It happened, in an emperor’s court, that a musician came. He was a very rare genius and he said, “I will play on my veena only on one condition: that nobody should move his head or his body while I am playing. People should become like stone statues.”

The emperor was a madman and he said, “Don’t you be worried. If somebody moves his head, his head will be cut off immediately.”

The whole town was made alert that if they came to listen to the musician, know well that it was risky and come prepared…don’t move, particularly the head.

Thousands of people wanted to come. They had long cherished the idea of hearing this musician and now he had come with such a dangerous condition, almost absurd. Who has ever heard of any musician asking for such a condition to be fulfilled? In fact, musicians become happy when people sway and their heads move and their body energy starts a subtle dance. They feel happy because their music is possessing people – their music is effective, people are moved.

Emotion is a movement…hence, the word emotion. It comes from motion. When people are moved, thrilled, stirred…a musician feels happy, rewarded, appreciated. So, what type of man was this?

Only a very few people came. Only people who were madly in love with music, who said, “Okay, at the most we can be killed, but this man has to be heard.”

The emperor had made arrangements and soldiers were standing all around with naked swords. Then, the musician started playing. For half an hour nobody moved. People were like yogis – sitting like stone Buddhas, unmoving, as if dead.

Then, suddenly, people were possessed. As the musician entered deeper, deeper, deeper…a few heads started moving and swaying…then, a few more.

When the musician finished in the middle of the night, many persons were caught – they were to be beheaded. But the musician said, “No! No need to kill them. In fact, these are the only people who have the capacity to listen. The others who have remained like statues have to be thrown out. Now, I will play only for these people. These are the real listeners.”

The musician continued, “It is simple. If you cannot be possessed so much that even life becomes irrelevant, you are not possessed. If you cannot risk life…then, music is secondary and life is primary.”

But when a moment comes when you can risk life; then, music becomes primary…then, music becomes ultimate. Only then can you hear the ancient music in the pines…