The great sage sent his eldest disciple to the court of King Janaka to learn what this young man lacked.
The young man said:
“If you cannot teach me, what will this Janaka teach me?” You are a great sage, and he is only a king. What does he know about meditation and mindfulness?
The great sage said:
- Just follow my instructions. Go to him and bow down. Don't be selfish, thinking that you are a sannyasin and he is an ordinary householder, that he lives in the world, that he is worldly and you are spiritual. I am sending you to him to learn something, so for now he is your master. And I know I tried to do it here, but you can't understand it because you need a different context to understand it. Janaka's court and his palace will give you the right context. Just go and bow to him. For these few days he will represent me.
Very reluctantly the young man set off. He was a Brahmin, a man of the highest caste! Who is this Janaka? He was rich, he had a kingdom, what could he teach a brahmana? Brahmins always think that they can teach people. But Janaka was not a brahmana, he was a kshatriya, belonged to the warrior caste of India. They are considered second only to the Brahmins. Bow down to this man? This is unheard of! A brahmana bows to a kshatriya - this is against the Indian mind.
But the master said so, and it had to be done. Reluctantly he set off, reluctantly bowed. And when he bowed, he was actually angry with the master because the situation in which he had to bow to Janaka was so ugly in his eyes. A beautiful woman was dancing in the palace, people were drinking wine, and Janaka was sitting in this group. The young man was full of condemnation, but still he bowed.
Janaka laughed and said:
“You shouldn’t bow to me if you’re so judgmental.” And don't be prejudiced until you've experienced me. Your master knows me well, which is why he sent you to me. He sent you to learn something, but this is not the way to learn.
The young man said:
- I don't care. He sent me, I came, but by morning I will return back, because I don’t see what I can learn here. In fact, if I can learn anything from you, my entire life will be wasted! I didn't come to drink wine, watch a beautiful woman dance, and all this indulgence...
Janaka smiled and said:
- You can leave in the morning. But since you have come, and you are so tired, at least rest for one night, and in the morning you can go. And who knows, at night, maybe the context for which your master sent you to me will come.
It was very mysterious. How can the night teach him anything? But ok, he had to spend the night in the palace. Is it worth making so much fuss about this? He stayed. The king ordered that he be given the most beautiful room, the most luxurious. He saw the young man off, took care of his food and sleep, and when he went to bed, Janaka left.
But the young man could not sleep all night, because he looked up and saw a naked sword hanging on a thread right above his head. It was so dangerous; at any moment the sword could fall and kill the young man. And all night he remained awake, observant, to avoid disaster if it happened. In the morning the king asked:
— Was the bed comfortable, was the room nice?
The young man said:
- Is it convenient?! Everything was fine, but what kind of sword is this? Why did you play this trick on me? It was so cruel! I am so tired, I came on foot from afar, from my master’s ashram in the forest, and you played such a cruel joke on me. What kind of joke is this: to hang a naked sword on such a thin thread that I would tremble with fear, because the slightest breeze would be enough to make me disappear and it would be all over with me. I didn't come here to commit suicide.
The king said:
- I want to ask you only one thing. You were so tired and could have fallen asleep very easily, but you didn’t. What's happened? The danger was so great, it was a matter of your life and death. So you remained aware, alert. The same is true for my teaching. You can go. Or, if you want, you can stay a few more days and watch me.
Although I was sitting in a court where beautiful women were dancing, I was aware of a naked sword hanging above my head. He is invisible, his name is Death. I didn't look at this young woman. Just as you could not enjoy the luxury of the room, I did not drink wine. I was aware of death that could come at any moment. I am constantly aware of death, so I live in a palace, but at the same time I am a hermit. Your master knows and understands me. He understands my understanding too. That's why he sent you here. If you live here for a few days, you will be able to observe it for yourself.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru