Ramana Maharshi
Submitted by solo on Fri, 01/25/2008 - 22:53.Tags:
Biography
Sri Ramana Maharshi was born on December 30, 1879 in a village called Tiruchuli about 30 miles south of Madurai in Tamil Nadu in South India. His middle-class parents named him Venkataraman. His father died when he was twelve, and he went to live with his uncle in Madurai, where he attended the American Mission High School.
At age 16, he became spontaneously self-realized following what looks like a near-death experience. Six weeks later he ran away to the holy hill of Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. He lived on and subsequently near Arunachala for the rest of his life, never leaving the place physically.
For several years he stopped talking and spent days in samadhi. When he began speaking again, people came to ask him questions, and he soon acquired a reputation as a sage. In 1907, when he was 28, one of his early devotees named him Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Divine Eminent Ramana the Great Seer.
With the years, he became world-famous and an ashram was built for him to which many westerners used to come.
He died of cancer in 1950 at the age of 70.
Teachings
Sri Ramana maintained that a powerful silence radiating from his presence that quieted the minds of those attuned to this was the purest form of his teachings, that he gave verbal teachings only for the benefit of those who could not understand his silence. According to David Godman, Sri Ramana's "verbal teachings flowed authoritatively from his direct knowledge that Consciousness was the only existing reality".
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 , saying: "To each person that way is the best which appears easiest or appeals most. All the ways are equally good as they lead to the same goal, which is the merging of the ego in the Self. What the Bhakta (devotee) calls surrender, the man who does Vichara (self-enquiry) calls Jnana (knowledge). Both are trying only to take the ego back to the source from which it sprang and make it merge there".
Self Enquiry
Self-enquiry (Sanskrit ātma-vicāra) is a practice of meditation designed to rapidly bring about Self-realization, Self awareness, spiritual liberation or enlightenment, and is most commonly associated with Sri Ramana Maharshi. While Sri Ramana said that Self-realisation could be brought about, as it was for him, merely by giving up the idea that there is an individual self which functions through the body and the mind, few could readily do so. When asked for the most effective practice to facilitate Self-awareness, he commonly recommended forms of self-enquiry, along with recommending Satsang, (literally association with Sat or Being), in the form of mental contact with a realized Guru, or more properly the One Guru "within".
Sri Ramana Maharshi taught that every conscious activity of the mind or body, for example ‘I think’, ‘I remember’, 'I feel' ‘I am acting’, etc., revolves around the tacit assumption that there is an individual ‘I’ who is doing something, a common factor and mental fiction termed the ‘I’-thought (a translation of Aham-Vritti, which literally means ‘mental modification of ‘I’). He equated individuality with the mind and the mind with the ‘I’-thought which is dependent on identification with an object, and said that after Self-realization there is no thinker of thoughts, no performer of actions and no awareness of individual existence. When the thoughts arise, he said, the ‘I’-thought claims ownership of them- ‘I think’, ‘I believe’, ‘I want’, ‘I am acting’, but there really is no separate ‘I’-thought that exists independently of the objects that it is identifying with, only an incessant flow of mis-identifications, based on an initial assumption that the ‘I’ is individual and associated with the bodily form. He considered this ‘I am the body’ idea as the primary source of all subsequent wrong identifications and its dissolution as the principal aim of self-enquiry.
Sri Ramana taught that since the individual ‘I’-thought cannot exist without an object, if attention is focused on the subjective feeling of ‘I’ or ‘I am’ with such intensity that the thoughts ‘I am this’ or ‘I am that’ do not arise, then the individual ‘I’ will be unable to connect with objects. If this awareness of ‘I’ is sustained, the individual ‘I’ (the ‘I’-thought) will disappear and in its place there will be a direct experience of the Self. This constant attention to the inner awareness of ‘I’ or ‘I am’ was called self-enquiry (atma vichara) by Sri Ramana Maharshi and he constantly recommended it as the most efficient and direct way of discovering the unreality of the ‘I’-thought. He taught that the ‘I’-thought only finally disappears when the perception of all objects, both physical and mental, ceases and only Self Awareness exists. This is not brought about by being aware of an ‘I’, but only by BEING the ‘I’. This stage of experiencing the subject rather than being aware of an object is the culminating phase of self-enquiry.
Locations
Sri Ramanasramam is Ramana Maharshi Ashram where he lived and provided spiritual guidance. Although Sri Maharshi’s physical presence no longer graces the Ashram, his spiritual presence is as alive as ever; thus, devotees and aspirants who attune themselves to the silent teaching can derive considerable spiritual benefit from a visit to the Ashram.
Sri Ramanasramam P.O.,
Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu 606 603, India
(The ashram is located about 2 miles from Tiruvannamalai in an area called Ramananagar. Tiruvannamalai is called in short Tiru. )
Sri Ramanasramam ashram is located about 2 miles from Tiruvannamalai in an area called Ramananagar on what is known as the Chengam Road. It is a prominent landmark on the north side of this road and a new visitor will experience no difficulty in locating it.
The town of Tiruvannamalai is 120 miles southwest of Chennai. It is situated on the Villupuram-Katpadi branch line of the Southern Railway. Buses connect it to most of the important places within a radius of about 130 miles.
Taxis are also available for visitors traveling to the Ashram from different points in South India.
Full Moon Pradakshina (a must!) - Every month on the full moon hundreds thousands of people come to Tiru to do the Pradakshana, the spiritual practice of walking the 16km around the Arunachala mountain (most of them barefoot). It is an amazing sight and experience to participate. The full moon pradakshana takes place all night.
Birthday of Sri Ramana - Jayanti or birthday of Sri Ramana is celebrated every year in the solar month of Margasira on the day on which the moon is in the constellation known as Punarvasu. This generally occurs in December or January.
6:30 a.m. Chanting and Milk offering to Sri Bhagavan in the Samadhi Hall
7:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Chanting of the Vedas in front of Sri Bhagavan's Shrine
8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. Puja at the Shrine of Sri Bhagavan followed by Puja at the Shrine of Mother
11:30 a.m. Lunch
4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m Tea or hot milk served in the dining hall
4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Reading in Tamil and English in the Samadhi Hall
5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Chanting of the Vedas in front of Sri Bhagavan's Shrine
5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Puja at the Shine of Sri Bhagavan, followed by Puja at the Shrine of Mother
6:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m Tamil Parayana on Monday through Saturday
7:30 p.m. Dinner
Sri Chakra Puja in the Mathrubhuteswar Shrine is performed between 5 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. every Friday, full moon day, and the first day of each Tamil month.
Pradakshina - the spiritual practice of walking the 16km around the Arunachala hill. Along the Pradakshina road you will find many temples, ashrams and shrines (see map below). There are two optional paths around the hill: outer road which is the car road itself and an inner path in beautiful nature, starting right behind the Ramana Ashram.
Climbing the Arunachala Hill and visiting the Virupaksha cave and the Skanda ashram where Sri Ramana used to live for many years before he moved to the ashram.
Visiting the many satsangs and talks conducted by spiritual teachers and saints in and around Ramananagar, mainly during the high season. Check around for details.
The ashram includes the following services: bookstore, library,dinning room and guest houses.
You can find all services needed near the ashram (Ramananagar) and in Tiruvannamalai town.
The ashram provides accommodation for short stays of up to a week. All ashramguest rooms are clean with simple beds, bathroom, overhead fan and screened windows and doors.
Ramananagar is the area of the scene of the visitors with guest houses, restaurants, coffee shops and all other services. There are many guest rooms around the ashram. Do not stay in the hotels located in Tiru itself as they are not recommended and are too far away from Ramananagar.
For long stays, you can consider the option to rent an apartment. Many options are available in Ramananagar and along the Pradakshina road.
View Video
Books & Media

