[The following biographic data and personal experiences with Sri Bhagavan were included by N.R. Narayan Aiyer in his invaluable pamphlet "The Technique of Maha Yoga" which is a compilation of stepwise instructions and explanations for applying Ramana's "Who am I?" method of self-enquiry for the new aspirant.]

Born on 30th December 1879 at Tiruchuzhi a small township in Ramnad District in a brahmin family Venkataraman, later reverently named Sri Ramana Maharshi, educated at Dindigul and Madurai up to matriculation standard, left his home unnoticed for Tiruvannamalai on 31st August 1986 in his seventeenth year and continued to stay there till he attained his maha-samadhi on 14th April 1950.

It would be interesting to study the outstanding features of his spiritual life. While yet in his eleventh year, he was having Samadhi for sleep which he modestly called "heavy sleep" and he could not be roused from his 'torpor' except by giving him a violent shake. He was also subject to fits of half-awake sleep which most jivanmuktas experience prior to Self-realization which he had in one sitting when he dramatised death for a few minutes. In that short period of minutes he crossed the rubicon and was thrown into the lap of gods. Thereafter he had no control over his actions. He was a passive instrument of the great power, the Self, which he calls 'Arunachala' in the 'Five Hymns to Arunachala'. His mind was, as it were, held in close embrace by the Self till it became extinct and was transformed into "That". A study of the hymns leads us to the above conclusions.

A jivanmukta after realization develops moment after moment on the spiritual side (Chapter XI: Verses 18-19, Ramana Gita) and the Maharshi living for 54 years after realisation attained Godhead and if people did not realise this, it was the Maya that was shrouding him which prevented people recognising his greatness just as Lord Krishna was not recognised as a great incarnation except by the wise in those days.

The Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Vasishta say that those that are in the path of yoga with certain attainments at death continue from where they left off in their subsequent birth. Apparently, in his previous birth he must have finished his fourth jnana bhumika of Sattvapatti. This should have ordinarily given him liberation in that birth; but strong desires at death to be reborn and be a great living teacher and be an instrument for emancipating people must have been the cause of the present birth. His involuntary, unrecognised samadhi in his boyhood and his effortless Self-realization and his prayers in the temple at Madurai that he must be like the 63 Tamil saints point to our above conclusion.

His sudden interest in Arunachala when casually mentioned; his departure for Tiruvannamalai without any apparent premeditation of his destination and his frequent mention of his knowing every inch of the hill and his mention of the Talks, "I was indeed fortunate that I never took philosophy. Had I taken to it I would probably be nowhere - always in confusion. My purva vasanas directly took me to the enquiry 'Who am I' "; and his effortless command of classical Tamil at a very young age, are all pointers to his state, attainments and tapas in Arunachala in his previous birth.

At the very early age of 20 or less he was able to give clear instructions to earnest aspirants in Jnana yoga. Such questions and answers were collected together and were printed in pamphlet form in later years with the title of "Who am I", "Spiritual Instructions" and "Catechism of Self Enquiry".

Self enquiry of "Who am I" which is slightly touched upon in Yoga Vasishta, Viveka Chudamani and other Vendanta scriptures is given a shape in the several pamphlets and talks. It is recommended as a panacea for all material and mental sufferings. It is also recommended for eradicating vasanas, destroying the mind and becoming a jnani.

Sri Bhagavan said that the advent of a world teacher is in keeping with the times and the maturity of the people wanting instructions to benefit by them. The various "Talks", recorded in the three volumes, indicate the degrees of ripeness of the questioners.

The Talks recorded in Vol. II of the 'Marharshi's Gospel' indicate the shrewdness, understanding and capacity to draw out great truths for the guidance of sadhakas by the questioner, Mr. M. Frydman, a Pole. These works are a valuable gift to posterity.

Sri Bhagavan was averse to writing any books and the wonder is that books are published by his personal devotees and there seems to be no end of them for sometime to come.

The advent of a Jnani of such stature occurs once in several centuries. They are styled Aadhikarika Purushas (authorised agents to revivify a decadent school of thought and to guide the world in spiritual matters): and Sri Bhagavan seems to have admitted he is one of them to one of his close devotees.

Rare indeed, is the luck of those who gave birth to such a great soul and those that descended in his family. Varaha Upanishad says that descendents of such a person for 101 generations get release from bondage effortlessly. What indeed must be the luck and purvapunnya of those who had the great luck of his darsan and of sitting at his feet day in and day out!

