Jealousy and Hatred

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Jealousy and hatred are twin thieves. The one cannot live without the

company of the other. There is an inextricable relationship between

them; they will always take shelter within each other. Hatred may be

compared to an underground pest and jealousy may be compared to an

above-ground pest. Together they can destroy a tree. Consider a tree

which is very green, which is flowering and producing fruit, which is

very attractive to look at. When pests enter this tree the tree will

become dry within days. One of the pests will go to the branches and

leaves above while the other strikes at the roots below. While the

one spoils the beauty of the tree the other will try to destroy the

very life of the tree. They will always accompany each other.

 

So it is also with jealousy and hatred. Wherever there is jealousy

there will also be hatred, and whenever hatred is visible you will

find jealousy lurking invisibly behind. Hatred takes on a particular

form. It manifests itself in various ways. For jealousy there is no

form; it remains hidden under the surface. It has been said that

there is no person in the world who does not suffer from some

jealousy; there will be at least a small tendency towards jealousy in

every person. To make sure that this jealousy and hatred do not enter

your system you have to develop selfless love. Where there is

selfless love there is no place for jealousy and hatred to enter and

take hold. When jealousy and hatred are kept out, you can have the

experience of divine bliss.

 

Conquer Jealousy and you can Conquer Anything

 

There is an ancient story of a devout woman who had a reputation of

being completely equanimous and free of jealousy. Even her name

meant 'without jealousy'. When the three aspects of divinity, Brahma,

Vishnu and Shiva, which are the creative, the preservative and the

destructive principles of divinity, came to test her, her extreme

purity of heart was able to win them over and turn them into little

babies. She became like a mother to them. In her presence, they

remained happily nestled in her arms.

 

The three aspects of divinity also represent the three qualities in

nature, the active, the passive, and the cyclical, which govern all

phenomenal life in the world. These three qualities make up our

experiences in the world, and the three aspects of divinity are the

substratum of these qualities. Therefore, the deeper meaning of this

story is that when you are free of jealousy, everything in the world

will be like a babe in your arms. You will be its mother, it will

look up to you and follow you. Truly, once you are free of jealousy

you will be able to conquer anything.

 

But it cannot be emphasized too strongly that when you have jealousy,

it will destroy all your good qualities. You may think that it will

destroy others but in fact it will destroy you, not the others. It

will make you sick. You will not be able to sleep well. You will not

be able to eat well. Even if you are totally healthy, once jealousy

takes hold of you it will cause all kinds of physical ailments to

sprout up in you. It is like an inner consumption. Just as

tuberculosis creeps in and consumes, so also jealousy weakens you

without your realizing it. It can get into you in any number of ways

and will ultimately destroy you.

 

Jealousy is a vicious disease which must not be permitted to gain a

foothold. You must feel that God will always bless you with his

grace. Even if you are in a lesser position than you think you

deserve, you should enjoy the happiness of others. You should be glad

to hear of their accomplishments and not feel sad just because they

have things which you do not have. Jealousy is all-pervasive in this

immoral age. It is prevalent in all types of people, be they worldly

or spiritually inclined. It is mostly because of jealousy that people

lose their peace of mind and waste their lives. Along with jealousy,

backbiting and hatred soon make their ugly appearance. If you are the

target of these evil qualities in others, your best protection is the

great virtue of forbearance. Here is a small story.

 

Forbearance will Overcome Hatred

 

Buddha was walking along the country-side begging for alms. He was

approaching a village. Many people in that village had a great

affection for Buddha. But just before he reached the outskirts of the

village, some young rowdies loitering along the road began to jeer at

him. A little surprised at this reception, Buddha stopped and sat

down on a rock. He said to them, " Well, gentlemen, what pleasure do

you derive from criticizing me? " Without giving any reason, they

increased their denunciation of Buddha. Buddha said, " Continue as

long as you want. " They berated and reviled him to a point where they

got tired of their own invective. Buddha's forbearance was so well

developed that their hatred could not touch him. At first they were

having a good time, but finally, having exhausted themselves without

getting the reaction they wanted, they decided to go away.

