Shloka 10
Utkramaṇa-sthāna and Ariṣṭa-lakṣaṇa: Yājñavalkya’s Instruction on Departure Pathways and Mortality Signs
मोक्षकामा वयं चापि काड्क्षामो यदनामयम् । अदेहमजर नित्यमतीन्द्रियमनी श्वरम्,मैं भी मोक्षकी अभिलाषा रखता हूँ और उस परम पदको पाना चाहता हूँ, जो निर्विकार, निराकार, अजर, अमर, नित्य और इन्द्रियातीत है तथा जिसे प्राप्त हुए पुरुषका कोई शासक नहीं रहता
janaka uvāca | mokṣakāmā vayaṁ cāpi kāṅkṣāmo yad anāmayam | adeham ajaraṁ nityam atīndriyam anīśvaram ||
Janaka said: “I too long for liberation, and I seek that state which is free from all affliction—bodiless, undecaying, eternal, beyond the reach of the senses, and such that, on attaining it, one is no longer subject to any external lord or ruler.”
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation is portrayed as an unconditioned state: free from suffering, not dependent on the body, untouched by decay, eternal, and beyond sensory experience. Attaining it implies inner sovereignty—no longer being ruled by external powers, conditions, or compulsions.
In the Shanti Parva’s philosophical discourse, King Janaka speaks as a seeker. Despite being a ruler, he declares his aspiration for moksha and describes the nature of the highest state he seeks—thereby aligning royal life with the pursuit of ultimate freedom.