Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge

Unlike most Advaita books, this one is a biography. That means we get to actually hear a story (beginning, middle, and end) for once, instead of being told that "stories are all untrue" or whatever. For me, this book is special because it was my introduction to Advaita. Shortly into reading it, I just knew that Ramana was The Truth, for lack of a better term. The story itself is very entertaining. It's fascinating to hear about this young "unremarkable" boy who by no fault (really) of his own realized the Self. And then he went and stayed in some temples, got eaten by rats, was force-fed food by concerned Hindus, and then went up into the hill of Arunachala. Instead of just pointers, our story-deiring minds can actually get a landscape of context in which Ramana "happened". By no means am I trying to knock other Advaita books or teachers. I'm just trying to illustrate what I think separates ... The Path of Self-Knowledge from most other Advaita fare. IT'S A BIOGRAPHY! :D

By the relentless pursuit of this question, "Who Am I?" Maharshi believes the ego can break through to the Self. And if anyone should know it is he. Ramana Maharshi is one of the great Hindu saints and certainly the most authentic of the last century. Many gurus have come and gone with mixed messages, one of them being that a guru should live lavishly (cf. the experience of the Beatles). Maharshi served no one, not even himself. He was as truly detached as it seems a human being can get. In contrast to so many teachers, he didn't even prattle on about the universe, the soul, and Brahman. If he did speak to issues it was usually in pithy responses to well-formed questions. And, almost always, he ended by encouraging the seeker to follow the question above. In short, his message was simple. So why did he get it and we don't? Maharshi taught the quintessence of Vedanta. Like a powerful acid he burned down to the bedrock of Hindu thought-the teaching of nonduality. For Maharshi, as for the Hindu sages throughout time, all was Maya-illusion-including the self itself. The core mythology is this: Brahman-the All-plays a game, the Cosmic hide-and-seek. By forgetting itself, Brahman can come to rediscovery and delight, just like a child at play. One of the many obfuscations in this game is the ego. Question it, ask oneself again and again, "Who Am I," and the ego will, like a cornered child in the game of tag, eventually relent. Underneath all the vestiges of ego, as one undresses it with the question, lies Brahman smiling.The philosophy is lucid, elegant, and incredibly simple-typical characteristics of the Truth-but I find it elusive still. So must most seekers because though they ask the question, they do not end up like the Bhagavan, Maharshi.Maharshi, after his realization at the age of 16, made his way to the sacred mountain of Arunachala and never left its shadow. His life was simple and devoid of any attention-seeking behaviors, though a great flock settled around him. He participated in the daily round of food preparation, sweeping, etc. and lived an austere life. Eventually, as his reputation spread, people came to visit from all parts, first Indians and then cosmopolitans. Among others, W. Somerset Maugham visited. He was not quite so struck as others by the Bhagavan's presence but still retained him as the prototype for the guru in The Razor's Edge.Though he avoided speaking much, the many who visited professed a very powerful influence by witnessing the man's gentle radiance. With a look into Maharshi's eyes, most peoples' questions would resolve themselves. He eventually died from a cancer and yet his reputation remains.Such a being kindles mystery but is not a great teacher unless one, presumably, is a great student.

This book is a bio of a being who never claimed to be the body. It is written for beings who still think they are their bodies. The majority of the book is about Ramana and his life around the ashram with devotees and interactions with visitors and even the local wildlife. Most books about Ramana are question and answer format so this one shows how an enlightened being interacts with life and people in everyday situations.One of the most amazing parts was when Ramana was dying. The doctors knew he would die before the day was done and so did all the devotees. They sang songs outside his room. Even though he said he was not the body but the SELF, the ONE SELF in all of us, the drama was being played out on the physical plane. As the devotees sang, Ramana had tears in his eyes and then he just stopped breathing. I had tears in my eyes too, just reading about those last moments.

This is a most welcome reissue of a hard to find and out of print 1954 biography of Ramana Maharshi, one of the great spiritual figures of the last century, whose life, dialogues and silent teaching have been of enormous value and good example to people of all faiths. It has been written for the general reader and is quite accessible and intelligible even while presenting the basic teachings of Ramana. A helpful glossary clarifies the meaning of technical terms. It is written, however, in the hagiographical style common in many religious traditions from ancient times to the last century, so the modern sophisticated reader might well read some of the more usual stories about the Maharshi with a bit incredulity. Nevertheless, it is an excellent introduction to the man and his teaching, a help in the spiritual life whatever your faith, and a classic work.

A spiritual classic of modern times, this authoritative work on the life and teachings of Ramana Maharshi dispels the popular notion that books of this kind are meant only for the philosophically inclined'. Though a serious work, it makes for absorbing reading. The Maharshi's habitual silence that communicated more than speech, his intuitive grasp of a questioner's mind, his simple answers to the most complex philosophical and religious problems, his sense of kinship with the animals and birds who sought his company, his compassion and humour, and above all the power and radiance of his mere presence -- all these are captured by Osborne in page after page. Some of the best commentaries on the Sage of Arunachala have come from his western disciples, like Paul Brunton and S.S.Cohen; and Osborne is foremost among them. With ease and precision, Osborne evokes the spirit of the south Indian religious and social customs of the early part of this century, especially of the life in the Ashram at the foothills of Arunachala. Ramana Maharshi insisted that the only way to freedom is through the enquiry `Who am I?'. It is a quest that reveals that what we call the mind is an illusion, and thus liberates us from our accumulated tendencies (`vasanas'). It can be undertaken by anybody at any time and requires neither scholarship nor austerities. The timelessness of such an ancient teaching adapted by the Maharshi to suit the modern times comes through lucidly in the author's presentation. In `discovering' this book, one sets out on a journey of self-discovery. - K. Krishnamurthy ([email protected]), Madras, India