In 1896 the 16-year-old boy Venkataraman challenged death by a penetrating enquiry into the source of his being. The following awakening intuitively led him to the holy mountain Arunachala in South India. Here he spent years of solitude meditating in temples and caves. Later in life he became known as Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi and attracted many spiritual seekers to his ashram on the foothill of Arunachala mountain. Every visitor received teachings according to their own level of understanding and priority for freedom. Often, he would simply transmit his teachings through deep silence, or he would teach the method of Self-Enquiry.