Janaka internalizes the neti neti method from chapter 1: he is neither body (deha) nor intellect (buddhi). His self-description as “abiding like space” (ākāśavat sthitaḥ) is a powerful Advaitic metaphor — ākāśa (ether/space) is all-pervading yet unaffected by whatever occurs within it, touching everything but contaminated by nothing. This is the nature of the Self: always pure (śuddha), always free (mukta). The verse marks Janaka’s transition from hearing the teaching to stating it as his own direct experience.