Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) is widely acknowledged as one of the outstanding Indian gurus of modern times. He was born in Tiruchuli, Tamil Nadu (South India), named Venkataraman Iyer. At the age of sixteen, Venkataraman lost his sense of individual selfhood, an awakening which he later recognised as enlightenment.
A few weeks thereafter he travelled to the holy mountain Arunachala, at Tiruvannamalai, where he remained for the rest of his life. His first years were spent in solitude, but his stillness and his appearance as a sanyassin soon attracted devotees.
In later years, he responded to questions, but always insisted that silence was the purest teaching. His verbal teachings flowed from his own understanding of Reality. In later years a community grew up around him, where he was available twenty-four hours a day to visitors.
Though worshipped by thousands, he never allowed anyone to treat him as special, or receive private gifts. He treated all with equal respect. Since the 1930s, his teachings have also been popularised in the west.
Venkataraman was renamed Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi by one of his earliest followers, Ganapati Muni. This was the name he became known by to the world. In response to questions on self-liberation and the classic texts on Yoga and Vedanta, Ramana recommended self-enquiry as the principal way to awaken to realising the Self and attaining liberation. He also recommended Bhakti, and gave his approval to a variety of paths and practices.
Today I share with you 100 enlightening Ramana Maharshi quotes, which will guide you to reflect, and journey within yourself to discover your true nature. I hope you enjoy and find the following quotes as soul-enriching as I do.
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100 Enlightening Ramana Maharshi Quotes – Inspirational!
Ramana Maharshi Quotes On Self-Realisation
Check out Ramana Maharshi quotes about the importance of self-realization that will help you know your worth and importance.
- “Wanting to reform the world without discovering one’s true self is like trying to cover the world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns. It is much simpler to wear shoes.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Your own Self-realization is the greatest service you can render the world.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “All that is required to realize the Self is to be still. What can be easier than that?”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The real is as it is always. We are not creating anything new or achieving something which we did not have before.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The Self cannot be found in books. You have to find it for yourself in yourself.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The only useful purpose of the present birth is to turn within and realize the Self.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Bliss is not added to your nature; it is merely revealed as your true and natural state, eternal and imperishable. The only way to be rid of your grief is to know and be the Self.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The revelation or intuition arises in its own time and one must wait for it.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Action and knowledge are not obstacles to each other.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “We are that. The very fact that we wish for liberation shows that freedom from all bondage is our real nature.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “When we stop regarding the unreal as real, then Reality alone will remain, and we will be That.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “To do self-enquiry and be that ‘I am’ is the only thing to do. ‘I am’ is reality. I am this or that is unreal. ‘I am’ is truth, another name for Self.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Self-enquiry is the one infallible means, the only direct one, to realize the unconditioned, absolute being that you really are.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “A man should surrender the personal selfishness which binds him to this world. giving up the false self is the true renunciation.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
Ramana Maharshi Spiritual Mind Quotes
Here are some great Ramana Maharshi quotes on mind.
- “If we regard ourselves as the doers of action we shall also be the enjoyers of the fruits of such action.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “There is no greater mystery than this: being reality ourselves, we seek to gain Reality.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Solitude is a function of the mind. A man attached to desires cannot get solitude wherever he may be, whereas a detached man is always in solitude.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “One should try to gain equipoise of mind under all circumstances. That is willpower.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The only freedom you have is to turn your mind inward and renounce activities there.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The mind can do nothing by itself. It emerges only with the illumination and can do no action good or bad, except with the illumination.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “When he falls asleep the whole idea vanishes; his mind is left a blank.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “It is the human mind that creates its own difficulties and then cries for help.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “A man may be sleeping here with his body inert, and yet he may be climbing hills and falling from them in dream at the same time.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Thoughts come and go. Feelings come and go. Find out what it is that remains.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “When we give up regarding the unreal as real, then the reality alone will remain and we will be that.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “In deep sleep mind is merged and not destroyed. That which merges reappears.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “You can only stop the flow of thoughts by refusing to have any interest in it.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The spark of spiritual knowledge (jnana) will consume all creation.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Your true nature is that of infinite spirit. The feeling of limitation is the work of the mind.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Calmness is the criterion of spiritual progress. Plunge the purified mind into the Heart.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “A realized one sends out waves of spiritual influence in his aura, which draw many people towards him.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “If your spiritual practice itself assumes the existence of the limitations, how can it help you to transcend them?”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The degree of freedom from unwanted thoughts and the degree of concentration on a single thought are the measures to gauge spiritual progress.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
Ramana Maharshi Quotes On God
Here are some of the best quotes on God by Sri Ramana Maharshi.
- “When the wrong identification of oneself with the body ceases, the master will be found to be none other than the self.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The Higher Power knows what to do and how to do it. Trust it.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Stillness is the sole requisite for the realization of the self as god.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “God takes the form of a Guru and appears to the devotee, teaches him the Truth, and, moreover, purifies his mind by association.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “God’s will for the prescribed course of events is a good solution for the vexed question of free-will.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “All things are being carried on by the omnipotent power of a Supreme God.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The man who prays, the prayer, and the God to whom he prays all have reality only as manifestations of the Self.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
Ramana Maharshi Inspirational Quotes
Check out these inspirational quotes by Sri Ramana Maharshi.
