About Ramesh Balsekar

Early Life & Career

Ramesh Sadashiv Balsekar was born on May 25, 1917, in Mumbai, India, into a well-educated Maharashtrian Brahmin family. He received a distinguished education, culminating in a commerce degree from the London School of Economics.

For nearly four decades, Ramesh built a highly successful career in banking, rising to become the General Manager of the Bank of India, one of India's largest nationalized banks. He retired as its President in 1977, having led the institution through significant periods of growth and transformation.

Even during his accomplished professional life, Ramesh felt an inexplicable sense that he was "enacting some role in a play that must, and would, end soon." Deep within, he believed that there had to be more to life than merely getting ahead of others.

"I always felt that there was something beyond this mundane existence, but I didn't know what it was or how to find it."

Meeting the Guru

In 1978, shortly after his retirement, Ramesh encountered Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, the renowned Advaita sage who would become his spiritual master. Nisargadatta Maharaj, famous for his teachings compiled in "I Am That," lived in a small loft in the crowded lanes of Mumbai, where seekers from around the world came to hear him speak.

Ramesh became a devoted disciple and regular translator for Maharaj, helping to convey the master's Marathi teachings to English-speaking visitors. This intimate involvement allowed Ramesh to absorb the teachings deeply and directly.

When Nisargadatta Maharaj passed away in 1981, Ramesh had already undergone a profound transformation. The understanding that there is no individual doer had become his living reality, not merely an intellectual concept.

The Teaching

Beginning in 1982, Ramesh started holding daily morning talks at his sea-facing apartment in Mumbai. For over twenty-five years, seekers from every corner of the world gathered in his living room to hear him expound on Advaita—the ancient Indian philosophy of non-duality.

Ramesh's teaching centered on several key concepts:

• Non-Doership: The fundamental insight that there is no individual doer. Events happen and deeds are done, but there is no separate entity who is the author of actions.
• Acceptance of God's Will: Everything that happens is God's will, or the functioning of Totality. This understanding brings profound peace.
• Consciousness as the Only Reality: "Consciousness is all there is." The phenomenal world is an appearance in Consciousness.
• The Ego as a Concept: Rather than "killing" the ego, Ramesh taught that the ego must be "converted"—it must realize that it is not a separate doer.

"Understanding that nothing happens unless it is God's will, and do what you like. What can be simpler than that?"

Legacy

Ramesh Balsekar authored more than forty books on Advaita philosophy, including Consciousness Speaks, The Final Truth, Pointers from Nisargadatta Maharaj, and Peace and Harmony in Daily Living. His books have been translated into numerous languages and continue to guide seekers worldwide.

His teaching style was characterized by patience, clarity, and a remarkable ability to address the concerns of modern seekers. He welcomed questions and engaged in dialogue, often using contemporary examples to illustrate timeless truths.

Ramesh Balsekar passed away peacefully on September 27, 2009, at the age of 92, at his home in Mumbai. His teaching continues through his books, recorded talks, and the countless lives he touched during his quarter-century of sharing the understanding.

"The surest signs of spiritual progress are a lack of concern about spiritual progress and an absence of anxiety about liberation."