I have not practised any penance. I have not renounced the world in order to attain pure Knowledge. Prince Vardhamana became extremely penitent. He resolved to give up everything worldly. He gave up attachment to his parents, friends and relatives.
All worldly things are temporary.
The Soul alone is the sole resort. This world is beginningless and crooked. There is nothing to help the Soul, but the Soul itself. Body, mind, etc., are essentially separate from the Soul. The Soul is essentially pure and the body, etc., are essentially impure.