Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-knowledge

Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-knowledge: A Biography

by Arthur Osborne

Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach, Maine    © 1970     207 pp. 

This book details the life of Sri Ramana Maharshi living at Arunachala Hill in Tiruvanamali, teaching non-dual Advaita and promoting the self-inquiry question “Who Am I?” I think the author did an excellent job of describing Maharshi’s early awakening at age sixteen, his cave existence, life with his devotees, and daily darshans for all who came. I enjoyed reading the experiences with the animals that came to visit his Ashram which was later built, especially the cow Lakshmi who came alone for a daily visit from a village over a mile away.

I particularly loved the inclusion of Maharshi’s “prayer” to Arunachala Hill:  “To dwell without thought upon Thy nature is to lose one’s identity like a sugar doll immersed in the ocean.” (from the Eight Stanzas on Sri Arunachala). I really related to that in an unexplainable way. I also very much loved the description of the moments before his passing in 1950 at age 70 from a tumor in his arm . . . "a group of devotees unexpectedly began singing a beautiful song. On hearing it, Sri Bhagavan’s eyes opened and shone. He gave a brief smile of indescribable tenderness. From the outer edges of his eyes tears of bliss rolled down. One more deep breath, and no more. There was no struggle, no spasm, no other sign of death:  only that the next breath did not come.”

I highly recommend reading any of the books on Sri Ramana Maharshi’s life and teachings.

-- submitted by Kaiven Twospirit

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