The Story of King Janaka's Awakening
King Janaka of Videha; the invisible Siddhas whose voices he overhears; his palace gatekeeper; the story is narrated by Vasishtha to Rama.
Vasishtha tells Rama of Janaka, the wise and prosperous king of Videha. One spring day, walking in a garden, Janaka overhears disembodied voices of Siddhas in a grove, each describing in different words the nature of the Self they worship. On hearing this, Janaka is struck with sudden despair.
He returns home, sends his family away, and alone on his rooftop laments at length over the emptiness and impermanence of worldly life, kingship, wealth, and relations, working himself through grief toward calm. His chief gatekeeper interrupts to summon him to his royal bathing and daily duties; Janaka reflects further, questioning what is gained by action or inaction, and resolves to remain inwardly detached while outwardly performing his royal duties as they arise. Over succeeding nights he continues this self-examination, addressing his own restless mind, urging it toward peace and non-attachment to the visible world.
Through this sustained, self-directed discrimination alone, without any teacher's instruction, Janaka's mind becomes purified; he perceives all beings as pervaded by the same consciousness, is no longer moved by joy or sorrow, and is described as liberated while still living, ruling Videha with an even mind ever after.
अथ शुश्राव कस्मिंश्चित्तमालवनगुल्मके। सिद्धानामप्रदृश्यानां स्वप्रसङ्गादुदाहृताः ॥ ७ ॥
Then, in a certain thicket of tamala trees, he heard these verses, spoken by Siddhas he could not see, as they talked among themselves.
तभी, तमाल के पेड़ों के एक झुरमुट में, उसने ये श्लोक सुने, जो उन सिद्धों ने कहे थे जो उसे दिखाई नहीं दे रहे थे, जब वे आपस में बातें कर रहे थे।
प्रबुद्धोऽस्मि प्रहृष्टोऽस्मि दृष्टश्चोरोऽयमात्मनः । मनो नाम निहन्म्येनं मनसास्मि चिरं हतः ॥ ६० ॥
I am awake, I am overjoyed. I have caught sight of this thief who steals from the self, the one called mind. Now I will destroy it. For so long it is this mind that has struck me down.
मैं जाग गया हूँ, मैं बहुत खुश हूँ। मैंने आत्मा से चुराने वाले उस चोर को देख लिया है, जिसका नाम मन है। अब मैं इसे नष्ट कर दूँगा। इतने लंबे समय से इसी मन ने मुझे मारा है।
जीवन्मुक्तो बभूवासौ ततःप्रभृति मानदः । जनको जरठज्ञानी ज्ञातलोकपरावरः ॥ ९ ॥
From then on, Janaka, the giver of honor, became liberated while still alive. His knowledge was fully ripened, and he knew both the highest truth and the ordinary world.
उस समय से जनक, जो सबको सम्मान देने वाला था, जीवित रहते हुए भी मुक्त हो गया। उसका ज्ञान पूरी तरह पक चुका था, और वह परम सत्य और सांसारिक जगत दोनों को जानता था।
Read it in full
The story runs through chapters 8–12 of Book 5. Each chapter has the Sanskrit in Devanagari and IAST beside a plain English and Hindi translation of every verse. The number under each chapter is its verse count.