The Essential Teachings of Ramana Maharshi: A Visual Journey
(Paperback)

The Collected Works Of Sri Ramana Maharshi
(Paperback)
This work contains almost everything written by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. His inspired compositions, and a number of translations from ancient Advaitic texts, representing the essence of his teachings. They fall into two categories--those which exemplify the path of surrender through love and devotion to the Divine, and those which are more doctrinal. The first group includes the Five Hymns to Sri Arunachala of which the first poem, The Marital Garland Of Letters \"is among the most profound and moving poems in any language\" and expresses the attitude of the soul aspiring for union with God.
Sri Bhagavan has affirmed that seekers who study these works are certin to attain the bliss of liberation.

Abide As The Self: The Essential Teachings Of Ramana Maharshi
(DVD)
Abide As the Self is a transforming DVD that takes you on an inner journey into the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and the path of Self-knowledge. Comprehensive film footage of Ramana comes alive, with emphasis on the teachings of Self-Inquiry and its practical application. A special collection of rare photographs enhances Ramana\'s presence and captures the compassion and grace of one of the most respected sages of our time. The inspired narration by Ram Dass provides an overview of Ramana\'s teachings. Also included are interviews with H.W.L. Poonja, Douglas Harding, Allan W. Anderson, and others. captures the compassion and grace of one of the most respected sages of our time. The inspired narration by Ram Dass provides an overview of Ramana\'s teachings. Also included are interviews with H.W.L. Poonja, Douglas Harding, Allan W. Anderson, and others.
Pro Opinions
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Self Enquiry by Sri Ramana Maharshi | 143.58 KB |
| Complete Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi | 2.41 MB |
| Who Am I by Ramana Maharshi | 86.17 KB |
| Self Enquiry Technique (Hebrew) | 200.3 KB |
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