Maharshi, Bhagavan Sri Ramana
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Ramana Maharshi | |
|---|---|
 Ramana Maharshi in his late 60s | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Venkataraman Iyer 30 December 1879 |
| Died | 14 April 1950 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Philosophy | Self-enquiry (Jnana Yoga) |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Arunachala |
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Ramana Maharshi (born Dec. 30, 1879, Madurai, Madras states, India—died April 14, 1950, Tiruvannamalai) was a Hindu philosopher and yogi called “Great Master,” “Bhagavan” (the Lord), and “the Sage of Arunachala,” whose position on monism (the identity of the individual soul and the creator of souls) and maya (illusion) parallels that of Shankara (c. 700–750). His original contribution to yogic philosophy is the technique of vichara (self-“pondering” inquiry).
Born to a middle-class southern Indian Brahman family, Venkataraman read mystical and devotional literature, particularly the lives of South Indian Shaivite saints and the life of Kabir, the medieval mystical poet. He was captivated by legends of the local pilgrimage place, Mt. Arunachala, from which the god Shiva was supposed to have arisen in a spiral of fire at the creation of the world.
At the age of 17 Venkataraman had a spiritual experience from which he derived his vichara technique: he suddenly felt a great fear of death, and, lying very still, imagined his body becoming a stiff, cold corpse. Following a traditional “not this, not that” (neti-neti) practice, he began self-inquiry, asking, “Who am I?” and answering, “Not the body, because it is decaying; not the mind, because the brain will decay with the body; not the personality, nor the emotions, for these also will vanish with death.” His intense desire to know the answer brought him into a state of consciousness beyond the mind, a state of bliss that Hindu philosophy calls samadhi. He immediately renounced his possessions, shaved his head, and fled from his village to Mt. Arunachala to become a hermit and one of India’s youngest gurus.
The publication of Paul Brunton’s My Search in Secret India drew Western attention to the thought of Ramana Maharshi (the title used by Venkataraman’s disciples) and attracted a number of notable students. Ramana Maharshi believed that death and evil were maya, or illusion, which could be dissipated by the practice of vichara, by which the true self and the unity of all things would be discovered. For liberation from rebirth it is sufficient, he believed, to practice only vichara and bhakti (devotion) either to Shiva Arunachala or to Ramana Maharshi.
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Ramana Maharshi (Sanskrit pronunciation: [ˈɾɐ.mɐ.ɳɐ mɐˈɦɐɾ.ʂi]; Tamil: இரமண மகரிஷி, romanized: Iramaṇa Makarici; 30 December 1879 – 14 April 1950) was an Indian Hindu sage[1] and jivanmukta (liberated being).[2] He was born Venkataraman Iyer, but is mostly known by the name Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.[3][note 1]
He was born in Tiruchuli, Tamil Nadu, India in 1879. In 1895, an attraction to the sacred hill Arunachala and the 63 Nayanmars was aroused in him,[4] and in 1896, at the age of 16, he had a "death-experience" in which he became aware of a "current" or "force" (avesam) which he recognized as his true "I" or "self",[web 1][5] and which he later identified with "the personal God, or Iswara",[web 1][note 2] that is, Shiva. This resulted in a state that he later described as "the state of mind of Iswara or the jnani".[web 1][note 3] Six weeks later he left his uncle's home in Madurai, and journeyed to the holy mountain Arunachala, in Tiruvannamalai, where he took on the role of a sannyasin (though not formally initiated), and remained for the rest of his life.
He attracted devotees that regarded him as an avatar of Shiva and came to him for darshan ("the sight of God"). In later years, an ashram grew up around him, where visitors received upadesa ("spiritual instruction")[7] by sitting silently in his company or by asking questions.[8] Since the 1930s his teachings have been popularized in the West.[9]
Ramana Maharshi approved a number of paths and practices,[3] but recommended self-enquiry as the principal means to remove ignorance and abide in self-awareness,[web 2][10] together with bhakti (devotion) or surrender to the Self.[web 2]
Biography
Early years (1879–1895)
Ramana Maharshi was born Venkataraman Iyer on 30 December 1879 in the village Tiruchuzhi near Aruppukkottai, Virudhunagar District in Tamil Nadu, India. He was the second of four children in an orthodox Hindu Brahmin family. His father was Sundaram Iyer (1848–1890), from the lineage of Parashara, and his mother was Azhagammal (1864–1922). He had two brothers Nagaswami (1877–1900) and Nagasundaram (1886–1953), along with a younger sister Alamelu (1887–1953). His father was a court pleader.[11]
