had felt magically attracted for some time.For seventeen years he resided within the confines of the local temple grounds and a nearby caveat Arunacala practicing an extreme asceticism and samadhic absorption that manifestlydemonstrated that: "he was living in timeless Reality. He did not even feel the bites of ants andother insects. The blood and pus that oozed out of his back and thighs stained the wall and thefloor. Ramana remained unaffected and unconcerned because what happened to the body couldnot touch the Self." 5 This complete absorption in the Self characterized this phase of hismystical career. During this early era he attracted the devotion of two yogis who wouldoccasionally put several questions to the now-matured sage concerning philosophy and thespiritual life. Although still silent, he would answer through writing and gestures. Thesequestions and answers were recorded and published later in the booklets entitled, "Self-Enquiry"and "Who Am I?" These works contain the essence of his realization and the suggested methodsfor practicing the meditational technique of "self-enquiry" which he so strongly advocated.Carl Jung had spoken of Sri Ramana as "a true son of the Indian earth. He is genuine and, inaddition to that, something quite phenomenal. In India he is the whitest spot in a white space." 6Jung spoke highly of this man's Realization as being typically Indian, with its emphasis on theidentification of the Self with God. To understand the yogic path of self-enquiry is important instudying the Maharshi's teachings because he was a jnana yogi of the highest order. Jnana yoga 1979 TAT Foundation. All rights reserved.3Reprinted with permission. TAT Journal Vol. 2, No. 1has been described as "the path of intellectual discrimination; the way of finding God throughanalysis of the real nature of phenomena. . . a difficult path, calling for tremendous powers ofwill and clarity of mind." 7The term "jnani" refers to those sages who have emerged out of that school of Indian philosophyknown as Advaita Vedanta. The importance of developing an appreciation of this classic schoolof Hinduism becomes apparent when we discover that "it was the purest Advaita that SriBhagavan taught." 8 The most noteworthy exponent of Advaita (meaning "non-dual") Vedantawas Shankara, a spiritual giant of Hinduism around the 7th century A.D., whose philosophy isconcisely summarized by these three aspects:1. "the sole reality of Brahman (the Absolute)2. the illusoriness of the world3. the non-difference of the soul from Brahman" 9A solid background in the Upanishadic scriptures of Indian philosophy would certainly enhanceone's appreciation of Ramana Maharshi's teachings, because they lay the foundations on which allof Advaita Vedanta is based. The Upanishads are the "concluding portion of the Vedas, the oldestand most authoritative scriptures of India. Often called Vedanta, these teachings are the basis ofIndia's many religious sects and are regarded as the highest authority of religious truth." 10Ramana Maharshi embodied the fullest power of the Hindu tradition of which he was a part. Hedid not, at any point, iconoclastically refute his spiritual heritage like a Krishnamurti. He foundall the tools necessary to achieve and convey the nature of spiritual liberation within the esotericvehicle of the Advaita Vedantin school. He