- “Your duty is to Be, and not to be this or that.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The ultimate truth is so simple; it is nothing more than being in one’s natural, original state.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The end of all wisdom is love, love, love.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Hope for the best, expect the best, toil for the best and everything will come right for you in the end.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Liberation is not anywhere outside you. It is only within.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Aim high, aim at the highest, and all lower aims are thereby achieved.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Those who succeed owe their success to perseverance.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “There is neither creation nor destruction, neither destiny nor free will, neither path nor achievement.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
Ramana Maharshi Quotes On Happiness
Here’s a list of quotes about happiness by Sri Ramana Maharshi.
- “Man’s search for happiness is an unconscious search for his true Self.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “You are already that which you seek.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “If one’s mind has peace, the whole world will appear peaceful.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Transforming yourself is a means of giving light to the whole world.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The solution to your problem is to see who has it.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
Ramana Maharshi Quotes On Consciousness
With these quotes on consciousness, Ramana Maharshi has inspired millions.
- “Everyone knows ‘I am!’ No one can deny his own being.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Instead of indulging in mere speculation, devote yourself here and now to the search for the Truth that is ever within you.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Mind is consciousness which has put on limitations.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “In truth, you are spirit. The body has been projected by the mind, which itself originates from Spirit.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Turn your vision inward and the whole world will be full of supreme spirit.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
Ramana Maharshi Quotes On Life
Listed below are Ramana Maharshi quotes about life.
- “There is neither Past nor Future. There is only the Present.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “But some of these rules and discipline are good for beginners.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “No one succeeds without effort.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “All these viewpoints are only to suit the capacity of the learner. The absolute can be only one.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The ultimate truth is so simple; it is nothing more than being in one’s natural, original state.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “There is no Truth. There is only the truth within each moment.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
Ramana Maharshi Quotes On Ego
Check out some of the finest Ramana Maharshi quotes on the ego.
- “The mind turned inwards is the Self; turned outwards, it becomes the ego and all the world.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “If the ego does not rise, the Self alone exists and there is no second.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “If ego rises, all will rise. If the ego merges, all will merge. The more we are humble, the better it is for us.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The thought ‘I’ is the first thought of the mind; that is egoity. It is from that whence egoity originates that breath also originates.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “All unhappiness is due to the ego. With it comes all your trouble. If you would deny the ego and scorch it by ignoring it you would be free.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Reality is simply the loss of ego. Destroy the ego by seeking its identity.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “There must be a subject to know the good and evil. That subject is the ego.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
Ramana Maharshi Quotes On Silence
Check out these quotes on silence and the calm demeanour of humans that will help them achieve greatness according to Sri Ramana Maharshi.
- “When there are thoughts, it is distraction: when there are no thoughts, it is meditation.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Silence is most powerful. Speech is always less powerful than silence.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Just before waking up from sleep, there is a very brief state, free from thought. That should be made permanent.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Silence is truth. Silence is bliss. Silence is peace. And hence Silence is the Self.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Meditation helps concentration of the mind. Then the mind is free from thoughts and is in the meditated form.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
Most Famous Quotes By Ramana Maharshi
Listed below are some of the most well-known quotes by Ramana Maharshi including great Ramana Maharshi quotes on destiny and more.
- “All knowledge will have to be finally given up to experience the truth.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “There is no doubt that the end of the paths of devotion and knowledge is one and the same.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “If the light of the sun is invisible to the owl it is only the fault of that bird and not of the sun.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “You are awareness. Awareness is another name for you.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Mukti or liberation is our nature. It is another name for us.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The state free from thoughts is the only real state.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The Eternal is not born nor does it die.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Let what comes come, let what goes go. Why do you worry?”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Grace is ever-present. All that is necessary is that you surrender to It.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “I am in the heart of all beings and am their beginning, middle and end.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
‘Who Am I’ Quotes By Ramana Maharshi
Here are ‘Who Am I’ Ramana Maharshi quotes from his most famous book talking about spirituality and peace of mind.
- “When the world which is what-is-seen has been removed, there will be realization of the Self which is the seer.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “When the mind, which is the cause of all cognition’s and of all actions, becomes quiescent, the world will disappear.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “That which rises as ‘I’ in this body is the mind. If one inquires as to where in the body the thought ‘I’ rises first, one would discover that it rises in the heart.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “It is after the appearance of the first personal pronoun that the second and third personal pronouns appear; without the first personal pronoun there will not be the second and third.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Till the time of death, the mind keeps breath in the body; and when the body dies the mind takes the breath along with it.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “It is by virtue of the mere presence of God that the souls governed by the three (cosmic) functions or the fivefold divine activity perform their actions and then rest, in accordance with their respective karmas.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “God has no resolve; no karma attaches itself to Him.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “One can know oneself only with one’s own eye of knowledge, and not with somebody else’s.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “In dream the mind takes on another body. In both waking and dream states thoughts. names and forms occur simultaneously.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “The process of enquiry of course, is not an easy one. As one enquires ‘Who am I?’, other thoughts will arise.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Remaining quiet is what is called wisdom-insight. To remain quiet is to resolve the mind in the Self.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Not seeking what is other than the Self is detachment or desirelessness; not leaving the Self is wisdom.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
- “Correcting oneself is correcting the whole world.”
— Ramana Maharshi.
100 Enlightening Ramana Maharshi Quotes – Final thoughts
I often read Ramana Maharshi’s teachings, as they expand my awareness and bring me into a place of deep stillness. I will read one of Ramana’s quotes, and observe it deeply while in a meditative state. This is a wonderful way to rest in your true nature, and explore the Self.
I would love to hear your thoughts on what you are doing to change your life in the coming days and years. If you have any questions please reach out to me via adam@adam-lawrence.org. I would love to hear from you.
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