Ramana Maharshi

'''Ramana Maharshi''' (1879-1950) was a great Hindu mystic of the Advaita Vedanta stream. Born in a village called Tirucculi near Madurai in southern India, he was given the name Venkataraman. His father died when he was twelve, and he went to live with his uncle in Madurai, where he briefly attended American Mission High School. However, his thoughts soon turned to religion, namely mystic Hindu philosophies and understandings of universal divinity. At the age of sixteen, 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 Hindu deity 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 spirit, not his body. Ramana Maharshi taught a method called self-inquiry in which the seeker focuses continuous attention on the I-thought in order to find its source. In the beginning this requires effort, but eventually something deeper than the ego takes over and the mind dissolves in the heart center. He is an acknowledged Hindu master of the Advaita Vedanta stream of Vedic thought, and has many followers throughout India and abroad.

External links

• http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/
• http://www.realization.org/page/topics/ramana.htm
• Arunachala Ashrama
• http://www.satramana.org

References

The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi edited by Arthur Osborne

Topics in Hinduism
Shruti (Primary Scriptures):	Vedas	Upanishads > Bhagavad Gita	Itihasa (Ramayana & Mahabharata) > Agamas
Smriti (Other texts):	Tantras	Sutras > Puranas	Brahma Sutras > Hatha Yoga Pradipika	Yoga Sutra	Tirukural
Concepts:	Avatar	Brahman > Dharma	Karma > Moksha	Maya > Ishta-Deva	Murti > Reincarnation	Samsara > Trimurti	Turiya
Schools & Systems:	Schools of Hinduism (Overview) | Early Hinduism	Samkhya > Nyaya	Vaisheshika > Yoga	Mimamsa > Vedanta	Tantra > Bhakti
Traditional Practices:	Jyotish	Ayurveda
Rituals:	Aarti	Bhajans > Darshan	Puja	Satsang > Stotras	Yagnya
Gurus and Saints:	Shankara	Ramanuja >Madhvacharya | Ramakrishna | Vivekananda | Aurobindo | Ramana Maharshi	Chinmayananda	Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
Denominations:	Vaishnavism	Shaktism	Madhva > Smartism	Agama Hindu Dharma > Contemporary Hindu movements	Survey of Hindu organisations

Ramana Maharshi Ramana Maharshi Category:Hinduism Category:Indian philosophers sa:रामन्‌ महर्षि

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