Ramana Maharshi & Self Realization

What a great statement that is! But, how many of us know what actually self-realization means? How many of us, whose daily routine has emphasis only on materialistic pleasures, know what exactly self-realization is? Maybe for the dominant majority of the folks, self-realization is nothing but "being happy" at the end of the day by immersing in social pleasures. By immersing in constant chatter, gossip, fun and what not - basically everything that money and free-time can offer.

Nothing is easy in life, including self-realization. It happens only to those folks who underwent significant life transformations, to those folks who have the innate wisdom, to those folks who have the innate principles and ethics of life - only those folks can understand the meaning of self-realization! Rest all "self-realization" that happens to most is just "ego" talking, that's about it - nothing more or nothing less.

I'm not demeaning the folks that lack the "innate" qualities or life transformations I mentioned above. Self-realization can happen to anyone that adhere to daily spiritual "sadhana" or practices in the form of meditation, "pranayamas", or mantra chanting or even selfless service to fellow humans without expecting any materialistic benefit out of it.