Ramana Maharshi Tamil Books Free Download
Arunachala Aksharamanamalai In Tamil Pdf Download. Sri Ramana Maharshi: biography, teachings, Self-enquiry, books, links.
1879–1950
Sri Ramana Maharshi was probably the most famous sage of the twentieth century both in India and the rest of the world.
He was renowned for his saintly life, for being fully realized, and for the powerful transmissions that often occurred to visitors in his presence. At age 16 he realized spontaneously and ran away to Arunachala, one of India's traditional holy sites, where he stayed for the rest of his life. So many people came to see him there that an ashram was built around him. Many of his close devotees were regarded by their peers as self-realized.
His Main Teaching
Ramana Maharshi always said that his most important teaching was done in silence. He meant that when people were in his physical presence, their minds were affected. In some cases the effects were astonishingly strong.
One of his direct devotees, Sankarammal, a Self-realized woman who worked in the ashram kitchen, described it like this:
Bhagavan’s silence was his direct teaching. He taught Self-Enquiry to those who could not comprehend his silence; so Self-Enquiry actually takes a secondary place as far as his teaching is concerned. He imparted his teaching of silence by his mere grace filled glance. This is the look that Muruganar and others refer to as his glance of grace. There was never a need to talk to Bhagavan. He made me mature gradually and steadily. All of Bhagavan’s devotees extol Bhagavan’s look of grace; however, even that look was an external expression of his inner silence. Silence was the state of Bhagavan and his direct teaching was only through silence. Those who received his message of silence had no need whatsoever to talk to him, much less a need for his instructions. How can I possibly express in words the mysterious working of Bhagavan through silence?
—Quoted in Ramana Periya Puranam by V.Ganesan, page 284.
Hundreds of people have described the effects of Ramana’s silent teaching in books and articles. For examples, see here and here. For longer accounts, see David Godman's The Power of the Presence.
His Second-Most Important Teaching
His second-most important teaching was a practice called vichara in Sanskrit. The customary English translation is 'self-enquiry.'
Self-enquiry as taught by Sri Ramana is the effort to keep attention continuously on the source of the I-thought. He called this source the Heart or the Self.
He sometimes expressed that idea like this:
“Fix the mind in your Heart. If you keep your attention on the source from where all thoughts arise, the mind will subside there at the source and reality will shine forth.”
—Quoted by Masthan Swami in Ramana Periya Puranam by V. Ganesan.
When this is done, awareness intensifies and thoughts diminish. In most cases the practice must be performed continuously for long periods in order to achieve results.
Sri Ramana often used the word 'enquire' in the sense of 'observe closely.' For example, in verse 23 of Ulladu Narpadu he wrote, 'With a keen mind enquire from where this 'I' emerges.'
Self-enquiry does not mean asking questions except as an occasional device for reminding ourselves to refocus attention when it wanders.
Self-enquiry does not mean focusing on the physical heart or on any other part of the body or on any object whatsoever.
One of Sri Ramana’s direct disciples, Frank Humphreys, described Self-enquiry like this:
“The phenomena we see are curious and surprising – but themost marvellous thing of all we do not realize, and that is that one and only one illimitable force that is responsible for all the phenomena we see and the act of seeing them. Do not fix your attention on all thesechanging things of life, death and phenomena. Do not think of even the actual act of seeing them orperceiving them, but only of that which sees all these things, that which is responsible for it all. This willseem nearly impossible at first, but by degrees the result will be felt. It takes years of study and dailypractice, but that is how a master is made. Give yourself a quarter of an hour a day. Try to keep the mindunshakably fixed on that which sees. It is inside you. Do not expect to find that ‘That’ is something definiteon which the mind can be fixed easily – it will not be so. Though it takes years to find that ‘That’, the resultsof this concentration will soon show themselves in four or five months time – in all sorts of unconsciousclairvoyance, in peace of mind, in the power to deal with troubles, in the power all around, alwaysunconscious power. I have given you these teachings in the same words that the master gives to his intimatedisciples. From now on, let your whole thought in meditation be not on the act of seeing, nor on what yousee, but immovably on that which sees.”
—Quoted in Ramana Periya Puranam by V. Ganesan.
For more information, see our page on self-enquiry.
Who Am I?
Sri Ramana summarized his method in a pamphlet called 'Who Am I?' which was for years his most widely disseminated writing. The title has probably contributed to the widespread but mistaken impression that the method consists of questions.
Actually, the main significance of the title is that the method is a technique for finding the answer.
Sri Ramana didn't intend the question to be mysterious. Early editions of the pamphlet began with the sentence 'Who am I?' The next sentence supplied the answer: 'Consciousness [arivu] itself is I.'[1]
1. See Michael James, Nan Yar, and David Godman, Who Am I?.
For more info about Who Am I?, see this page.
