Author(s): Vikhyath S Shetty

Abstract: Mysticism is often understood as an altered state of consciousness associated primarily with religious traditions. In spite of characterizing their experiences as ineffable, mystics across traditions have persistently attempted to articulate such experiences, producing diverse textual and pedagogical forms. This paper examines two distinct modes of articulating mystical experience—spiritual and intellectual—through a comparative literary analysis of the accounts of Ramana Maharshi and Jiddu Krishnamurti. While both figures emerge from divergent spiritual trajectories, their writings reveal fundamentally different orientations toward experience and expression. Ramana Maharshi’s articulations are marked by pedagogical assurance, grounded in the authority of realization and directed toward guiding seekers. In contrast, Krishnamurti’s accounts reflect an ongoing, self-reflexive inquiry, where language functions less as instruction than as a means of understanding the experience for himself. Focusing on the selected texts of Ramana Maharshi and Jiddu Krishnamurthy the paper explores how each figure negotiates the tension between ineffability and expression. By Through the juxtaposition of these two distinct modes of articulation, the study aims to demonstrate the similarities beneath their experiences.

Keywords: Mystical Experience, Spiritual and Intellectual Mysticism, Ineffability and Language, Indian Mystical Literature, Comparative Literary Analysis

Article Info: Received: 04 Jan 2025; Received in revised form: 06 Feb 2026; Accepted: 10 Feb 2026; Available online: 14 Feb 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.111.43