Both a paternal uncle of his father and his father's brother had become sannyasins.[12] Venkataraman's family belonged to the Smarta denomination, and regularly worshiped Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesha, Surya and Shakti in their home.[13][14]
When Venkataraman was seven he had his upanayana,[15] the traditional initiation of the three upper varnas into Brahmanical learning and the knowledge of Self. He had a very good memory, and was able to recall information after hearing it once, an ability he used to memorize Tamil poems.[15]
Narasimha notes that Venkataraman used to sleep very deeply, not waking from loud sounds, nor even when his body was beaten by others.[16][17] When he was about twelve years old, he may have experienced spontaneous deep meditative states. Sri Ramana Vijayam, the Tamil biography that first appeared in the 1920s, describes a period a few years before the death-experience in Madurai:
When he was about eleven his father sent him to live with his paternal uncle Subbaiyar in Dindigul as he wanted his sons to be educated in the English language, so that they would be eligible to enter government service. Only Tamil was taught at the village school in Tiruchuzhi,[15] which he attended for three years.[18] In 1891, when his uncle was transferred to Madurai, Venkataraman and his elder brother Nagaswami moved with him. In Dindigul, Venkataraman attended a Hindu School where English was taught,[15] and stayed there for a year.[18]
His father, Sundaram Iyer, died suddenly on 18 February 1892.[19] After his father's death, the family split up; Venkataraman and Nagaswami stayed with Subbaiyar in Madurai.[12]
Adolescence and realization (1895–1896)
Venkataraman first attended Scott's Middle School and then the American Mission High School where he became acquainted with Christianity.[20]
In November 1895 Venkataraman realized that Arunachala, the sacred mountain, was a real place.[21] He had known of its existence from an early age, and was overwhelmed by the realisation that it really existed.[21] During this time he also read Sekkizhar's Periyapuranam, a book that describes the lives of the 63 Nayanmars, which "made a great impression" on him,[22][web 3] and revealed to him that "Divine Union" is possible.[21] According to Osborne, a new current of awareness started to awaken during his visits to the Meenakshi Temple at Madurai, "a state of blissful consciousness transcending both the physical and mental plane and yet compatible with full use of the physical and mental faculties".[23] But Ramana Maharshi later stated that he remained uninterested in religion or spirituality until his awakening eight months later.[web 3]
According to Narasimha, in July 1896,[22][note 5] at age 16, he had a sudden fear of death. He was struck by "a flash of excitement" or "heat", like some avesam, a "current" or "force" that seemed to possess him,[web 1] while his body became rigid. A process of self-enquiry was initiated, asking himself, "what it is that dies?" He concluded the body dies, but this "current" or "force" remains alive, and recognized this "current" or "force" as his Self, which he later identified with "the personal God, or Iswara".[web 1][note 6][note 2]
In one of his rare written comments on this process Ramana Maharshi wrote, "inquiring 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."[web 5]
Later in life, he called his death experience akrama mukti, "sudden liberation", as opposed to the krama mukti, "gradual liberation" as in the Vedanta path of jnana yoga.[web 3][note 7] It resulted in a state of mind which he later described as "the state of mind of Iswara or the jnani:"[web 1]
After this event, he lost interest in school studies, friends, and relations. He was absent-minded at school, "imagining and expecting God would suddenly drop down from Heaven before me".[web 3] Avoiding company, he preferred to sit alone, absorbed in concentration on this current or force,[31] and went daily to the Meenakshi Temple, ecstatically devoted to the images of the 63 Nayanmars and of Nataraja, wanting "the same grace as was shown to those saints",[web 3] praying that he "should have the same bhakti that they had"[web 3] and "[weeping] that God should give me the same grace He gave to those saints".[web 3][11][note 8]
Knowing his family would not permit him to become a sanyassin and leave home, Venkataraman slipped away, telling his brother he needed to attend a special class at school.[33] Venkataraman boarded the train on 29 August 1896 and reached Tiruvannamalai on 1 September 1896 where he remained for the rest of his life.[citation needed]
Tiruvannamalai temples (1896–1899)
Arunachaleswara temple (1896–1897)
When Maharshi arrived in Tiruvannamalai, he went to the temple of Arunachaleswara.[34] He spent the first few weeks in the thousand-pillared hall, then shifted to other spots in the temple, and eventually to the Patala-lingam vault so that he could remain undisturbed. There, he spent 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.[33] After about six weeks in the Patala-lingam vault, 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 to keep him from starving.
