Biography
Ramana Maharshi was an Indian sage who, at the age of sixteen, experienced a profound spiritual awakening that revealed to him his true nature as pure awareness. Without any formal teaching or initiation, he spontaneously realized the Self and spent the remainder of his life at the holy mountain Arunachala in South India.
For over fifty years, seekers from around the world came to sit in his presence and receive his teachings. He spoke little, often communicating through silence, which devotees found more powerful than words. When he did speak, his teachings were remarkably simple and direct, always pointing back to the fundamental question of identity.
His life was characterized by extraordinary stillness, compassion, and accessibility. He treated all visitors equally—whether scholars, peasants, or animals—and his ashram became a refuge for seekers of truth. His teachings continue to influence spiritual seekers worldwide.
Teaching and methods
Self-inquiry (Atma Vichara): Ramana's primary teaching was the practice of asking "Who am I?" He taught that by persistently investigating the source of the "I"-thought, one discovers that the ego has no independent existence, revealing the ever-present Self. He also taught surrender to the divine as an alternative path, emphasizing that both methods lead to the same recognition of one's true nature as pure awareness.
Selected quotes
“ As soon as one ceases to imagine that one is an individual person, inhabiting a particular body, the whole superstructure of wrong ideas collapses and is replaced by a conscious and permanent awareness of the real Self. ”
— Be As You Are (Arkana)
“ The greatest error of a man is to think that he is weak by nature, evil by nature. Every man is divine and strong in his real nature. What are weak and evil are his habits, his desires and thoughts, but not himself. ”
“ Our own self-realization is the greatest service we can render the world. ”