99. ENVY :

AFTER the libation ceremony for
Bhishma was over, Vyasa narrated to
grief-stricken Yudhishthira an episode in
Brihaspati's life. The wisest of men are
sometimes affected by envy and suffer
thereby. Brihaspati, teacher to the gods
themselves, was master of all knowledge.
He was learned in all the Vedas and all the
sciences, yet he was once the victim of
this debasing emotion and suffered
disgrace.

Brihaspati had a younger brother,
Samvarta, who was also a person of great
learning and a very good man. Brihaspati
was, for this reason, stricken with envy of
his brother.

In this world men become envious of
others, just because the others are good,
while they themselves are not so good,
and they cannot bear this. It is strange
indeed that men should not suffer even
virtue in others.

Brihaspati harassed Samvarta in many
ways. When he could not stand it any
more, poor Samvarta put on the
appearance of an eccentric and wandered
from place to place, and spent his days in
that way to escape from his brother's
persecution.

King Marutta of the Ikshwaku dynasty
made great penance and obtained from the
Lord of Kailasa a great goldmine in the
Himalayas and, with his resources thus
augmented, he decided to perform a great
Yajna.

Marutta requested Brihaspati to conduct
the yajna for him. But Brihaspati feared
that Marutta would, as a result of the
yajna, overshadow the gods who were his
charge.

He refused to comply with the king's
invitation, despite his pressing entreaties.
Thereupon, king Marutta, who had come
to know about Samvarta found his
whereabouts and approached him with the
invitation to conduct his yajna.
He at first refused and tried to avoid the
honor, but finally yielded. This further
increased Brihaspati's envy of his
unfortunate brother.

"Here is this enemy of mine, Samvarta,
going to conduct king Marutta's great
yajna. What shall I do now?" Thus did
Brihaspati brood over it until his envy
affected his health. His health declined
rapidly and he became thin and pale. His
condition grew worse everyday, until it
attracted the attention of Indra himself.

Indra, chief of the gods, approached the
divine preceptor and saluting him asked:
"Lord, why are you ill? What has caused
this languishing? Do you sleep well? Do
the attendants serve you properly? Do
they anticipate your wishes and not wait
to be told? Do the gods behave
courteously towards you or has there been
any lapse in this respect?"

To Indra's anxious inquiry, Brihaspati
replied: "Deva raja, I sleep on a good bed
and in right time. The attendants serve me
with all devotion. There is nothing
wanting in the respect and courtesies
shown by the gods." Then his voice failed
and he could not proceed. So great was his
prostration of spirit.

"Why are you grieved?" asked Indra
affectionately. "Why have you grown thin
and bloodless? Tell me what troubles your
mind."

Brihaspati then told Indra about it all.
"Samvarta is going to conduct a great
yajna. It is this that has made me wan and
thin. I cannot help it," said he. Indra was
surprised.

"Learned brahmana, there is no object of
desire that is not already yours. You are
wise and learned, and the gods themselves
have accepted you as their priest and wise
counselor. What harm can Samvarta do to
you? There is nothing you can lose on
account of him. Why do you needlessly
take upon yourself this suffering by mere
envy?"

It was amusing that Indra should so far
and so humanly forget his own history as
to give counsel of good conduct. But
Brihaspati refreshed his memory on the
point and asked: "Would you yourself
delightedly watch your enemy's power
growing? Judge me by how you would
have felt had you been in my position. I
beg of you to save me against this
Samvarta. You must find a way to put this
man down."

Indra sent for Agni and said to him: "Go
and stop the yajna of Marutta somehow."
The god of fire agreed and went on this
mission. The trees and the creepers along
his path caught fire and the earth trembled
as he marched roaring.

He presented himself before the king in
his divine form.

The king was mightily pleased to see Agni
stand before him. He ordered the
attendants to do all the usual honors of
hospitality. "Let him be duly seated. Have
his feet laved and bring the gifts proper to
his greatness," said the king, and this was
done.

Agni then explained why he had come.
"Do give up this Samvarta. If you require
a priest, I shall bring Brihaspati himself to
help you."

Samvarta, who heard this, was indignant.
The wrath of one who led the strict life of
a brahmacharin was exceedingly potent.
"Stop this chatter!" he said to Agni. "Do
not let my anger burn you up."

Fire reduces things to ashes, but
brahmacharya can burn up fire itself!
At Samvarta's anger Agni, trembling like
an aspen leaf, retired quickly. He returned
to Indra and told him what had happened.
The king of the gods could not believe the
story. "Agni, you burn up other things in
the world. How can anything burn you?
What is this story of Samvarta’s angry
eyes reducing you to ashes?"'

"Not so, king of the gods," said Agni.
"Brahmic power and the potency born of
brahmacharya are not unknown to you."
Agni thus reminded Indra of what the
latter had suffered; incurring the wrath of
those whom had attained Brahmic power.
Indra did not wrangle but called a
Gandharva had said: "Now, Agni has
failed. I want you to go as my messenger
and ask Marutta to give up Samvarta. Tell
him that if he does not, he will incur my
wrath and be destroyed."

The Gandharva went accordingly to king
Marutta and faithfully conveyed Indra's
message and warning.

The king would not listen. "I cannot be
guilty of the deadly sin of deserting a
trusting friend," said the king: "I cannot
give up Samvarta."

The Gandharva said: "O king, how can
you survive, when Indra hurls his bolt at
you?"

Even as he said this, the clouds above
thundered and everyone knew that the god
of the thunderbolt was coming, and
trembled in fear.

The king was in great fear and entreated
Samvarta to save him.

"Fear not," said Samvarta to the king, and
he proceeded to put the power of his
penance into action.

Indra, who had come to do battle, was
compelled to change over to benevolent
peace and to take part in the yajna as the
radiant god of sacrifices. He received the
burnt offering in proper form and retired.
Brihaspati's plan of envy failed miserably.
Brahmacharya triumphed. Envy is a
deadly sin. It is a universal disease. If
Brihaspati who could defeat the goddess
of knowledge herself in learning became a
victim to envy, what is there to say about
ordinary mortals?

Next : 100. UTANGA

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