Gurumurtam temple (1897–1898)
In February 1897, six months after his arrival at Tiruvannamalai, Ramana Maharshi moved to Gurumurtam, a temple about a mile away.[35] Shortly after his arrival a sadhu named Palaniswami went to see him.[36] Palaniswami's first darshan left him filled with peace and bliss, and from that time on, he served Ramana Maharshi as his permanent attendant. Besides physical protection, Palaniswami would also beg for alms, cook and prepare meals for himself and Ramana Maharshi, and care for him as needed.[37] In May 1898 Ramana Maharshi moved to a mango orchard next to Gurumurtam.[38]
Osborne wrote that during this time Ramana Maharshi completely neglected his body.[37] He also ignored the ants which bit him incessantly.[35] Gradually, despite Ramana Maharshi's desire for privacy, he attracted attention from visitors who admired his silence and austerities, bringing offerings and singing praises. Eventually a bamboo fence was built to protect him.[35]
While living at the Gurumurtam temple his family discovered his whereabouts. First, his uncle Nelliappa Iyer came and pleaded with him to return home, promising that the family would not disturb his ascetic life. Ramana Maharshi sat motionless, and eventually his uncle gave up.[39]
In September 1898 Ramana Maharshi moved to the Shiva-temple at Pavalakkunru, one of the eastern spurs of Arunachala. He refused to return even though his mother begged him to.[40]
Arunachala (1899–1922)
Soon after this, in February 1899, Ramana Maharshi left the foothills to live in Arunachala.[41] 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.[42]
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 he asked the young Swami and his answers formed Ramana Maharshi'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?.[43]
Many visitors came to him and some became his devotees. Kavyakantha Sri Ganapati Sastri,[note 9] a Vedic scholar of repute in his age, with a deep knowledge of the Srutis, Sastras, Tantras, Yoga, and Agama systems, but lacking the personal darshan of Shiva,[44] came to visit Ramana Maharshi in 1907. After receiving upadesa from him on self-enquiry, he proclaimed him as Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. Ramana Maharshi was known by this name from then on.[45] Ganapati Sastri passed on these instructions to his own students, but later in life confessed that he had never been able to achieve permanent Self-abidance. Nevertheless, he was highly valued by Ramana Maharshi and played an important role in his life.[44]
In 1911, the first westerner, Frank Humphreys, then a police officer stationed in India, discovered Ramana Maharshi and wrote articles about him, which were first published in The International Psychic Gazette in 1913.[46][note 10]
In an appendix to Self realisation, Narasimha wrote that in 1912, while in the company of disciples, Ramana Maharshi had an epileptic seizure, in which his vision was suddenly impaired three times by a "white bright curtain" which covered a part of his vision. On the third instance, his vision was completely shut out, while his "head was swimming", and he felt his heart stop beating and his breathing seize. His skin turned blue, as if he was dead. This lasted for about ten or fifteen minutes, after which "a shock passed suddenly through the body", and his blood circulation and his respiration returned.[47] In response to "strange accounts" about this event, Ramana Maharshi later explained that it was a seizure, which he used to have occasionally, and that he did not bring it on himself.[48] According to Osborne, it "marked the final completion of Sri Bhagavan's return to full outer normality".[49]
In 1916, his mother Alagammal and younger brother Nagasundaram joined Ramana Maharshi 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 Ramana Maharshi began to give her intense, personal instruction, while she took charge of the Ashram kitchen. Ramana Maharshi's younger brother, Nagasundaram, also became a sannyasi, assuming the name Niranjanananda and becoming known as Chinnaswami (the younger Swami).
During this period, Ramana Maharshi composed The Five Hymns to Arunachala, his magnum opus in devotional lyric poetry. The first hymn is Akshara Mana Malai.[translation 1] 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 Akshara Mana Malai (Marital Garland of Letters) tells, in glowing symbolism, of the love and union between the human soul and God, expressing the attitude of the soul that still aspires.[citation needed]
Starting in 1920, his mother's health deteriorated. She died on 19 May 1922 while Ramana Maharshi sat beside her.[citation needed]
Sri Ramanasramam (1922–1950)
Commencement of Ramanasramam (1922–1930)
From 1922 until his death in 1950, Ramana Maharshi lived in Sri Ramanasramam, the ashram that developed around his mother's tomb.[50] Ramana Maharshi often walked from Skandashram to his mother's tomb. In December 1922, he did not return to Skandashram, and settled at the base of the Hill, and Sri Ramanasramam started to develop. At first, there was only one hut at the samadhi, but in 1924 two huts were erected - one opposite the samadhi and the other to the north. The so-called Old Hall was built in 1928, where Ramana Maharshi lived until 1949.[51]
Sri Ramanasramam grew to include a library, hospital, post-office and many other facilities. Ramana Maharshi displayed a natural talent for planning building projects. Annamalai Swami gave detailed accounts of this in his reminiscences.[52] Until 1938, Annamalai Swami was entrusted with the task of supervising the projects and received his instructions directly from Ramana Maharshi.
Ramana Maharshi led a modest and renunciate life. However, according to David Godman, who has written extensively about Ramana Maharshi, the popular image of him as a person who spent most of his time doing nothing except sitting silently in samadhi is highly inaccurate. From the period when an Ashram began to rise around him after his mother arrived, until his later years when his health failed, Ramana Maharshi was actually quite active in Ashram activities such as cooking and stitching leaf plates.[web 7]
Discovery by westerners (1930–1940)
In 1931 a biography of Ramana Maharshi, Self Realisation: The Life and Teachings of Ramana Maharshi, written by B. V. Narasimha, was published.[53] Ramana Maharshi then became relatively well known in and out of India after 1934 when Paul Brunton, having first visited Ramana Maharshi in January 1931, published the book A Search in Secret India.[54] In this book he describes how he was compelled by the Paramacharya of Kanchi to meet Ramana Maharshi, his meeting with Ramana Maharshi, and the effect this meeting had on him. Brunton also describes how Ramana Maharshi's fame had spread, "so that pilgrims to the temple were often induced to go up the hill and see him before they returned home".[55] Brunton calls Ramana Maharshi "one of the last of India's spiritual supermen",[56] and describes his affection toward Ramana Maharshi:
While staying at Sri Ramanasramam, Brunton had an experience of a "sublimely all-embracing" awareness,[58] a "Moment of Illumination".[59] The book was a best-seller and introduced Ramana Maharshi to a wider audience in the west.[53] Resulting visitors included Paramahansa Yogananda, Somerset Maugham (whose 1944 novel The Razor's Edge models its spiritual guru after Ramana Maharshi),[web 8] Mercedes de Acosta and Arthur Osborne, the last of whom was the first editor of Mountain Path in 1964, the magazine published by Ramanasramam.