Ribhu Gita says the darsan of a jnani has the effect of bath in holy waters. Varaha Upanishad says that the sins of those that have darsan of a Brahmavit are destroyed and if such a sage turns his gracious glance on any one, sins of his previous lives are destroyed. The mere stay in a jnani's presence is a spiritual bath. His mere existence radiates spiritual influence the world over in all directions and those that are receptive by being introverted received as much as they were fit for. Just as the sun, as soon as it rises, develops the bud and makes the developed bud to blossom, so also spiritually minded sadhakas developed themselves by such radiations when they in-turned. Hence the spate of Jivanmuktas during and subsequent to his time, namely, Sri Ma Anandamayi, Sri Aurobindo, Swami Ramadas, Swami Sivananda, the late Shankaracharya of Sringeri, who passed away in 1959, Sri Shankaracharya of Kamakoti Peetam, the late Seshadriswami of Tiruvannamalai, the late Kuttalam Mowna Swami, the late Sendamangalam Swami, the late Eswara Swami of Tiruvannavalai, Sri Jnanananda Swami of Tapovanam, the late Sri Purushottamanandaji of Hrishikesh who passed away in 1961, the late Mr. H.T. Hamblin of Sussex, and many more of whom we may not know.

Many ripe visitors even in their first hours of stay experienced samadhi. Samadhi results on account of mental stillness, Sri Bhagavan's proximity in his state of mental mowna was enough to quell the thoughts of those ripe souls present. His gaze, when directed with intent on any person, raked up that person's dormant spiritual awareness and gave it a fillip to get active. While normally the on-looker would be thinking he is simply gazing at a person, he, by his look, would be giving instructions and the recipient unmistakably understood the import conveyed by his gaze. There was no mistaking the meaning.

Sri Bhagavan once said, "The cosmic mind manifesting in some rare sage is able to effect the linkage of the individual mind with the inner Self." Sri Bhagavan had this unique power.

While it is the common talk that he did not initiate any, he did really initiate some. Mr. Paul Brunton could not have got into samadhi but for his initiation by the gaze. He has related his experiences during his samadhi.

One other European was Mr. Grant Duff. When he entered the hall and sat down, Sri Bhagavan directed his gaze on him, for over an hour, in spite of the dinner bell and did not leave the hall till he had finished with him.

The third day after my settling down at Tiruvannamalai, soon after I prostrated before him and sat down, he indicated me to close my eyes by closing his eyes and, when I passively closed my eyes, within five minutes I was unaware of what was happening for nearly half an hour after which I was released from his mental grip. This continued for nearly a month. Within a fortnight, I was involuntarily repeating "Who am I".

When my wife visited him a week after settling down in the home he did the same with her and whenever she visited him, thus laying the foundation for her sadhana. How many others were similarly initiated is known to him and themselves only. To say that he did not initiate anyone is incorrect.

If by the presence in his proximity one's thoughts could be quelled and if by his gaze one's mind could be steadily fixed on the individual's heart it is not to be wondered at, that by his touch with intent on his mother he was able to destroy all her remnant vasanas and release her from the cycle of births thus giving liberation.

On his Jayanthi and Mahapuja of his mother he used to send out his gracious influence to his absent devotees at about 10:30 am prior to the dinner and once while in my village about 150 miles away, on a Jayanthi day, I unmistakably felt the influence during my usual sadhana at the time, unanticipated. In subsequent years when at Tiruvannamalai I noticed him grim with concentration at that particular time, I was able to connect it with my experience. Later one day when I related to him this experience he showed interest and eagerness to hear it, probably to know the effect of his concentrated message on his distant absentee devotees.

He used to insist on the poor waiting outside to be first fed prior to his taking food. Similarly on Jayanthi and Mahapuja days he would not go for dinner till he learnt that poor-feeding had started. On Karthika Deepam festival days he used to say "We do not know what form the siddhas that inhabit this hill come here. They must be fed first."

Though he did not apparently show interest in the construction of the temple, a year before his mahasamadhi he directed that the temple should be completed quickly. While, previously, the construction was going at snail's pace it took giant's stride with hundreds of labourers engaged daily and the Sarvadhikari was hard put to it often to meet the daily wages of the labourers. Nothing according to Sri Bhagavan should be left incomplete.

