Who is Sri Ramana Maharishi? How did he get enlightened at the age of 16?

This Divine Guru, Mauni - a Spiritually Celebrated Life. He demonstrated how one can "just be", how one can just simply 'restlessly restful within. Even a few days of rest is an impossible matter for most humans. He's the Divine force behind this Mauna Yogam Movement. Though he was okay of a number of paths and practices, insisted recommended self-enquiry as the most direct aspect in removing ignorance and helps one abide in self-awareness, along with bhakti (devotion) or Saranagathi (absolute surrender) to the Atma (Self).

It was on a day in mid-July the year 1896. Venkataraman was sitting alone in a small room upstairs. Though there was no sickness in the body, great fear arose in Him that He would die. It happened not merely as an imaginary or superficial fear, but as an actual experience of death. This did not perturb him. He did not even inform anyone of it. He boldly welcomed the forthcoming death and ventured to scrutinize it and find the result of this scrutiny for Himself. “Yes, death has come; let it come. What is death? To whom does it come? To me. Who am I? What is it that is dying? Yes, it is this body that is dying; let it die” - deciding thus, He laid down stretching His arms and legs. Closing His lips tightly and remaining without speech or breath, He turned His attention very keenly towards Himself. Death was experienced! What did He come to know at that time?

“All right, this body is dead. Now it will be taken to the cremation ground and burnt. It will become ashes. But with the destruction of this body, am I also destroyed? Am I really this body? Untouched by this death which has turned the body into a corpse, here and now I am still existing and shining! Then I am not this perishable body. I and it are different. I am the indestructible ‘I’ (Self). Of all things, I, unbound by the body, alone am real. The body and world are meant only for destruction, but I, who transcend the body, am the eternal Supreme Thing! ”

This true knowledge of Self (Atma-jnana) shone forth clear in Him as a direct experience, and the fear of death which had risen in Him vanished once and forever. From that time onwards, this state of Self-experience continued to shine permanently in Him as His natural state unbound by time and space and without increase or decrease. Although afterward many people believed that in His early years in Tiruvannamalai Sri Bhagavan was performing deliberate austerities (tapas) or doing some spiritual practices (sadhanas), on a number of occasions in His later years He clearly refuted such ideas. He once said, “The sun that shone in Madurai was found to remain the same in Tiruvannamalai. Nothing was newly added to or removed from my experience”.

Thus, without an outer Guru and without any inner age-long strenuous sadhana, Venkataraman attained on the very first attempt the natural state of Self-knowledge (Sahaja-Atma-jnana-sthiti), which is declared by the Upanishads and all other Vedantic scriptures to be the unsurpassed state and the supreme benefit of human birth!

This experience, Self-attainment, brought forth indescribable vast changes even in the outward life of Venkataraman. Since it was now His clear experience that He was the eternal, perfect Reality, which is other than the body, from that day onwards His life was transformed into a new and wondrous one that could in no way be compatible with that of ordinary people, a life which they could not even understand, let alone imitate, no matter how hard they might try.

After this experience, the slight interest in school lessons that there was before left Him completely; He still went to school, but simply to please others. Even the taste for games, which once appealed to Him so much, disappeared entirely from His mind. The love and attachments towards friends and relatives also faded away, as did the interest in food and mundane activities. He who in the past had always fought for the right now became indifferent and no longer reacted in any way towards any kind of wrong or right. His previous nature of responding with severe blows if anyone scolded Him changed, and now a sweet smile of forgiveness and indifference would appear on His face as a reply!

What a wonderful change! The Self-experience transformed Him into a perfect Sadhu (Saint). Love, non-violence, patience, compassion, forgiveness, control over the senses, humility, fearlessness – all such divine qualities settled in Him naturally and in full, not due to practice but as a result of Self-experience. To Him, a life of worldly activities was now meaningless, dry, and unreal, just as a dream is useless, empty, and unreal to him who has woken up from it. He was often seen to be sitting in solitude, absorbed and reveling in Self. In truth, the former Venkataraman was no longer there, and Bhagavan Ramana alone did shine!

