Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi quotes touch the soul, transform the mind, and create inner peace.
Ramana Maharshi was a well-known guru and spiritual teacher who lived and taught in southern India. He was born in 1879 near Madurai, Tamilnadu, India, and spent most of his life in Tiruvannamalai, where he arrived at the age of seventeen.
Sri Ramana Maharshi recommended self-inquiry as the principal means to remove ignorance and abide by self-awareness. He also spoke about bhakti (devotion).
I discovered Ramana Maharshi’s teachings many years ago. I found them insightful and awakening, leading to the inner Self beyond the mind in a straight and simple way. I read and still read the books about his life and teachings since they contain many spiritual gems, guidance, and insights.
I have collected here some of Ramana Maharshi quotes, which I hope you will enjoy reading.
Ramana Maharshi Quotes
Ramana Maharshi quotes on the mind, meditation, realization, the Self, and other topics.
“Happiness is your real nature.”
“See who is the subject, and this inquiry leads you to pure Consciousness beyond the subject.”
“Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try as you may. Whatever is destined to happen will happen; do what you may to prevent it. This is certain. The best course, therefore, is to remain silent”
“Without understanding yourself, what is the use of trying to understand the world?”
“A higher power is leading you; be led by the same. It knows what to do and how to do it.”
“Actions themselves form no bondage. Bondage is only the false belief, ‘I am the doer’.”
“The ultimate truth is so simple; it is nothing more than being in one’s natural, original state.”
“Consciousness is indeed always with us. Everyone knows ‘I am!’ No one can deny his own being.”
“To the extent we behave with humility, to that extent good will result.”
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi Quotes on the Mind
“Mind is consciousness, which has limitations. We are originally unlimited and perfect. Later on we take on limitations and become the mind.”
“When one makes the mind stick to one thought, the mind becomes rock-steady and the energy is conserved.”
“The mind is only a bundle of thoughts. The thoughts have their root in the I-thought. Whoever investigates the True “I” enjoys the stillness of bliss.”
“When we turn the mind inwards, God manifests as the inner consciousness.”
“When the mind is left without anything to cling to, it becomes still.”
“The inquiry ‘who am I’ turns the mind introvert and makes it calm.”
“There is no mind to control if you realize the self. The mind having vanished, the self shines forth. In the realized man, the mind may be active or inactive, the self remains for him.”
“Turn the mind inward and cease thinking of yourself as the body; thereby you will come to know that the self is ever happy. Neither grief nor misery is experienced in this state.”
“If the mind falls asleep, awaken it. Then if it starts wandering, make it quiet. If you reach the state where there is neither sleep nor movement of mind, stay still in that, the natural (real) state.”
Sri Ramana Maharshi Quotes on Meditation
A collection of Ramana Maharshi quotes on meditation.
“Meditation depends upon the strength of mind. It must be unceasing even when one is engaged in work. Particular time for it is meant for novices.”
“Meditation helps concentration of the mind. Then the mind is free from thoughts and is in the meditated form.”
“Meditation is sticking to one thought. That single thought keeps away other thoughts; distraction of mind is a sign of its weakness; by constant meditation it gains strength.”
“The mind of one meditating on a single object becomes one-pointed. And one-pointedness of mind leads to abidance in the self.”
“When there are thoughts, it is distraction: when there are no thoughts, it is meditation.”
Ramana Maharshi Quotes on Thinking and Thoughts
“Good thoughts keep off bad thoughts. They must themselves disappear before the state of realization.”
“The “I” thought is said to be the sum total of all thoughts. The source of the “I” thought has to be enquired into.”
“Thoughts come and go. Feelings come and go. Find out what it is that remains.”
“Of all the thoughts that rise in the mind, the thought ‘I’ is the first thought.”
Ramana Maharshi Quotes on Self-Realization
A selection of Ramana Maharshi quotes about self-realization.
“Once the current of awareness of the self is set afoot, it becomes everlasting and continuous by intensification.”
“Realization is to get rid of the delusion that you have not realized.”
“You are the Supreme Being, and yet thinking yourself to be separate from it, you strive to become united with it. What is stranger than this?”
“Realization is our true nature. It is nothing new to be gained. What is new cannot be eternal. Therefore there is no need to be doubting whether we would gain or lose the self.”
“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.”
“Realization is not acquisition of anything new nor is it a new faculty. It is only removal of all camouflage.”