Final years (1940–1950)
In November 1948, a tiny cancerous lump was found on Ramana Maharshi's arm and was removed in February 1949 by the ashram's doctor. Soon, another growth appeared, and an eminent surgeon performed another operation in March 1949 with radium applied. The doctor told Ramana Maharshi that a complete amputation of the arm to the shoulder was required to save his life, but he refused. Third and fourth operations 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. To devotees who begged him to cure himself for the sake of his followers, Ramana Maharshi is said to have replied, "Why are you so attached to this body? Let it go", and "Where can I go? I am here."[11] By April 1950, Ramana Maharshi was too weak to go to the hall and visiting hours were limited. Visitors would file past the small room where he spent his last days to get one final glimpse. He died on 14 April 1950 at 8:47 p.m.[web 9] At the same time a shooting star was seen, which impressed some of his devotees as a synchronicity.[60]
Devotion
Ramana Maharshi was, and is, regarded by many as an outstanding enlightened being.[61] He was considered to be a charismatic person,[62][63] and attracted many devotees, some of whom saw him as an avatar and the embodiment of Shiva.
Darshan and prasad
Many devotees visited Ramana Maharshi for darshan,[64] the sight of a holy person or God incarnate, which is advantageous and transmits merit.[65][66] According to Flood, in Indian religions the guru is akin to the image or statue of a deity in the temple, and both possess power and a sacred energy.[65] According to Osborne, Ramana Maharshi regarded giving darshan as "his task in life", and said that he had to be accessible to all who came.[64] Even during his terminal illness at the end of his life, he demanded to be approachable for all who came for his darshan.[64]
Objects being touched or used by him were highly valued by his devotees, "as they considered it to be prasad and that it passed on some of the power and blessing of the Guru to them".[67] People also tried to touch his feet,[68] which is also considered darshana.[69] When one devotee asked if it would be possible to prostrate before Sri Ramana Maharshi and touch his feet, he replied:
In later life, the number of devotees and their devotion grew so large that Ramana Maharshi became restricted in his daily routine.[71] Measures had to be taken to prevent people touching him.[72] Several times Ramana Maharshi tried to escape from the ashram, to return to a life of solitude. Vasudeva reports: "Bhagavan sat on a rock and said with tears in his eyes that he would never again come to the Ashram and would go where he pleased and live in the forests or caves away from all men."[73]
Ramana Maharshi did return to the ashram, but has also reported himself on attempts to leave the ashram:
Avatar
Some of Ramana Maharshi's devotees regarded him to be as Dakshinamurti;[74][75] as an avatar of Skanda, a divine form of Shiva popular in Tamil Nadu; as an incarnation of Jnana Sambandar, one of the sixty-three Nayanars; and as an incarnation of Kumārila Bhaṭṭa, the 8th century Mimamsa-philosopher. According to Krishna Bhikshu, one of his early biographers:
Indian devotees
A number of Ramana Maharshi's Indian devotees (a more extensive list of devotees can be found in V. Ganesan's Ramana Periya Puranam[77]):
- Ganapati Muni (1878–1936), Sanskrit scholar and poet, activist for Indian independence,[78] and one of Ramana Maharshi's foremost devotees.[79] Muni devised the name "Ramana Maharshi",[80]
- Gudipati Venkatachalam (1894 to 1976), a noted Telugu writer, lived the later part of his life and died near Ramana Maharshi's ashram in Arunachalam.
- H. W. L. Poonja, a teacher of self-enquiry, who learned about it when he visited Ramana Maharshi in the 1940s
- 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 realisation that "All was Rama, nothing but Rama."[web 10]
- O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar, an Indian National Congress politician and freedom-fighter, who served as the Premier of Madras from 1947 to 1949.
- Sri Muruganar (1890-1973), "the shadow of Bhagavan", "is widely regarded as being one of the foremost devotees of Bhagavan."[81]
- Manavasi Ramaswami Iyer, who composed Saranagati, a popular Tamil devotional song to Ramana Maharshi.
- Sri Sadhu Om, who compiled and edited Sri Muruganar's collection of songs into a multi-volume series, a task that took him about 18 years.
Western devotees
A list of Western devotees of Ramana Maharshi (not comprehensive):
- Paul Brunton's writings about Ramana Maharshi brought considerable attention to him in the West.
- Arthur Osborne, the first editor of the ashram journal, The Mountain Path.
- Maurice Frydman (a.k.a. Swami Bharatananda), a Polish-Jewish engineer and humanitarian who later translated Nisargadatta Maharaj's work I Am That from Marathi to English, was also deeply influenced by Ramana Maharshi's teachings. Many of the questions published in Maharshi's Gospel (1939) were put by Maurice, and they elicited detailed replies from the Maharshi. Maharshi's Gospel is the only English language text that was personally proofread by Ramana Maharshi - the original manuscript with corrections in Ramana Maharshi's handwriting still exists in the Ashram Archives.[note 11]
- Ethel Merston, who wrote about Ramana Maharshi in her memoirs.
- Mouni Sadhu (Mieczyslaw Demetriusz Sudowski) (17 August 1897 – 24 December 1971), an Australian author of spiritual, mystical and esoteric subjects.
