Ultimately, even the scriptures are useless

Ramana Maharshi

(From "The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in His Own Words"):

The scriptures serve to indicate the existence of the Higher Power or Self and to point the way to It. That is their essential purpose. Apart from that they are useless. However, they are voluminous, in order to be adapted to the level of development of every seeker. As a man rises in the scale he finds the stages already attained to be only stepping stones to higher stages, until finally the goal is reached. When that happens, the goal alone remains and everything else, including the scriptures, becomes useless.

All the scriptures are meant only to make a man retrace his steps to his original source. He need not acquire anything new. He only has to give up false ideas and useless accretions. Instead of doing this, however, he tries to grasp something strange and mysterious because he believes his happiness lies elsewhere. That is the mistake.

All scriptures without exception proclaim that for attaining salvation, the mind should be subdued. And once one knows that control of the mind is their final aim, it is futile to make an interminable study of them. What is required for such control is an actual enquiry into oneself by self-interrogation – ‘Who am I?’ How can this enquiry in quest of the Self be made by means of studying of the scriptures? 

To enquire ‘who am I that is in bondage?’ and to know one’s real nature alone is Liberation. To keep the mind constantly turned within and to abide thus in the Self is alone Atmavichara (Self-enquiry), whereas dhyana (meditation) consists in fervent contemplation of the Self as Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being- Consciousness-Bliss).1 Indeed, at some time, one will have to forget everything that has been learnt.