Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi
“Who Am I, really?” - have you asked yourself that question? This guru has not only given us the answer, but also the clear formula to find it ourselves.
He’s Ramana Maharshi, and here’s his story.
Ramana Maharshi was born in 1879 in Tiruchuli near Madurai down South, into a Smartha family, a sect that worships 5 deities but ultimately believes in Shankara’s non-dual Advaita philosophy.
His childhood was pretty ordinary but the twist came in 1896, when he was 16 - he was struck with a sudden fear of death, which led him to inquiring, “What is it that dies? It’s my body, but is that who I really am? Am I really my physical self or my mental thoughts? Probably not.”
This pushed him away from his worldly life, towards the Arunachala Hill in Tiruvannamalai, where he gave up everything, and retreated into deep meditation.
In 1897, he began attracting his first followers, after which he retreated further into a cave higher up the mountains. In 1902, a government official approached him with 28 questions, but since the Maharshi was observing silence, he scribbled the answers, which are compiled in the shortest, yet deepest book you will ever read, titled “Who Am I?”
But trigger warning - the simple but mind-breaking revelations in the book might keep you up for many nights.
His formula is simple - this world is our mind’s creation, and our mind is nothing but all our thoughts, which have their root in the first ever thought of “I am,” when we ask “Who Am I?” to this root thought, the feeling of identifying with this temporary body goes away, with that all our fears, ego, and pain also begin to vanish, as we realise we are the Atman, the Ultimate Highest Self.
All other rituals, meditation & bhakti are simply routes to help us silence other thoughts and focus on this point.
Maharshi’s mom & brother eventually joined him to set up his Ashram & help in institutionalising his teachings.
He was a simple presence who took joy in feeding devotees & the poor, showing kindness to all animals, and giving peaceful comfort to whoever approached him.
In 1948, even when cancer ravaged his body & took it away, he still continues to have a presence at the foothills of Arunachal, so do visit the Ashram to find out your real nature.