The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi

Arthur Osborne

Once, during a workshop on Advaita Vedanta at The 21st Century Bookstore, Tony asked me to name my favorite books. I had brought four with me, but mentioned only three of them (reviewed separately). When he asked me why I hadn't mentioned the fourth one, Collected Works, I told him, 'I don't really think of this as just a book, because it's not something to be read once or twice and understood in the sense that one might attempt to grasp the principles of Gyan Yoga ('the path of knowledge').'As the complete written teachings of possibly the greatest teacher since Adi Shankara, it seems more like a description of mySelf than a map to it.

Alongside the myriad classical texts (Shruti, Smriti, Puranas, etc) that constitute the formal body of the Ved (the sacred literature of ancient India), this book stands alone as perhaps the only truly accessible authoritative treatise on the immortal Self written by a contemporary Rishi (sage or seer) of the highest order.

At the risk of sounding as if I'm saying, 'my teacher is better than yours', I submit that I was originally trained as a scientist and, after years of applying my most objective 'physics–nerd research techniques', I have come to view Sri Ramana Maharshi as 'the sadguru (teacher of highest truth) of the millennium', the kind of teacher who comes along only once every thousand years or so. This high regard appears to be widely held, as I have yet to encounter an author or teacher who, in referring to Sri Ramana, did not accord him their very highest respect. Even my other favorite teacher has a large portrait of him on his wall.

Sri Ramana often compared his teaching style to that of Dakshinamurti, a mythical Vedantic Rishi, said to be a form of the god, Shiva. In fact, throughout most of his fifty–four years of living and teaching on the 'holy hill', Arunachala, he bypassed words altogether and rarely spoke or wrote anything down; this book is well under two hundred pages long.

He read only those texts which were placed in front of him by devotees, thus in time he became erudite without seeking or valuing erudition. 'Collected Works' includes virtually all that was written by him since his spontaneous enlightenment in 1896 at the age of sixteen, having undergone no previous spiritual training.

Sri Ramana was a supremely practical man. Since some of his writings may appear to be purely theoretical, this would seem to be an appropriate reminder. As the editor says in his introduction,

He attached little importance to theory. That expounded in the following works is all turned to the practical purpose of helping the reader towards Self–knowledge—by which is not meant any psychological study, but knowing and being the Self which exists behind the ego or mind. Questions that were asked for mere gratification of curiosity he would brush aside. Thus he was turning the questioner from mental curiosity to the spiritual quest.

I would like to briefly introduce you to each of the writings in this book. It is my great honor to do so. I must acknowledge the excellent introductory comments of the editor, and shall draw upon them freely.

Original Works

Self–Enquiry

This is Sri Ramana's first work. It was written in about 1901 in response to a request for guidance from one of his earliest disciples and is concerned with practical questions on the path to realization. Section titles include, 'The Supreme Being is the Self', 'Enquiry into the Self', 'Worship is only Self–Enquiry', and 'The Eightfold Path of Knowledge'.

This last section is a wonderful interpretation of the classical 'Eightfold Path of Raj Yoga' in terms of the technique of self–enquiry (atma vichara). This technique was vigorously and consistently prescribed by Sri Ramana as the single most effective way of gaining inner freedom. It is a unique process which is introduced more fully in another review.

Who Am I?

'Who am I?' was written during the same period as 'Self–Enquiry'. It began as a series of answers to fourteen practical questions asked by another early disciple. It is the last prose exposition Sri Ramana ever wrote; thereafter he answered questions verbally. Records were kept of his discussions, but he himself wrote down nothing other than the few verse items that follow.

Five Hymns to Sri Arunachala

Arunachala is the name of the hill in south India where Sri Ramana spent his entire adult life. According to Sri Ramana as well as ancient Hindu scriptures, it is also a manifestation of Shiva. Sri Ramana was drawn to live on the side of this hill shortly after his enlightenment and regarded it as his Guru.

The verses in the collection known as the 'Five Hymns to Sri Arunachala' are the first real poems written by Sri Ramana. I will refer to them by numbers 1 through 5. The 'Marital Garland of Letters' (1) was written in response to a request by some of his followers circa 1914 when he was about thirty–five years of age. This hymn beautifully describe the love between man and God.

The next three hymns, written at about the same time, adopt the same attitude of devotion and aspiration, whereas Sri Ramana's later poems are directed more toward gaining a clear understanding of Vedantic theory and practice.

The 'Eleven Verses' (2) and the 'Eight Verses' (3) are among the very few poems that were written spontaneously, without any request. According to Sri Ramana,

The opening words of the 'Eleven Stanzas' came to me one morning and even though I tried to suppress them saying, 'What have I to do with these words?', they would not be suppressed till I composed a song bringing them in, and all the words flowed easily, without any effort. In the same way, the second stanza was made the next day and the succeeding ones on following days, one each day. Only the tenth and eleventh were composed the same day.

The 'Eight Stanzas' (4) were composed in a somewhat similar manner. The last hymn, however, is of a different nature. Sri Ramana was asked to write a poem in Sanskrit. He replied that he knew scarcely any Sanskrit and no Sanskrit meters. A meter was explained to him and by the same evening the 'Five Stanzas' (5) had been written in flawless Sanskrit verse. It is a somewhat cryptic account of the different margas (paths to Self–realization). A commentary is included.

