Shloka 51
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
तस्माद् धर्मार्थकामेषु तथा राज्यपरिग्रहे । बन्धनायलतनेष्वेषु विद्धयबन्धे पदे स्थितम्
Janaka uvāca: tasmād dharmārthakāmeṣu tathā rājyaparigrahe | bandhanāyatan eṣv eṣu viddhy abaddhe pade sthitam ||
Therefore, even while I remain engaged in dharma, artha, and kāma, and even in the acceptance and administration of kingship—these being commonly regarded as seats of bondage—know me to be established in the unbound state.
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Janaka teaches that bondage is not created merely by outer roles—pursuing dharma, artha, kāma, or ruling a kingdom—but by inner attachment. One can be established in an unbound state while performing worldly responsibilities, if one remains free from possessiveness and egoic clinging.
In the Śānti Parva’s discourse on peace and liberation, King Janaka speaks as an exemplar of a ruler-sage. He asserts that although he lives amid the usual causes of entanglement—ethical duties, prosperity, pleasure, and royal power—he is to be understood as abiding in the state of inner freedom.