Ramana Maharshi

Teaching

Self-enquiry: the question 'Who am I?'. When other thoughts come up, one asks to whom they arise, and attention turns back to the 'I'-thought and its source. Breath control, mantra and meditation on forms of God are treated as aids. ^{1, 2}

Who it is for

For readers who want a short classical text on self-enquiry and do not mind Sanskrit terms.

Where to start

• Who Am I? is about thirty small pages in the ashram's 2010 edition. Words of Grace has the essay version, which David Godman describes as Ramana's own rewriting from 1926. ^{1, 2, 3}

Works

• Nan Yar? (Who Am I?)

  Text · 1923 · Sri Ramanasramam

  Ramana's answers, given in writing in 1902, to questions on self-enquiry from M. Sivaprakasam Pillai, who wrote them down from memory and first published them in Tamil in 1923. Editions have between 13 and 28 questions; Ramana later rewrote the text as an essay.

  Open PDF · gururamana.org ↗

• Ulladu Narpadu (Forty Verses on Reality)

  Text · 1928

  Forty verses on reality and the Self, composed in Tamil in 1928. Ganapati Muni rendered it into Sanskrit as Sat Darshanam in 1930.

• Upadesa Undiyar (Upadesa Saram (The Essence of Instruction))

  Text · 1927

  Thirty verses on spiritual practice and its aim, composed in Tamil in 1927. David Godman counts it among the works Ramana wrote and checked himself.

The short summaries are ours.

More works of Ramana Maharshi in the library

In their own words

Short passages in the words of Ramana Maharshi, each with its source. Where the quoted text is not in the language of this page, a translation follows and says whose it is.

• Even when extraneous thoughts sprout up during such enquiry, do not seek to complete the rising thought but instead, deeply enquire within, ‘To whom has this thought occurred?’

• By the inquiry ‘Who am I?’. The thought ‘Who am I?’ will destroy all other thoughts, and like the stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get destroyed. Then, there will arise Self-realization.

• Enquiring within, “Who is the seer?” I saw the seer disappearing, and that alone stands for ever.

Documented teaching relationships

• Personal teacher of H. W. L. Poonja (Papaji)

  Godman's biography describes Papaji's personal relationship with Ramana.

  Biographical tradition · davidgodman.org

• Personal encounter with Yogi Ramsuratkumar

  The Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram's biography says he came to Ramana's ashram in Tiruvannamalai, sat before Ramana Maharshi and went into higher states of consciousness under his gaze, before 1950.

  Stated by an institution · yogiramsuratkumarashram.org

• Personal teacher of Annamalai Swami

  In his account recorded by David Godman, Annamalai Swami describes coming to Ramana Maharshi in 1928, serving as his attendant, receiving his name from him, and being told to practise self-enquiry.

  Self-reported · davidgodman.org , davidgodman.org (2)

• Personal encounter with Paul Brunton

  According to the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation, Brunton's book A Search in Secret India describes his arrival at Ramana Maharshi's ashram and his time with him, and through his studies with Ramana he practised the 'Who am I' enquiry.

  Stated by an institution · paulbrunton.org

• Personal teacher of Sri Muruganar

  Muruganar first visited Ramana Maharshi at Tiruvannamalai in September 1923, later settled near him and recorded his teachings in Tamil verse; Ramana checked and revised Guru Vachaka Kovai himself.

  Biographical tradition · davidgodman.org , davidgodman.org (2) , swarajyamag.com

• Personal encounter with U. G. Krishnamurti

  In his own account in The Mystique of Enlightenment, U. G. Krishnamurti visited Ramana Maharshi once and asked him whether he could give him what he had; his friends' timeline dates the meeting to December 1939.

  Self-reported · ugkrishnamurti.in , ugkrishnamurti.in (2)

• Personal encounter with Paramahansa Yogananda

  Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi records that Swami Yogananda came to Sri Ramanasramam with four others on 29 November 1935, had lunch there and asked Ramana Maharshi questions before leaving; his organisation names Ramana Maharshi among those he met in India in 1935–36.

  Stated by an institution · archive.arunachala.org , yssofindia.org

• Personal teacher of Sri Sadhu Om

  Michael James writes that Sadhu Om lived with Ramana Maharshi for less than five years.

  Biographical tradition · sriramanateachings.org

• Personal encounter with Swami Abhishiktananda (Henri Le Saux)

  The Abhishiktananda Centre records that Henri Le Saux, later Swami Abhishiktananda, had his first darshan of Ramana Maharshi at Sri Ramana Ashram in Tiruvannamalai on 24 January 1949 and a second darshan in August 1949.

  Stated by an institution · abhishiktananda.org.in , ajatananda.org

• Personal encounter with Swami Ramdas (Papa Ramdas)

  Anandashram says Swami Ramdas visited Ramana Maharshi at his ashram at the foot of the hill in Tiruvannamalai, asked for his blessing and received it through Ramana's gaze.

  Stated by an institution · anandashram.org

• Personal encounter with Narayana Guru

  An account on the archive of Arunachala Ashrama, compiled from a report by Swami Mangalananda of 1948 and later articles, says that Narayana Guru visited Ramana Maharshi at Skanda Ashram in Tiruvannamalai in 1916 and accepted Ramana's invitation to the midday meal. During the visit he composed the five verses Nirvrutti Panchakam, which his disciple Swami Vidyananda offered to Ramana.

  Biographical tradition · archive.arunachala.org

Teaching relationships are documented statements. They confer no trust and do not attest realisation.

Compiled by us from the sources listed. Last checked 10 Oct 2026.

Report a mistake