An incident that gave a hint of this Self-absorption even at the age of twelve took place in Dindukkal when Venkataraman (Ramana's original name) was studying there, but those who were around Him at that time did not recognize its importance and preciousness. One day, while His relatives had gone out, Venkataraman lay on His bed after locking the house from inside. On their return, even though they knocked at the door and called Him loudly, the door was not opened. After finding another way to enter the house, they again tried to wake Him from His sound sleep by shaking, rolling, and, beating His body heavily. But all in vain, Venkataraman would not wake up! After some time, however, He woke up of His own accord. The people assembled there wondered at this exclaiming: “A sleep of Kumbhakarnan (Kumbhakarnan was a rakshasa in the Ramayana renowned for his long sleep lasting six months.)!”. But this state was neither a dull sleep nor a swoon, it was in fact the state of samadhi! Once, years after, Sri Bhagavan remarked about this state: “The result of what was done and left had now resumed again, on account of which the attention was always in the source (Self).”

Since Venkataraman had lost all interest in His studies, His school teacher started punishing Him. Even Nagaswami, His elder brother, grew angry noticing the vast change in Him. Whenever he saw Him sitting in Self-absorption, he would jeer at Him: “What a great Sage, a Yogiswara!”; but Venkataraman, who had the clear knowledge of the Reality and was thereby unshakable, did not mind all this. One day His teacher gave Him an imposition to write three times an English grammar lesson which he had failed to learn.

The next day, it was a Saturday, the 29th of August 1896; Sri Ramana had written the imposition twice when He felt a dejection towards this useless work. Throwing away the pencil and notebook, He sat up and closed His eyes in Self-absorption (nishtha). Nagaswami, who was sitting nearby, was saddened at seeing this. With the intention of correcting his brother, he exclaimed with pity and anger, “Yes, why all these for one like this?”. To Him who would usually have been indifferent towards such a remark, the words seemed meaningful on that particular occasion. He thought, “Yes, what he says is true. What do I now have to do here and with these things? Nothing!”. He immediately resolved to leave the house. All at once, the remembrance of Arunachalam (Tiruvannamalai) flashed spontaneously through His mind. He decided, “Yes, Arunachalam is the only place for me to go to !”. As He got up and started to walk out, Nagaswami asked Him to get five rupees from their aunt and pay his college fees.

Sri Ramana consulted an old map of Madras presidency, which unfortunately did not show the branch line from Villupuram to Katpadi, midway along which lies Tiruvannamalai (Arunachalam); He, therefore, thought that Tindivanam was the closest railway station to Tiruvannamalai. Out of the five rupees given by His aunt, He took with Him only three. He hastily wrote a note and, leaving it along with the remaining two rupees, He left the house. The note said:

What is written above in that paper:

“I have, in search of my Father and in obedience to his command started from here. This is only embarking on a virus enterprise. Therefore none need grieve over this affair. To trace this, there is no need even to spend money. Your college fee has not yet been paid. Rupees two are enclosed herewith. Thus_________”

Instead of a signature, only a straight line was drawn at the bottom of the note. The formation of the sentences here holds a deep meaning. ‘I’, the word starting the first sentence, changed into ‘this’ in the next, and even this ‘this’ had vanished by the end of the note, which is concluded by the absence of a signature!

