Upadesa Saram (The Essence of Spiritual Instruction)

Amongst the original works of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Upadesa Saram is unique for its beauty of phrase, breadth of scope, organisation of thought, and brevity of expression. It is also one of the most accessible of Bhagavan's works. In just thirty pithy verses, Bhagavan presents the entire range of sadhana in an encapsulated form suited to followers not only of the principal paths of jnana (the practice of atma-vichara or self-investigation) and bhakti (devotion) but also of the subsidiary paths of niskamya karma (desireless action) and yoga (the practice of techniques such as breath-restraint as a means to restrain the mind). It is a sign of the greatness of this work that Bhagavan, after first writing it in Tamil, himself rendered it into three other languages - Sanskrit, Telugu and Malayalam. No other work of his has been accorded such special distinction and it is no wonder that the Sanskrit version is rated as a scripture and recited daily at the Ashram during Vedaparayana.

Though there have been many translations of the Tamil and Sanskrit and a few of the Telugu and Malayalam into English, this is the first ashram publication which includes all four languages with transliteration, word for word meaning, paraphrase and commentary. It will prove to be valuable tool for those who are keen to understand the profound depth of the teaching given by Bhagavan.

**Sample Pages**