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66 A Sadhu's Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi luckily was soon forgotten and those few who did practise his teaching duly lapsed. There were, however, a number of casualties by the way-side of those who went insane. Swamy Ramdas speaks about this man in one of his books. Two of this Swamy's disciples came to the Hall one evening just before the meal. They asked Bhagavan some questions which he readily answered, but they would accept none of his answers and tried repeatedly to put him in the wrong. Bhagavan was very patient with them and tried for long time to put them right; but at last their impertinence became such that Bhagavan flared up and went for them in a frightening way, but they were so hardened that it seemed to have but little effect. They were eventually ejected from the Hall forcibly and driven from the Ashram, Bhagavan remarking that “they came here to try and undermine this teaching.”
Bhagavan showed not a sign of anger immediately the men had left the Hall, and no ripple of disturbance was left, it had all been on the surface. Someone coming into the Hall immediately afterwards and asking some quite ordinary question, Bhagavan replied quietly as if nothing had happened, the whole incident was obviously completely forgotten.
During one conversation with Bhagavan I remarked that I tried to shake off the body. Bhagavan replied that a man discards his clothes and remains naked and free, but the Self is unlimited and not confined in any way to the body, so how can the body be shaken off? Where can the Self leave it? The Self is all-embracing. Wherever it is, is