Yes, the human body, which was considered to be ‘I’ so long as the sense of ‘I’ (ahankaram - the ego) and the sense of ‘mine’ (mamakaram) lasted, became to him ‘this’, an insentient and alien object, as soon as the ‘I’ and ‘mine’ had been surrendered to God! When the union (i.e. oneness) with the Supreme finally takes place, what else can remain as a separate entity? It is this state of oneness that is shown by the absence of a signature. How clear, the state of perfect Jnana (the state of true knowledge, in which nothing exists but Self) even at the age of sixteen!! The insertion just after the word ‘I’ of the phrase ‘in search of my Father’ clearly points out that so long as the sense of ‘I’ is retained one should depend upon God as one’s sole refuge. No would-be-non-dualist (advaitin) can rightly deny God and a dual love towards Him so long as his sense of individuality survives. Sri Ramana went to Madurai railway station. In those days, the three rupees which He had taken thinking it to be the approximate train fare was exactly the right amount to go from Madurai to Tiruvannamalai. But what was to happen? Not knowing that He could go all the way to Tiruvannamalai by train, He took a ticket for Tindivanam instead and got on the train. During the journey, a maulvi (an Islamic priest) sat near Him and talked to Him of his own accord, informing Him that He should change train at Villupuram to go to Tiruvannamalai. Now, with the money still remaining, Sri Ramana was able to reach only as far as Mambazhappattu. There He got down and walked ten miles in the direction of Arunachalam. He reached Araiyani Nallur temple, which is built on a rock, but was not allowed to stay there for the night. He then walked down with the priest to Viratteswara temple in Kizhur. After the puja was over, Sri Ramana, who was tired and hungry, asked the priest for some prasadam (the food consecrated by being offered to God). The brahmin priest refused, but the temple- piper, whose heart was moved on seeing this, pleaded with him, “Sir, kindly give Him at least my portion of the prasadam.” On account of the request of that virtuous man, who illustrated by his action the description of a perfect brahmin: “The brahmin is he, the virtuous, who is compassionate to every creature on earth” a little food was placed in the hands of Sri Ramana. He spent that night nearby, and the next morning which was the day of Sri Krishna Jayanthi, He happened to come to the house of one Muttukrishna Bhagavatar. After He had taken some food in the Bhagavatar’s house, the two gold earrings which He was wearing came suddenly to His memory; removing them from His ears, He handed them over to the Bhagavatar and was given four rupees. With this money, He bought a train ticket to Tiruvannamalai. Early next morning, Tuesday the 1st September 1896, he arrived at Sri Arunachalam, which had occupied His heart from His childhood and which had now robbed off His mind and drawn Him near.

He went directly to the inner shrine of Sri Arunachaleswara temple and surrendered Himself completely. He entered the temple the gate of the inner shrine was open and no one was present. He embraced the Lingam. The intense heat which was till then in His body at once subsided. The journey of the soul, the river, had ended once and for all at its destination, the ocean of Bliss. Sri Ramana came out of the inner shrine, perfectly contented with the treasure – the fullness of Jnana (Wisdom). Since all freedom of mind, speech and body had been surrendered to Sri Arunachaleswara, Sri Ramana became effortlessly silent. When someone approached Him and asked, “Swami, will you have your head shaved?", Sri Ramana nodded affirmatively being convinced that it was the will of Sri Aruhachaleswara. His long, fine, and wavy hair, which was like a beautiful black creeper, was in no time removed and a clean-shaven head remained. He threw away the sacred thread, the sign of His caste. From His dhoti (lower long dress) He tore off a piece for a loin cloth and discarded the rest, together with the remaining money which was tied in a corner. The packet of sweets given to Him by the loving lady in the Bhagavatar’s house was thrown into the Ayyankulam tank. He did not even take a bath after being shaved, but on His way back to the temple there was an unexpected downpour. Perhaps this shower from the sky was the ceremonial bath (avabritha-snanam) given by Sri Arunachaleswara to His divine Son on the completion of the greatest tapas! Sri Ramana reached the temple and sat absorbed in samadhi in the thousand-pillared mandapam.

