Be a Royal Beggar!

It is said that when Buddha used to beg for alms, He used to look like a king and the kings would look like beggars in front of Him!

Outward possessions cannot make you regal; it is the inner bliss that radiates and makes you regal.

There was a great saint called Dakshinamurthy Swamigal who lived in Tamil Nadu. When he was alive, when he was with the body, a king came to meet him. Dakshinamurthy Swamigal lived the life of a Paramahamsa. The sky was all that covered his body; he never wore any clothes. He lived just like a child, happily in bliss.

One day, he was sitting under a big tree and meditating blissfully when the king came to see him. The king expected that the Swami should stand up and receive him with all the respect. The Swami, however, did not bother; he did not even care about the king. The king, egoistically said, ‘What! You are an ordinary beggar. I am a king; don’t you know how to respect me?’

The Swami started laughing. He said, ‘Actually, you are the beggar. You are begging respect from me. You feel respected only when somebody gives you respect. But, I don’t feel respected even when somebody gives me respect and I don’t feel disrespected when somebody doesn’t give me respect. Whether somebody respects me or not, it is in no way related to my consciousness. I am not asking you why you are not respecting me. I am not bothered about that. The moment you ask, be very clear: you are a beggar.’

Then he says, ‘Your personality or your ego can be shaken when all your army leaves you, when your people leave you, and when your ministers leave you. Your being king is dependent on somebody else.’

Be very clear: that is why always these leaders are in trouble. Never think these leaders are leading you. You are leading the leaders. Just as much as you are bothered about their ideas, they too are bothered about your ideas. Continuously, they are bothered about what you think of them.

Dakshinamurthy Swamigal says, ‘You are king as long as your citizens accept you. In my case, that is not true. Whether somebody accepts or not, I am quite blissful. So, be very clear: the moment you ask for respect, you are a beggar; I am not.’