The Essential Teachings of Ramana Maharshi

“Because people love mystery and not the truth, religions cater to them, eventually bringing them around to the Self. Whatever be the means adopted, you must at last return to the Self; so why not abide in the Self here and now?”

Bhagavan Shri Ramana Maharishi was born Venkatraman Iyer in 1879 in a small village in South India. For the early part of his life, he lived an unremarkable life till he left home at the age of sixteen to live as an ascetic in the hills of Arunachala. Neither building ashrams, nor assiduously collecting followers, the silent sage of Arunachala was nevertheless a lodestone attracting devotees and seekers from all walks of life.

‘The Essential Teachings of Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi’ is a compilation of Bhagavan Ramana’s aphorisms. Endowed with the grandeur of the Divine and stark as the naked truth, each of these pithy sayings is worthy of being called a ‘Mahavakya’. They invite contemplation, inspire joy, and urge the Seeker to stay true to the path till the goal reveals itself.

“There is no greater mystery than this: Being reality ourselves, we seek to gain Reality. We think that there is something hiding Reality and that it must be destroyed before the truth is gained. This is clearly ridiculous. A day will dawn when you will laugh at your past efforts. What you realize on the day you laugh is also here and now.”