 

As they were walking away, Buddha called out to them, " Children, I

want to tell you something. In the village just beyond here, there

are many people who love me very much. If they were to hear that you

have been denouncing me in this vile way, they would cut you to

pieces. In order to save you from that danger, I have stayed here on

this rock and allowed you to criticize me. In that way I have given

you a gift. Without spending a single cent, without making any

effort, I have been able to give you so much enjoyment by allowing

you to berate me. Rather than feel unhappy with your criticism, I am

glad because I have been able to give you some pleasure and spare you

from serious harm. "

 

Then Buddha explained yet another important point to them in a way

that made an indelible impression on their hearts. " Suppose a poor

monk comes to your house and asks for alms. You bring some food out

to him. But suppose the type of food you are offering is ritually

impure and not acceptable by the monk. What will happen then? Since

he has not accepted your offer, you will have to take it back and it

will remain with you. Similarly, you are offering me all this

criticism. These are the alms you are trying to give me. But I have

not accepted your offerings. Well then, you will have to keep them;

they remain with you. So you see, all your criticisms are really just

being redirected to yourselves. You are not criticizing me at all! "

 

One can send a letter by registered post to a friend. If the friend

does not accept this registered letter, what will the Postal

Department do with the letter? It will redirect it back to the person

who sent it. If you are criticizing someone but this person does not

accept your criticism, then inevitably the criticism comes back to

you. Do not think that by voicing the jealousy and hatred you may be

feeling, that you will be troubling those to whom these odious

sentiments are directed. In truth, you will only be troubling

yourself. Jealousy and hatred will create great difficulties for the

one who is infected with them. Jealousy and hatred spring from

egoism. Here is a small example.

 

Behind Jealousy and Hatred is Egoism

 

There was a devout religious man who took great joy in cultivating a

garden full of beautiful flowers and fruits. Even though he was

steeped in spiritual knowledge, he had developed a strong touch of

egoism within him. The moment egoism developed, jealousy also

entered. When egoism and jealousy make their appearance, hatred

automatically joins them. God took a personal interest in this errant

devotee. God saw that this person, although he had all the proper

religious outer trappings, had nevertheless, filled his heart with

poison. God decided to correct him by teaching him a lesson. The Lord

manifested himself in the form of an old mendicant and took a stroll

by that garden.

 

The old mendicant went to a recently planted tree and greatly

extolled the beauty of that tree. Noticing the garden owner nearby he

asked him, " Who is the gardener responsible for cultivating such a

fine tree? " The proud owner puffed himself up and said, " Sir, it is I

who have brought up this entire garden. I grew this tree and I raised

all the other trees that you see here, as well. By my own efforts I

developed all these pleasing paths and made this beautiful garden. I

alone look after everything here. There is no hired gardener. I am

the one who draws the water. I spread the manure. I pull the weeds

and I remove the pests. I clean the paths. I am developing these

beautiful flowers and fruits, doing all these things for the sake of

giving joy to others. " In this way he went on repeating I... I... I.

 

Appearing to appreciate the beauty of the garden, the old mendicant

continued to dwell there for awhile, while the owner busied himself

nearby, grooming his garden. After some time the mendicant left. A

little bit later a cow entered the garden. She was so weak that she

was about to fall and destroy the plants that were there under her

body. The owner of the garden saw that this cow was about to spoil

his beautiful garden. So he took a small stick and threw it at the

cow to chase her out. But the moment the stick touched the cow, the

cow fell down and died. Now, in his religion, cows are considered

very sacred, and should never be molested or harmed. Having thrown

the stick from which the cow dropped dead, he would now have to

suffer the great sin of killing a cow. He was aghast at this terrible

turn of events.

