Biography Ramana Maharshi

1 biography

1.1 years (1879–1895)
1.2 adolescence , awakening (1895–1896)
1.3 tiruvannamalai temples (1896–1899)

1.3.1 arunachaleswara temple (1896–1897)
1.3.2 gurumurtam temple (1897–1898)


1.4 arunachala (1899–1922)
1.5 sri ramanasramam (1922–1950)

1.5.1 commencement of ramanasramam (1922-1930)
1.5.2 discovery westerners (1930-1940)
1.5.3 final years (1940-1950)

biography
early years (1879–1895)

temple of tiruchuzhi, tamil nadu

ramana maharshi born venkataraman iyer on 30 december 1879 in village tiruchuzhi near aruppukkottai, madurai in tamil nadu, south india. second of 4 children in orthodox hindu brahmin family. father sundaram iyer (1848–1890), lineage of parashara, , mother azhagammal (1864-1922). had 2 brothers nagaswami (1877–1900) , nagasundaram (1886–1953), along younger sister alamelu (1887-1953). venkataraman s father court pleader.

both paternal uncle of father , father s brother had become sannyasins. venkataraman s family belonged smarta denomination, , regular worship of lord siva, lord vishnu, lord ganesa, lord surya , goddess sakti took place in home.

when venkataraman 7 had upanayana, traditional initiation of 3 upper varnas brahmanical learning , knowledge of self. had memory, , able recall information after hearing once, ability used memorise tamil poems.

narasimha notes venkataraman used sleep deeply, not waking loud sounds, nor when body beaten others. when twelve years old, may have experienced spontaneous deep meditative states. sri ramana vijayam, tamil biography first appeared in 1920s, describes period few years before death-experience in madurai:

some incomplete practice past birth clinging me. putting attention solely within, forgetting body. sitting in 1 place, when regained normal consciousness , got up, notice lying down in different narrow space [to 1 had first sat down].

when eleven father sent him live paternal uncle subbaiyar in dindigul wanted sons educated in english language eligible enter government service. tamil taught @ village school in tiruchuzhi, attended 3 years. in 1891, when uncle transferred madurai, venkataraman , elder brother nagaswami moved him. in dindigul, venkataraman attended hindu school english taught, , stayed there year.

his father, sundaram iyer, died on 18 february 1892. after father s death, family split up; venkataraman , nagaswami stayed subbaiyar in madurai.

adolescence , awakening (1895–1896)

venkataraman young man.

venkataraman first attended scott s middle school , american mission high school became acquainted christianity.

in november 1895 venkataraman realized arunachala, sacred mountain, real place. had known of existence age, , overwhelmed realisation existed. during time read sekkizhar s periyapuranam, book describes lives of 63 nayanars, made great impression on him, , revealed him divine union possible. according osborne, new current of awareness started awaken during visits meenakshi temple @ madura, state of blissful consciousness transcending both physical , mental plane , yet compatible full use of physical , mental faculties .

according narasimha, in july 1896, @ age 16, sudden fear of death befell him. struck flash of excitement or heat, avesam, current or force seemed possess him, while body became rigid. initiated process of self-enquiry asking himself dies. concluded body dies, current or force remains alive, , recognised current or force self, later identified personal god, or iswara .

in 1 of rare written comments on process ramana maharshi wrote, enquiring within seer? saw seer disappear leaving alone stands forever. no thought arose saw. how thought arise did not see.

later in life, called death experience akrama mukti, sudden liberation, opposed krama mukti, gradual liberation in vedanta path of jnana yoga. resulted in state of mind later described state of mind of iswara or jnani:

after reading language of sacred books, see may termed suddha manas [pure mind], akhandakara vritti [unbroken experience], prajna [true knowledge] etc.; is, state of mind of iswara or jnani.

after event, lost interest in school studies, friends, , relations. absent-minded @ school, imagining , expecting god drop down heaven before me . avoiding company, preferred sit alone, absorbed in concentration on current or force, , went daily meenakshi temple, ecstatically devoted images of 63 nayanars , of nataraja, wanting same grace shown saints, praying should have same bhakti had , [weeping] god should give me same grace gave saints .

knowing family not permit him become sanyassin , leave home, venkataraman slipped away, telling brother needed attend special class @ school. venkataraman boarded train on 1 september 1896 , traveled tiruvannamalai remained rest of life.

tiruvannamalai temples (1896–1899)

arunachaleswara temple, tiruvannamalai


arunachaleswara temple (1896–1897)

on arriving in tiruvannamalai, maharshi went temple of arunachaleswara. first few weeks spent in thousand-pillared hall, shifted other spots in temple, , patala-lingam vault might remain undisturbed. there, spent days absorbed in such deep samādhi unaware of bites of vermin , pests. seshadri swamigal, local saint, discovered him in underground vault , tried protect him. after 6 weeks in patala-lingam, carried out , cleaned up. next 2 months stayed in subramanya shrine, unaware of body , surroundings food had placed in mouth or have starved.

gurumurtam temple (1897–1898)

in february 1897, 6 months after arrival @ tiruvannamalai, ramana moved gurumurtam, temple mile away. shortly after arrival sadhu named palaniswami went see him. palaniswami s first darshan left him filled peace , bliss, , time on served ramana permanent attendant. besides physical protection, palaniswami beg alms, cook , prepare meals himself , ramana, , care him needed. in may 1898 ramana moved mango orchard next gurumurtam.

osborne wrote during time ramana neglected body. ignored ants bit him incessantly. gradually, despite ramana s desire privacy, attracted attention visitors admired silence , austerities, bringing offerings , singing praises. bamboo fence built protect him.

while living @ gurumurtam temple family discovered whereabouts. first, uncle nelliappa iyer came , pleaded him return home, promising family not disturb ascetic life. ramana sat motionless , uncle gave up.

