Ramana Maharshi was an Indian Hindu sage and jivanmukta (liberated being) who lived from 1879 to 1950. He was born as Venkataraman Iyer and later became known as Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. At the age of 16, he had a transformative "death-experience" where he became aware of his true self. He then left his home and settled in Tiruvannamalai, where he attracted devotees and established an ashram. Ramana Maharshi advocated self-enquiry as the primary means to attain self-awareness and recommended devotion (bhakti) or surrender to the self. His teachings became popular in the West from the 1930s onwards.
In 1922, Ramana Maharshi moved to Sri Ramanasramam and settled at the base of the hill where his mother's tomb was located. Sri Ramanasramam gradually developed around him. The ashram initially had one hut at the samadhi, but by 1924, two more huts were built. The Old Hall, where Ramana Maharshi lived until 1949, was constructed in 1928. Sri Ramanasramam expanded over the years to include facilities such as a library, hospital, and post office.
Contrary to popular belief, Ramana Maharshi was not solely engaged in silent meditation. He actively participated in ashram activities like cooking and stitching leaf plates. His involvement in the ashram grew as it developed around him.
Ramana Maharshi gained significant recognition after the publication of the biography "Self Realisation: The Life and Teachings of Ramana Maharshi" in 1931 and the book "A Search in Secret India" by Paul Brunton in 1934. Brunton's book contributed to spreading Ramana Maharshi's fame, attracting pilgrims to visit him. Despite his spiritual stature, Ramana Maharshi remained humble and resisted attempts to idolize him during his lifetime.
He gained popularity in the West through the writings of Paul Brunton and other Western devotees. Ramana Maharshi emphasized self-inquiry (ātma-vichār) as a means to realize the true Self. He believed that the Self is a non-personal, all-inclusive awareness and that the mind obscures this awareness. Ramana Maharshi taught through silence and encouraged seekers to inquire into the nature of the "I" thought. He attracted a large number of devotees and is regarded as an enlightened being by many. He passed away in 1950 but continues to have a significant influence on spiritual seekers.
Ramana Maharshi taught that there are two ways to conquer destiny. One is to realize that only the ego is bound by destiny, not the true Self, and that the ego is non-existent. The other way is to surrender completely to the Lord, relinquishing all sense of "I" and "mine," and allowing the Lord to do as He pleases. True surrender is unconditional love for God without any desires or expectations. Ramana Maharshi also taught that reincarnation is based on the mistaken belief in the reality of the individual self. When one realizes the illusory nature of the self, notions of birth and death become irrelevant. Ramana Maharshi's spiritual teachings incorporated elements from Advaita Vedanta and were strongly associated with Shaivism, particularly the worship of Arunachala, which he considered the manifestation of Shiva. He was familiar with scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita and used them to explain his insights, although he had not studied them extensively.