- David Godman, a former librarian at the ashram, who has written about Ramana Maharshi's teaching and the lives of Ramana Maharshi's lesser-known attendants and devotees.
Spiritual instruction
Ramana Maharshi provided upadeśa ("spiritual instruction")[7] by providing darshan and sitting silently together with devotees and visitors, but also by answering the questions and concerns raised by those who sought him out. Many of these question-and-answer sessions have been transcribed and published by devotees, some of which have been edited by Ramana Maharshi himself. A few texts have been published which were written by Ramana Maharshi himself, or written down on his behalf and edited by him.
Ramana Maharshi also provided an example by his own devotion to Shiva, which has been extensively described by his devotees, such as walks around the holy hill Arunachala, in which devotees participated, and his hymns to Arunachala.
Real I
Ramana Maharshi described his 'real I' as a "force" or "current", which descended on him in his death-experience, and continued throughout his life:
Ramana Maharshi used various terms to denote this 'real I'.[note 12] The most frequently used terms were sat-chit-ananda, which translates into English as "truth-consciousness-bliss";[83] God, Brahman and Siva,[note 13] and the Heart, which is not to be confused with the physical heart, or a particular point in space, but was rather to indicate that "the Self was the source from which all appearances manifested".[82]
According to David Godman, the essence of Ramana Maharshi's teachings is that the "Self" or real "I" is a "non-personal, all-inclusive awareness":[84]
Ramana Maharshi considered the 'real I' to be permanent and enduring,[85] surviving physical death.[86] "The sleep, dream and waking states are mere phenomena appearing on the Self,"[87] as is the "I"-thought.[85] Our "true nature" is "simple Being, free from thoughts".[88]
Ramana Maharshi would field many questions about jnanis ("liberated beings") from devotees, but even the terms jnani and ajnani (non-liberated being) are incorrect, since it leads one to the idea of there being a knower and a known, a subject and an object. The truth of it according to Ramana Maharshi is that there are neither jnanis nor ajnanis, there is simply jnana, which is Self:[89]
Silence
Ramana Maharshi's main means of instruction to his devotees, in order to remove ignorance and abide in Self-awareness, was through silently sitting together with his visitors,[web 12][91] using words only sparingly.[92] His method of instruction has been compared to Dakshinamurti – Shiva in the ascetic appearance of the Guru, who teaches through silence:
Commenting upon this silence, Ramana Maharshi said:
Ankur Barua argues that Ramana Maharshi's method of teaching resembled Socratic questioning, guiding seekers to reflect on the source of their own inquiries, which was often aided by silence. In his dialogues with devotees, Ramana emphasized the importance of exploring the nature of the questioner, and not the question. In such moments, the devotee is left in silence.[95]
Self-enquiry
Vichara, "Self-enquiry", also called ātma-vichār or jnana-vichara[96] is the constant attention to the inner awareness of "I" or "I am". Ramana Maharshi frequently recommended it as the most efficient and direct way of realizing Self-awareness, in response to questions on self-liberation and the classic texts on Yoga and Vedanta.[web 13][97] [note 14] He instructed his disciples to practice self-inquiry "to access the ultimate source of the limited ego," and to experience "the divine Self" through direct experience, rather than through a mere intellectual process.[100] Ramana Maharshi emphasized that without self-enquiry, other methods may temporarily calm the mind but are ineffective in dissolving the ego.[101]
According to Ramana Maharshi, the I-thought[note 15] is the sense of individuality: "(Aham, aham) 'I-I' is the Self; (Aham idam) "I am this" or "I am that" is the ego."[102] By paying attention to the 'I'-thought, inquiring where it comes from,[web 15][note 16] the 'I'-thought will disappear and the "shining forth" (sphurana)[web 3] of "I-I"[web 17][note 17] or Self-awareness will appear.[note 18] This results in an "effortless awareness of being",[web 15] and by staying with it[web 3][note 19] this "I-I" gradually destroys the vasanas "which cause the 'I'-thought to rise".[web 15] When the vasanas disappear, the mind, vritti[note 20] also comes to rest, since it centers around the 'I'-thought,[103] and finally the 'I'-thought never rises again, which is Self-realization or liberation:[104][web 15]
Robert Forman notes that Ramana Maharshi made a distinction between samadhi and sahaja samadhi. Samadhi is a contemplative state, which is temporary, while in sahaja samadhi a "silent state" is maintained while engaged in daily activities.[105] Ramana Maharshi himself stated repeatedly that samadhi only suppresses the vāsanās, the karmic impressions, but does not destroy them. Only by abiding in Self-awareness will the vāsanās, which create the sense of a separate self, be destroyed, and sahaja samadhi be attained.[note 22]
Bhakti
Although Ramana Maharshi advocated self-enquiry as the fastest means to realization, he also recommended the path 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.[107] According to Ramana Maharshi, Jnana and Bhakti are not different paths, but both lead to the same goal: the realization of the Self. He taught that true Bhakti is love for the Self, and since the Self is God, love for the Self is also love for God.[108]