in september, 1898 ramana moved shiva-temple @ pavalakkunru, 1 of eastern spurs of arunachala. refused return though mother begged him to.

arunachala (1899–1922)

arunachala hill, tiruvannamalai

soon after this, in february 1899, ramana left foothills live on arunachala itself. stayed briefly in satguru cave , guhu namasivaya cave before taking residence @ virupaksha cave next 17 years, using mango tree cave during summers, except six-month period @ pachaiamman koil during plague epidemic.

in 1902, government official named sivaprakasam pillai, writing slate in hand, visited young swami in hope of obtaining answers questions how know 1 s true identity . fourteen questions put young swami , answers ramana s first teachings on self-enquiry, method became known, , published nan yar?, or in english, i?.

many visitors came him , became devotees. kavyakantha sri ganapati sastri, vedic scholar of repute in age, deep knowledge of srutis, sastras, tantras, yoga, , agama systems, lacking personal darshan of shiva, came visit ramana in 1907. after receiving upadesa him on self-enquiry, proclaimed him bhagavan sri ramana maharshi. ramana known name on. ganapati sastri passed on these instructions own students, later in life confessed had never been able achieve permanent self-abidance. nevertheless, highly valued ramana maharshi , played important role in life.

in 1911 first westerner, frank humphreys, police officer stationed in india, discovered ramana , wrote articles him first published in international psychic gazette in 1913.

in appendix self realisation narasimha wrote in 1912, while in company of disciples, ramana had epileptic fit, in vision impaired 3 times white bright curtain covered part of vision. @ third instance vision shut out completely, while head swimming, , felt heart stop beating , breathing seizing, while skin turned blue, if dead. lasted ten or fifteen minutes, whereafter shock passed through body, , blood circulation , respiration returned. in response strange accounts event, later said fit, used have occasionally, , did not bring on himself. according osborne, marked final completion of sri bhagavan’s return full outer normality .

in 1916 mother alagammal , younger brother nagasundaram joined ramana @ tiruvannamalai , followed him when moved larger skandashram cave, bhagavan lived until end of 1922. mother took life of sannyasin , ramana began give intense, personal instruction, while took charge of ashram kitchen. ramana s younger brother, nagasundaram, became sannyasi, assuming name niranjanananda, becoming known chinnaswami (the younger swami).

during period, ramana composed 5 hymns arunachala, magnum opus in devotional lyric poetry. first hymn akshara mana malai. composed in tamil in response request of devotee song sung while wandering in town alms. marital garland tells in glowing symbolism of love , union between human soul , god, expressing attitude of soul still aspires.

starting in 1920, mother s health deteriorated. died on 19 may 1922 while ramana sat beside her.

the entrance of sri ramanasramam.


sri ramanasramam (1922–1950)
commencement of ramanasramam (1922-1930)

from 1922 until death in 1950 ramana lived in sri ramanasramam, ashram developed around mother s tomb. ramana walked skandashram mother s tomb. in december 1922 did not return skandashram, , settled @ base of hill, , sri ramanasramam started develop. @ first, there 1 hut @ samadhi, in 1924 2 huts, 1 opposite samadhi , other north, erected. so-called old hall built in 1928. ramana lived there until 1949.

sri ramanasramam grew include library, hospital, post-office , many other facilities. ramana displayed natural talent planning building projects. annamalai swami gave detailed accounts of in reminiscences. until 1938, annamalai swami entrusted task of supervising projects, , received instructions ramana directly.

sri ramana led modest , renunciate life. however, according david godman, has written extensively ramana, popular image of him person spent of time doing nothing except sitting silently in samadhi highly inaccurate. period when ashram began rise around him after mother arrived, until later years when health failed, ramana quite active in ashram activities such cooking , stitching leaf plates.

discovery westerners (1930-1940)

in 1931 biography of ramana maharshi, self realisation: life , teachings of ramana maharshi, written b. v. narasimha, published. ramana became relatively known in , out of india after 1934 when paul brunton, having first visited ramana in january 1931, published book search in secret india. in book describes how compelled paramacharya of kanchi meet ramana maharshi, meeting ramana maharshi, , effect meeting had on him. brunton describes how ramana s fame had spread, pilgrims temple induced go hill , see him before returned home, . brunton calls ramana 1 of last of india s spiritual supermen, , describes affection toward ramana:

i him because simple , modest, when atmosphere of authentic greatness lies palpably around him; because makes no claims occult powers , hierophantic knowledge impress mystery loving nature of countrymen; , because totally without traces of pretension resists every effort canonize him during lifetime.

while staying @ sri ramanasramam, brunton had experience of sublimely all-embracing awareness, moment of illumination . book best-seller, , introduced ramana maharshi wider audience in west. resulting visitors included paramahansa yogananda, somerset maugham (whose 1944 novel razor s edge models spiritual guru after ramana), mercedes de acosta , arthur osborne, last of whom first editor of mountain path in 1964, magazine published ramanashram.

final years (1940-1950)

sri ramana maharshi mahanirvana in ramanasramam

in november 1948, tiny cancerous lump found on ramana s arm , removed in february 1949 ashram s doctor. soon, growth appeared, , operation performed eminent surgeon in march 1949 radium applied. doctor told ramana complete amputation of arm shoulder required save life, refused. third , fourth operation performed in august , december 1949, weakened him. other systems of medicine tried; proved fruitless , stopped end of march when devotees gave hope. devotees begged him cure himself sake of followers, ramana said have replied, why attached body? let go, , can go? here. april 1950, ramana weak go hall , visiting hours limited. visitors file past small room spent last days 1 final glimpse. died on 14 april 1950 @ 8:47 p.m. @ same time shooting star seen, impressed of devotees synchronicity.

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