Raja Janak Ji was a just and compassionate king. He worshipped Shiva Ji’s bow and did not have a Guru for a long time. Once, a saint informed Raja Janak Ji that it is impossible to obtain liberation without a Guru. After hearing this, Raja Janak Ji called many saints and scholars to his palace. He asked for someone to provide him with spiritual knowledge in the amount of time it took him to mount on his horse. Nobody came forward to fulfill this request, as they all believed this was impossible. One person named Ashtavakar stepped forward. He had a hunchback and only had one arm. Ashtavakar asked Raja Janak Ji to give him his body, mind, or wealth before receiving any wisdom. Raja Janak Ji decided to give up his mind, thinking that he would not lose much in doing so. At that time, Ashtavakar took control of Raja Janak’s mind and said that the mind no longer wished to mount the horse. Ashtavakar even said that the mind wished to take off the royal clothes and robes that he was wearing. At this time, Raja Janak took off his clothes and received spiritual wisdom. The path of happiness is to not listen to one’s mind. Raja Janak then spent his whole life as a devotee of God. To learn more about him, check out our article Raja Janak Ji.