 On the night of 11 April , Lennon , Harrison and Mardas sat up late discussing their views of the Maharishi and decided to leave the next morning . They packed hurriedly , while Mardas went to Dehradun to find taxis . Lennon was chosen to speak to the Maharishi . When asked why they were leaving , Lennon replied " If you 're so cosmic , you 'll know why " . Paul Mason , a biographer of the Maharishi , later interpreted Lennon 's statement as a challenge to the Maharishi 's claim of cosmic consciousness . Lennon said that his mind was made up when the Maharishi gave him a murderous look in response . According to Mardas : " John Lennon and I went to the Maharishi about what had happened ... he asked the Maharishi to explain himself " ; and the Maharishi answered Lennon 's accusation by saying , " I am only human " . But Lennon said he was " a bit rough to him " and the Maharishi responded by saying " I don 't know why , you must tell me . " While waiting for Mardas to return , Lennon wrote the song " Maharishi " , which was later renamed " Sexy Sadie " because Harrison advised Lennon that was potentially libellous . According to Harrison , Lennon " had wanted to leave anyway " and this gave him a " good reason to get out . " 
