O noble one, whether this world that you see before you is real or unreal, whether it appears or disappears, do not allow yourself to be swayed by its apparent qualities or faults. You are not, in truth, connected in the slightest to the objects you perceive; how can there be any real relationship with something whose very form does not truly exist? You are not unreal, nor is this world real; to speak of a relationship between the real and the unreal is but a curious and unprecedented string of words. If this world is unreal and you are real, then, beautiful one, what kind of association can there be between the real and the unreal—just as there is no true union between the living and the dead? And if both you and the objects you perceive are real, both abiding always in reality, then from where could arise any movement such as joy or sorrow? Therefore, do not be deluded or carried away by excitement. Establish your mind in stillness, O noble one, and abandon the restless state of worldly existence. Let not the impurity of delusion arise and burn within you in vain, like the fruit of the tinduka tree; do not fall into dullness, O misguided one. There is nothing here so exalted that, by attaining it, you would reach supreme fulfillment. Relying on this understanding, abandon fickleness and attain steadfast courage, O deceitful mind. In this way, contemplating deeply within his own sovereignty, King Janaka performed all his duties. Possessing a steadfast intellect, he was never deluded. His mind never surged forth in pleasure; it remained always balanced and clear. From that time onward, he neither abandoned nor clung excessively to what was seen; he simply remained established in the present, free from doubt. Through constant discernment, with such a mind, Janaka never again acquired any stain, just as the royal sky remains unblemished. By inquiry based on his own discernment, his mind attained perfect knowledge—boundless and pure. His consciousness, free from the taint of false notions and disease, arose in the space of his heart like the sun in the sky. He perceived all phenomena spread within the mind like jewels, knowing them as his own self—the infinite self, the knower of the essence of all beings. Never was he elated or sorrowful, always maintaining an even mind due to his natural engagement in worldly affairs. From that moment, O bestower of honor, Janaka became liberated while living, possessing mature wisdom, knowing both the inner and outer nature of people. Ruling the Videhas and sustaining his people, Janaka was not affected by joy or sorrow, nor was he ever disturbed. He neither sets nor rises, being free from all merits and faults; by gains or losses arising in his own kingdom, he is neither dejected nor elated. Even while acting, he does nothing at all anywhere, remaining ever established as a living-liberated being. Just as for a king in deep sleep, all notions regarding all things had completely set in Janaka. He did not reflect on the future nor think about the past; he abided, laughing, only in the present moment. O lotus-eyed Rama, whatever was to be attained was attained by Janaka solely through his own discernment, not by any other desire. So far and only so far does one reflect with one's own mind, until the ultimate boundary of inquiry is reached. That state is not attained from the teacher, nor from the meaning of scriptures, nor from merit; it arises from noble association and clear, thorough inquiry of the mind. Rama, that state is reached only by one's own sincere, straightforward wisdom, which is affectionate and innate—not by any other name or action. For one whose flame of wisdom burns sharply, examining both past and future, darkness never pursues him. Those calamities, difficult to cross and filled with waves of sorrow, are overcome by wisdom, O wise one, just as a boat crosses the waters. Even a small misfortune afflicts the foolish who lack wisdom, just as a weak gust of wind shakes a hollow reed. Even without help, even without scriptures or companions, the wise one crosses the ocean of worldly existence, Rama, like a boat. Even without help, the wise one reaches the completion of his task; but the unwise, even after attaining the main objective, loses it. One should first cultivate wisdom through association with scriptures and noble people, just as one waters and protects a vine for the sake of its fruit. The tree of noble action, whose great root is the strength of wisdom, bears its exceedingly sweet fruit in due time, like the full orb of the moon. The same effort that people exert in acquiring external objects should first be applied to the cultivation of wisdom. One should abandon the dullness of understanding, which is the boundary of all suffering, the treasury of calamities, and the seed of the tree of worldly existence. O wise one, whatever is attained from heaven, from the netherworld, or from sovereignty—all of it is obtained from the treasury of wisdom. One crosses over this dreadful ocean of worldly existence by wisdom—not by rituals, nor by pilgrimages, nor by austerities, O Raghava. Whatever divine prosperity people attain on earth arises as the sweet fruit of the flowering vine of wisdom. By wisdom, even lions whose claws have been cut and whose blood is drunk by jackals are conquered by jackals, just as deer are by lions. Even men of low birth have attained kingship through the power of wisdom; here, only the wise are seen as fit for heaven or liberation.