More Dangerous Than a Snake – The Nature of Envious Persons
The material world is characterized by competition, greed, and most prominently, envy (matsaratā). According to Vedic philosophy, envy is the original disease that caused the living entity to fall from the spiritual world, and it remains the root cause of all material suffering. Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently quotes the great politician Cāṇakya Paṇḍita to illustrate just how unreasonable and destructive an envious person can be, comparing them unfavorably to a venomous serpent. Whether manifesting as petty backbiting or as violent opposition to the preaching of God consciousness, envy blinds the conditioned soul. This article examines the dangerous nature of the envious person, their hostility toward the Supreme Lord and His devotees, the severe karmic reactions awaiting them, and the ultimate Vaiṣṇava response of absolute tolerance and compassion.
The Snake vs. The Envious Person
Cāṇakya Paṇḍita observed that there are two kinds of envious, cruel living entities in this world: the snake and the envious man. While both are dangerous, the envious man is considered far worse. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that a snake, despite its deadly venom, can be subdued and charmed by the application of specific herbs or the chanting of mantras. An envious person, however, is so crooked that no amount of pacification, logic, or good behavior can bring them under control.
- This sarpah, snake, can be charmed by herbs and mantra, but the man, envious, cannot be. Therefore he's more dangerous than the snake.
- Mantrausadhi-vasah sarpah khalah kena nivaryate: "One can bring a snake under control with mantras, herbs and drugs, but an envious and crooked person cannot be brought under control by any means."
- Of the two, Canakya pandita says that the envious man is more dangerous because a serpent can be subdued by chanting a mantra or by some herbs, but an envious man cannot be so subdued.
- Sarpah krurah khalah krurah sarpat kruratarah khalah, that "Two kinds of krurah, envious animals, are there. One is the snake, and the other is envious man."
Envy as the Root of Material Suffering
To be materially attached means to be envious. The entire framework of material existence is built upon the desire to lord it over others and enjoy fruitive results. When an individual is completely absorbed in the bodily concept of life, they become greedy and restless, unable to tolerate the success or happiness of anyone else. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is specifically designed to cure this disease and create a society free from such malicious competition.
- A person who is very envious, proud, easily angered, restless and complacent is called dhiroddhata by learned scholars.
- He (a materially attached person) is generally very greedy, and he thinks that anything attained by him is permanent and never to be lost. Such a person is envious of others and prepared to do anything wrong for sense gratification.
- Persons who are materialistic and always engaged in fruitive activities for material profit cannot endure seeing the flourishing life of others. Except for a few persons in Krsna consciousness, the entire world is full of such envious persons.
- One person is envious of another, and this is the way of the material world. The Krsna consciousness movement aims at creating an atmosphere of non-envy.
Enmity Towards the Supreme and His Devotees
Because the envious person wants to be the supreme enjoyer, they naturally resent the Supreme Personality of Godhead and those who preach His glories. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that even flawless personalities, such as Lord Jesus Christ or his own spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, were vehemently attacked by envious men who manufactured faults simply to stop the spread of God consciousness.
- There are many persons who are envious of Krsna. Such persons should not be told of Bhagavad-gita, for they cannot understand. There is no possibility of faithless persons' understanding Bhagavad-gita and Krsna.
- A very nice example: just like Jesus Christ. So what was his fault? But the sura-dvisam, the envious person, killed him. And if we find, if we analyze, what is the fault of Jesus Christ, there is no fault. The only fault he was preaching about God.
- Envious men will find out some fault anywhere. There is no fault, actually, but they will manufacture some fault. That is their business. So many persons were envious of my Guru Maharaja, but He was preaching and did not care for them.
- Krsna consciousness movement is the only hope to give relief to the human society. So everyone should cooperate with this movement. Unfortunately, there are so many envious persons, they are writing against us, talking against us.
The Severe Consequences of Envy
The laws of karma are absolute. When a person acts on their envy by committing violence, plotting against others, or offending a great soul, they are essentially destroying their own future. After death, the envious person is dragged before Yamarāja and subjected to horrific punishments. The very entities they tormented in life are empowered to inflict severe pain upon them in the darkest regions of hell.
- A person who commits murder is envious of himself and also the person he has killed, for the result of committing murder is that he will be arrested and hanged.
- In this life, an envious person commits violent acts against many living entities. Therefore after his death, when he is taken to hell by Yamaraja, those living entities who were hurt by him appear as animals called rurus to inflict very severe pain.
- When an envious person commits an offense before a great personality, he is always punished in the way mentioned above.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead punishes them (envious persons) by keeping them in darkness, birth after birth, and pushing them lower and lower into wretched conditions of hellish life.
The Vaiṣṇava’s Response: Tolerance and Compassion
How should a devotee deal with the constant presence of envious people? Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed His followers to be as tolerant as a tree (taror api sahiṣṇunā). An advanced Vaiṣṇava does not retaliate or become disturbed by malice. Instead, relying completely on Kṛṣṇa for protection, they express the highest compassion. Like the great devotee Prahlāda Mahārāja, they pray that the envious may experience a change of heart and finally find spiritual peace.
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said, taror api sahisnuna. You will have many enemies, many envious persons, when you become pure devotee, but you should tolerate. Taror api sahisnuna. Be tolerant just like a tree and be humble just like a grass.
- Sometimes devotees are ill-treated by envious persons. It is advised that an advanced devotee should be tolerant; he should show complete mercy to persons who are ignorant or innocent.
- We should always remember that "Let there be enemies. Let there be envious persons. I will be protected by Krsna and His associates." And even I am not so accustomed, so I should learn to tolerate.
- Prahlada Maharaja prays that all envious persons may undergo a change of heart and think of the welfare of others.
Conclusion
Envy is the great poison of the material world, transforming human beings into creatures more dangerous and unmanageable than venomous snakes. It blinds the soul to the glories of the Supreme Lord, creates deep societal fractures, and ultimately drags the envious person into the darkest hellish conditions. Yet, against this intense darkness stands the pure devotee of the Lord. Armed with tolerance, humility, and the holy name, the Vaiṣṇava not only survives the onslaught of envious persons but actively works and prays for their deliverance. By adopting this Kṛṣṇa conscious mentality, human society can be cured of the venom of envy and restored to its natural, blissful state.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Envious Persons. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.