Shloka 25

Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving

Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum

Devanagari script

ईर्ष्यु: परसुखं दृष्टवा अन्यस्य न बुभूषक: । त्रिवर्गहन्ता चान्येषामात्मकामानुवर्तक:,दूसरोंका सुख देखकर मुझे ईर्ष्या होती थी, दूसरे किसीकी उन्नति हो यह मैं नहीं चाहता था, औरोंके धर्म, अर्थ और काममें बाधा डालता और अपनी ही इच्छाका अनुसरण करता था

Transliteration

īrṣyuḥ parasukhaṃ dṛṣṭvā anyasya na bubhūṣakaḥ | trivargahantā cānyeṣām ātmākāmānuvartakaḥ ||

Translation

Das Insekt sprach: „Wenn ich das Glück der anderen sah, erhob sich in mir der Neid. Ich wünschte niemandem Wohlstand. Ich wurde zu einem, der andere in den drei Lebenszielen—dharma, artha und kāma—behindert, während ich nur meinen eigenen selbstsüchtigen Begierden folgte.“

Word by Word

ईर्ष्युःjealous

परसुखम्another's happiness

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

अन्यस्यof another (person)

नnot

बुभूषकःone who wishes (for it); desirous

त्रिवर्गहन्ताdestroyer/obstructor of the three aims (dharma-artha-kāma)

चand

अन्येषाम्of others

आत्मकामानुवर्तकःone who follows his own desires

Speaker

कीट उवाच

Characters & Entities

क

कीट (the insect narrator)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Jealousy and self-centered desire lead one to sabotage others’ rightful pursuits (dharma, artha, kāma). Ethical living requires wishing well for others and restraining envy rather than obstructing their good.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker, an insect (कीट), confesses past moral faults: envy at others’ happiness, refusal to tolerate others’ advancement, and actively hindering their life-goals while pursuing only personal cravings—setting up a cautionary moral reflection.