Shri Ramakant’s message is simple and direct: “You are unborn. You have forgotten your true identity that is invisible, anonymous. I am here to remind you. You are not a person or a separate individual, but prior to beingness”. The remedy is also simple: “Remove the layers on your presence using the Naam Mantra, discrimination and discernment. Once all the attachments to the illusory world have dissolved, Ultimate Reality will emerge!”
Ramakant Maharaj (1941-2018), received the Naam Mantra in 1962, from his Master, Nisargadatta Maharaj. Once more, he evolved the teachings of the Lineage. His approach was ground-breaking, radical and absolute. He presented the highest teachings in down-to-earth language while refusing point blank to entertain concepts, including the “I Am” concept. By cutting through and dispensing with these, he offered a shortcut to Self-Realisation.
Shri Ramakant Maharaj was ordinary, kind, humble, compassionate and humorous. He was a beautiful, gentle being, yet, simultaneously, one could feel his power, his Presence, a sense of divine otherworldliness. When he spoke, the words flowed out of him spontaneously and forcefully. He often cautioned seekers: “Don’t take my words literally; it is what I am trying to convey that is important”. And it wasn’t just the meaning behind the words that was highly effective, it was the power behind them which was experienced as a transmission from Source. That power, energy, or vibration was palpable all around him. Being in the presence of a Jnani elicited one response only: spontaneous and complete self-abandonment and an endless desire to fully prostrate and bow before His resplendent light.
Ramakant Maharaj, like his Master, Nisargadatta Maharaj, before him, said: “I am not making you disciples, I am making you Masters”. He had no interest whatsoever in fame, money, or gathering a cult following. He had only one wish: to help others become enlightened or liberated from their small selves. He shared “Direct Knowledge” – Truth, stating unequivocally: “It is my duty to share this knowledge, the same knowledge that my Master shared with me”.
“Everyone should be enlightened”, intoned Maharaj with a sense of urgency, “because when you see through the illusory world, your suffering will come to an end. When you realise everything is within you, there will be happiness without any material cause. Your happiness is my payment”, the Master said graciously. He had one wish only: to put an end to our needless suffering once and for all! Even when he delivered his last discourse at the ashram when he was visibly frail and his voice was very feeble, his focus remained steadfast: liberation for his devotees. With great poignancy, he pleaded: “Please accept the Reality”.
Maharaj’s penetrative drops of nectar
“The purpose of spirituality is to know yourself in a real sense, erase illusion and dissolve all body-based knowledge.”
“I am not giving knowledge. I am removing knowledge. I am not giving you anything new. You are “That” already. I am simply removing the ash of illusion. This is a process of subtraction, not addition.”
“What is the meaning of life? This question is body-based. The meaning of life for whom? Self-enquire! You are unborn.”
“Find out what you are not! Remove all the illusory layers on your Presence! You were never in bondage. You are free as a bird.”
“I am reminding you of your Masterly Essence. You are a Master. There’s no need to look to others for blessings. Put your hand on your own head and bless yourself. Bow to your Selfless Self. Everything is within you.”
“At the initial stage, you are a devotee. At the last stage, you are a Deity. There is no separation between the devotee and the Deity. The Deity knows through the devotee. The Deity lies within the devotee.”
“Reality is engraved in the invisible listener.”
Why keep travelling when you are the destination?
“You are already realised; you just do not know it.”
“When happiness is no longer required, you have reached the destination.”
“You have read all the books, but have you read the Reader?”
“Look within! Read your book. Visit your temple, search your website.”
“You are covered in ash. Underneath the fire is burning. The Master removes the ash.”
“You want to stay in the illusory world, but at the same time, you want to know Reality. Impossible!”
“Wherever you are, there is your ashram.”
“When happiness is no longer required, you have reached the destination.”