In David Godman’s presentation of Ramana Maharshi’s teaching, silence emerges as the central medium through which the deepest instruction is given. It is described not as a mere absence of speech, but as a living, conscious stillness that communicates more directly than any doctrine or verbal explanation. Ramana is portrayed as holding that the real teaching is non-verbal: the silent presence of the guru exerts a subtle influence that can still the seeker’s mind and orient it toward its source. Words, in this perspective, are secondary and provisional, intended only for those who are not yet able to receive or recognize this silent transmission.

This silence is also identified with the very nature of the Self that Ramana points to. When thought subsides and the mind returns to its origin, what remains is a state of pure awareness that Godman characterizes as a “natural state,” not dullness or blankness but a vivid, wakeful stillness. To abide in this silence is to abide in the Self; thus, silence is simultaneously the path and the goal. Ramana’s own silence is presented as the spontaneous expression of his abiding in that Self, offering seekers a living demonstration of what their own true nature is.

Methodologically, silence functions as both a preparation for and a consummation of self-enquiry. The quiet atmosphere around Ramana is said to help calm visitors’ minds, making them more receptive to the enquiry “Who am I?” and to the inward turning it requires. As enquiry deepens and the mind’s movements subside, it naturally comes to rest in the very silence that his presence embodies. In this way, verbal pointers and the practice of enquiry are continually being drawn back into the wordless source from which they arise.

Godman also emphasizes that silence serves as a direct transmission of understanding or grace. Ramana’s silent mind is described as communicating the state of Self-realization to receptive disciples in a manner that bypasses conceptual thought. At times he would answer questions with silence, particularly when the questioner’s mind was sufficiently still to receive this non-verbal response. This mode of teaching avoids philosophical debate and intellectual complication, pointing seekers beyond the limitations of thought to the reality that precedes all concepts.