On David Godman

David Godman is probably the foremost authority today on Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi's teachings. He is best known for his book "Be As you are", an authoritative and comprehensive collection of Bhagavan's teachings.

David Godman was born in England, in 1953. While he was attending Oxford University in the early 1970s he found himself being attracted to the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi. In 1976 he travelled to India, intending a brief visit to Ramana Maharshi's ashram and ended up living in Tiruvannamalai. After a period of intense meditation in the slopes of Arunachala for almost two years, he ran the ashram's library, leaving it in 1985 to devote himself to writing and serving Gurus like Sri Lakshmanaswamy and Mathru Sarada.

Though "Be as you are" even after its publication in the early 80s, still remains the most popular and widely read among Godman's books, he has written around 10 books on devotees and people like Sri Lakshmanaswamy, Annamalai Swami, and Papaji, who were all enlightened by the Grace of Bhagavan Ramana.

His painstaking research and commitment is clearly visible in all of his works. My personal favourite is "Living by the words of Bhagavan"-The life of Sri Annamalai Swami. I must have read this book at least half a dozen times, and can't tell you enough as to what it means to me. Before reading this book, I was not able to understand and appreciate the greatness of Bhagavan's teachings, as they appeared too dry, and to be honest, really seemed beyond my comprehension. "Living by the words of Bhagavan" is a truly moving account of Sri Annamalai Swami, an ashram worker, who had totally surrendered to Bhagavan and realised the Self by Bhagavan's grace. Very few references are available of Sri Annamalai Swami in the Ramanashram publications, and but for David Godman, Annamalai Swami's life and teachings would have remained unknown to the world at large.

Except "Be As you are", none of the other books of David Godman are widely available in book stores across India. If we have to get his books, it is possible to place an online order on his website, or buy the books directly from the book shop opposite to Ramanashram. A few of his books like Padamalai and the trilogy-"The Power of the Presence" are available in Ramanashram.

I would not be exaggerating, if I were to say that David Godman is a truly blessed person. Simply because, I cannot think of anybody who has had the good fortune to have interacted, served and written about four Jnanis in his / her lifetime.

His works till date (from the list on the Wikipedia page) are:

Be As You Are (edited): dialogues between Ramana Maharshi and visitors. This is the most widely read book on Ramana Maharshi's teachings.

No Mind - I am the Self: biographies and teachings of Lakshmana Swamy and Mathru Sri Sarada. Lakshmana Swamy is a direct disciple of Ramana Maharshi who realised the Self in his presence in 1949. Mathru Sri Sarada is his disciple. She realised the Self in Lakshmana Swamy's presence in 1978.

Living by the Words of Bhagavan: a biography of Annamalai Swami, a devotee of Ramana Maharshi who worked closely with the Maharshi in the 1930s and early 1940s. The book also contains dialogues that Annamalai Swami had with visitors in the late 1980s.

Papaji Interviews (edited): a collection of interviews that various visitors had with Papaji (H. W. L. Poonja) in the early 1990s. Papaji is an enlightened disciple of Ramana Maharshi. The book also contains a lengthy introductory account of Papaji's early life and his association with Ramana Maharshi.

Nothing Ever Happened: A three-volume biography of Papaji (H. W. L. Poonja)that chronicles his life up to the early 1980s.

Final Talks (edited): dialogues between Annamalai Swami and visitors to his ashram that took place in the last six months of his life.

The Power of the Presence (edited): A three-volume series that contains first-person accounts from devotees whose lives were transformed by Ramana Maharshi.

Padamalai (translated and edited): This is derived from a long Tamil poem of the same name that was written by Sri Muruganar, a devotee of Ramana Maharshi. It contains teachings of Ramana Maharshi recorded by Muruganar in Tamil, along with extensive supporting quotations from other sources that contain Ramana Maharshi's teachings.

David Godman also regularly writes articles in the Mountain Path, the quarterly of Ramanashram. His website is informative, and I would recommend the interviews and personal stories section that gives a fine overview of the person that he is, and his work and his experiences.

I do earnestly believe that he is comparable to a Paul Brunton or Romain Rolland in bringing to light the lives and teachings of enlightened masters. India owes a debt of gratitude to David Godman for his work, and I am sure his service to the country by writing about the Ramana lineage, will be lauded in the times to come.