BHAGAVAN Sri Ramana Maharshi’s greatness needs no recapitulation here. He was a knower (Jnani) by birth, ike Suka and Vamadeva. In His teens He woke up to the reality of the Self not apart from the Divine (Brahman) — the Fourth State — turiya; the shock of death brought it about. The Grace of Minakshi and Arunachala were there and showed Him that State. He was drawn to Arunachala, the mountain-magnet attracting souls to It; there He shone as Dakshinamurti, by explanation through Silence proclaiming the Divine Reality; He shone as the One Self that projects from Himself both Maya and the world. In His Presence, peace and the experience of nectar were enjoyed by all beings, including birds and beasts. For almost forty years His soothing voice, silvery radiance and golden touch were the solace of thousands and thousands of pilgrims from East and West.
He shed His physical frame in 1950, but He Himself ever IS — in His transcendental state. Even though we can no longer hear that voice or see that shining face, we find ever more as the long years roll by that He is still with us in our midst, still able to guide His pupils who come to Him from distant places to the Light of true and eternal wisdom. There is nought that is not He. Let us put aside the ego, or surrender it to Him, and He will fill us with His being and sweeten our lives, helping us to be He Himself.