A small story:
Once when Shankara was on a Parivarajaka yatra - a pilgrimage on foot, with his disciples, at one place he felt very thirsty.
They looked around but could not find anything to quench his thirst.
There was only a palm grove, where they were producing country arrack.
Shankara entered the grove and asked the workers if they had anything to quench his thirst.
They said they had nothing except the country arrack.
Shankara asked for the country arrack and drank it.
The disciples saw Shankara drinking. Immediately, they also asked for the arrack and drank it!
The arrack did not affect Shankara because he is an Enlightened Being, having boundary-less Consciousness!
He walked on steadily but his disciples were staggering behind him!
After a few days, again they were walking, but this time in a desert area.
They felt thirsty and this time they saw only an iron forgery.
Nothing else was available.
Shankara asked the worker attending if there was anything to drink.
The worker said there was nothing to drink.
But Shankara saw the molten iron, the liquid iron and asked the worker for it and drank it.
After drinking the liquid iron, he turned to his disciples and offered it to them!
The disciples were simply shocked.
Shankara wanted to make them understand that they should do what he says and not what he does. The arrack did not affect him because he was established in boundary-less Consciousness. Unless you have experienced, you will not know. So you cannot simply imitate from outside. It has to happen from inside for each of you, then you will know.
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This excerpt has been taken from the book: Guaranteed Solutions.
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