Despite the opulence and grandeur of kingly life, King Janaka was a spiritual seeker. One day in court he dozed off and dreamt that he had lost everything. He had just a few morsels of food which an eagle swooped down and snatched out of his hand. Not being able to tolerate it anymore he shouted out aloud, woke up, and found himself on his throne, in the court. He was suddenly struck by the real-like feeling of the dream. He could still feel the hunger. ‘So what is real?’ He wondered. Was there more to reality than what he was experiencing? He wanted to know the truth, the ultimate truth. But who could tell him? Who could show him the way? It is said, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. King Janaka recognized the glow of knowledge in Ashtavakra, the sage whose ‘body was bent in eight places. The outward appearance is so important for us that we don’t take the pains to go beyond it as did some of the courtiers when Ashtavakra walked into the court. But King Janaka recognized the glow of knowledge in the Brahmarishi. This book is a beautiful dialogue between King Janaka, the Emperor of Mithila, and Sage Ashtavakra, the knower of the Truth.
