Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879–1950) was an Indian sage and spiritual instructor, and is regarded by many as an enlightened being. The fact is that any amount of action can be performed, and performed quite well, by the jnani, without his identifying himself with it in any way or ever imagining that he is the doer. Strictly speaking, "self-enquiry" is not the investigation of the "Self", "Atman", but of the "I", "aham" (Sanskrit), "nan" (Tamil). If you know that, the three states will not trouble you, just as the pictures which appear on the screen do not stick to it. David Godman’s Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi is one of the most popular books for acquiring the teachings of Ramana Maharshi.

I answer, ‘Why being in the hall did you imagine you were on a world adventure, crossing hill and dale, desert and sea? that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. Question: When I do this and cling to my self, that is, the ‘I’-thought, other thoughts come and go, but I say to myself ‘Who am I? We think that there is something hiding our reality and that it must be destroyed before the reality is gained.The book segregates the varied teachings into broad headings such as The Self, Enquiry and Surrender, The Guru and such. that they may all be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. In saying this, there are some passages that are open for interpretation which depends on the attunement and spiritual depth of the reader.

As with so many spiritual texts, I am reading the words of these special individuals who have attained a very unique state of being and so I don't really get it on any deep level. When I think about when I was 18 — I was sad a lot of the time, especially in the winter times — the struggle in my life then, pre-being invited onto the ride, if you will, was just in my own head. It is open to discussion whether the καθὼς clause, which here follows, characterizes the above statement, as Meyer and many others urge, or whether, with Godet, the sentence, "That they all may be one," should not be taken as a general statement, to be followed by the καθὼς clause, which characterizes the following words. Then to know whether Bhagavan is my Guru or not is just a matter of faith, if Bhagavan will not admit it. They all have their value on the way to truth, but they all have to go once the seeker gets serious.Piggott, an English visitor, “Realization is the result of the Guru’s Grace more than of teachings, lectures, meditations, etc. Those who knew would perceive when such an initiation took place, but it would usually be inconspicuous; it might happen during the chanting of the Vedas or the devotee might feel a sudden impulse to go to Sri Bhagavan before daybreak or at some time when few or none would be present.

If you have surrendered, you must be able to abide by the will of God and not make a grievance of what may not please you.My prayer is that the many may become one, form one living glorious unity; - every part of which spiritual organism, while living a separate and differentiated life, is yet a part of a whole. What is interesting is that people try again and again, but he will make no exceptions, because the I AM is Absolute, unconditional for everyone, without exception. Similarly, the light within, that is, the Self, gives light to the ego, the intellect, the memory and the mind without itself being subject to processes of growth and decay.

So long as the feeling ‘I am doing’ is there, one must experience the result of one’s acts, whether they are good or bad … When the feeling ‘I am doing’ is lost, nothing affects a man. It is not really possible to truly grasp what he is talking about unless one has experienced the same strange states as he, a bit like hearing a description of the ocean without ever actually having seen it, smelt it, felt the enormity of it. The only freedom man has is to strive for and acquire the jnana which will enable him not to identify himself with the body.Part II is entitled “Inquiry and Surrender” and three out of the four chapters, herein, discuss the process of self-inquiry. It is like a man who is in the shade, voluntarily leaving the shade, going into the sun, feeling the severity of the heat there, making great efforts to get back into the shade and then rejoicing, ‘How sweet is the shade! For those who live in Self as the beauty devoid of thought, there is nothing which should be thought of. Misinterpretation of these books can lead to all sorts of new-age fluffy ideas which only eclipse the wisdom that is truly grounded.