in the state of Tamil Nadu. He was the son of
Shundaram Ayyar, a scribe and country lawyer.
The family was religious, giving ritual offerings
to the family deity and visiting temples. As a
child, Ramana was largely uninterested in school;
throughout his life he showed a marked inclina-
tion toward introspection and self-analysis.
In 1896, at age 17 he entered an altered state of
consciousness that had a profound effect on him.
He experienced what he understood to be his own
death and return to life. Without any training by
a teacher or any personal discipline, he attained
a profound experience of the true Self and real-
ized that the body dies but consciousness is not
touched by death. He saw the real “I” as immortal
consciousness, as a powerful living truth experi-
enced directly. Thereafter, all attention was drawn
to this “I” or Self and he remained conscious of his
identity with the absolute at all times. All fear of
death was permanently extinguished.
Ramana ran away from home to the holy
mountain Arunachala near Tiruvannamalai. He
spent 10 years in silent Self-absorption at the
temple there, at the foot of the mountain, and
in various caves on the mountain. Throughout
these years he remained silent and maintained
disciplines of spiritual purification and nonattach-
ment. Against the pleas of his family, he refused to
return home. His absorption in higher conscious-
ness was so deep that he neglected care of his
body and was at times famished and chewed by
insects. Disciples began to gather around him to
take care of his physical needs and to gain aware-
ness of his non-dual state of consciousness. His
disciples gave him sacred books, and he became
conversant with the religious traditions of South
India.
When Ramana broke his silence, he responded
to questions about Self-consciousness. His teach-
ing was given largely through conversations with
guests who visited him on the mountain, where
his ASHRAM began to develop. His advice to those
who sought SELF-REALIZATION was to direct them to
the question “Who am I?”—a self-inquiry that he
insisted be used tirelessly as each student discov-
ered deeper and deeper levels of awareness. The
aim of this inquiry was for each person to find an
awareness of non-duality, in which the oneness of
the Self and cosmos could be perceived. He taught
that a person who is not attached to the results of
action can live in the world as an actor who plays
a role in a drama but is immune to emotional dis-
turbance, because the person realizes that action
is only play acting on the stage of life.
Ramana remained at Arunachala for the dura-
tion of his life, welcoming visitors from East and
West, while becoming a living example of non-
dual consciousness. He died there of cancer on
April 14, 1950, sitting in a lotus position.
The Ramanashramam exists today as a sanctu-
ary that houses Ramana’s grave, his cave residence,
and accommodation for many visitors.Further reading: Paul Brunton, A Search in Secret India
(Bombay: B. I., 1934); David Godman, Be As You Are:
The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (New York: Pen-
guin, 1989); Arthur Osbourne, Ramana Maharshi and
the Path of Self-Knowledge (New York: S. Weiser, 1970);
Arthur Osbourne, ed., The Collected Works of Ramana
Maharshi (New York: Samuel Weiser, 1970); Talks with
Sri Ramana Maharshi (Turuvannamalai: Sri Ramanash-
ramam, 1984).Rama Navami
Rama Navami is a special day of worship of Lord
RAMA. It takes place on the ninth day of the bright
half of the lunar month Chaitra (April–May),
considered the birthday of Lord RAMA; he was
born at noon. All devotees of Rama must perform
this worship, and others may do it optionally. It
is accompanied by a vow of fasting beginning the
previous night. If one performs the veneration
properly, one is said to have one’s sins destroyed
and may even acquire MOKSHA or release from birth
and rebirth.
Rama Navami is a popular observance. After
a night of fasting, the following day the devoteeRama Navami 351 J