Shloka 24
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
धनं धान्यं प्रियान् दारान् यानं वासस्तथादभुतम् । श्रियं दृष्टवा मनुष्याणामसूयामि निरर्थकम्
dhanaṁ dhānyaṁ priyān dārān yānaṁ vāsas tathādbhūtam | śriyaṁ dṛṣṭvā manuṣyāṇām asūyāmi nirarthakam ||
Seeing the wealth and grain, beloved wives, fine conveyances, wondrous garments, and prosperity enjoyed by human beings, I would—without any real cause—burn with envy toward them.
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Causeless envy (asūyā) is futile and self-corroding: merely seeing others’ prosperity can trigger resentment, but such jealousy has no righteous basis and undermines one’s own ethical and mental well-being.
The speaker, identified as a kīṭa (insect), confesses a prior habit of resenting humans upon seeing their comforts—wealth, food, spouses, vehicles, and fine clothing—thereby illustrating how envy can arise from comparison rather than from any actual harm.