 

It was not very long afterwards that the same old mendicant came back

into the garden. Walking along the path where the cow had strayed, he

saw the dead cow and was shocked. He sought out the owner and urged

him to quickly come to the spot. The mendicant asked, " Who killed

this cow? Who committed this outrage? " When the owner did not answer

immediately, the old mendicant asked more directly, " Tell me, do you

know who killed this cow? " The owner replied, " Surely it was the will

of God. Without the will of the Lord, would she have died just like

that? Unless she was meant to die, would she fall down and expire

just because a little stick touched her? "

 

The moment the old mendicant heard this he told the man, " Previously

you told me how it was you alone who was responsible for raising this

whole garden, how you alone planted and nurtured all these plants and

put in all the paths. You were taking credit for all the good things

that have happened here. But for anything that is wrong and

inauspicious you put the blame on God. You are an arrogant, self-

serving fool, so puffed up with your own importance that you won't

even acknowledge the Creator's hand in bringing forth all the beauty

that is here. You are taking credit for that which belongs to God.

You are even jealous of God. If not for the will of God, there would

be nothing in your garden. "

 

At this point, the old mendicant revealed his true identity. He

said, " I am the Lord himself. I have come to destroy your egoism. "

The erring devotee fell at the Lord's feet in contrition. The devotee

realized how ego had stolen into him, had gained a foothold, and then

had completely taken him over. Now, he understood the deeper meaning

of the spiritual teachings that he had been mouthing for so long. He

realized that everything is imbued with the divinity, and therefore,

he should see the divinity everywhere and live his life with the

knowledge that down to the minutest detail, everything is under the

control of the divinity.

 

Destroy Egoism, Jealousy and Hatred with Love and Forbearance

 

You must take care that you do not develop egoism and its henchmen,

hatred and jealousy. Once they take root within you they will be very

difficult to eradicate. When you have become infested with these bad

qualities you may not be so fortunate as this devotee and get the

attention of the Lord so directly, to help you eradicate them. You

will not be able to exterminate jealousy merely by reading scriptures

or engaging in spiritual rituals. But by making a determined effort

to transform your thoughts and develop selfless love, you can destroy

this pest. Offer up all your negative thoughts at the feet of the

Lord and fill yourself with unwavering love and forbearance.

 

So long as you have jealousy you can never shine. All the great

virtues in you will disappear. The Gita has taught that the primary

spiritual practice is to develop ideal virtues and apply them in your

daily life. In this way, you create favorable circumstances for

yourself. When you lead a virtuous life, you will be able to

experience the principle of the atma. But if you do not develop the

great qualities and apply them to your daily life, you will never be

able to realize the divinity.

 

The light of the Atma is everywhere. It is not limited to any one

person or form. It shines as effulgence, filling the entire universe.

It may take any form and any name. It is the very basis of every name

and form. Take for example the light that is emanating from a bulb,

or the breeze you get from a fan, or the heat you get from an

electric cooking stove, or the work you get from an electric motor.

The effects are all different. The work done by the motor is

different from the breeze obtained from the fan. The light obtained

from the bulb is different from the food cooked on the stove. The

effects are different, the machines are different, but going through

all of them is the one electric current. The same is true for the

principle of the Atma. In different bodies it manifests differently,

but underneath there is the same unity.

 

The luminosity of the electric light is proportional to the current

that flows in the bulbs. The light that shines forth from the bulbs

can be compared to the Atmic effulgence which shines in individuals.

Light has no shape or form, but bulbs come in various shapes and

strengths. An incandescent bulb has a particular form; a fluorescent

light has a different form. The dining-room bulb may be very bright;

the bulb in the bedroom may be quite dim. Because of ignorance you

may think that if the one type of electric current powers both the

bedroom bulb and the dining room bulb, why should there be a

difference in the light? The difference comes about because of the

bulbs.

 

Similarly, there is a difference in the expression of love in various

hearts. If your love is wholesome, full and complete, you will be

able to manifest the fullness of the Atmic effulgence and shine

brightly. If you have a narrow selfish love, it will be something

like a dim bedroom bulb. It is not a question of current; the

potential for providing any amount of current is available and ready.

