Shloka 25
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
ईर्ष्यु: परसुखं दृष्टवा अन्यस्य न बुभूषक: । त्रिवर्गहन्ता चान्येषामात्मकामानुवर्तक:
īrṣyuḥ parasukhaṃ dṛṣṭvā anyasya na bubhūṣakaḥ | trivargahantā cānyeṣām ātmākāmānuvartakaḥ ||
L’insecte dit : « Quand je voyais le bonheur d’autrui, la jalousie s’élevait en moi. Je ne souhaitais la prospérité de personne. Je devins celui qui entrave les autres dans les trois buts de la vie—dharma, artha et kāma—tandis que je ne suivais que mes désirs égoïstes. »
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.