संत साहित्य · Aṣṭāvakra · Verse by verse
Chapter 13 — Happiness Everywhere
Verse by verse
जनक उवाच॥
अकिंचनभवं स्वास्थं कौपीनत्वेऽपि दुर्लभं।
त्यागादाने विहायास्मादहमासे यथासुखम्॥१३- १॥
janaka uvāca||
akimcanabhavam svāstham kaupīnatve'pi durlabham|
tyāgādāne vihāyāsmādahamāse yathāsukham||13- 1||
Janaka said: Ease in a state of having nothing is rare even for one who wears only a loincloth; having abandoned both renunciation and acquisition, I abide as I please.
Even an ascetic who has literally nothing (down to a loincloth) rarely achieves true inner ease (svāstha), because he's still caught in the effort of renouncing; Janaka, by dropping the very distinction between renouncing and acquiring, rests effortlessly as he is.
Stop trying to prove your detachment by giving things up dramatically — just let the tug-of-war between holding on and letting go relax.
कुत्रापि खेदः कायस्य जिह्वा कुत्रापि खेद्यते।
मनः कुत्रापि तत्त्यक्त्वा पुरुषार्थे स्थितः सुखम्॥१३- २॥
kutrāpi khedaḥ kāyasya jihvā kutrāpi khedyate|
manaḥ kutrāpi tattyaktvā puruṣārthe sthitaḥ sukham||13- 2||
Somewhere the body may tire, somewhere the tongue may tire, somewhere the mind may tire — having abandoned all that, established in the true aim of a person, I abide happily.
The body, the voice, and the mind will each grow tired at various points, but having released his identification with all three, Janaka remains settled in what actually matters for a person (puruṣārtha, the true human aim), unaffected by their fatigue.
When your body or mind is exhausted today, remember that exhaustion is happening to an instrument, not to you.
कृतं किमपि नैव स्याद् इति संचिन्त्य तत्त्वतः।
यदा यत्कर्तुमायाति तत् कृत्वासे यथासुखम्॥१३- ३॥
kṛtam kimapi naiva syād iti samcintya tattvataḥ|
yadā yatkartumāyāti tat kṛtvāse yathāsukham||13- 3||
Having thoroughly reflected that, in truth, nothing whatsoever is ultimately done [by the true self], whatever happens to be done when it comes to be done, having done it, I abide as I please.
Having deeply understood that no action is ultimately "done" by the true self, Janaka simply performs whatever task presents itself, without personal strain, and rests easy either way.
Do today's necessary task without dramatizing it as a personal achievement or burden — just let it happen through you.
कर्मनैष्कर्म्यनिर्बन्धभावा देहस्थयोगिनः।
संयोगायोगविरहादहमासे यथासुखम्॥१३- ४॥
karmanaiṣkarmyanirbandhabhāvā dehasthayoginaḥ|
samyogāyogavirahādahamāse yathāsukham||13- 4||
Action, inaction, and the compulsion [to seek liberation] are states of the yogi identified with the body; free from concern with union and disunion with such states, I abide as I please.
Categories like "doing," "not-doing," and even the driven pursuit of liberation are all just states that apply to someone still identified with the body; free of caring whether he's "united" with or "separated" from any such state, Janaka rests easily.
Stop measuring your spiritual or personal progress today by whether you're "doing enough" — that scorecard belongs to the very identification you're trying to loosen.
अर्थानर्थौ न मे स्थित्या गत्या न शयनेन वा।
तिष्ठन् गच्छन् स्वपन् तस्मादहमासे यथासुखम्॥१३- ५॥
arthānarthau na me sthityā gatyā na śayanena vā|
tiṣṭhan gacchan svapan tasmādahamāse yathāsukham||13- 5||
Gain and loss come to me neither through standing, nor through walking, nor through lying down; therefore, whether standing, walking, or sleeping, I abide as I please.
Gain and loss were never actually caused by posture or activity — standing, walking, or lying down — so Janaka moves through all of them equally at ease, since none is secretly the source of his well-being or lack of it.
Notice that your peace of mind today doesn't actually depend on which activity you're doing — test it by staying equally calm through several different ones.
स्वपतो नास्ति मे हानिः सिद्धिर्यत्नवतो न वा।
नाशोल्लासौ विहायास्मदहमासे यथासुखम्॥१३- ६॥
svapato nāsti me hāniḥ siddhiryatnavato na vā|
nāśollāsau vihāyāsmadahamāse yathāsukham||13- 6||
For me there is no loss in sleeping, nor gain for one who strives; having abandoned both loss and elation, I abide as I please.
Sleep brings no real loss and effort brings no real gain — both are equally neutral from the standpoint of the true self — so Janaka lets go of tracking loss and elation altogether and simply rests.
Give yourself permission to rest today without treating it as falling behind, and to succeed today without treating it as getting ahead.
सुखादिरूपा नियमं भावेष्वालोक्य भूरिशः।
शुभाशुभे विहायास्मादहमासे यथासुखम्॥१३- ७॥
sukhādirūpā niyamam bhāveṣvālokya bhūriśaḥ|
śubhāśubhe vihāyāsmādahamāse yathāsukham||13- 7||
Having observed, again and again, that things like pleasure have no fixed rule, having abandoned both good and bad, I abide as I please.
Having repeatedly observed that nothing — pleasure included — holds any fixed, guaranteed value across all circumstances, Janaka releases the whole framework of good and bad and simply abides, comfortable regardless of label.
The next time you label something today as clearly good or clearly bad, hold that label loosely — it's changed before and will change again.