Once, a great sage sent his chief disciple to the palace of King Janaka, so that the young man could learn something that was still missing in him. The disciple protested:
“If you cannot teach me this, what could this king possibly teach me? You are a great sage, and he is only a king. What could he know about meditation and awareness?”
The sage replied:
“Simply follow my instructions. Go to him and bow. Do not be arrogant, thinking that you are a sannyasin and he is just a householder, that you are spiritual and he is worldly. I am sending you to him because he can teach you something that I cannot. From this moment on, he is your teacher. I know I have tried to teach you this here, but you cannot grasp it in this setting. You need a different context to understand it. Janaka’s palace and surroundings will provide the right context.”
Reluctantly, the young man set out on his journey. A Brahmin bowing to a king! This was unthinkable to him. Yet his teacher had instructed him to do so. When he bowed to the king, he felt anger toward his teacher, because the entire situation seemed grotesque to him. Full of judgment, he bowed, while beautiful women were dancing around and wine was flowing. King Janaka laughed:
“Do not bow to me like that — you are full of judgment. And do not be prejudiced before you have tested me in practice. Your teacher knows me well and that is why he sent you to learn from me, but this is not the way to learn.”
The young man replied:
“I do not care. He sent me, I came, but tomorrow I am going back. I see nothing here that I can learn. If I can learn anything from you, then my whole life so far has been a waste.”
That night he was given the most luxurious room in the palace. Yet he could not sleep, because directly above his head hung a sharp sword, suspended by a thin thread. All night long he remained awake and alert, watching carefully to avoid disaster.
In the morning, the king asked him whether the room had been comfortable. The young man replied:
“Comfortable? Everything was fine, but that sword! What kind of joke is it to place a naked sharp sword on a thin thread right above my head?”
The king said:
“You were very tired and could easily have fallen asleep, but you did not. The danger was so great that it became a matter of life and death for you. That is why you remained awake and alert. This is my teaching.
Although I sit in a palace, surrounded by beautiful women, I am aware of the naked sword hanging above my head. It is invisible. It is called death. I do not look at the women, just as I do not drink the wine or indulge in luxury. I am aware of death, which can come at any moment. I am constantly aware of death. Though I live in a palace, inwardly I am a renunciate.”
Source: Traditional Indian wisdom story (retold by Osho)
