

Teri/yumen/dranai/yen

n' Arunâchala.

'Look within, ever seeking the self with the inner eye, then will (It) be found.' Thus didst Thou direct me, beloved Arunachala!

45.Dî/ramil/lahat/til

Tê/diyun/dranai/yân

Tirum/bavut/rê/narul

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Seeking Thee within but weakly, I came back (unrewarded). Aid me, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Weak though my effort was, by Thy grace I gained the Self, Oh Arunachala!

(c) Seeking Thee in the infinite Self, I regained my own (Self), Oh Arunachala!

46.Tup/pari/vil/lâ

Ip/pirap/pen/payan

Op/pida/vâ/yên

Arunâ/chalâ.

What value has this birth without knowledge born of realization? It is not even worth speaking about, Oh Arunachala!

47.Tûy/mana/mozhi/yar

Tô/yumum/mey/yaham

Dô/yave/yaru/len

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Let me dive into the true Self, wherein merge only the pure in mind and speech, Oh Arunachala!

(b) I, by thy grace, am sunk in Thy self, wherein merge only those divested of their minds and thus made pure, Oh Arunachala!

48.Dey/vamen/drun/nai

Châ/ravê/yen/nai

Chê/ravo/zhit/tây

Arunâ/chalâ.

When I took shelter under Thee as my one God, thou didst destroy me altogether, Oh Arunachala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

49.Tê/dâ/dut/ranal

Tiru/varul/nidhi/yahat

Tiyak/kam/dîrt/tarul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Treasure of benign and holy Grace found without seeking, steady my wandering mind, Oh Arunachala!

50.Dai/riya/mô/dumum

Mey/yaham/nâ/dayân

Tat/tazhin/dê/narul

Arunâ/chalâ.

On seeking Thy real self with courage, my raft capsized and the waters came over me. Have mercy on me, Arunachala!

51.Thot/tarul/kai/mey

Kat/tidâ/yeni/liyân

Nat/tamâ/vê/narul

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Unless Thou extend Thy hand of grace in mercy and embrace me, I am lost, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Enfold me body to body, limb to limb, or I am lost, Oh Arunachala!

52.Dô/damil/nî/ahat

Tô/dondri/en/drumsan

Dô/damon/drida/varul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Oh undefiled, abide Thou in my heart so that there may be everlasting joy, Oh Arunachala!

53.Nahaik/kida/milai/nin

Nâk/diya/venai/yarul

Nahai/yittup/pâr/nî

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Mock me not, who seek Thy protection! Adorn me with thy grace and then regard me, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Smile with grace and not with scorn on me, who come to Thee for refuge, Oh Arunachala!

54.Nâ/nilai/nâ/dida

Nâ/nâ/yon/drini

Tâ/nuvâ/nin/dranai

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) When I approached, Thou didst not bend; Thou stoodst unmoved, at one with me, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Does it not shame Thee to stand there like a post, (leaving me) to find thee by myself, Oh Arunachala?

55.Nin/ner/erit/tenai

Nî/râk/kidu/mun

Nin/narul/mazhai/pozhi

Arunâ/chalâ.

Rain Thy mercy on me, ere Thy knowledge burn me to ashes, Oh Arunachala!

56.Nî/nâ/narap/puli

Nidan/gali/maya/mâ

Nin/dridu/nilai/yarul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Unite with me to destroy (our separate identities as) Thou and me, and bless me with the state of ever vibrant joy, Oh Arunachala!

57.Nun/nuru/vunai/yân

Vin/nuru/nan/nida

En/nalai/yiru/men

dr' Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) When shall I (become) like the ether and reach Thee, subtle of being, that the tempest of thoughts may end, Oh Arunachala!

(b) When will waves of thought cease to rise? When shall I reach Thee, subtler than the subtle ether, Oh Arunâchala?

58.Nû/lari/vari/yâp

Pê/daiya/nen/dran

Mâ/lari/varut/tarul

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) I am a simpleton devoid of learning. Do thou dispel illusion, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Destroy Thou my wrong knowledge, I beseech Thee, for I lack the knowledge which the scriptures lead to, Oh Arunachala!

59.Nek/kunek/kuru/hiyân

Puk/kida/unaip/puhal

Nak/kanâ/nin/dranai

Arunâ/chalâ

When I melted away and entered Thee, my refuge, (I found) Thee standing naked (like the famous Digambara)! Oh Arunachala!

60.Nê/sami/lenak/kun

 /saiyaik/kât/tinî

Mô/sanje/yâ/darul

Arunâ/chalâ.

