Shloka 15
Adhyāya 164: Gautama as Guest; Kaśyapa’s Satkāra and the Fourfold Arthagati; Journey to Virūpākṣa
सत्यत्यागात् तु मात्सर्यमहितानां च सेवया । एतत् तु क्षीयते तात साधूनामुपसेवनात्,सत्यका त्याग और दुष्टोंका साथ करनेसे मात्सर्य-दोषकी उत्पत्ति होती है। तात! श्रेष्ठ पुरुषोंकी सेवा और संगति करनेसे उसका नाश हो जाता है
satyatyāgāt tu mātsaryam ahitānāṁ ca sevayā | etat tu kṣīyate tāta sādhūnām upasevanāt ||
Bhīṣma explains that envy (mātsarya) is born when one abandons truth and keeps company with, or serves, those who are harmful and wicked. But, dear one, this very fault is worn away and destroyed through attending upon and associating with the virtuous—by serving good people and living in their company.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Envy arises from abandoning truth and associating with harmful people; it is reduced and destroyed through service and close association with the virtuous (sādhus).
In Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs the listener on ethical conduct and inner faults, identifying the causes of mātsarya (envy) and prescribing satsanga—serving and keeping company with good people—as its remedy.