Matter-of-fact answer to the question... :)

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om namo bhagavate sri ramanaya

118. Mr. Rangachari, a Telugu Pandit in Voorhees' College at Vellore, asked

about nishkama karma. There was no reply. After a time Sri Bhagavan went up the

hill and a few followed him, including the pandit. There was a thorny stick

lying on the way which Sri Bhagavan picked up; he sat down and began leisurely

to work at it. The thorns were cut off, the knots were made smooth, the whole

stick was polished with a rough leaf. The whole operation took about six hours.

Everyone was wondering at the fine appearance of the stick made of a spiky

material. A shepherd boy put in his appearance on the way as the group moved

off. He had lost his stick and was at a loss. Sri Bhagavan immediately gave the

new one in his hand to the boy and passed on.

The pandit said that this was the matter-of-fact answer to his question.

119. Again at the same time there were four dogs in the Asramam. Sri Bhagavan

said that those dogs would not accept any food not partaken by Himself. The

pandit put the matter to the test. He spread some food before them; they would

not touch it; then Sri Bhagavan, after a time, put a small morsel of it into

His mouth. Immediately they fell to and devoured the food.

120. Later a man brought two peacocks with their eyes screened. When let loose

in Maharshi's presence they flew away to a distance. They were brought back but

still they flew away. Sri bhagavan then said, 'It is no use trying to keep them

here. They are not ripe in their minds as these dogs. ' However much they tried

to keep the peacocks they would not remain there even a minute.

(from Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi; Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai; 1978)