Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi: The Flame of Pure Being

Introduction

Among the towering figures of Advaita Vedanta in the modern era, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) stands alone in his sheer simplicity, self-abidance, and unpremeditated authority. His realization of the Self at the age of 16, without formal scriptural training or guidance, and his subsequent life of silence, presence, and spiritual radiance mark him as a phenomenon beyond spiritual categorization. His teachings resound not merely as doctrine but as direct emanations of the Self (Atman), rooted in the experiential, not speculative.

Biographical Summary: The Death That Awakened

Born as Venkataraman Iyer on December 30, 1879, in Tiruchuzhi, Tamil Nadu, his early life was unremarkable until a sudden and profound inner transformation in July 1896. At the age of 16, a spontaneous and intense fear of death catalyzed an extraordinary awakening. Lying down and simulating the death of the body, Venkataraman turned his attention inward and intuitively inquired, "Who am I?" The result was not mere insight but full absorption into the eternal, formless Self (Atma Svarupa). In his words: "The body died, but I did not die."

This singular event marked the end of his identification with the body-mind complex. Soon after, he left home for Arunachala, the sacred hill in Tiruvannamalai, which had mysteriously beckoned him since childhood. There, he remained for the rest of his earthly life, mostly in silence, increasingly drawing seekers of all backgrounds from wandering ascetics to Western scholars, from kings to beggars.

Arunachala: The Living Guru

Ramana Maharshi did not see Arunachala as merely a hill or geographical entity. He declared: "Arunachala is Shiva himself, the Self in the form of a hill." In his devotional hymn Arunachala Aksharamanamalai, and in several works of metaphysical import, he affirmed the power of Arunachala to destroy the ego and reveal the Self.

Thus, Ramana Maharshi's external guru was Arunachala, his internal guru was the Self. His case exemplifies the Upanishadic truth: "Atmaiva gurur iti"- the Self itself is the Guru.

The Method: Self-Enquiry (Atma VichAra)

While acknowledging traditional paths like bhakti (devotion), karma (action), and dhyana (meditation), Ramana Maharshi emphasized the path of Self-enquiry (Atma VichAra) as the most direct. The core of this method is the question "Who am I?" (Koham?), not as an intellectual exercise, but as an existential turning inward to the source of the ‘I’ thought.

Unlike Western introspection, which analyzes thought content, Self-enquiry as taught by Ramana Maharshi involves tracing the ego, not its modifications, but its root back to its source, the pure I-I, or aham sphurana. When the ego ceases to rise, the Self shines as it is: pure consciousness (cit), unalloyed being (sat), and bliss (Ananda).

He clarified:

“The ‘I’ thought is the root of all other thoughts. If the ‘I’ thought is destroyed, all other thoughts are destroyed, and the Self shines by itself.”

This radical interiorization is congruent with the Advaitic Mahavakya: "PrajnAnam Brahma" - "Consciousness is Brahman." Yet Ramana stripped even this of speculative trappings, demanding direct seeing.

JnAna and Bhakti: Two Wings of the Same Bird

Though often classified as a jnAni, Ramana Maharshi's devotion to Arunachala and his composition of ecstatic hymns affirm that his realization did not exclude devotion. For Ramana Maharshi, true bhakti culminates in the loss of ego, which is identical to jnAna. As he said:

"Bhakti is surrender to the Self. Surrender is jnAna. Real devotion and real knowledge are one and the same."

He praised surrender (saraṇAgati) as an equally valid means of realization, often equating the path of prapatti (complete self-surrender to God or Guru) with vichAra in efficacy.

This alignment of bhakti and jnAna resonates with the Bhagavad Gita (7.17-18), where the jnAni-bhakta is said to be the highest devotee.

Silence: The Supreme Teaching

Ramana Maharshi's most profound teaching was his presence. Silence (mauna) was not the absence of speech but the direct transmission of truth beyond words. Those in his presence often reported being drawn into a deep inner stillness or even experiencing temporary ego-dissolution. He once remarked:

"Silence is unceasing eloquence. It is the perennial flow of language. It is the best language."

This recalls the Dakshinamurti Stotra, where Siva as Guru imparts supreme knowledge through silence (maunavyAkhyA prakaṭita para-brahma tattvaṁ).

Philosophical Contextualization

Ramana Maharshi's teachings resonate deeply with Advaita Vedanta but transcend intellectual formulations. His distinction lies in the experiential immediacy he demanded. While Shankara taught that Brahman is nirguna (attribute-less) and beyond conceptual grasp, Ramana insisted that this realization is available now through turning inward.

He eschewed elaborate metaphysical speculation. His was not an abstract non-dualism, but a lived immediacy, what some scholars have termed "existential Advaita." He validated scriptures not as authority but as confirmation of direct experience.

His approach also subtly challenges the karana-anatman model (causal vs non-self) by foregrounding the I-thought as the pivot of illusion, and the I-I as the doorway to Self-realization.

Engagement with the World

Though often silent, Ramana Maharshi responded when needed with crystalline clarity. He offered practical counsel to householders, monks, skeptics, and even politicians. Yet he remained inwardly unmoved, a living embodiment of the sthita-prajna of the Gita (2.55-72). His presence served as a mirror reflecting not personality, but the very substratum of being.

He never claimed to be a guru, accepted no formal disciples, and never started an organization. Yet his impact spread globally.

Legacy and Influence

Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi passed away on April 14, 1950. As he left his body, a brilliant comet was seen traversing the Arunachala sky. But he had often remarked: "Where can I go? I am always here."

Conclusion: The Ever-Radiant Self

Ramana Maharshi remains not a philosopher in the academic sense, nor a guru in the institutional sense. He is a tirtha, a spiritual ford through whom many cross from the domain of mind to the still ocean of Self.

To the seeker who asks, “How do I find peace?” his reply remains ever-fresh:

“Be still. The Self will reveal itself.”