But can the foolish world understand the greatness of Sages? Some wicked people and mischievous children started to trouble Him by mocking, “Mad boy, dumb fellow”, and by throwing stones and pieces of broken pots. Yes, it is the usual treatment available to all Great Ones who came on earth, is it not? Did not Buddha, Mahavira, Jesus, and others receive such treatment from the people? This was therefore nothing new! Though indifferent to them, Sri Ramana withdrew Himself from their sight and went down into a nearby cellar, the ‘Patala Lingam’, where no one dared to go even in the daytime as it was so dark. There, He sat immersed in samadhi, concealing Himself behind the lingam. Days rolled on, yet He did not stir from samadhi! Since He was established in oneness with Reality – the state transcending the knowledge of the world and body – how could there be hunger and thirst in either the body or the mind? For Him who was drowned in the bliss of Jnana – the state of bodilessness – how could there be a feeling of pain or any misery caused by the outside world? On the damp ground where Sri Ramana was sitting were many ants, termites, mosquitoes, flies, and centipedes. They began to eat away the lower side of His thighs and blood was oozing out. The oozing blood clotted, pus formed, and both mixed with the mud, thus sealing the body to the ground. Yet He was not at all disturbed by this, for He knew nothing of it. Do we not read stories in the old Puranas (stories) about Rishis (sages) such as Valmiki who were immersed in tapas (chants) while ant-hills grew over their bodies and birds made nests and lived on their heads? By living thus before our eyes, Sri Ramana has proved in modern times that these stories were not false! People came to know of this many days later through Sri Seshadri Swami, a great soul who lived in Tiruvannamalai at that time. Though Sri Seshadri Swami appeared to be a madman, he was in fact a saint, and some good folk understood his exalted state and revered him. He was able to recognize the genuine greatness of the Jnana of Sri Ramana: ‘The legs of the snake are known only to a snake’, says the proverb. One day, having just come out of the Patala Lingam, Sri Seshadri Swami informed Venkatachala Mudaliar, a devotee of his, “There is a small Swami inside, go and see”; so saying, he walked away. Though it was daytime, Venkatachala Mudaliar took a lantern and along with some others entered the Patala Lingam. They called Sri Ramana loudly, but as there was no response they lifted His body. Alas, because the body was sealed to the earth and was now forcibly separated, blood rushed out through the fresh wounds! On seeing this they were awe-struck. Carefully and gently they brought the body out and kept it in the Gopuram Subramania temple. Even then Sri Ramana did not regain body consciousness, but remained in samadhi!

Some devotees, prompted by their conviction that Sri Ramana was God in human form, engaged themselves with great fervor in His service. Once in many days, whenever He opened His eyes, they would feed Him With a little milk, crushed bananas, or liquid food. The outward activities of Sri Ramana such as taking food and answering the calls of nature went on just like those of a sleeping child. On those occasions when His eyes did not open for some days, they would themselves open His mouth and try to pour in at least a small quantity of liquid mixture.

Sri Ramana stayed in Arunachaleswara temple for a few months, but He did not like people often crowding around to see Him; preferring to be alone, He moved to Gurumurtham temple, which was fairly far away from the town, and for about one and a half years He remained there in samadhi.

In the meanwhile, the note which He left in Madurai had been found, whereupon His elder brother Nagaswami, His mother, uncle, and other relatives and friends had begun to search for Him in many places but had so far been disappointed. At last, they came to know of His whereabouts through one Annamalai Tambiran, who had been serving Sri Ramana in Gurumurtham temple. Since Subbaiyar the uncle with whom Sri Ramana had been living in Madurai, had recently passed away, Nellaiyappaiyar, Subbaiyar's younger brother, started at once for Tiruvannamalai. He came to Gurumurtham, but no matter how much he entreated Him to come back to Madurai, Sri Ramana remained silent. Having failed in his attempt, Nellaiyappaiyar returned home empty-handed.

