SWAMI EXPLAINS THE TWIN EVILS - JEALOUSY AND HATRED

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Om Sri Sai Ram

SWAMI EXPLAINS THE TWIN EVILS - JEALOUSY AND HATRED

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.

Sent with Sai love, Sai brothers – ‘’

/

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