14. Abandon, O my heart! thy shrewdness in pursuing after the objects of thy desire; in order to avoid the snares of disease and death (which have been set on thy way).
15. In whatever state or condition of life, the heart is set to hanker for its delight; it is sure to meet with some difficulty, distress or disappointment coming out of the same.
16. Whether your heart is engaged in, or disengaged from the objects of sense, you will never find any one of them, either in act or thought, conducing to the true happiness of your soul.
17. Forsake therefore the thoughts of the vile pleasure of your senses, and betake yourself to those thoughts, which are fraught with the true happiness of the soul.
18. Thinking in this manner, Janaka remained in mute silence, and his restless mind became as still, as it made him sit down like a picture in painting or as a statue.
19. The chamberlain uttered not a word any more, but stood silent in mute respect through fear of his master, from his knowledge of the dispositions of kings.
20. Janaka in his state of silent meditation, reflected again on the vanity of human life, with cool calmness of his mind, and said:—
21. Now must I be diligent to find out the best and most precious treasure in the world, and know what is that imperishable thing, to which I shall bind my soul as its surest anchor.
22. What is the good of my acts or my cessation from them, since nothing is produced of anything, which is not perishable in its nature. (Thence the product of acts is perishing, and its want is a lasting good).
23. It matters not whether the body is active or inactive, since all its actions end in utter inaction at last as all force is reduced to rest. It is the pure intellect within me that is always the same (i.e. ever active and undecaying), and which loses nothing from the loss of the body or by want of bodily actions. (The body is a dead mass without the active principle of the mind).