In my unloving self Thou didst create a passion for Thee, therefore forsake me not, Oh Arunachala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

61.Nain/dazhi/kani/yâl

Nala/nilai/padat/til

Nâ/diyut/kol/nalam

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Fruit shrivelled and spoilt is worthless; take and enjoy it ripe, Oh Arunachala!

(b) I am not (like) a fruit which is overripe and spoilt; draw me, then, into the inmost recess (of the heart) and fix me in eternity, Oh Arunachala!

62.Non/didâ/dun/dranait

Tan/denaik/kon/dilai

An/daka/nî/yenak

k' Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Hast Thou not bartered cunningly Thyself for me (for my individuality is lost)? Oh, Thou art death to me, Arunachala!

(b) Hast thou not bartered happily Thyself for me (giving all and taking nothing)? Art thou not blind, Oh Arunâchala?

63.Nôk/kiyê/karu/dimey

Tâk/kiyê/pak/kuvam

 k/kinî/ân/darul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Regard me! Take thought of me! Touch me! Mature me! Make me one with Thee, Oh Arunachala!

64.Pat/rimâl/vidan/dalai

Ut/riru/muna/marul

Pat/rida/varul/puri

Arunâ/chalâ.

Grant me Thy grace ere the poison of delusion grips me and, rising to my head, kills me, Oh Arunachala!

65.Pârt/tarul/mâ/larap

Pârt/tilai/yeni/larul

Pâ/runak/kâr/solvar

Arunâ/chalâ.

Thyself regard me and dispel illusion! Unless Thou do so who can intercede with Grace itself made manifest, Oh Arunachala?

66.Pit/tuvit/tunai/nêr

Pit/tanâk/kinai/yarul

Pit/tam/teli/marun

d' Arunâ/chalâ.

With madness for thee thou hast freed me from madness (for the world); grant me now the cure of all madness, Oh Arunachala!

67.Bî/diyil/lunai/châr

Bî/diyil/lenai/chêr

Bî/diyun/dranak/kên

Arunâ/chalâ.

Fearless I seek Thee, Fearlessness Itself! How canst Thou fear to take me, Oh Arunachala?

68.Pul/lari/vê/durai

Nal/lari/vê/durai

Pul/lida/vê/yarul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Where is (my) ignorance of (Thy) wisdom, if I am blessed with union to Thee, Oh Arunachala?

69.Bû/mana/mâ/manam

Pû/rana/manan/golap

Pû/rana/mana/marul

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) My mind has blossomed, (then) scent it with Thy fragrance and perfect it, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Espouse me, I beseech Thee, and let this mind, now wedded to the world, be wedded to perfection, Oh Arunachala!

70.Peyar/ninait/tida/vê

Pidit/tizhut/tanai/yun

Peru/maiyâ/rari/vâr

Arunâ/chalâ.

Mere thought of Thee has drawn me to Thee, and who can gauge Thy glory (in Itself), Oh Arunâchala?

71.Pêyt/tanam/vida/vidâp

Pê/yâp/pidit/tenaip

Pê/yanâk/kinai/yen

Arunâ/chalâ.

Thou hast possessed me, unexorcizable spirit! and made me mad (for Thee), that I may cease to be a ghost (wandering in the world), Oh Arunachala!

72.Pain/godi/yâ/nân

Pat/rindri/vâ/dâmal

Pat/trukko/dâyk/kâ

Arunâ/chalâ.

Be Thou my stay and my support lest I droop helpless like a tender creeper, Oh Arunachala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

73.Podi/yâl/mayak/kiyen

Bô/dhataip/parit/tun

Bô/dhattaik/kat/tinai

Arunâ/chalâ.

Thou didst benumb (my faculties) with stupefying power, then rob me of my understanding and reveal the knowledge of Thy Self, Oh Arunachala!

74.Pôk/kum/vara/vumil

Podu/veli/yini/larul

Pô/rat/tan/gât

t' Arunâ/chalâ.

Show me the warfare of Thy grace in the open field where there is no coming and going, Oh Arunachala!

75.Bau/dika/mâ/mudal

Pat/ratru/nâ/lumun

Bavi/sukkan/dura/varul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Unattached to the physical frame composed of the (five) Elements, let me forever repose happy in the sight of Thy splendour, Oh Arunachala!

76.Malai/marun/dida/nî

Malait/tida/vô/varul

Malai/marun/dâ/yolir

Arunâ/chalâ.

Thou hast administered the medicine of confusion to me, so must I be confounded! Shine Thou as grace, the cure of all confusion, Oh Arunachala!

77.Mâ/nangon/duru/pavar

Mâ/natai/yazhit/tabhi

Mâ/namil/lâ/dolir

Arunâ/chalâ.

