Shloka 17
Adhyāya 164: Gautama as Guest; Kaśyapa’s Satkāra and the Fourfold Arthagati; Journey to Virūpākṣa
ईर्ष्या कामात् प्रभवति संहर्षाच्चैव जायते । इतरेषां तु सत्त्वानां प्रज्ञया सा प्रणश्यति
īrṣyā kāmāt prabhavati saṁharṣāc caiva jāyate | itareṣāṁ tu sattvānāṁ prajñayā sā praṇaśyati ||
Bhīṣma dit : L’envie naît du désir, et elle naît aussi lorsqu’on voit la joie et la prospérité d’autrui. Pourtant, chez les êtres, elle est détruite par la prajñā—la sagesse de discernement—grâce à laquelle on reconnaît la vanité de la comparaison et l’on réfrène l’avidité.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Envy is rooted in desire and in comparing oneself with others’ happiness; it is overcome by prajñā (discriminating wisdom) that checks craving and dissolves comparison.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct and inner discipline, Bhishma explains to the listener the causes of envy and prescribes wisdom as the means to eliminate it.