--> Skip to main content


Story – When Mithila Burns Nothing of Mine Burns – King Janaka

King Janaka is mentioned in numerous Hindu scriptures. Here is a popular story associated with King Janaka. Disciples of the great Sage Yajnavalkya felt that the sage was partial to Janaka. As two of them held continuous discussion on philosophy.



Once, Yajnavalkya decided to demonstrate to his other students the superior wisdom of King Janaka.

One day when Sage Yajnavalkya was holding a philosophical discourse, a soldier brought the news that Mithila city was on fire. All the students of Yajnavalkya rushed out to save their possessions.

King Janaka did not move and continued to listen to the discourse.

The other students returned soon as the news was fake.

Sage Yajnavalkya asked King Janaka that the other students ran to save their meager possessions; as king, he had expensive possessions to save but he did not move from his spot.

The king answered – “When Mithila Burns Nothing of Mine Burns”

The other students then realized that Janaka had transcended his ego and the notions of “I” and “mine.”