On the midnight, previous to the Consecration day, he, with the sculptor-architect, Sarvadhikari, Mr. Chadwick and a few others entered the temple and touched the various seats where the deities were to be installed, by a circular movement of the hand, thus consecrating them himself. Ceremonial rituals and consecration were performed by scores of learned Brahmin pundits in the most orthodox style on the Consecration day. Crowds numbering a lahk and over from far and near and mostly from the surrounding villages witnessed the function.

During the last decade of his life, though the influx of foreign visitors was comparatively small, due to the aftermath of the war, the Indian element was so great that he had to shift to more commodious places.

It was noteworthy that during this period many maharajas with their consorts, governors of States, ministers and administrators and noteworthy people visited him and paid homage.

He frequently expressed he was beyond space and time, that is, he is eternal and could be got at now or 1000 years hence or till eternity and from anywhere irrespective of place.

To corroborate this, it would be interesting to mention the following: - An English lady asked the Asramam byy letter for spiritual instruction in 1956, that is, six years after Sri Bhagavan's mahasamadhi. She was asked to repeat the japa of Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya which she said she was sedulously repeating. A couple of years later, she wrote to say that some voice immanent in her was questioning "Who is praying?" "Who is asking?" and such like questions all revolving on "Who am I?". She was directed to the path of Self-enquiry. From this, it would be clear that earnest aspirants get his guidance irrespective of time and place.

During the fag end of his life when people learnt that he was in poor health, on account of sarcoma, from which he was suffering, devotees in large numbers from far and near as also other people from the town and surrounding villages were visiting the Asramam in large numbers and the forty feet road was always crowded to capacity. To the last day he was giving darsan to all the people who filed past him.

When he attained mahasamadhi at 8:47 pm on 14th April 1950 a big bright flaming star was noticed going towards the north. This was noticed even by people in Madras and other surrounding places.

His remains were interred the next evening in the Asramam itself alongside the temple but separate from it. A small temporary shrine was erected over it and a Shiva Linga installed and poojas to it according to Hindu agamas are performed daily morning and evening. A permanent shrine is under way.

People who have lost their peace of mind, on account of the loss of their dear ones, have been known to regain their former composure by sitting in the proximity of the shrine for a few hours a day for a few days.

The sanctity of Arunachala added to the powerful radiation emanating from the shrine and the peaceful atmosphere of the place contribute to easy concentration, such that the new sadhakas from other places were immediately struck by it and have stayed for a few years for developing their sadhana.

A good number of men and women who have been used to meditate there, during the Sri Bhagavan's time continue their sadhana there; and they are disinclined to leave the place and if they do, they feel like fish out of water eagerly wanting to come back.

Apart from the old devotees, persons from foreign countries and other provinces of India, who have not even seen Sri Bhagavan during his life time have come to stay for purpose of sadhana at great personal sacrifice.

Tiruvannamalai, by itself, is reputed as the hill that invites jnana sadhakas and many are the people who have attained liberation here. Lord Shiva ordained that "residence within a radius of thirty miles of the hill shall, by itself, be sufficient to burn off all defects and effect the union of the individual soul with the Supreme, even without initiation."

Sri Bhagavan used to express that there are several siddha purushas inhabiting the hill. Sri Parvathi Devi, Sages Gautama and Dhurvasa did tapas here in the olden days and their ashramas still exist.

The tomb of the mother of Sri Bhagavan which was housed in a small hut formed the nucleus of the present Sri Ramanasramam. Thereafter Sri Bhagavan's hall, the gosala (cowshed), the Vedapatasala (Vedic school), the store room, the pakasala (kitchen and dining hall), Vaidyasala (hospital) and later the temple, successively came into existence spontaneously without any effort or desire on the part of Sri Bhagavan.

At present solicitude of the management for the convenience of the devotees and the sadhakas, the arrangement for the accommodation and for boarding of casual visitors, high and low, and for those wanting to stay for longer periods for sadhana, the clean maintenance of the Ashramam and the publication of books propagating Sri Bhagavan's teachings in the various Indian and foreign languages, all point to a healthy growth now, even within a dozen years of his Mahasamadhi.

Sri Shankaracharya of Kamakoti Peetam was said to remark that the greatness of the Asramam will be apparent fifty years hence. Whether it is a prophecy or wishful thinking of the carrier of this news, posterity alone can judge to what heights the Asramam has grown for the benefit of the world at large.

[And as can be seen, fifty years hence at the beginning of the twenty first century, the influence of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi is stronger than ever.]