In the early days of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi’s residence on the holy Arunachala Mountain, his disciples would gather and recite before him, often late into the night, the Ribhu Gitai. Its Tamil translation appears to have been the most-recited scripture in the awe-inspiring presence of the Maharshi while he resided on the hill. The audio delineates in definite terms the characteristics of a Jivanmukta, and its recitation invariably serves to subdue the mind, lifting the aspirant to exalted states of consciousness. The Maharshi has even said that the reading of the Ribhu Gitai is as good as samadhi itself.

Also, it appears that Sri Bhagavan’s first attendant, Palaniswami, brought this Ribhu Gitai, along with other Vedantic texts, from the Nagalinga Swami Library to the young 18-year-old Sage in 1898, while he was residing in the Mango Grove near Gurumurtham. The Maharshi later told of his surprise upon hearing an exact description of his own exalted state in verses recited from this Ribhu Gitai. Until then, he had no idea that what had happened to him during an intense, brief inquiry into his own being at his Madurai house had been experienced by others and was much sought after by the seekers of truth from time immemorial.

The Tamil rendering by Sri Ulaganatha Swami (Bikshu Sastri) was published by Kovilur Math from 1885 onwards and by Sri Ramanasramam from 1996 with due permission from Kovilur Math.. An English translation of the same is published under the title “The Song of Ribhu” by the “Society of Abidance in Truth”, U.S.A in 2000.