In plain words
That is why: do good, see good, hear good, think good, and enjoy good. Doing good work is the chief aim of humanness. What is the aim of man? Born a man, having great intelligence, thinking of yourself as a power of intellect, believing yourself a highly educated person, working in a great job, if you behave just like the common beasts, birds and animals, what is the use? The hunger you have, even a small ant has. The fear you have, that small ant too has. The desires you have, cattle too have. The crows, kites, dogs, jackals, monkeys going about the bazaar, all of them have these desires.
Everyone must recognise the principle of the heart
Born a man, if you sink in desires just like the beasts, birds and animals, what is special about you? Once King Janaka was performing a great yāga. They sent invitations to the scholars. Scholars of great name came in there. All the poets came in. Men with the power of intellect to prove the authority of the Vedas, Śāstras, Purāṇas and Itihāsas came. All sat in silence. Through the middle of that assembly a man with a crooked, twisted body came walking up to the king. Everyone's gaze fell on him. Had he come in an ordinary way, it would not have mattered. When the whole body is crooked and twisted, it looks strange. At once all laughed. At the sight of that form all of them had to laugh. As much as they all laughed, that man laughed ten times as much, ‘Āhā!’ The king was greatly astonished. Then he invited him with ‘Please come in’ and gave him a high seat. ‘Great scholar! There is a reason why all these are laughing. That is because your body is very much bent and twisted. But why you laughed is not clear. What is your name?’ he asked. ‘My name is Aṣṭāvakra,’ he said. That means the body was bent in eight places. Seeing this, the scholars laughed. Then Aṣṭāvakra rose. ‘Lord! Because you sent me word of a gathering of scholars, I came here.