Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 21
Gaṅgā-māhātmya: Bāhu’s Envy, Defeat, Forest Exile, and Aurva’s Dharmic Consolation
यः स्वश्रेयोविनाशाय कुर्याद्यत्नं नरो मुने । सर्वेषां श्रेयसं दृष्ट्वा स कुर्यान्मत्सरं कुधीः ॥ २१ ॥
yaḥ svaśreyovināśāya kuryādyatnaṃ naro mune | sarveṣāṃ śreyasaṃ dṛṣṭvā sa kuryānmatsaraṃ kudhīḥ || 21 ||
O sage, the person who strives for the ruin of his own true welfare—seeing the prosperity and well-being of others—becomes envious; such a one is of perverted understanding.
Narada (addressing a sage interlocutor—mune—within the didactic dialogue tradition of Book 1.1)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It identifies envy (matsara) as a self-harming tendency: by resenting others’ welfare, a person actively undermines his own śreyas (true good), which is essential for dharma and progress toward moksha.
Bhakti requires a purified heart; envy toward others’ blessings hardens the mind and blocks grace. The verse implies that abandoning matsara supports a sattvic disposition fit for devotion and remembrance of the Lord.
No specific Vedanga (like Vyakarana or Jyotisha) is taught here; the practical takeaway is ethical discipline (sadachara)—guarding the mind from matsara as a prerequisite for effective mantra, worship, and scriptural study.