Bhashya
नप्रयोजनं तु योगक्षेमार्थम् ।न वदिष्य इत्येवंसंकल्पोऽपियाज्ञवल्क्यः यद्यत् जनकः पृष्टवान् तत्तत् प्रतिपेदे ; तत्रको हेतुः संकल्पितस्यान्यथाकरणे— इत्यत्र आख्यायिका-माचष्टे ।पूर्वत्र किल जनकयाज्ञवल्क्ययोः संवाद आसीत्अग्निहोत्रे निमित्ते ; तत्र जनकस्याग्निहोत्रविषयं विज्ञानमुप-लभ्य परितुष्टो याज्ञवल्क्यः तस्मै जनकाय ह किल वरंददौ ; स च जनकः ह कामप्रश्नमेव वरं वव्रे वृतवान् ; तंच वरं ह अस्मै ददौ याज्ञवल्क्यः ; तेन वरप्रदानसामर्थ्येनअव्याचिख्यासुमपि याज्ञवल्क्यं तूष्णीं स्थितमपि सम्राडेवजनकः पूर्वं पप्रच्छ ।तत्रैव अनुक्तिः, ब्रह्मविद्यायाः कर्मणाविरुद्धत्वात् ; विद्यायाश्च स्वातन्त्र्यात्— स्वतन्त्रा हि ब्रह्म-विद्या सहकारिसाधनान्तरनिरपेक्षा पुरुषार्थसाधनेति च ॥
In plain words
But none of this is for the sake of gaining or protecting anything. Yājñavalkya had resolved, "I will not speak" -- and yet he answered every single thing Janaka asked him. So what changed his mind? Here the tradition tells a story. Long before this, Janaka and Yājñavalkya had already talked, on the subject of the agnihotra fire-rite. Yājñavalkya, seeing how much Janaka already understood about it, was pleased, and offered him a boon. Janaka chose exactly one thing: the right to ask whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Yājñavalkya granted it. And that is why, this time, it was Janaka the emperor who spoke first and pressed the question -- even though Yājñavalkya, holding his silence, had no wish to explain himself further. His silence belonged only to that earlier moment, and for good reason: knowledge of Brahman has nothing to do with ritual action, and it needs nothing outside itself. It stands on its own, leans on no other means, and reaches the whole aim of a human life by itself.
Close to the Sanskrit
But the purpose is not for the sake of gain and security. Even though Yājñavalkya had this resolve, "I will not speak," he answered whatever, whatever Janaka had asked; on this point, what was the reason for acting otherwise than resolved? -- Regarding this, [Śaṅkara] narrates a story. Formerly, indeed, there had been a dialogue between Janaka and Yājñavalkya on the occasion of the agnihotra rite; there, having perceived Janaka's knowledge on the subject of the agnihotra, Yājñavalkya, pleased, indeed gave a boon to that Janaka. And that Janaka indeed chose, as his boon, precisely the right to ask any question he wished. And that very boon Yājñavalkya indeed granted him. By virtue of having granted that boon, it was the emperor Janaka himself who first questioned Yājñavalkya, even though he had no wish to expound and remained silent. It is only there [on the earlier occasion] that there was reticence, because knowledge of Brahman is opposed to [ritual] action, and because that knowledge is independent -- for knowledge of Brahman is independent, not dependent on any other auxiliary means, and accomplishes the human goal by itself.