Biography
He was born on December 30, 1879 in a village called Tirucculi about 30 miles south of Madurai in southern India. His middle-class parents named him Venkataraman after Lord Venkateswara of Tirupati, the family deity. His family were Iyers, members of the Tamil Brahmin caste. His father died when he was twelve, and he went to live with his uncle in Madurai where he attended American Mission High School.
At age 16, he became spontaneously self-realized. Six weeks later he ran away to the holy hill of Arunachala where he would remain for the rest of his life. When he arrived he threw away all his property including the thread which marked him as a Brahmin. For several years he stopped talking and spent many hours each day in samadhi. When he began speaking again, people came to ask him questions and he soon acquired a reputation as a sage. In 1907, when he was 28, one of his early devotees named him Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Divine Eminent Ramana the Great Seer, and the name stuck. Eventually he became world-famous and an ashram was built around him. He died of cancer in 1950 at the age of 70.
His Self-Realization
At age 16, he heard somebody mention 'Arunachala.' Although he didn't know what the word meant (it's the name of a holy hill associated with the god Shiva) he became greatly excited. At about the same time he came across a copy of Sekkilar's Periyapuranam, a book that describes the lives of Shaivite saints, and became fascinated by it. In the middle of 1896, at age 16, he was suddenly overcome by the feeling that he was about to die. He lay down on the floor, made his body stiff, and held his breath. 'My body is dead now,' he said to himself, 'but I am still alive.' In a flood of spiritual awareness he realized he was the Self.
Book Recommendations
Hundreds of books have been written about Sri Ramana, and some are much better than others. In our opinion the best single book for people who want to get a true understanding of Sri Ramana's teachings is Be As You Are edited by David Godman.
As a second book we suggest Talks With Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Among the many books of dialogs, in addition to Talks which we recommended in the preceeding paragraph, we especially like the one translated and compiled by Devaraja Mudaliar called Day by Day With Bhagavan because Ramana once said (source):
All others interpret when I talk; only Devaraja Mudaliar translates exactly what I say.
One of the most important categories of books for seekers are those that give detailed, concrete instructions for doing Self-enquiry and which were written by Sri Ramana or by his direct disciples. At least three books of this type exist. The first and by far most important is Who Am I? by Sri Ramana himself. The others are Path of Sri Ramana Part One by Sadhu Om which you can download for free, and The Technique of Maha Yoga by Narayana Aiyer (also spelled Iyer). Sadhu Om’s book advocates an approach based purely on the pursuit and intensification of consciousness. Narayan Aiyer recommends the use of japa, pranayama, and attention to the Heart in a quasi-physical sense.
Two other books by a direct disciple, Annamalai Swami, consist partly of instructions for Self-enquiry: Annamalai Swami: Final Talks and Living by the Words of Bhagavan. Both are edited by David Godman. We recommend these two books very highly.
To get a sense of what it was like to be with Sri Ramana in daily life, see Ramana Periya Puranam (free download) by V. Ganesan or The Power of the Presence (three volumes) by David Godman.
There are many books of reminiscences of Sri Ramana by people who knew him personally. Two of our favorites are Living by the Words of Bhagavan, which we mentioned above, and A Sadhu’s Reminiscenses by Sadhu Arunachala (Major A.W. Chadwick).
Two other documents are of special importance although they may not be to the average reader's taste. Ulladu Narpadu, a poem of 42 verses, is regarded by many as Sri Ramana's most significant work. See, for example, Sri Sadu Om’s opinion in this interview. Guru Vachaka Kovai, a collection of 1254 verses composed by one of Sri Ramana's closest disciples, Sri Muruganar, and checked for accuracy by Sri Ramana, is probably the most detailed statement of Sri Ramana's teachings. It is available in three different translations.
For David Godman’s appraisal of various books on Ramana, go here.
In our opinion this superb collection of extracts from Ramana Maharshi's writings and dialogues is the best single-volume introduction to his teachings. This is the book we recommend to people who want to read about Sri Ramana for the first time.
The editor, David Godman, is probably the foremost living expert on Sri Ramana's teachings. David has gone through dozens of books by and about Sri Ramana and collected passages which most clearly state various points of his teaching. These extracts are organized thematically into chapters with higher teachings first and less important ones last.
David has also provided informative introductions to each chapter and to the book as a whole as well as a glossary and notes.
Where to Buy
Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi
Published by Penguin
272 pages
ISBN-10: 0140190627
ISSBN-13: 978-0140190625
For serious students of Ramana Maharshi there are two Bibles, one written in prose and the other in verse. This one is prose. (The verse Bible is Guru Vachaka Kovai.) It contains 724 pages of conversations that occurred from 1935 to 1939 between Sri Ramana and his visitors who traveled to south India from all over the world to ask for advice from the man whom many regard as the greatest realized teacher of the twentieth century. The text consists not of transcripts, as one might expect, but summaries and paraphrases recorded mostly from memory by the compiler. The reason for this strange format is that the compiler was prohibited by ashram rules from writing in the hall where Sri Ramana spoke. As a result the book's prose is unnatural but nonetheless lucid, direct, literate, and pleasant to read.
