Chapter XIII: Happiness

#	Sanskrit Original	Translation by Bart Marshall	Translation by John Richards	Translation by Swami Nityaswarupananda
13.1	जनक उवाच। अकिञ्चनभवं स्वास्थ्यं कौपीनत्वेऽपि दुर्लभम्। त्यागादाने विहायास्मादहमासे यथासुखम्॥	Janaka said: The tranquil state of knowing Self alone is rare - even among those who own but a loincloth. I therefore neither renounce nor accept and am happy.	Janaka: The inner freedom of having nothing is hard to achieve, even with just a loin-cloth, but I live as I please abandoning both renunciation and acquisition.	Janaka said: The tranquillity that springs in one who is without anything, is rare even when one possesses but a loin-cloth. Therefore, giving up renunciation and acceptance, I live happily.
13.2	कुत्रापि खेदः कायस्य जिह्वा कुत्रापि खिद्यते। मनः कुत्रापि तत्त्यक्त्वा पुरुषार्थे स्थितः सुखम्॥	The body is strained by practices. The tongue tires of scripture. The mind numbs with meditation. Detached from all this, I live as I am.	Sometimes one experiences distress because of one's body, sometimes because of one's speech, and sometimes because of one's mind. Abandoning all of these, I live as I please in the goal of humanity.	There is trouble of the body somewhere, trouble of the tongue somewhere and trouble of the mind somewhere. Having renounced these, I live happily in life's supreme goal.
13.3	कृतं किमपि नैव स्यादिति सञ्चिन्त्य तत्त्वतः। यदा यत्कर्त्तुमायाति तत्कृत्वासे यथासुखम्॥	Realizing that nothing is done, I do what comes and am happy.	Recognising that in reality no action is ever committed, I live as I please, just doing what presents itself to be done.	Fully realizing that nothing whatsoever is really done by the Self, I do whatever presents itself to be done and live happily.
13.4	कर्मनैष्कर्म्यनिर्बन्धभावा देहस्थयोगिनः। संयोगायोगविरहादहमासे यथासुखम्॥	Yogis who preach either effort or non-effort are still attached to the body. I neither dissociate nor associate with any of that and am happy.	Yogis who identify themselves with their bodies are insistent on fulfilling and avoiding certain actions, but I live as I please abandoning attachment and rejection.	The Yogis who are attached to the body insist upon action or inaction. Owing to the absence of association and dissociation, I live happily.
13.5	अर्थानर्थौ न मे स्थित्या गत्या न शयनेन वा। तिष्ठन् गच्छन् स्वपन् तस्मादहमासे यथासुखम्॥	I have nothing to gain or lose by standing, walking or sitting down. So whether I stand, walk or sit I am happy.	No benefit or loss comes to me by standing, walking or lying down, so consequently I live as I please whether standing, walking or sleeping.	No good or evil accrues to me by staying, going or sleeping. So I live happily whether I stay, go or sleep.
13.6	स्वपतो नास्ति मे हानिः सिद्धिर्यत्नवतो न वा। नाशोल्लासौ विहायास्मादहमासे यथासुखम्॥	I do not lose by sleeping nor attain by effort. Not thinking in terms of loss or gain I am happy.	I lose nothing by sleeping and gain nothing by effort, so consequently I live as I please, abandoning loss and success.	I do not lose by sleeping or gain by striving. So giving up (thoughts of) loss and elation I live happily.
13.7	सुखादिरूपानियमं भावेष्वालोक्य भूरिशः। शुभाशुभे विहायास्मादहमासे यथासुखम्॥	Pleasure and pain fluctuate and are inconsistent. Without good or bad I live happily.	Frequently observing the drawbacks of such things as pleasant objects, I live as I please, abandoning the pleasant and unpleasant.	Observing again and again the fluctuations of pleasure etc. under different conditions, I have renounced good and evil and am happy.