Sri Ramana Maharshi consistently placed direct self-inquiry above all other means, yet within that uncompromising emphasis he did acknowledge a place for certain scriptures as supportive aids. In the recorded conversations, he is shown recommending texts that articulate non-duality with great clarity, not as substitutes for practice but as instruments to steady and deepen it. Among these, the *Ribhu Gita* stands out as a primary recommendation, praised for its powerful affirmation of the identity of the Self with the Absolute. The *Ashtavakra Gita* is similarly commended for its uncompromising Advaitic vision, offering a direct pointer to the ever-free nature of the Self beyond body and mind.

Alongside these, he is recorded as approving the *Bhagavad Gita* and the Upanishads, especially where they expound knowledge of the Self and non-duality. Texts such as the *Yoga Vasistha*, *Vivekachudamani*, and *Kaivalya Navaneetam* are also mentioned as valuable for clarifying key Advaitic principles, such as the distinction between Self and non-Self and the illusory nature of phenomena. These works, taken together, form a kind of scriptural mandala around his central teaching, each offering a different angle on the same truth. They are not presented as a curriculum to be mastered, but as resonant voices that can confirm and refine one’s understanding.

At the same time, the manner in which he situates these texts is crucial. Scriptures, in his view, are to be read with the explicit intention of turning attention back toward the source from which thoughts arise. Their highest function is to encourage and stabilize the inquiry “Who am I?” rather than to foster mere intellectual accumulation or philosophical debate. When used in this spirit, they serve as reminders and reinforcements, helping the mind to relinquish its outward tendencies and rest in its own nature.

Thus, the recommended scriptures may be seen as luminous commentaries on the very experience that self-inquiry is meant to reveal. They speak to the mind in its own language while gently undermining its habitual identifications, preparing it to yield to direct insight. For those drawn to such study, these texts can act as companions on the path, echoing and elaborating the essential vision that realization is nothing other than recognizing oneself as pure consciousness, ever-present and unbound.