Ramana Maharshi

Ramana Maharshi

At the foot of a hill known as Arunachal in Tamil Nadu, there is an old Siva temple with an idol known as Tejo Linga (Radiant Linga). Every year during the annual festival in the month of Karthik (November-December) a beacon of light is lit to remind people to pursue the light of Knowledge. Once a teenager by the name of Venkatraman, the second son of his parents, and normally very fond of sports and studies, was overwhelmingly attracted towards the beacon. He left his home without any belongings and spent the rest of his life at the site of the hill for about fifty five years, spreading the concept of “self-knowledge”. He was later to be known as Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

People always observed a radiance around him and enjoyed peace and enlightenment in his presence, he preached that one should know oneself thoroughly to remove all ignorance and reach the Goal of Life. This is based on the famous Vedic statement ‘Tatvamasi’ meaning “That thou art” which engulfs the entire Truth of the nature of the Creator and Creation.

There were many miracles in his life but no special significance was attached to any of them. He had a soft and distinct voice but a somewhat frail body. In his last years he developed a painful tumor with shooting pain but it was a miracle to attending doctors how he calmly bore the pain and how he cheerfully gave audience to his devotees as if the body did not belong to him. One evening in April 1950, people saw a bright light emanating away from his body and he was found dead. Later a shrine was erected over his Samadhi and many of his devotees visit it every year. 

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