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Indian PhilosophyOS

Advaita Vedanta · Modern expositions

रमण महर्षि

Ramana Maharshi

1879–1950 CE (modern).
Editorial overview

Historical context

Ramana Maharshi, born Venkataraman in Tamil Nadu, underwent at about sixteen an intense experience of facing death that he later described as awakening to the Self. Soon afterwards he left home for the sacred hill of Arunachala at Tiruvannamalai, where he remained for the rest of his life, and an ashram grew around him. He wrote little; most of his teaching survives in brief works and in records of conversations made by devotees. Though his teaching aligns with Advaita, he was not part of a formal monastic lineage and taught mainly from his own experience.

On attribution: Who Am I? derives from answers he gave to a devotee's questions, later edited into prose; many published dialogues are records by others.

Core ideas

  • Self-inquiry (atma-vichara): tracing the 'I'-thought to its source by asking 'Who am I?'
  • The ego or 'I'-thought is the root of all other thoughts; when it subsides, the Self remains
  • The Self is ever-present awareness, not something to be newly attained
  • Surrender to God or the guru is presented as an alternative path with the same result
  • Silence as a mode of teaching

Major works

Textनान् यार्Who Am I? (Nan Yar)Ramana Maharshi's short classic on self-inquiry: tracing the sense of "I" back to its source.Textउपदेशसारम्Upadesa SaramThirty verses by Ramana Maharshi that grade the spiritual paths, from action and worship to self-inquiry.

Also: Ulladu Narpadu (Forty Verses on Reality) · Five Hymns to Arunachala · Recorded conversations compiled by devotees

Concepts

Conceptआत्मविचारAtma-vichara — self-inquiryInquiring into the nature of the 'I' until its source is recognised.Conceptआत्मन्Atman — the SelfThe innermost Self — what you are beneath body, mind and personality.Conceptअहङ्कारAhankara — I-maker, egoThe 'I-maker' — the sense of being a separate doer and owner.Conceptअद्वैत / अद्वयNon-duality (advaya / advaita)The claim that reality is ultimately 'not two' — understood very differently across schools.ConceptशरणागतिSharanagatiTaking refuge in God; total surrender.Conceptसाक्षीSakshi — the witnessThe Self as the silent witness of the mind's changing states.

Lineage of ideas

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Related thinkers

आदि शङ्कराचार्यAdi Shankaracharyaस्वामी विवेकानन्दSwami Vivekananda

Traditions

अद्वैत वेदान्तAdvaita VedantaआधुनिकModern expositions

Learning paths

Who am I?