Anxiety, stress, and tension are not anything new. Even
emperor Samudragupta was a victim of them. Samudragupta was the fourth ruler of
the Gupta Empire and the son and successor of Chandragupta I.
Fed up with constant pressure and stress, to find peace Samudragupta
left the palace and riding on a horse reached a deep forest. In the dark deep
forest, he heard the melodious sound of the flute.
Samudragupta slowly moved towards the spot from where the
sound of the flute was emanating.
After a few minutes, he found the flute was being played by
a young man who was sitting under a tree. His goats were eating grass near him.
There was peace all around him.
Samudragupta told the young man that he was so happily
playing the flute as if he has won an empire and had become an emperor.
The young man did not know that he was talking to
Samudragupta, the emperor. He addressed the stranger as gentleman and told him
that please pray that I do not become an emperor.
Samudragupta wondered why he did not want to become an
emperor.
The young man told Samudragupta that he was an emperor now
without an empire. But a real emperor is in reality a servant. And I do not
want to become a servant.
Samudragupta was puzzled by the words of the young man.
The young man told Samudragupta that real happiness is in
freedom. No one can become free through wealth. Freedom can be attained only
through the devotion of God. When a person has unwavering devotion of God, the
person has both freedom and true wealth. Then a person has no worries, anxiety,
tension, and sleeplessness.
The young man continued - Sun gives its rays equally to the
emperor and me. Emperor drinks water and I too drink water. The same rain falls
on the emperor and me. The emperor only has wealth, which I do not have. The wealth
of emperor gives him sleepless nights. But I got the wealth of devotion and it
gives me good sleep.
Samudragupta learned a valuable lesson of not to worry. He
learned to do his work without worrying about results. He learned the value of
non-attachment.