Ramana Maharshi Quotes on Enlightenment
“The greatest obstacle to enlightenment is getting past your delusion that you are not already enlightened.”
“Who am I? Not the body, because it is decaying, not the mind, because the brain will decay with the body, not the personality, nor the emotions, for these also will vanish with death.”
“A realized one sends out waves of spiritual influence in his aura, which draw many people towards him. Yet he may sit in a cave and maintain complete silence.”
“Your own Self-realization is the greatest service you can render the world.”
“That which comes and goes, rises and sets, is born and dies is the ego. That which always abides, never changes, and is devoid of qualities is the Self”.
“Silence is never-ending speech.”
“He that would abide in the Self should never swerve from his one-pointed attention to the Self, or the pure Being that he is.”
Sri Ramana Maharshi Quotes on Peace and Silence
Ramana Maharshi quotes on silence, stillness, and inner peace.
“If one’s mind has peace, the whole world will appear peaceful.”
“Silence is truth – Silence is bliss – Silence is peace. And hence Silence is the Self.”
“Peace is the inner nature of humankind. If you find it within yourself, you will then find it everywhere.”
“Silence is ever speaking; it is the perennial flow of language.”
“Silence is most powerful. Speech is always less powerful than silence.”
“Remain still, with the conviction that the Self shines as everything yet nothing, within, without, and everywhere.”
Related quotes: Papaji Quotes and Sayings.
Ramana Maharshi Quotes on the Self
“One must realize his Self in order to open the store of unalloyed happiness.”
“The Self is self-luminous without darkness and light, and is the reality which is self-manifest. Therefore, one should not think of it as this or as that. The very thought of thinking will end in bondage.”
“That which comes and goes, rises and sets, is born and dies is the ego. That which always abides, never changes, and is devoid of qualities is the Self.”
“If you hold this feeling of ‘I’ long enough and strongly enough, the false ‘I’ will vanish leaving only the unbroken awareness of the real, immanent ‘I’, consciousness itself.”
“Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.”
“Correcting oneself is correcting the whole world. The Sun is simply bright. It does not correct anyone. Because it shines, the whole world is full of light. Transforming yourself is a means of giving light to the whole world.”
“Why should you trouble yourself about the future? You do not even properly know about the present. Take care of the present, the future will take care of itself.”
Who am I, Abiding in the Self, jnana and Surrender
“Who am I? Not the body, because it is decaying; not the mind, because the brain will decay with the body; not the personality, nor the emotions, for these also will vanish with death.”
“How to get rid of the mind? Is it the mind that wants to kill itself? The mind cannot kill itself. So your business is to find the real nature of the mind. Then you will know that there is no mind. When the Self is sought, the mind is nowhere. Abiding in the Self, one need not worry about the mind.”
Related: Nonduality quotes.
“The pure mind is itself Brahman; it therefore follows that Brahman is not other than the mind of the sage.”
“The jnani sees nothing separate from the Self. The Self is all shining and only pure jnana. So there is no ajnana [ignorance] in his sight.”
“The very fact that we wish for liberation shows that freedom from all bondage is our real nature. It is not to be freshly acquired. All that is necessary is to get rid of the false notion that we are bound.”
“Surrender is to give oneself up to the original cause of one’s being.”
“Whatever can be understood or perceived can never be the eternal Truth. The Unknown is the Truth.”
“You impose limits on your true nature of infinite being. Then you get displeased to be only a limited creature. Then you begin spiritual practices to transcend these non-existing limits. But if your practice itself implies the existence of these limits, how could they allow you to transcend them.”
Ramana Maharshi Teachings and Quotes
Raman Maharshi’s quotes emphasize self-inquiry, inner peace, and the realization of one’s true nature. His teachings revolve around the idea that the self, or the “I,” is the ultimate truth, and by inquiring into the source of this self, we can transcend the illusions of the ego and worldly attachments.
His wisdom urges us to look within ourselves for answers rather than seeking external validation or satisfaction.
In his quotes, Maharshi often highlights the importance of silence and stillness in achieving spiritual enlightenment. He advocates for a life free of distractions and mental turbulence, suggesting that by calming the mind, one can tap into the deeper layers of consciousness.
His words are a guide to those seeking spiritual growth, reminding us that the answers we seek are already within, waiting to be discovered through introspection, meditation, and self-awareness. His profound yet simple teachings continue to inspire spiritual seekers worldwide, urging them to look beyond the surface of the material world and realize the eternal truth of existence.
Ramana Maharshi Quotes
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