The teachings recorded in *Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi* make it clear that the very notion of measuring self-inquiry in terms of time is misguided. The Self is described as ever-present, not something produced by effort or accumulated through hours of practice. From this standpoint, asking how long one must meditate to “experience its effects” subtly reinforces the idea that realization is a future event, dependent on duration, rather than a present recognition. What matters is not clock-time but the earnestness and clarity with which attention is turned toward the sense of “I.”

Self-inquiry, as presented there, is not meant to be confined to a particular sitting or a fixed period. It is to be cultivated as a continuous orientation of mind, an ongoing turning back from thoughts to their source whenever the mind moves outward. The question “Who am I?” or the attention to the “I-thought” is to function as a constant undercurrent, so that the distinction between “meditating” and “not meditating” gradually loses its force. In this way, the practice is woven into all activities, rather than reserved for special times.

The texts also suggest that even a single moment of genuine, inward turning can reveal a taste of peace and clarity. However, the stabilization of this recognition—abidance in the Self—depends on the weakening of ingrained tendencies, which cannot be reduced to a timetable. Years of mechanical repetition without true understanding may bring little benefit, whereas a brief but sincere and penetrating inquiry can be deeply transformative. The emphasis consistently falls on intensity, sincerity, and understanding rather than on duration.

Thus, the guidance is to turn inward now, and again now, each time thoughts arise, allowing self-attention to become as continuous as possible. The habit of asking “When will the effects appear?” is itself seen as a movement of the ego that inquiry is meant to expose. By relinquishing the demand for measurable progress and returning, repeatedly and earnestly, to the sense of being, one aligns with the spirit of these teachings: realization is not manufactured by time, but recognized in the present through steadfast, living inquiry.