Ramana, Shankara and the Forty Verses: The Essential Teachings of Advaita

Ramana Maharshi and shankara are two of the greatest and most important sages in the tradition of Advaita. This book contains some of the major works of Shankara actually translated by Ramana Maharshi. It includes Shankara’s famous The Crest Jewel of Discrimination (Vivekacudamani) and Maharshi’s Seminal Forty Verses on Reality, which is a modern Upanishad, and unmistakably give the Advaita teahing for contemporary mankind. Shankara consolidated the teaching of the Upanishadic and Brahmana Sutras into a practical philosophy of living leading to the non-dual state of Self-realization. In the twentieth century, Ramana Maharshi revived this great teaching and by his exemplary life brought about a world-wide Renaissance of Advaita. In these forty verses, Bhagavan has touched on all the salient points of his teaching, constantly stressing the great value and efficacy of the vicara or investigation into the nature of the investigator himself. The concluding synopsis in this book not only gives the gist of every verse, but is also intended to help the reader to locate a specific subject. In this book, where Ramana translates Shankara, we have a blending of wisdom of these two self-realised sages.