Ramana Maharshi was surrounded by many disciples and followers, yet he consistently reframed the relationship in non-traditional terms. He lived at the foot of Arunachala, where an ashram, Sri Ramanasramam, gradually formed around him, drawing seekers from India and abroad. Although many regarded him as Guru and themselves as disciples, he did not emphasize a conventional guru–disciple hierarchy or a formal lineage. Instead, he stressed that the true Guru is the Self within and discouraged claims of personal discipleship or succession. This subtle stance allowed deep devotion to coexist with an emphasis on inner realization rather than outer affiliation.

Despite this non-formal approach, a circle of close devotees emerged whose lives and writings have come to be seen as an extension of his teaching. Among Indian followers, figures such as Ganapati Muni (Kavyakantha Ganapati Sastri), Muruganar, and Annamalai Swami are often highlighted for their intimate association and the way they preserved and interpreted his message. Western devotees such as Major Chadwick (A. W. Chadwick), Paul Brunton, Arthur Osborne, and Maurice Frydman also played significant roles in articulating and transmitting his presence and teachings to a wider audience. Some served in practical capacities at the ashram, others wrote extensively, yet all related to him as a living embodiment of the truth they sought.

The character of his guidance further illuminates how discipleship was understood in his presence. He did not give formal initiations, mantras, or ritual diksha, and he did not establish a structured teaching system. His primary “method” was the direct pointing of self-inquiry—summed up in the question “Who am I?”—and, perhaps even more radically, the silent transmission of his own abiding in the Self. Many devotees reported that simply sitting in his presence clarified doubts and deepened their understanding in ways that words could scarcely convey. In this light, his disciples and followers can be seen less as members of an organized lineage and more as those who were inwardly transformed by exposure to that silent, uncompromising vision of non-dual awareness.