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Metaphysics, Ethics and Spiritual Development
163
a feeling of jealousy or hatred towards someone, simply because he is superior to us. A jealous man becomes doubly miserable. He is already miserable on account of his own misfortune. And he makes himself still more miserable by envying others of their happiness. He unnecessarily burns himself with the fire of jealousy. Now so long as this tendency of jealousy is not exterminated, it is not possible for non-violence, truthfulness, etc., to find firm standing. Hence as against jealousy, one is instructed to cultivate and practise the feeling or tendency of the virtuous gladness. Gladness means to evince respect for one superior to us in merit and to feel pleased on seeing him flourishing. The referential object of this feeling or tendency is a person superior to oneself in merit, for evil tendencies like jealousy, envy, etc., are possible only in relation to such a person. Just as one becomes glad on seeing dear ones surpassing oneself in good qualities even so one can also become glad on seeing any living being surpassing oneself in good qualities, if one has cultivated a feeling of mineness with respect to all beings or a feeling of one's identity with all beings. Thus at the root of this feeling of gladness is the attitude of one's identity with all beings, that is, the attitude of universal love and friendliness.
Generally, to be glad and pleased on seeing the flourishing spiritual qualities of the meritorious is pramoda-bhāvana. The path of becoming meritorious is to cultivate, entertain and practise a feeling of devotion, respect and reverence towards the meritorious.
Let us reflect somewhat more deeply on the respective specific objects of these two bhāvanās. On seeing someone happy, or more happy than oneself, one develops a feeling of jealousy and burns with it. If there springs in one's heart the universal friendliness, then on seeing happiness of others, one regards it as belonging to one's own friends or beloved persons and consequently instead of one's mind being disturbed or agitated with the feeling of jealousy and envy towards them, it remains placid, peaceful, calm, composed and unruffled. This is the reason why even happiness of others is regarded as the referential object of the feeling of friendliness.' That is, a feeling of mineness or love with respect to happy beings is friendliness.
1. maitri-karuna-muditopeksānăm sukha-duhkha-punyapunyavisayānăm bhāvanāta cittaprasadanam /-Yogasutra by Patanjali 1.33.
Meaning of this aphorism is as follows: Happiness, misery, merit and demerit are the respective objects of the feelings of friendliness, compassion, gladness and neutrality
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