You must change the bulb in order to get a greater light. If you are

filled with jealousy, then the power of the light will be very small.

If you have the effulgence of selfless love, then the power will be

something like a 1000 watt bulb. Therefore, develop your love. It is

possible to recognize the divinity only with the help of love.

 

The Divinity never has Selfish Motives

 

Arjuna and Dharmaraja, his eldest brother, who were both watching

from a distance, were astounded. Arjuna asked Krishna, " What just

happened here? What is responsible for this spectacle? " Krishna

answered, " Arjuna, no one understands my actions. For the divinity

there is never any selfishness or egoism. The protection of my

devotees is my only concern. The benefit and encouragement of my

devotees is my only wish. I kept all those fearsome weapons which

were employed by Bhishma and had entered the chariot, harmlessly

under my foot. As long as I had my foot on them, they were not able

to exercise their powers over you. If I had alighted from the chariot

first, these weapons would have destroyed you along with the chariot.

You would have been reduced to ashes. Being unaware of this, you

asked me to get down first. "

 

The moment Arjuna heard these words of Krishna; he realized his own

arrogant and ignorant behavior. He was exhibiting all the signs of

jealousy. Finding fault with the divinity and thinking that he was

greater than Krishna can be seen as a form of jealousy.

 

There are a number of important signs of jealousy. Jealousy makes its

appearance when you meet a person who has earned greater fame than

you. Or it will develop when a person has more wealth than you.

Jealousy will also show its head when you come into the presence of a

person who is more beautiful and handsome. For students, jealousy

will soon appear if there is another student who scores higher marks

than you. It is the weakness of ordinary human beings to develop

jealousy whenever they come in contact with people who excel them in

terms of wealth, position, beauty, intelligence, and other such

qualities.

 

Jealousy will not live harmlessly inside you. The moment jealousy

enters all the virtues which you have cultivated over a long time,

all the great qualities which you have developed, are destroyed. It

ruins the human nature; it strengthens the animal nature; it promotes

the demonic nature. It has no scruples. It does not look forward or

backward. It is such an insidious quality that you must see to it

that jealousy will never possess you. Enjoy the prosperity of others.

Enjoy the progress of others. Enjoy the welfare of others. Enjoy the

beauty of others. This is true virtue. This is one of the most

important teachings of the Gita. Desiring the good of others is a

laudable quality which everyone should possess.

 

Jealousy and Hatred destroy those who possess them

 

While explaining these principles to Arjuna, Krishna told

Arjuna, " For your evil cousins, the one hundred brothers who have

been plotting to destroy the Pandavas' joy and happiness, it is their

evil qualities which encouraged them to do all their wicked deeds.

People who are jealous attract bad people for company. These cousins

have with them their evil uncle, who encouraged them in their enmity

towards the Pandavas. He is filled with jealousy. These are all blind

people. Just as their father is physically blind, all hundred

brothers are mentally blind. They join together and fall in line with

one another. But you can be sure, Arjuna, that the bad qualities in

these people will destroy them. " As Krishna predicted, not even one

of these hundred brothers survived the war to perform the funeral

rites for their parents. This is the great tragedy of falling into

hatred and jealousy.

 

If you want to really understand the Gita, then you have to start by

developing all the good qualities and virtues that have been

discussed. Once these good qualities are part of you, you will be

able to experience the divinity directly.

 

Anything you desire can be gotten from a wish-fulfilling tree. The

Gita is such a wish-fulfilling tree. It will grant you whatever you

are ready to receive. It will give you the level of understanding

which reflects your own particular desires. In this age, people are

interpreting the Gita incorrectly, because they are filled with so

many wrong desires. And so, the Gita has been of little use to them.

But, you must develop your virtue and fill yourself with love. Then

the lofty message of the Gita will shine within you and inspire you

to reach the divinity. To reach the divinity is your birthright. It

is your unchanging reality, your undying truth.