Always Envious - The Distinction Between Demons and Devotees
The distinction between a divine person and a demoniac person lies primarily in their attitude toward the Supreme Lord and His servants. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while a devotee is the well-wisher of everyone, the demon, or asura, is characterized by being always envious. This envy acts as a fire that burns the conditioned soul and prevents them from appreciating the Absolute Truth.
Definition of a Demon (Asura)
The Sanskrit term sura-dviṣām refers to those who are envious of the devotees. Śrīla Prabhupāda identifies this class of men as demons. Their primary symptom is an intolerance of God consciousness; they become angry simply by hearing about the service of the Lord.
- There is a class of men, they are called asuras. They are sura-dvisam. They are always envious of the devotees. They are called demons.
- Demons do not like such activity (devotional service). They are always envious of God and His devotees.
- Dvisatah means there is a class who are always envious of God. As soon as you speak something about God, they become fire: "Oh, what is this God nonsense?"
- The only fault is that little boy (Prahlada Maharaja), he was chanting Hare Krsna. That is his fault. The father could not. Therefore they are called sura-dvisam, always envious of the devotees. Demon means always envious of the devotee.
Historical Manifestations of Envy
Vedic history provides many examples of personalities consumed by envy. Śiśupāla, the cousin of Kṛṣṇa, and Duryodhana, the cousin of the Pāṇḍavas, are prime examples. Their lives were dedicated to antagonizing the Lord and His pure devotees due to their envious nature.
- King Sisupala was the monarch of the Cedi Kingdom, and although he happened to be a cousin of Krsna's, he was always envious of Him. Whenever they would meet, Sisupala would try to insult Krsna and call Him ill names as much as possible.
- Duryodhana was always envious of Bhima because he knew perfectly well that if he should die at all, he would only be killed by Bhima.
- From other incidents in the sastras, it appears that Indra has always been envious. When King Prthu was celebrating various sacrifices, outdoing Indra, Indra became very envious, and he disturbed King Prthu's sacrifice.
- Nanda continued, "We are also very happy that Kamsa, the most sinful demon, has been killed. He was always envious of the family of the Yadus, his relatives. Now, because of his sinful activities, he is dead and gone, along with all his brothers."
Envy as a Universal Material Quality
Envy is not limited to famous historical demons; it pervades the entire material world. From political conflicts between nations to the social interactions of ordinary men, this quality of being "always envious" creates conflict and suffering. Śrīla Prabhupāda compares such persons to snakes.
- Anyone, any politician, any gentleman knows what was the cause (of two great wars). The cause was Germany is always envious of England.
- Because snakes are always envious, so they are first up to be burned into that forest fire. They cannot go very swiftly. Others, tigers and other beasts, they go away. But the snake, they crawl. They cannot get out. Mostly they burn.
- Due to the cheating propensity, both parties (people who are friends) always remain envious. Even in Krsna consciousness, separation and enmity take place due to the prominence of material propensities.
- The worker who is attached to work and the fruits of work, desiring to enjoy those fruits, and who is greedy, always envious, impure, and moved by joy and sorrow, is said to be in the mode of passion.
The Non-Envious Nature of a Devotee
In sharp contrast to the demoniac nature, a pure devotee is nirmatsara, or completely non-envious. While the world is busy competing and fighting, the sādhu is absorbed in thoughts of how to deliver the fallen souls from illusion.
- Other people are always envious, but the sadhu is always thinking how to save others from the clutches of maya.
- A Krsna conscious person is always nonenvious, whereas others are always envious.
- At present, many Vaisnavas are coming to our KCM from among the Europeans & Americans, & although men like Ramacandra Khan are always envious of such Vaisnavas, one should follow in the footsteps of Sri Advaita Acarya by treating all of them as Vaisnavas.
- Instead of offering respect to self-realized persons, foolish men who cannot approach the highest standard of self-realization are always envious, although there is no reason.
Conclusion
To advance in spiritual life, one must give up the propensity to be always envious. Envy of the Supreme Lord and His devotees is the root cause of bondage in the material world. However, Kṛṣṇa is so absolute that even those who are always envious of Him, like Śiśupāla, attain liberation simply by constantly thinking of Him, albeit unfavorably. If even enemies are benefited by Kṛṣṇa's contact, one can only imagine the benediction awaiting those who serve Him with love and without envy.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Always Envious. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.