26. Don't Run your Life through a Single Channel
This text was machine-transcribed from the printed book and may contain errors. Select the words and choose “Report a mistake”.
Patanjali beautifully describes the different levels of right knowledge. Perception through the senses, conclusions arrived at through the cognition, the words of an enlightened Master - these are the first, second and third levels of knowledge. As you evolve, you will start connecting with the subtler and subtler levels of knowledge.
There is a beautiful story in Vivekananda's life. When Ramakrishna gave the experience of the Truth to Vivekananda that whatever exists is Divine, Vivekananda went and started hitting his head on an iron rod to test whether that iron rod is also divine! It is a right knowledge, but wrongly understood! Please understand, the iron rod is a different level of knowledge, and the truth that whatever exists is Divine is a different level of knowledge. You need to understand that there are different levels of knowledge.
The society that has only the first-level knowledge is a primitive society - they don't know anything except what they perceive through their senses. They either eat or are eaten. If you are living at that level, even if you live with all the wealth, name and fame, power, prestige, everything - you will be depressed, because you are running your life through one channel.
The other day I was reading a beautiful story: A great king, who has practically conquered the whole world, is searching for immortality.
He goes to an enlightened master and asks, 'Tell me a way to become immortal.'
The master says, 'Why do you want to become immortal? Understand that life and death are changing nature.'
The king says, 'I am not here to listen to your teachings. I am asking for a solution; can you give it or not?'
The master says, 'If you insist, I can tell you. It is your misfortune that you are asking for this! Anyhow, do you see that cave in the distance? There is a stream running through that cave; go inside and drink that water, you will become immortal.'
This king is so elated that he does not even bother to ask the master, 'If you know the technique to become immortal, how come you did not drink that water yourself?'
He rushes to the cave, but just as he is about to drink the water, a crow which is sitting in the cave starts shouting, 'Stop, stop! Don't drink that water!'
The king is surprised. 'Who are you, and why are you stopping me from gaining immortality?'
The crow says, 'I drank this water unknowingly, and I am sitting here for the last three thousand years. I can neither die nor live! I have seen everything that the world can offer, I have done everything that the world can offer. All the people whom I knew are dead. I am utterly depressed, but I can't even commit suicide! So I decided that I will sit here and tell my story to whoever comes here to drink the water and warn them. Now, if you want, you can drink the water.'
The king is shocked. He realizes that he has been saved from the worst hell. He just does one big namaskar to the crow, thanks it, and escapes from the cave; he just runs away from that cave!
Please understand, seeking immortality is also just one more game. Even if you become immortal, if you are living just through the perception of the senses, you will be dead and depressed. It is like having a TV with only one channel! I have seen people who have everything, but they are living in deep depression, because they do not know how to switch on the next channel; they do not know how to open up the next level of knowledge.
Living just through the perception of the senses is like running my life through one channel!