Ramana Maharshi's Essence of Self-Realization

Book excerpt: Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi (1878-1950) was probably the most honored Self-realized guru and spiritual master of modern India. He taught the Yoga of Knowledge (Jnana Yoga) and the Vedantic path of Advaita or Non-duality, leading us to our true nature as pure consciousness beyond body and mind, death and sorrow. Though Ramana never left the sacred mountain of Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai, South India where he resided, numerous people came from throughout the world to seek his guidance, which he usually gave through silence or through short replies to their questions. Upadesha Saram, which means the “Essence of Instruction”, is often regarded as his most important written work – an axiomatic text of a mere thirty verses. It summarizes his teachings on the Essence of Self-realization, guiding the disciple along the path to the highest awareness in a systematic manner, pointing out a variety of practices, ways of meditation and approaches to Self-inquiry. The current translation and interpretation by Acharya Vamadeva Shastri David Frawley), one of the most highly regarded Vedic teachers in the world today, explains each verse clearly and succinctly to reveal the depth of Ramana’s insight for everyone to learn and benefit from.