Surrender has to be complete and desireless, without any expectations of solutions or rewards, or even liberation. It is a willingness to accept whatever happens.[web 2] Surrender is not the willful act of an individual self, but the growing awareness that there is no individual self to surrender. Practice is aimed at the removal of ignorance, not at the attainment of realization.[web 2]
Reincarnation
According to David Godman, Ramana Maharshi taught that the idea of reincarnation is based on wrong ideas about the individual self as being real. Ramana Maharshi would sometimes say that rebirth does exist, to step forward to those who were not able to fully grasp the non-reality of the individual self. But when this illusoriness is realized, there is no room any more for ideas about reincarnation. When the identification with the body stops, any notions about death and rebirth become inapplicable, since there is no birth or death within Self, a teaching known as Ajativada.[3] Ramana Maharshi:
Yoga
Ramana Maharshi viewed yoga as a means to steady the mind and support self-enquiry. He suggested practices like devotion, breath control, and meditation (dhyana) to calm the restless mind and focus it on the self.[95]
Background
Indian spirituality
According to Wehr, C. G. Jung noted that Ramana Maharshi is not to be regarded as an "isolated phenomenon",[110] but as a token of Indian spirituality, "manifest in many forms in everyday Indian life".[110][note 23] According to Zimmer and Jung, Ramana Maharshi's appearance as a mauni, a silent saint absorbed in samadhi, fitted into pre-existing Indian notions of holiness.[111][112] They placed the Indian devotion toward Ramana Maharshi in this Indian context.[112][110][note 24]
According to Alan Edwards, the popular image of Ramana Maharshi as a timeless saint also served the construction of an Indian identity as inner-oriented and spiritual, in opposition to the oppressive, outer-oriented, materialistic culture of the British colonial rulers:[114]
Shaivism
Though Ramana Maharshi's answers explain and incorporate elements from Advaita Vedanta, his spiritual life is strongly associated with Shaivism. The Tamil compendium of devotional songs known as Tirumurai, along with the Vedas, the Shaiva Agamas and "Meykanda" or "Siddhanta" Shastras, form the scriptural canon of Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta.[116] As a youth, prior to his awakening, Ramana Maharshi read the Periya Puranam, the stories of the 63 Tamil saints.[117] In later life, he told those stories to his devotees:
Ramana Maharshi himself considered God, Guru and Self to be the manifestations of the same reality.[web 22] Ramana Maharshi considered the Self to be his guru, in the form of the sacred mountain Arunachala,[119][120] which is considered to be the manifestation of Shiva.[121][119] Arunachala is one of the five main shaivite holy places in South India,[122] which can be worshipped through the mantra "Om arunachala shivaya namah!"[123] and by Pradakshina, walking around the mountain, a practice which was often performed by Ramana Maharshi.[119] Asked about the special sanctity of Arunachala, Ramana Maharshi said that Arunachala is Shiva himself.[124][note 26] In his later years, Ramana Maharshi said it was the spiritual power of Arunachala which had brought about his Self-realisation.[121] He composed the Five Hymns to Arunachala as devotional song.[119] On the three occasions Venkataraman (Ramana) referred to himself he used the name Arunachala Ramana.[125] Ramana Maharshi also used to smear his forehead with holy ash, as a token of veneration.
In later life, Ramana Maharshi himself came to be regarded as Dakshinamurthy,[74][75] an aspect of Shiva as a guru of all types of knowledge, and bestower of jnana. This aspect of Shiva is his personification as the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding and knowledge.[126] This form represents Shiva in his aspect as a teacher of yoga, music, and wisdom, and giving exposition on the shastras.
Acquaintance with Hindu scriptures
During his lifetime, through contact with educated devotees like Ganapata Muni,[118] Ramana Maharshi became acquainted with works on Shaivism and Advaita Vedanta, and used them to explain his insights:[127]
Already in 1896, a few months after his arrival at Arunachala, Ramana Maharshi attracted his first disciple, Uddandi Nayinar,[129] who recognised in him "the living embodiment of the Holy Scriptures".[130] Uddandi was well-versed in classic texts on Yoga and Vedanta, and recited texts as the Yoga Vasistha and Kaivalya Navaneeta in Ramana Maharshi's presence.[130]
In 1897 Ramana Maharshi was joined by Palaniswami, who became his attendant.[131] Palaniswami studied books in Tamil on Vedanta, such as Kaivalya Navaneeta, Shankara's Vivekachudamani, and Yoga Vasistha. He had difficulties understanding Tamil. Ramana Maharshi read the books too, and explained them to Palaniswami.[132]
As early as 1900, when Ramana Maharshi was 20 years old, he became acquainted with the teachings of the Hindu monk and Neo-Vedanta[133][134] teacher Swami Vivekananda through Gambhiram Seshayya. Seshayya was interested in yoga techniques, and "used to bring his books and explain his difficulties".[135] Ramana Maharshi answered on small scraps of paper, which were collected after his death in the late 1920s in a booklet called Vichara Sangraham, "Self-enquiry".[135]
One of the works that Ramana Maharshi used to explain his insights was the Ribhu Gita, a song at the heart of the Shivarahasya Purana, one of the 'Shaiva Upapuranas' or ancillary Purana regarding Shiva and Shaivite worship. Another work used by him was the Dakshinamurti Stotram, a text by Shankara.[118] It is a hymn to Shiva, explaining Advaita Vedanta.