Shine Thou selfless, sapping the pride of those who boast of their free will, Oh Arunachala!

78.Min/jidil/ken/jidum

Kon/java/riva/niyân

Van/jiyâ/daru/lennai

Arunâ/chalâ.

I am a fool who prays only when overwhelmed (by misery), yet disappoint me not, Oh Arunachala!

79.Mîhâ/ma/ni'/lâmal

Mâ/kât/ralai/kalam

 hâ/mal/kât/tarul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Guard me lest I flounder storm-tossed like a ship without helmsman, Oh Arunachala!

80.Mudi/yadi/kâ/nâ

Mudi/vidut/tanai/nêr

Mudi/vidak/kada/nilai

y' Arunâ/chalâ.

Thou hast cut the know which hid the vision of Thy head and foot (the limitless Self). Motherlike, shouldst thou not complete Thy task, Oh Arunachala?

81.Mûk/kilan/mun/gâttum

Muku/ramâ/hâ/denait

Tûk/kiya/nain/darul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Be not (like) a mirror held up to a noseless man, but raise me (from my lowness) and embrace me, Oh Arunachala!

82.Mey/yahat/tin/mana

Men/mana/ranai/yilnâm

Mey/kalan/dida/varul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Let us embrace upon the bed of tender flowers, which is the mind, within the room of the body (or the ultimate truth), Oh Arunachala!

83.Mên/mêl/tâzhn/didum

Mel/liyar/chêrn/dunî

Mên/maiyut/ranai/yen

Arunâ/chalâ.

How is it that Thou hast become famous from Thy constant union with the poor and humble, Oh Arunachala?

84.Mai/maya/nît/tarul

Mai/yinâ/luna/dun

Mai/vasa/mâk/kinai

Arunâ/chalâ.

Thou hast removed the blindness of ignorance with the unguent of Thy grace, and made me truly Thine, Oh Arunachala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

85.Mot/taiya/dit/tenai

Vet/tave/liyi/nî

Nat/tamâ/dinai/yen

Arunâ/chalâ.

Thou didst shave clean my head (and I was lost to the world), then Thou didst (show Thyself) dancing in transcendent space, Oh Arunachala!

86.Mô/han/tavirt/tun

Mô/hamâ/vait/tumen

Mô/handî/râ/yen

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Though Thou hast lossed me from the mists of error and made me mad for Thee, why hast Thou not yet freed me from illusion, Oh Arunachala?

(b) Though Thou hast detached me from the world and made me cleave to Thee, Thy passion for me has not cooled, Oh Arunachala!

87.Mau/niyây/kar/pôl

Mala/râ/dirun/dâl

Mau/namil/dâ/mô

Arunâ/chalâ.

Is it true silence to rest like a stone, inert and unexpansive, Oh Arunachala?

88.Yava/nen/vâ/yil

Man/ninai/yat/ti

En/bizhaip/pozhit/ta

d' Arunâ/chalâ.

Who was it that threw mud to me for food and robbed me of my livelihood, Oh Arunachala?

89.Yâ/ruma/riyâ/den

Mati/yinai/marut/ti

Evar/kolai/kon/da

d' Arunâ/chalâ.

Unknown to all, stupefying me, who was it that ravished my soul, Oh Arunachala?

90.Rama/nanem/drurait/tên

Rô/shango/lâ/denai

Ramit/tida/cheya/vâ

Arunâ/chalâ.

I spoke Thus to Thee, because Thou art my Lord; be not offended but come and give me happiness, Oh Arunachala!

91.Râp/paha/lil/lâ

Veru/veli/vît/til

Ramit/tidu/vôm/vâ

Arunâ/chalâ.

Let us enjoy one another in the house of open space, where there is neither night nor day, Oh Arunachala!

92.Lat/chiyam/vait/tarul

As/tiram/vit/tenai

Bat/chittây/prâ/nanô

d' Arunâ/chalâ.

Thou didst take aim (at me) with darts of love and then devoured me alive, Oh Arunachala!

93.Lâ/bhanî/iha/para

Lâ/bhamil/lenai/yutru

Lâ/bhamen/nut/ranai

Arunâ/chalâ.

Thou art the primal being, whereas I count not in this nor in the other world. What didst thou gain then by my worthless self, Oh Arunachala?

94.Varum/badi/soli/lai

Van/den/padi/yala

Varun/didun/tala/vidhi

Arunâ/chalâ.

Didst Thou not call me in? I have come in. Now measure out for me (my maintenance is now Thy burden). Hard is Thy lot, Oh Arunachala!

95.Vâ/ven/draham/bukkun

Vâzh/varu/landrê/yen

Vâzh/vizhan/dê/narul

Arunâ/chalâ.