Seeing his fruitless effort, Azhahammal herself came to Tiruvannamalai accompanied by Nagaswami as soon as she could. At that time, in December 1898, Sri Ramana was staying on Pavazhakundru, an eastern spur of Arunachalam. When His mother saw the pitiable condition of His body, she burst into tears and prayed :

“My dear child, come back to Madurai. How can I possibly bear to live comfortably in a home when you are lying here on stones and thorns? Don’t be stubborn my boy, please don’t show such dispassion! Your mother’s heart is torn apart. Come home, my child!“ She wept bitterly and implored Him in ever so many ways. Nagaswami also repeatedly pleaded and repented: “Alas! I didn’t really mean it when I spoke in that way; I never imagined that it would bring about such a calamity!” Though they stayed and appealed for ten days, not even the slightest sign either of consent or of refusal appeared on the face of Sri Ramana. He remained as silent as ever. Some of the onlookers, being unable to bear this pitiful sight, gave Sri Ramana a piece of paper and a pencil, and begged Him, “Swami, your mother is sobbing and her heart is bleeding; graciously give your reply, at least in writing; you need not break your silence!” Sri Ramana wrote:

“According to the prarabdha (i.e. destiny) of each one, He, its Ordainer, being in every place [i.e. in every soul] will make it play its role. That which is not to happen will never happen, however hard one tries. That which is to happen will not stop, in spite of any amount of obstruction. This is certain! Hence, to remain silent is the best.”

What a steadfastness born of Self-knowledge (jnana)! What steadfastness, free not only of affection but also of aversion! How great an unshakable mind, when even a mountain would have moved! What could the devotees and His mother do then? She returned home afflicted.

Do not many among us wonder why Sri Ramana behaved in such a manner towards His mother, since it is now a well-known fact that not only all human beings but also birds and beasts enjoyed His gracious benevolence?

So long as Azhahammal was filled with motherly affection and showed the ignorance of attachment: ‘You are my child. I am your mother, your protector! Come home with me, was it not the task of Sri Ramana to remove that ignorant outlook and thus save her? Therefore, by the sword of such silence, He was cutting at the knot of attachment in her. This was not to abandon her, but to take her finally as His own; it was only the first step to making her renounce everything. Moreover, on another occasion, in 1914, when His mother came to see Him and happened to suffer from a high fever, Sri Ramana composed four verses, where the fever subsided. She then returned to Madurai.

Soon after His mother’s first visit, Sri Ramana moved to Virupakshi cave. It was in those years that the swarm of disciples gathered around Him to drink the nectar of instructions flowing from the fully bloomed lotus of Jnana. Yes, ‘When the tree yields ripe fruit, does one need to call the fruit bats?’. Sri Bhagavan’s mere gracious and silent presence shone as the Sun-of-Self cleared the doubts of the devotees and blossomed their hearts. The young Sri Ramana was only about twenty years old at that time, but the disciples who came to Him with the hunger for Jnana were much older and very learned!

“How wonderful! Young was the Guru who shone under the banyan tree, and aged were the disciples who came! The silence was the speech given by the beloved Guru, and the doubts in the disciples’ minds were cleared!”

Wonders happened in the Presence of Sri Ramana! Though the world was able to receive some instructions from Him in writing, and later orally also, there were many aspirants whose doubts have all been cleared and who have been saved by His mere silent Presence.

‘Silence is the unfailing Teaching (upadesa). Writing or speech cannot stand equal to it; sometimes they may even be an obstruction!’ – thus says, Sri Ramana.

Sri Ramana lived mostly as Silent Yogi (Mauni). He spoke only if necessary, otherwise, most of the time ‘Silence was the answer for many. But it did change many souls who visited Him.

He lived the silence, breathed silence, and showed the world that silence is the real sadhana (practice) to attain Liberation. His Self-enquiry and “Who Am I?” teachings are a blessing to humanity.

Note:

Sri Ramana Maharishi ashram is very famous now, visited by people from all over the world. The ashram is located in Tiruvannamalai, South India, four hours' travel from Chennai.

Our beloved Pranams to the Light that lived and showed the direct path for Self-realization.

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