Forty Versus

Sri Ramana was asked to write a 'cycle' of forty verses which would provide a succinct synopsis of his Upadesa (teaching). Later, a supplement consisting of a second forty verses was added to the first. Taken together, these eighty verses are considered to be the most comprehensive exposition of Sri Ramana's teaching.

The Essence of Instruction

A disciple of Sri Ramana's, the great poet Muruganar, was writing a legend in Tamil verse in which Shiva is said to be instructing a group of Rishis in the supreme truth. When he came to the part of the legend in which the final teaching is concisely stated, he deferred to Sri Ramana, who then went on to describe the various margas, grading them in order of excellence and showing that the most direct path is self–enquiry.

The section on 'Original Works' is concluded with several short poems, including 'The Self in the Heart', which contains a verse written by Sri Ramana in both Sanskrit and English, although in general he did not write in English and his knowledge of it was not great. Here is that verse just as he wrote it:

In the inmost core, the Heart,
Shines as Brahman alone,
As 'I–I', the Self aware.
Enter deep into the Heart
By search for Self, or diving deep,
Or with breath under check.
Thus abide ever in Atman.

Adaptations and Translations

The Song Celestial

Sri Ramana was once asked to select a single verse from the Bhagavad Gita which could be regarded as the embodiment of the entire epic poem. He thereupon mentioned book 10 verse 20, 'I am the Self dwelling in the Heart of every being. I am the beginning and the middle and also the end of all beings.' He then selected forty–two verses and arranged them in an appropriate order, giving them the title, 'The Song Celestial'.

Translations from the Agamas

The twenty–eight Agamas are used widely in temple worship in India. Among them, 'Atma Shakshatkara' and 'Devikalottara' are outstanding expressions of Vedanta which were spontaneously translated by Sri Ramana into Tamil. Both are instructions in Gyan Yoga, said to have been given by Shiva, the former to his son, Guha, and the latter to his wife, Parvati.

Poems by Sri Shankara

In the eighth century A.D., Vedantic teaching had sunk to a low ebb and was then restored to full vigor by the great spiritual teacher, Sri Shankara. Sri Ramana accepted Sri Shankara's teaching as his own. From time to time he translated one or another of his poems, either spontaneously or at the request of devotees. 'Guru Stuti' and 'Hymn to Dakshinamurti' are excellent examples of these works.

The 'Vivekachudamani', or 'Crest Jewel of Discrimination', is a major work by Sri Shankara which has been well known and loved by millions of people since it was written twelve centuries ago. Sri Shankara wrote this piece after completing formal commentaries on the three major works of classical Vedantic literature (the 'Bhagavad Gita', the 'Upanishads' and the 'Brahma Sutras'), in order to present the essence of his teaching in a readily–accessible format. Sri Ramana's fifty–page rendition of this poem is his longest work. It is a very free translation, even the order of the paragraphs being changed to some extent, which perhaps shows the degree to which Sri Ramana identified Sri Shankara's teachings with his own.

The final piece included in 'Collected Works' is a translation of Sri Shankara's 'Drik Drishya Viveka'. The Sanskrit word, 'drik' means 'subject of experience', 'drishya' means 'object of experience' and 'viveka' means 'discrimination'. In this short essay is examined the precise difference between the inner experience of 'subject' versus 'objects', and the vital importance of this difference in the practice of self–enquiry.

The Central Importance of Discriminating Between the Subject and Objects of Experience

Sri Ramana stated repeatedly that the most important use of the intellect is to bring one to the understanding that lasting happiness is supra–mental and that the true purpose for which the faculty of discrimination exists is only to distinguish between the real and the unreal. He also taught that an earnest and sustained enquiry into the nature of the 'I'–thought is the key to re–establishing awareness of the true Self. In practical terms, therefore, Sri Ramana is telling us that the ability to distinguish between the 'I'–thought (the subject of experience) and all other thoughts (objects of experience) is the highest use of the intellect, and leads to liberation.

The capacity to exercise this distinction, over and over again if necessary, is at the very core of the process of self–enquiry, which is itself the distilled essence of all of Sri Ramana's teachings. And just what is the difference between one's experience of the singular subject versus any object? Sri Ramana tells us that, (1) the 'I'–thought is the only thought that is always available, and that, (2) it is always the most intimate feeling inside of us. In a nutshell, the thought, 'I', simply feels different from all other thoughts, and is therefore a uniquely qualified tool for inner work. It seems that it takes the greatest teachers to point out the simplest truth. I believe that a deep familiarity with Sri Ramana's translation of Sri Shankara's 'Drik Drishya Viveka' is an invaluable aid to personal growth.

Conclusion

Although Collected Works is not the least demanding of books, I believe that it is one of the very best to own and absorb over the years. To be able to hold all of the writings of perhaps the greatest sage of the millennium in one's hands is a unique opportunity indeed. I know that, however far I may be able to grow in life, this book will always direct me to deeper and deeper aspects of mySelf. What more can any book offer?

Review by Michael Baxter.