Ramana Maharshi gave his approval to a variety of paths and practices from various religions,[3] with his own upadesa (instruction or guidance given to a disciple by his Guru)[web 24] always pointing to the true Self of the devotees.[136]
Advaita Vedanta
In contrast to classical Advaita Vedanta, Ramana Maharshi emphasized the personal experience of self-realization, instead of philosophical argumentation and the study of scripture.[137] Ramana Maharshi's authority was based on his personal experience,[137] from which he explained classic texts on Yoga and Vedanta,[127][128] which he became acquainted with via his devotees.[68][10] Arvind Sharma qualifies Ramana Maharshi as the chief exponent of experiential Advaita, to distinguish his approach from Shankara's classical doctrinal Advaita.[138] Fort classifies him as a neo-Vedantin, because of the focus on self-inquiry instead of philosophical speculation.[137] Ramana Maharshi himself did not call his insights advaita, but said that dvaita and advaita are relative terms, based on a sense of duality, while the Self or Being is all there is.[139]
Although Ramana Maharshi's teaching is consistent with and generally associated with Hinduism, the Upanishads and Advaita Vedanta, there are differences with the traditional Advaitic school. Advaita recommends a negationist neti, neti (Sanskrit, "not this", "not this") path, or mental affirmations that the Self is the only reality, such as "I am Brahman" or "I am He", while Ramana Maharshi advocated Self-enquiry Nan Yar. In contrast with traditional Advaita Vedanta, Ramana Maharshi strongly discouraged devotees from adopting a renunciate lifestyle and renouncing their responsibilities. To one devotee who felt he should abandon his family, whom he described as "samsara" ("illusion"), to intensify his spiritual practice, Sri Ramana Maharshi replied:
The scholar of religion Lola Williamson has described Indian gurus such as Ramana Maharshi, Meher Baba, Sri Aurobindo and Swami Satchidananda Saraswati as having developed "Hindu-Inspired Meditation Movements", also called neo-Vedanta and modernist Hinduism.[141]
Legacy
Although many claim to be influenced by him,[web 25] Ramana Maharshi did not publicise himself as a guru,[142] never claimed to have disciples, and never appointed any successors.[web 26][web 27] While a few who came to see him are said to have become enlightened through association,[note 27] he did not publicly acknowledge any living person as liberated other than his mother at death.[143] Ramana Maharshi never promoted any lineage.[144]
With regard to the Sri Ramana Ashram, in 1938 Maharshi made a legal will bequeathing all the Ramanashram properties to his younger brother Niranjanananda and his descendants. In 2013, Ramanashram is run by Sri Niranjananda's grandson Sri V.S. Raman. Ramanashram is legally recognised as a public religious trust whose aim is to maintain it in a way that is consistent with Sri Ramana Maharshi's declared wishes. The ashram should remain open as a spiritual institution so that anyone who wishes to can avail themselves of its facilities.[145][web 29]
In the 1930s, Maharshi's teachings were brought to the west by Paul Brunton in his A Search in Secret India.[146][note 28] Stimulated by Arthur Osborne, in the 1960s Bhagawat Singh actively started to spread Ramana Maharshi's teachings in the US.[146] Ramana Maharshi has been further popularized in the west by the neo-Advaita movement,[155] via the students of H. W. L. Poonja;[155] this movement gives a western re-interpretation of his teachings by placing sole emphasis on insight alone. It has been criticized for this emphasis, omitting the preparatory practices.[156][note 29] Nevertheless, Neo-Advaita has become an important constituent of popular western spirituality.[157]
The scholar Philip Goldberg has listed Western religious thinkers influenced by Ramana Maharshi as including Francis X. Clooney, Georg Feuerstein, Bede Griffiths, Andrew Harvey, Thomas Merton, Henri Le Saux (Swami Abhishiktananada), Eckhart Tolle, and Ken Wilber.[141]
Works
Writings
According to Ebert, Ramana Maharshi "never felt moved to formulate his teaching of his own accord, either verbally or in writing". The few writings he is credited with "came into being as answers to questions asked by his disciples or through their urging". Only a few hymns were written on his own initiative.[158] Writings by Ramana Maharshi are:
- Gambhiram Sheshayya, Vichāra Sangraham, "Self-Enquiry". Answers to questions, compiled in 1901, published in dialogue-form, republished as essay in 1939 as A Catechism of Enquiry. Also published in 1944 in Heinrich Zimmer's Der Weg zum Selbst.[159]
- Sivaprakasam Pillai, Nān Yār?, "Who am I?". Answers to questions, compiled in 1902, first published in 1923.[159][web 30]
- Five Hymns to Arunachala:
- Akshara Mana Malai, "The Marital Garland of Letters". In 1914, at the request of a devotee, Ramana Maharshi wrote Akshara Mana Malai for his devotees to sing while on their rounds for alms. It's a hymn in praise of Shiva, manifest as the mountain Arunachala. The hymn consists of 108 stanzas composed in poetic Tamil.
- Navamani Mālai, "The Necklet of Nine Gems".
- Arunāchala Patikam, "Eleven Verses to Sri Arunachala".
- Arunāchala Ashtakam, "Eight Stanzas to Sri Arunachala".
