This is what Sri Ramana wrote as a young boy as a goodbye to his
family. He did not sign the note because his former identity,
Venkataraman (born December 30, 1879), had dissolved into the Absolute
Reality underlying everything. It was the mountain, Arunachala, that
called him at such a young age. His enlightenment occurred on July 17,
1896 when, at age 16, he experienced a sudden fear of death. Rather
than run from this, he consciously dove into the experience. Thereupon
the realization of the True Eternal Nature fully matured and he set out
for Arunachala, where he sat for eleven years in silence and then
remained there four more decades until his body died on April 14, 1950.
Through the devotion of
many, Sri Ramanasramam grew around him as a site for pilgrimage by
innumerable spiritual seekers. Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi remains one
the most honored and respected masters of the twentieth century and for
all centuries of recorded history. He spoke to many people who came to
visit him, those most humble and devoted as well as many famous
westerners and eastern gurus. Yet, the eloquence of his teaching was
most profoundly offered through silence. As he stated, "Only silence is
the eternal speech. The only words, the heart to heart talk."
As
the time of his passing drew near, many mourned his coming death, but
his response was to ask them, "Where could I go?" Pure Being does not
die, and Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi's presence only shines more
radiantly now than when he was in his physical form. The Silence that
is lives beyond time and space. As the name Ramana literally means:
"That which lives in the heart of all beings," so is his legacy and
teaching found in the simplicity of our own hearts.
