We must never lose sight of the Holy Task, that of Self Knowledge, or Self-Realization.

This is the main thrust of Bhagavan Ramana’s teaching. Bhagavan leaves to us to make intelligent use of our lives as we follow his teachings of self awareness and being a witness to all that is happening. Following his guidance and example, we discover the God or Guru within; the Inner Ruler, the Heart.

I am fortunate to be a member of the family of sincere devotees of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in which we share our heart-melting love for Bhagavan with each other. Not only are we siblings in Bhagavan, but more than that Bhagavan is found inside everyone of us as the true Self.

Since every word Bhagavan spoke was an utterance from God appearing as a man, every submission of Bhagavan’s words is an act of Bhakti and is an aid to anyone who reads it. To me there are three important reasons that we provide a reference for every quote by Bhagavan that we share by posting online:

Dear Friends:

The most frequent question that I am asked, especially from newcomers to Bhagavan Ramana’s teachings, is: “What books do you recommend for studying the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi”?

Here is my answer. Please keep in mind that everyone has their favorite sources for Bhagavan Ramana’s teachings and I am simply sharing mine. In addition, my attempt is to keep the list of recommended sources small for the most practical benefit of people just getting introduced to Bhagavan’s teachings. So there is an element of subjectivity here. However, I am happy to add to this list as Bhagavan devotees give me feedback as to what sources they would personally recommend.

Ramana

One time I recall a visitor asked Bhagavan Ramana something like how one could have visions. Bhagavan said, “What are you having now?”

Bhagavan’s point was that any state of consciousness is essentially a vision, an altered state, that is superimposed on the Self, which is the true natural and easy state.