The Awakening of “I”: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi (vegetarian), Part 2 of 2

Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi was a venerated Enlightened Master Who imparted the “Self-inquiry” path of realization. His biography, “Sri Ramana Vijayam,” published in the 1920s in Tamil, recounts events from His youth: “Some incomplete practice from a past birth was clinging to me. I would be putting attention solely within, forgetting the body.”

After a profound spiritual experience when He was 16, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, then known as Venkataraman, left home and went to Tiruvannamalai, where He spent the rest of His life. He adopted the name Ramana and embraced the life of a sannyasin, a Sanskrit term meaning someone who has renounced material possessions.

Afterward, Sri Ramana moved into Virupaksha Cave, located on the eastern slopes of Arunachala, where He stayed for 17 years. The cave is named after a renowned saint, Virupaksha Deva, who spent His life there. During the early years in Virupaksha Cave, Sri Ramana remained mostly silent, yet His radiance drew a few earnest seekers who asked Him questions about spiritual experiences or brought sacred texts for clarification. Sri Ramana occasionally wrote out His answers and explanations.

In 1907, when He was 28 years old, one of His initial devotees gave Him the name Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Divine Eminent Ramana the Great Seer. An early and lifelong disciple, Sri Viswanatha Swami, reported his first time with his Master: “His look and smile had remarkable spiritual charm. When He spoke, the words seemed to come out of an abyss. One could see immaculate purity and non-attachment in Him and His movements. I sensed something very refined, lofty, and sacred about Him. In His vicinity the mind’s distractions were overpowered by an austere and potent calmness and the unique bliss of peace was directly experienced. This I would call ‘Ramana Lahari,’ ‘the blissful atmosphere of Ramana.’”

Sri Ramana Ashram, or Sri Ramanasramam, was home to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi from 1922 to 1950. It became a sanctuary for truth seekers from around the world, where the Master shared His teachings and offered a tranquil space for meditation and contemplation. During a lecture in 1993, our Most Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) mentioned the venerated Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

For more information on Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi (vegetarian), please visit: gururamana.org