Raja Janak’s Teaching to Sukhdev Rishi

When we practice meditation, mindfulness, or any form of contemplation, we often face a dilemma. While introspecting, we feel calm, happy, and clear-minded. But the moment we return to our daily responsibilities, those insights seem to slip away. Old habits resurface—anger, frustration, judgment, anxiety — pulling us back into familiar emotional patterns.

How can we stay centered, not just in meditation but also in the midst of daily life? The dialogue between Raja Janak and Sukhdev Rishi offers profound insight.

The Seeker and the King

Sukhdev Rishi, the son of Ved Vyasa, was an enlightened being who had spent years in deep meditation. Yet, as he grew older, he realized he needed a Guru. His father sent him to Raja Janak, telling him that the king was the only one who could guide him.

Sukhdev was puzzled. “What could a worldly king teach me about the spiritual path?” He was a renunciate, wearing nothing but a simple loincloth and carrying a spare one, while kings usually live in royal splendour. However, he trusted his father, and proceeded to visit King Janak carrying his only possession, the spare loincloth, which he left at the palace gate before seeking an audience with the king.

As he stepped inside, he was struck by the grandeur of the king’s palace—golden walls, rich tapestries, the laughter of courtiers, and the sound of music. He saw Raja Janak seated among his queens and attendants, seemingly lost in the pleasures of royal life.

“How can this man, so deeply involved in the material world, teach me anything about the Divine?” Sukhdev wondered.

Raja Janak, perceiving his thoughts, welcomed him warmly and asked the purpose of his visit. Sukhdev explained that he was searching for a Guru, and that  his father had sent him there.

Just as Sukhdev was about to ask his question, a guard rushed in.

“Maharaj, a fire has broken out in the kingdom!”

Raja Janak remained unshaken. “Do what you must to put it out,” he said calmly, turning his attention back to Sukhdev. Raja Janak then respectfully requested Sukhdev Rishi to accompany him on a walk through the palace gardens to discuss the Rishi’s visit.

As they were strolling through the gardens, another guard arrived, urgency in his voice. “Maharaj, the fire is now dangerously close to the palace!”

The king nodded. “Handle it as best you can,” he replied, unfazed.

Sukhdev grew uneasy. “Not only is this king lost in luxury, but he also seems indifferent to his own kingdom!”

However, Raja Janak seemed unperturbed and continued to discuss matters of deep philosophy with the Rishi.  While Raja Janak continued his discussion,  a third guard ran up to the king in panic  and breathlessly said “The fire has reached the palace gates!”

Sukhdev’s heart skipped a beat—his spare loincloth was at the gate! Without thinking, he jumped up and ran to save it.

Raja Janak caught him by the arm. “My entire kingdom is burning, and I remain unmoved. You, a renunciate, claim to be detached from the world, yet you panic over a piece of cloth?”

“My entire kingdom is burning, and I remain unmoved. You, a renunciate, claim to be detached from the world, yet you panic over a piece of cloth?

At that moment, realization dawned upon Sukhdev. The king, though responsible for an entire kingdom, was unattached. Meanwhile, he — who had renounced everything — was still clinging to the smallest of possessions.

Humbled, he apologized for doubting Raja Janak’s wisdom, and requested that the Raja accept him as a disciple.

The Lesson of the Oil Tray

After putting Sukhdev Rishi through various tests, Raja Janak agreed to guide him. One of Sukhdev’s biggest questions was:

“How can one stay connected to the Divine while engaging with the material world?”

Raja Janak smiled and called for a tray and a small vessel of oil. He filled the tray to the brim and handed it to Sukhdev.

“Walk through the city holding this tray, and return without spilling a single drop. If you succeed, I will answer your question.”

Sukhdev set out carefully, moving through the bustling city. Along the way, he passed a troupe of beautiful dancers performing in the streets with a large crowd watching them. He heard people mourning a loved one’s death. A grand wedding procession crossed his path, filled with music and laughter.

But his eyes never left the tray. Step by step, he made his way back to the palace.

Raja Janak examined the tray—not a single drop had spilled.

“Tell me, Sukhdev,” he asked, “did you notice the celebrations, the mourning, the distractions along the way?”

Sukhdev shook his head. “I was aware of them, but my mind was fixed on the oil. I could not afford to lose focus.”

Raja Janak nodded. “This is the secret of living in the world while staying connected to the Divine. Keep your mind steady on what truly matters. Distractions will come—joy and sorrow, gain and loss—but do not let them shake your inner stillness.”

A Reflection on Inner Clarity

This story brings to mind an ancient metaphor: When you place several pots of water under the sun, each reflects the sun’s image. The reflection is clearer in a cleaner pot. If the pot is unclean or the water is muddy, the reflection becomes unclear. Similarly, the Divine resides within us. Seeing a clear reflection depends on how clean we keep the vessel of our heart and how still the waters of our mind. But if we allow external disturbances to shake us, the reflection wavers, just as ripples in water blur the image of the sun. The purer our heart, the clearer our connection to the Divine.

Raja Janak’s teaching to Sukhdev Rishi was not about renouncing the world, but about learning to engage with it without attachment. The key is not to withdraw, but to remain inwardly steady, no matter the chaos around us.

Sukhdev Rishi had found his answer.

Audio comment – Bhikku Aruno

Listen to an audio comment from Bhikkhu Aruno. Bhikkhu Aruno is an Indian-Thai Buddhist monk ordained in the Dhammayut tradition, closely following the Forest monastic practices of Ajahn Mun.

References

• Discourse by Giani Pinderpal Singh Ji
• The Sage and His Stuff, SikhNet Stories
• Raja Janak and Sukhdev, Chinmaya Creations

Reflection Question

Have you learned to stay still in a situation that would have disturbed you earlier? What helped you change your response?