When Ramana maharishi picked up his staff

 A scholar came to Ramana Maharshi and started eating his brains, started discussing scripture. Ramana Maharshi told him again and again, ”Meditate my friend. Nothing will happen from any of this, it is all useless talk. Don’t waste time, your life has already gone by.”

But he was an authority on scripture too, he said, ”What are you saying? Useless? These are statements from the Vedas.” And he started giving proofs.

And Ramana Maharshi said, ”Okay it’s alright, but meditate.”

He said, ”First there will be talk about it only then I will meditate.” He remained stubborn, Ramana Maharshi kept on telling him to meditate, he kept on saying only one thing, ”Meditate, there is nothing more to be said.”

When he didn’t listen, Ramana Maharshi picked up his staff... The man freaked out. He had never thought Ramana Maharshi would raise his staff. And Ramana Maharshi started running after him. ... picture it, Ramana Maharshi taking his staff and running after a pandit... Many followers of Ramana Maharshi began to have doubts, Ramana Maharshi raising his staff, and becoming angry? This is disgrace. Do such things happen?

We have the impression that a man who has attained to buddhahood cannot pick up a staff. We don’t know anything. A person who has attained buddhahood picks up a staff, although there is a great difference between his picking up a staff and your picking up a staff... he can lift it. Ramana Maharshi drove him away and came inside, he started laughing a good belly laugh... Someone asked, ”What have you done?”

He said, ”What else could I do? ’The goddess of staffs won’t listen to words.’ He just went on eating my brains He was not going to give way. He understands only the language of the staff.”

Ramana Maharshi was not angry. Ramana Maharshi angry? It is not possible. If Ramana Maharshi were to become angry, to look angry to you, even then he would not be angry.

If I sometimes give a harsh statement then those who don’t understand will say, ”He said such a harsh thing? Should any wise man say such a thing?” They have their ideas. And in this country there are great ideas. You have made such ideas that if someone tries to follow your ideas he may become anything else, but he cannot become wise. You put so many chains on him it is very difficult to live.

Now think of it, if Ramana Maharshi were deceitful he would consider, is it diplomatic to lift the staff or not to lift it? He would have thought if I lift the staff what will people think? He would have thought if I lift the staff then people will say I am not enlightened. But like a spontaneous little child he lifted the staff. What was necessary at that moment – he lived according to the feeling that arose in his consciousness in those circumstances – not worrying what you will think, or what you will say.

I don’t worry about what you will think, what you will say. I live in the style which is natural to me. I say what spontaneously comes to me to say. What is to be said, I say. What is, I let it be. Keep your ideas to yourself. If you think it is okay, okay. If you think it is wrong, okay. From my side now there is no wrong, no right.