Where to Buy
AbeBooksTalks With Sri Ramana Maharshi
Published by Sri Ramanasramam
724 pages
ISBN-10: 8188018074
ISSBN-13: 978-8188018079
This book is an autobiography of Annamalai Swami who became Self-realized after many years of effort and close association with his guru, Ramana Maharshi. It paints an unusually intimate portrait of the Maharshi based on Annamalai Swami’s ten years of interactions with him, first as his personal attendant and then as supervisor of building projects at Sri Ramanasraman. The book is sober and free of the sentimentality that colors many memoirs of this type. This is not a hagiography; Annamalai's Maharshi is a surprising figure who does quirky and sometimes puzzling things. The final section of the book contains transcripts of conversations that Annamalai Swami held with seekers in the 1980s. Annamalai Swami worked hard for many years to realize the Self, making his advice especially useful to seekers for whom Self-realization does not come easily. We think this is a wonderful book, one of the best about Sri Ramana, and we recommend it very highly.
Where to Buy
Living by the Words of Bhagavan
Published by Sri Annamalai Swami Ashram Trust yummy ftp pro download mac
Hardcover
367 pages
(No ISBN number)
This small book is one of a half dozen that we recommend most strongly to people who want to practice self-enquiry in order to realize. It contains transcripts of talks that Annamalai Swami held with seekers during the last six months of his life. His advice about how to practice Self-enquiry is unusually valuable because he worked for a long time to become Self-realized. Annamalai Swami spent nearly ten years with Ramana Maharshi, first as his personal attendant and later as construction manager at Sri Ramana's ashram.
Where to Buy
Annamalai Swami: Final Talks
Published by Annamalai Swami Ashram and AHAM (2000)
99 or 162 pages
ISBN-10: 0971137181 and 1888599170
ISSBN-13: 978-1888599176
The definitive version of Ramana Maharshi's teachings is contained in his writings such as Ulladu Narpadu and Sri Muruganar's Guru Vachaka Kovai. Unfortunately, his works aren't easy to read. Most of them are written in a terse, classical style of Tamil poetry which is not easily understood even by many educated Tamils. In order to understand him, most of us must therefore rely on translations and commentaries. This book is one of the best of that kind because it was written by a skilled Tamil poet who was Sri Muruganar's literary executor and a close disciple of Ramana's. It contains 145 pages of exact instructions for practicing self-inquiry plus literal English translations of several of Ramana's works. In this volume, part one of the work, the author covers Jnana Marga (self-enquiry); part two deals with Bhakti Marga (surrender).
Where to Buy
Path of Sri Ramana Part One
Published by Sri Ramana Kshetra
171 pages
(No ISBN number)
Recommended Websites
Arunachala AshramaNorth American affiliate of Sri Ramana's ashram.
David Godman's websiteDavid Godman's blogNoted scholar of Sri Ramana's life and teachings.
Happiness of Being website by Michael JamesHappiness of Being blog by Michael JamesNoted translator and commentator of Sri Ramana's literary works; close friend and literary collaborator of Sri Sadhu Om.
Related Pages on this Site
Ramana photo galleryOver 1500 photos of Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Who Am I?Articles and links about Ramana’s most important pamphlet.
Sri Ramana Maharshi's Moment of Self-RealizationWhat did Sri Ramana do to realize the Self?
‘I’ and ‘I-I’, a Reader’s QueryBy David Godman
What did Sri Ramana Maharshi mean when he used the terms ‘I–I’ and sphurana?
Nothing Existed Except the Eyes of the MaharshiA scientist recalls his experiences during meetings with Sri Ramana Maharshi.
The I Flashed ForthBy Anonymous. Is this what Sri Ramana Maharshi means when he talks about the I-I?
David GodmanOur reference page on David Godman, noted scholar of Sri Ramana's life and teachings.
Papaji’s first meeting with Sri Ramana MaharshiBy David Godman.
U.G. Krishnamurti's Meeting with Sri Ramana MaharshiSri Ramana said, 'I can give it to you, but can you take it?'
Sri Ramanasramam’s Logoby Marilyn Cootsis
Ramana’s Metaphor of Shaving with a MirrorBy ‘Vishnu’ (N.R. Narayana Iyer) and C.K. Anavema Reddy
My Meeting with Ramana MaharshiBy Mercedes de Acosta
Free Books
Guru Vachaka KovaiBy Sri Muruganar and Sri Ramana Maharshi. Translated by Sadhu Om and Michael James.
Ulladu NarpaduBy Sri Ramana Maharshi. Also known as 40 Verses on Reality.
Ulladu Narpadu (Forty Verses on Reality)Translated and annotated by Robert Butler. Includes grammatical commentary with lexicon and concordance and index of Tamil grammar by subject, following the Tamil commentaries of Sri Lakshmana Sarma and Sri Sadhu Om Swami.
Path of Sri Ramana Part TwoBy Sri Sadhu Om.
This page was published on January 6, 2000 and last revised on August 12, 2019.