Sri Annamalai Swami was a very devoted disciple of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. By totally surrendering to Bhagavan and serving him devotedly, Sri Annamalai Swami attained enlightenment. This book is the English translation of a personal diary and two other notebooks that Sri Annamalai Swami filled with precious notes of his and other devotees' interactions with Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. These notes were taken in the years 1938 and 1939 when Sri Annamalai Swami was 32 years old. His questions to Bhagavan, such as "How is a child different from a Jnani?", "What is the difference between meditating with eyes open versus closed?", "Can I practice
sahaja samadhi right from the beginning?", and "When I meditate, the
prana gets suspended in the stomach. Is that good?" reveal an already mature state of mind.
Sri Bhagavan's pointed responses to these questions were written down verbatim by the young Annamalai Swami. Seekers around the world are now blessed with the opportunity to read, reflect and practice the teachings that this diary abounds with. Immersing oneself in this book will effortlessly transport the reader to the very room where these divine conversations transpired. This book includes pages from the original diary with Sri Annamalai Swami's handwriting as well as selected photos of Sri Annamalai Swami. A special treat for readers is the page from the diary in which Bhagavan himself wrote in his beautiful print-like hand, a verse on the practice of Advaita.
We are deeply grateful to Mr. Sivakumar for his translation of the diary into English, and to Satchit Anandam and Sundaram Swami for editing the book. We are pleased to inform readers that
Brahma Jnani, Sri Mahaprabu himself verified the translation and highlighted points of particular importance to seekers, in bold letters.
