‘Who am I?’ I am not this physical body, nor am I the five organs of sense perception I am not the five organs of external activity, nor am I the five vital forces, nor am I even the thinking mind. For obtaining such knowledge the inquiry ‘Who am I?’ in quest of the Self is the best means. Hence, in order to realize that inherent and untainted happiness, which indeed he daily experiences when the mind is subdued in deep sleep, it is essential that he should know himself. Many times when people asked Bhagavan questions, he asked them to read this essay first, and only ask further questions if they still had any afterwards.Įvery living being longs always to be happy, untainted by sorrow and everyone has the greatest love for himself, which is solely due to the fact that happiness is his real nature. The resultant essay was on sale in pamphlet form at the ashram and served to provide an introduction and practical summary of instructions for self-enquiry or Bhagavan’s ‘direct path’ to liberation. It is the English translation of this essay which is found below. Sometime in the mid-1920s, Bhagavan removed the questions and fashioned the answers into an essay form and he also added an introductory paragraph on the nature of happiness.
#Who am i ramana maharshi series#
The framework for this essay originated from a series of answers that a philosophy graduate Sivaprakasam Pillai wrote down in 1902 after asking Bhagavan a corresponding series of questions whilst at Virupaksha cave on Arunachala, and was first published by Sri Pillai 21 years later in 1923.
#Who am i ramana maharshi pdf#
There is also a more common Q&A version of which you can find the PDF version of Who Am I here. There are many versions of this text titled ‘Who am I?’ (Nan Yar? in the original Tamil), all with subtle variations, but this one I have selected below is the essay version which is the only version I know of that was written by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi himself. How lucky are we to have these teachings given to us to keep us on the straight, narrow and true path! Here he has distilled their essence for us, enabling the serious seeker to find the direct path and not be side-tracked by various doctrinal intricacies and conceptual dead-ends. Ramana was not only genuinely self-realised, but he also had an in-depth knowledge of the traditional scriptures and their various methodologies. I also highly recommend reading The Path of Sri Ramana which explains in detail the entire path to liberation. And I would agree! Together with Upadesa Saram and Ulladu Narpadu (click on the links for downloadable PDF versions), a comprehensive set of teachings for liberation is given to us in concise form by Sri Ramana Maharshi. Many state that in this short text alone is contained all you need to attain liberation. See also: Recommended Reading: Books for Enlightenment, Liberation and Self-Realisation