"He was there for the ideal society to see how a Master can live in perfect detachment from the equipments—though living in the mortal form but living as the integrity, beauty and purity of the Infinite. Such a mighty Master was Sri Ramana." ~ Sri Swami Chinmayananda
ॐ
Declare that he who asks himself 'Who am I?' and 'What is the place where I am (coming from)?', though he always exists as Self, is equal to a drunkard who asks 'Who am I?' and 'In which place am I?'.
— Ekatma Vivekam - The Knowledge of the Oneness of Self, Verse 2
Note:
It is well known that from about the year 1900, when He first started to give verbal instructions, till the year 1950, when He left His mortal body, Bhagavan Sri Ramana's principal teaching was the path of Self-enquiry. As clues to aid the practice of Self-enquiry, He gave two questions, namely 'Who am I?' and 'Whence (or from where) am I?'. However, many people failed to understand the purpose of these two questions and, instead of using them as an aid to turn their attention towards the first person feeling 'I', merely wasted their time and energy either in repeating these questions mechanically as if they were mantras or in using them as objects of meditation. In this verse, therefore, Sri Bhagavan declares that those who merely repeat or meditate upon these questions in this manner are no better than a drunkard who blindly asks such questions.
"Always keeping the mind fixed in Self, alone is called 'Self-enquiry' (atma-vichara)”, says Sri Bhagavan in Who am I?. It is only as a contrivance to help one thus fix the mind or attention in Self (in the feeling 'I') that Sri Bhagavan gave such questions as 'Who am I?' and 'Whence am I?'. Whenever thoughts rise during the time of Self-enquiry, it is an indication that Self-attention has been lost. Therefore, to enable one to set aside thought-attention and to regain Self-attention in an easy and quick manner, Sri Bhagavan recommended in Who am I?, "At the very moment that each thought rises, if one vigilantly enquires 'To whom did this thought rise?', it will be known 'To me'. If one then enquires 'Who am I?', the mind will turn back (from the thought) to its source (Self); (then, since no one is there to attend to it) the thought which had risen will also subside". Thus, the purpose of such questions as 'Who am I?' is only to turn the attention away from thoughts and towards Self. Once the attention is fixed on Self, these questions are no longer necessary.
However, instead of diving within by thus fixing the attention more and more firmly on Self, many merely float on the surface of the thought-waves by continuously keeping their mind on these questions ('Who am I?' 'Whence am I? ' etc.). It is in order to correct the wrong understanding which such people have about the practice of Self-enquiry that Sri Bhagavan gave this verse. Refer also to The Path of Sri Ramana —Part One, second edition. Pp. 123 to 124 [1].
Moreover, in the final state of Self-experience one realizes the truth that one always exists as Self, and hence Self-attention is found to be natural, spontaneous and effortless. Therefore, in that state questions such as 'Who am I?' and 'Whence am I?', which are only clues given to those who seek to regain Self-attention with effort, are found to have no meaning whatsoever.
In The Mountain Path Vol.19, Nº I, January 1982 https://ramanafiles.s3.amazonaws.com/mountainpath/1982%20I%20Jan.pdf
[1] The Path of Sri Ramana —Part One, de Sri Sadhu Om - http://www.happinessofbeing.com/The_Path_of_Sri_Ramana_Part_One.pdf