Category: Talks with Ramana Maharshi

Talk 41. Are there Heaven and Hell Talks with Ramana Maharshi Talk 41. D: Are there heaven (swarga) and hell (naraka)? M: There must be someone to go there. They are like dreams. We see time and space exist in dream also. Which is true, dream or wakefulness? D: So we must rid ourselves of […]

Talks 34 – 40. Self-Realization, Karma, Actions, Seeing the Dead Talks with Ramana Maharshi ~~~~~~~~ February 4, 1935 ~~~~~~~~ Talk 34. A devotee, Yogi Ramaiya, shared his experiences that he had by following Maharshi’s teachings.   Yogi Ramaiah said: Sitting in Maharshi’s presence brings peace of mind. I used to sit in samadhi (perfect bliss) for […]

Talk 33. Is the World an Illusion or is it Reality   A visitor: “The Supreme Spirit (Brahman) is Real. The world (jagat) is illusion,” is the stock phrase of Sri Sankaracharya. Yet others say, “The world is reality”. Which is true? Maharshi: Both statements are true. They refer to different stages of development and […]

Talk 32. Trust that Huge Power A visitor: The saints Sri Chaitanya and Sri Ramakrishna wept before God and achieved success. Is that not the path to follow? M.: Yes. There was a powerful force (shakti) drawing them on through all those experiences. Trust in that huge power to take you on to your goal. […]

Liberation, Practices, Concentration, Surrender, Problem Solving A visitor asked: What to do to get liberation (moksha)? M.: Learn what liberation is. D.: Should I do worship (upasana) for it? M.: Worship is for mind control (chitta nirodha) and concentration. D.: Should I do idol worship? Is there any harm in it? M.: So long as […]

Why do you say you are a sinner   Mr. N. Natesa Iyer, the leader of the Bar in a South Indian town, asked: “Are the gods Iswara or Vishnu and their sacred regions Kailasa or Vaikuntha real? M.: As real as you are in this body. D.: Do they possess a vyavahara satya, i.e., […]

Divine Grace Personal Effort Go Together On one occasion, the evening was calm and cloudy. It was drizzling occasionally and somewhat cool in consequence. The windows of the Asramam Hall were closed and Maharshi was seated as usual on the sofa. Facing him sat the devotees. Some visitors had come from Cuddalore. A Sub-Judge, accompanied […]

Happiness our Real Nature D.: In what sense is happiness our real nature? M.: Perfect Bliss is Brahman. Perfect Peace is of the Self. That alone exists and is conscious. The same conclusion is arrived at: (a) judged metaphysically, and (b) inferred by Bhakti Marga (Path of Devotion). We pray to God for Bliss and […]

Free will and Might of Almighty   D.: What is the relation between my free-will and the overwhelming might of the Omnipotent? (a) Is omniscience of God consistent with ego’s freewill? (b) Is omnipotence of God consistent with ego’s freewill? (c) Are the natural laws consistent with God’s free-will? M.: Yes. Free-will is the present […]

What is the Nature of Reality D.: What is the nature of the Reality? M.: (a) Existence without beginning or end – eternal. (b) Existence everywhere, endless, infinite. (c) Existence underlying all forms, all changes, all forces, all matter and all spirit. The many change and pass away (phenomena), whereas the One always endures (noumenon). […]

Realizing the Real is the Goal Devotee.: What is the interrelation between regulation of thought and regulation of breath? Maharshi.: Thought (intellectual) and respiration, circulation, etc. (vegetative) activities are both different aspects of the same – the individual life. Both depend upon (or metaphorically ‘reside’ or ‘inhere’ in) life. Personality and other ideas spring from […]