The moment Thou didst welcome me, didst enter into me and grant me Thy divine life, I lost my individuality, Oh Arunachala!

96.Vit/tidil/kat/tamâm

Vit/tida/dunai/yuyir

Vit/tida/arul/puri

Arunâ/chalâ.

Bless me that I may die without losing hold of Thee, or miserable is (my fate), Oh Arunachala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

97.Vî/duvit/tîrt/tula

Vîdu/pukkup/pai/yavun

Vî/dukât/tinai/yarul

Arunâ/chalâ.

From my home Thou didst entice me, then stealing into my heart didst draw me gently into Thine, (such is) Thy grace, Oh Arunachala!

98.Veli/vittên/un/seyal

Verut/tidâ/dun/narul

Veli/vit/tenaik/kâ

Arunâ/chalâ.

I have betrayed Thy (secret) workings. Be not offended! Show me Thy grace now openly and save me, Oh Arunachala!

99.Vê/dân/tat/tê

Vê/rara/vilan/gum

Vê/dap/poru/larul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Grant me the essence of the Vedas, which shine in the Vedantas, one without a second, Oh Arunachala!

100.Vai/dalai/vâzht/tâ

Vait/tarul/kudi/yâ

Vait/tenai/vidâ/darul

Arunâ/chalâ.

(a) Even my slanders, treat as my praise and guard me forever as Thine own, I pray, Oh Arunachala!

(b) Let even slander be as praise to me, and guard me forever as Thine own, Oh Arunachala!

(c) Place (Thy hand) upon my head! Make me partaker of Thy grace! Do not abandon me, I pray, Oh Arunachala!

101.Am/buvil/â/lipôl

An/buru/vuni/lenai

An/bâk/karait/tarul

Arunâ/chalâ.

As snow in water, let me melt as love in Thee, Who art love itself, Oh Arunachala!

102.Aru/naiyen/drenna/yân

Arut/kanni/pattê/nun

Arul/valai/tappu/mô

Arunâ/chalâ.

I had but thought of Thee as Aruna, and lo! I was caught in the trap of Thy grace! Can the net of Thy grace ever fail, Oh Arunachala?

103.Chin/dit/tarul/pada

Chilan/dipôl/kat/ti

Chirai/yit/tun/danai

Arunâ/chalâ.

Watching like a spider to trap (me in the web of Thy) grace, Thou didst entwine me and when imprisoned feed upon me, Oh Arunachala!

104.An/bodun/nâ/mangêl

An/bardam/an/baruk

Kan/banâ/yida/varul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Let me be the votary of the votaries of those who hear Thy name with love, Oh Arunachala!

105.En/bôlum/dî/narai

In/burak/kât/tunî

En/nâlum/vâzhn/darul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Shine Thou forever as the loving saviour of helpless suppliants like myself, Oh Arunachala!

106.En/buru/han/bardam

In/sorkot/sevi/yumen

Pun/mozhi/kola/varul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Familiar to Thine ears are the sweet songs of votaries who melt to the very bones with love for Thee, yet let my poor strains also be acceptable, Oh Arunachala!

107.Poru/maiyâm/bhû/dara

Pun/solai/nan/solâp

Porut/taru/lish/tambin

Arunâ/chalâ.

Hill of patience, bear with my foolish words, (regarding them) as hymns of joy or as Thou please, Oh Arunachala!

108.Mâ/laiya/lit/taru

Nâ/chala/rama/nayen

Mâ/laiya/nin/darul

Arunâ/chalâ.

Oh Arunachala! My Loving Lord! Throw Thy garland (about my shoulders) wearing Thyself this one (strung) by me, Arunachala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala Siva, Arunâchala!

Aru/nâ/chalam/vâzhi

Anbar/kalum/vâzhi

Aksha/ramana/mâlai/vâzhi

Blessed be Arunachala! Blessed be His devotees! Blessed be this Marital Garland of Letters!

Recited by J. Jayaraman Back to music link page

[edit] Books

[edit] 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 (ISBN 978-0970366733)
• Who am I?: the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi by Ramana Maharshi

[edit] 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)

[edit] 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

[edit] 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

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ramana Maharshi

• The official Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi website
• David Godman - Author - contains many articles and translated works of or about Ramana Maharshi
• Bhagavan-Ramana.org Site (Comprehensive, extensively sourced information on Ramana Maharshi)
• Kheper article, information on Sri Ramana Maharshi
• The Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning(RMCL) - established to create greater awareness of the timeless heritage and culture of India, with particular focus on the life and teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
• Sri Ramana Maharshi Article's Database
• Devotional site