Stories of King Janaka: Saving Attention

Narada bows to Vishnu, Image Source

According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the goal and practice of Yoga both have to do with Chitta Vritti Nirodh, or stopping the waves of the mind.

This is accomplished through an eight-fold set of practices known as Ashtanga Yoga.

In Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara) facilitates concentration (dharana) which leads to meditation (dhyana) which in turn leads to oneness (samadhi).

Narada Muni is a joyful, mischievous storyteller who wanders the worlds sharing news and wisdom.

Here is a story of King Janaka's visit from Narada Muni:

“You know King Janaka was called ‘Vidheha’ (means also ‘dead’ or ‘liberated from the body’). 

Great sage Narada asked him one day, 
‘ Revered Sir, how are you called as Vidheha, you live in this world, how can you be a Vidheha?’ 

Raja Janaka said,’this is very simple. I will tell you about it in the evening. 

Now, please do this little job for me. There is milk in this bowl. You take this bowl & come along with me. Please see that not a single drop of milk is spilled on the Earth. 

Then only I will tell you why I am called Vidheha’. 

Narada took the bowl & followed Janaka everywhere. He had to be very careful because the bowl was such that by the slightest movement the milk might have spilled. He got very tired. 

When they returned in the evening, Narada asked ‘Please tell me now, 

I am quite fed up with carrying this bowl & following you everywhere at the same time.`

Raja Janaka said, `First of all tell me what you have seen?’

Narada, `Nothing except this bowl of milk so that it won’t spill.`

Raja Janaka, “Didn’t you see, there was a big procession in my honour, then there was a court wherein, there was programme of dancing? Didn’t you see anything?

Narada said, “No sir, I have not seen anything”.

Raja Janaka, `My child, likewise with Me, I also see nothing. 
All the time, I just watch my attention. Where is it going? 
Making sure that it won’t spill away like the milk.`

“This sort of attention one has to develop: chitta nirod’.  
Nirod means the saving of your attention, so your attention should not be on saving money & worldly things and all that, but attention itself must be saved. 
As you watch your money, as you watch your road when you drive, as you watch your child, when it is growing, as you watch the beauty of your wife, or the care of your husband, 
all put together you watch your Self – your attention.” 
(Shri Mataji)

Stories of King Janaka: Ashtavakra, the Guru with Eight Bends

Ashtavakra: Image Source, Wikipedia

King Janaka was the student of a young man with a dreadful physical condition.

It is said that in the womb, Ashtavakra listened to his learned father reciting Sanskrit slokas.

Once, his father made a mistake.

The fetus made a sound to indicate that a correction should be made.  Insulted, the man cursed his unborn child to be born with crippling deformities of eight kinds.

King Janaka and Ashtavakra, Image Source: Wikipedia

As a young boy, Ashtavakra entered the court of King Janaka, and despite his youth expounded with great wisdom, knowledge of the Self.

This conversation is recorded in the Ashtavakra Gita which presents the Self as Witness, pure, radiant and majestic consciousness.

It also discusses the nature of reality, freedom and bondage from the point of view of Advaita Vedanta, the classical school of Indian philosophy which emphasizes Jivanmukti, the idea that moksha (freedom, liberation) is achievable in this life.

It states:

If you wish to be free,
Know you are the Self,
The witness of all these,
The heart of awareness.
Set your body aside.
Sit in your own awareness.
You will at once be happy,
Forever still, Forever free.
(...)
You are everywhere,
Forever free.
If you think you are free, You are free.
If you think you are bound, You are bound.
Meditate on the Self.
One without two,
Exalted awareness.

— Ashtavakra Gita 1.4–14, Translator: Thomas Byrom^[6][7]

There is an interesting rendition of this story on the Isha Blog.  In it, Sadhguru concludes,

"One’s progress within oneself has nothing to do with what a person does on the outside, what is most important is, what a person is doing within him or herself. What you are doing with the outside world is just social; you conduct yourself as it is suitable for the situation in which you exist. It has social relevance but no existential or spiritual relevance. How you are within yourself is all that matters."

Stories of King Janaka: Yajnavalkya and the Light of Man

Yajnavalkya, Image Source: Wikipedia

Yajnavalkya is one of the earliest philosophers in recorded history.

He is famous for coining the word "Advaita" and for debating the nature of existence using the method of neti neti ("not this, not this") to discover the universal Self and Ātman.

He is also applauded as one of the rare Vedic scholars in history who encouraged and included women in the study of scriptures and debate, as seen here in a comment addressed to Maitreyi:

One should indeed see, hear, understand and meditate over the Self, O Maitreyi;
indeed, he who has seen, heard, reflected and understood the Self – by him alone the whole world comes to be known.

— Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

This story of Yajnavalkya and King Janaka, also from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, points to the Self as the source of illumination when all other lights have gone out.

Here is a longer narrated version of the same text for you to enjoy:

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Yajnavalkya speaks with King Janaka

What do the Yogis Say About Success?

Rama and King Janaka, Image Source, V&A Archives

Recently I was asked, "What do the Yogis say about success?"

Not feeling particularly "successful" myself at that moment, my response was, "I think I should ask a Swami!"

The reply I received from Swami Kashi said to read the stories of King Janaka, the wise Philosopher-King and father of Janaki, also known as Sita, wife of God-King Rama.**

Swamiji said,

"King Janaka is an example of a very rich, very successful person, who was a Brahma Jnani.  There's no contradiction between the two.  It is about your approach to your possessions and how you deal with it (such as generosity etc.) and not the numbers that make the difference."

Hahaha!  How characteristic that Swamiji's answer would require a little "homework"!

Authentic teachers always prompt us to investigate for ourselves.  Besides, those of you who know me as Swamiji does, know how much I loooooooove geeky yoga homework!

I suspect that such educational and entertaining research might benefit others as well, so I'm offering a sampling here, in a series of posts over the next several days titled, "Stories of King Janaka".

I hope you find them as amusing and inspiring as I do.

Thank you Sharon for your excellent question, and thank you Swamiji for your fitting reply!

**Important Update** Swami Kashi has informed me that actually, King Janaka, the father of Sita is NOT the same King Janaka mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita (3.20) and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.  Looks like I have some additional homework to do to make sure I'm sharing stories of the correct King Janaka.  Lol, otherwise, I'll have to change the title of the series to "Stories of King JanakaS"!