From Swami Vivekananda’s early wandering days.
The Anxious King
During his travels as a Parivrājaka, Vivekananda was once invited to the court of a small Rāja.
The king was kind, educated and outwardly powerful but inside he was crumbling.
He lived in constant fear:
– fear of losing his kingdom,
– fear of conspiracies,
– fear of taxes,
– fear of offending the British authorities.
Despite his wealth and title, the Rāja felt trapped.
He looked at Vivekananda – a penniless monk with no possessions – and saw a man who was joyful, fearless and completely at peace.
One day he confessed:
“Swamiji, you own nothing, yet you are free and happy.
I have everything, yet I live in fear.
Why is my life so much harder than yours?”
Vivekananda’s Answer
Vivekananda looked at him calmly and said:
“Your Majesty, your misery comes from one mistake — you have forgotten who you truly are.”
The king was confused.
“What mistake? I am the Rāja.”
Vivekananda replied with a thunderbolt of Vedānta:
“No, Your Majesty. You are not the Rāja.
You are the eternal, fearless Ātman – the same Self that shines in the beggar and the king.
You suffer because you have identified yourself with a tiny, temporary role.
You cling to a title that will one day vanish.”
The Teaching
Vivekananda used the king’s anxiety to teach a practical truth of Advaita Vedānta:
1. The Cause of Suffering
Suffering begins when we mistake our role for our Self.
When we define ourselves as a king, manager, employee, parent, or any other label —
we become bound by all the fears and pressures of that role.
The role becomes a prison.
2. The Path to Freedom
Freedom comes from remembering:
“I am the eternal Witness — the Sākṣī.
The role I play is only a costume I wear to do my Dharma.”
The costume may be praised, blamed, torn, or taken away – but the actor remains untouched.
When this truth is known, one can perform their duties perfectly – without the anxiety, fear, or insecurity that comes from mistaking the costume for the Self.
Source
This story is one of many similar incidents recorded during the years 1888-1892, when Vivekananda traveled across India as a Parivrājaka(wandering monk), observing the social and political conditions of the various princely states.
1. The Life of Swami Vivekananda by His Eastern and Western Disciples
2. Complete Works (Lectures on Jñāna Yoga)
Vedik Mind 