- Arunāchala Pañcharatna, "Five Stanzas to Sri Arunachala".
- Sri Muruganar and Sri Ramana Maharshi, Upadesha Sāra (Upadesha Undiyar), "The Essence of Instruction". In 1927 Muruganar started a poem on the Gods, but asked Ramana Maharshi to write thirty verses on upadesha, "teaching" or "instruction".[160]
- Ramana Maharshi, Ulladu narpadu, "Forty Verses on Reality". Written in 1928.[161] First English translation and commentary by S.S. Cohen in 1931.
- Ullada Nārpadu Anubandham, "Reality in Forty Verses: Supplement". Forty stanzas, fifteen of which are being written by Ramana Maharshi. The other twenty-five are translations of various Sanskrit-texts.[162]
- Sri Muruganar and Sri Ramana Maharshi (1930s), Ramana Puranam.[web 31]
- Ekātma Pañchakam, "Five Verses on the Self". Written in 1947, at the request of a female devotee.[163]
All these texts are collected in the Collected Works. In addition to original works, Ramana Maharshi has also translated some scriptures for the benefit of devotees. He selected, rearranged and translated 42 verses from the Bhagavad Gita into Tamil and Malayalam. He has also translated few works such as Dakshinamurti Stotra, Vivekachudamani and Dṛg-Dṛśya-Viveka attributed to Shankarachaya.
Recorded talks
Several collections of recorded talks, in which Sri Ramana Maharshi used Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam,[3] have been published. Those are based on written transcripts, which were "hurriedly written down in English by his official interpreters".[3][note 30]
- Sri Natanananda, Upadesa Manjari, "Origin of Spiritual Instruction". Recordings of dialogues between Sri Ramana Maharshi and devotees. First published in English in 1939 as A Catechism of Instruction.[web 32]
- Munagala Venkatramaiah, Talks with Sri Ramana. Talks recorded between 1935 and 1939. Various editions:
- Print: Venkatramaiah, Munagala (2000), Talks With Sri Ramana Maharshi: On Realizing Abiding Peace and Happiness, Inner Directions, ISBN 1-878019-00-7
- Online: Venkatramaiah, Munagala (2000), Talks with Sri Ramana. Three volumes in one. Extract version (PDF), Tiruvannamalai: Sriramanasasram
- Venkataramiah, Muranagala (2006), Talks With Sri Ramana Maharshi (PDF), Sri Ramanasramam, archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010, retrieved 20 April 2013
- Brunton, Paul; Venkataramiah, Munagala (1984), Conscious Immortality: Conversations with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Ramanasramam
- Devaraja Mudaliar, A. (2002), Day by Day with Bhagavan. From a Diary of A. DEVARAJA MUDALIAR. (Covering March 16, 1945 to January 4, 1947) (PDF), ISBN 81-88018-82-1, archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2012 Talks recorded between 1945 and 1947.
- Natarajan, A. R. (1992), A Practical Guide to Know Yourself: Conversations with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, ISBN 81-85378-09-6
- Aiyyer Gajapathi (2004), Aham Sphurana: Scintillations of Jnana from Sri Ramana Maharshi: A Journal Containing Previously Unpublished Conversations with the Master. Complete edition containing dialogues from 1936. ISBN 979-8464538719
- Aiyyer, Gajapathi (2022) Aham Sphurana: A Glimpse of Self Realization. Selections from the original 1936 journal of Gajapathi Aiyyer. Open Sky Press ISBN 979-8865220305
Reminiscences
- Frank Humphreys, a British policeman stationed in India, visited Ramana Maharshi in 1911 and wrote articles about him which were first published in The International Psychic Gazette in 1913.[46][note 31]
- Paul Brunton (1935), A Search in Secret India. This book introduced Ramana Maharshi to a western audience.[53]
- Cohen, S.S. (2003). Guru Ramana. Sri Ramanashram. First published 1956.
- Chadwick, Major A. W. (1961). A Sadhu's Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi (PDF). Sri Ramanashram. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
- Nagamma, Suri (1973). Letters from Ramanasram by Suri Nagamma. Tiruvannamalai: Sriramanasasram.
- Kunjuswami, Living with the Master. Recordings of Kunjuswami's experiences with Ramana Maharshi from 1920 on.[web 33] ISBN 81-88018-99-6
- G. V. Subbaramayya, Sri Ramana Reminiscences. "The account covers the years between 1933 and 1950".[web 34]
Documentaries
- A Day in the Life at Ramana Maharshi Ashram
- The Sage of Arunachala
- Abide as the Self: The Essential Teachings of Ramana Maharshi
- Talks on Sri Ramana Maharshi: Narrated by David Godman
- Who is Sri Ramana... Who am I? Archived 12 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- The Eternal Light Archived 16 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- Sri Ramana Maharshi - JNANI
- Arunachala Shiva - Teachings of Ramana Maharshi
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"Just as a person would dive in order to get something that had fallen into the water, so one should dive into oneself, with a keen, one-pointed mind, controlling speech and breath, and find the place whence the "I" originates." (11/15/2022) (08/15/2024)
"Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world." (01/12/2022)
"Your true nature is that of infinite spirit. The feeling of limitation is the work of the mind." (07/12/2022)
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