Swami Ramanagiri was born on June 19, 1921, in Sweden. His birth name was  Alexander Westin.

 

When he was six years old, one day he accidentally fell from the second floor of his house and became unconscious. His mother and sisters, filled with anxiety, rushed to him, sprinkled water on him, and brought him back to consciousness. The young Swami then said, “A huge bird came, held me, and gently brought me down before leaving.” He later regarded this experience as a divine blessing.

 

From a very young age, he naturally had a deep spiritual yearning within him. During his studies in Kashi at Banaras Hindu University, where he pursued an M.A. in Philosophy, he would spend his evenings visiting the Ganges, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, and the monks living there. He would seek their blessings and engage in spiritual conversations with them.

 

During his vacations, he travelled to the Himalayan regions, particularly the areas around Almora, along with his Indian friends. During one such journey, his friends took him to a cave where Mahavatar Babaji  was believed to have performed intense meditation. Seeing his friends sitting inside the cave in meditation, he quietly closed his eyes and joined them. At that moment, he experienced a profound vision of light. He described it as though a brilliant light entered his body through his right foot, travelled upward through the spinal column, and reached the Sahasrara. He then experienced his entire body as having transformed into light. Swami Ramanagiri regarded this experience as one of the most important turning points in his spiritual journey.

 

During the following vacation, while travelling with his friends to Calcutta and the surrounding regions, Swami Ramanagiri had the opportunity to visit the ashram of Sivashankari Mataji. Sivashankari Mataji asked him, Would you like to learn Raja Yoga? Swami Ramanagiri was delighted and accepted Sivashankari Mataji as his second Guru. He then began his training in Raja Yoga under her guidance.

 

As the next stage of his spiritual journey, a deep desire arose within him to embrace the life of a renunciant. Swami Ramanagiri received Sannyasa Diksha under the Dashanami tradition, the monastic lineage associated with Adi Shankaracharya.

 

In the Dashanami tradition, he was given the name “Giri,” one of the ten traditional monastic names. He was also advised that he should travel southward in pursuit of higher spiritual knowledge.

 

During that period, two great spiritual masters living in South India attracted Swami Ramanagiri's attention:

 

* Sri Aurobindo Maharishi* — a great spiritual master with profound spiritual wisdom and remarkable proficiency in English education and literature.

* Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi* — the great sage who lived at Tiruvannamalai.

 

A devotee advised him:

“First go to Tiruvannamalai and have the darshan of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi, and then go and meet Sri Aurobindo Maharishi.”

 

Swami Ramanagiri travelled to Tiruvannamalai, had darshan of Arunachaleswarar, and then proceeded to the ashram where Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi was staying.

 

At that time, Bhagavan called a nearby attendant and said:“A Swami from abroad has come, give him a place to stay for three days.”

 

On the third night, which was the sacred night of Maha Shivaratri, Swami Ramanagiri was engaged in meditation when he experienced another extraordinary vision of light, similar to the experience he had previously undergone in the cave associated with Mahavatar Babaji.

 

After Shivaratri, Swami Ramanagiri expressed his desire to remain near Bhagavan, become his disciple, and continue his spiritual practice under his guidance.

 

Bhagavan gave a simple bhiksha bowl made from a shell  to Swami Ramanagiri. He then blessed him and said: “Establish an ashram, continue your spiritual practice and, as much as you are able, continue serving society.” With Bhagavan's blessings, Swami Ramanagiri left to continue his spiritual mission.

 

Around this period, one of Swami Ramanagiri's friends had to travel to Madurai to attend a wedding. Swami Ramanagiri accompanied him.

 

A gentleman named Mr. Balasubbaiah, who had come to attend the wedding, heard about Swami Ramanagiri. Balasubbaiah was approximately ten years older than Swami Ramanagiri. When he saw Swami Ramanagiri for the first time, he immediately felt a deep inner connection and said:“I feel that he is like my own brother.”

 

From then on, Swami Ramanagiri began staying at Balasubbaiah's home.

 

One day, after bathing in a waterfall in the Sirumalai region, the two of them were walking back together. They were looking for a suitable place where an ashram could be established.

 

As Swami Ramanagiri was walking near a peepal tree (Arasa Maram), he experienced something extraordinary. Before every step he took, he felt that the footprints of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi appeared in front of him.

 

At that very moment, Swami Ramanagiri called Balasubbaiah and said: Balu… My Guru has given permission to set ashramam in this place.

 

Initially, the place consisted of a small hut, a well, a simple way of life, intense spiritual practice, and annadanam (the offering of food to those in need). Over time, Ramanapadam grew and eventually developed into the  Swami Ramanagiri Ashram, expanding its spiritual activities.

 

Swami Ramanagiri attained Mahasamadhi at the age of 34.His final words are :

 

“Let me go.”

 

At the time of his passing, he experienced a spiritual vision of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi holding his hand and leading him onward.

 

Swami Ramanagiri taught that through spiritual practices such as Puja, Yoga, Meditation, and Dharma, the obstacles that conceal the innate wisdom within us gradually disappear. As these obstacles are removed step by step, the wisdom and divine knowledge already present within us begin to reveal themselves.