asūyā guṇe’pi doṣāropaṇī dṛṣṭiḥ
asūyā guṇe’pi doṣāropaṇī dṛṣṭiḥ |
(Vṛtti on Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa: 999)
“Jealousy (asūyā) means vision which ascribes faults even to qualities.”
Fault-finding
jāḍyaṁ hrīmati gaṇyate vrata-rucau dambhaḥ śucau kaitavaṁ
jāḍyaṁ hrīmati gaṇyate vrata-rucau dambhaḥ śucau kaitavaṁ
śūre nirghṛṇatā munau vimatitā dainyaṁ priyālāpini |
tejasviny avaliptatā mukharatā vaktary aśaktiḥ sthire
tat ko nāma guṇo bhavet sa guṇināṁ yo durjanair nāṅkitaḥ ||
(Nīti-śatakam: 54)
“They [i.e., those prone to fault-finding] ascribe folly to the modest,
Pretension to those who have affinity for rites,
Deceit to the honest,
Cruelty to the brave,
Stupidity to the sagacious,
Poverty to those of pleasing speech,
Arrogance to the powerful,
Garrulity to the eloquent,
And inability to the steadfast.
Is there any virtue in a virtuous person which shall not be maligned by the wicked?”
ṛtaṁ ca sūnṛtā vāṇī kavibhiḥ parikīrtitā
ṛtaṁ ca sūnṛtā vāṇī kavibhiḥ parikīrtitā |
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.19.38)
“Ṛtam is praised by the kavis as sūnṛtā speech.”
anyān parivadan sādhur yathā hi paritapyate
anyān parivadan sādhur yathā hi paritapyate |
tathā parivadann anyāṁs tuṣṭo bhavati durjanaḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: 1.69.11; cited in Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 1792)
“As a sādhu is certainly pained by speaking ill of others, so the wicked become pleased by speaking ill of others.”
mātā garīyasī loke mātṛto’py adhikaṁ khalaḥ
mātā garīyasī loke mātṛto’py adhikaṁ khalaḥ |
mātā punāti hastābhyāṁ khalās tu jihvayā malam ||
(Unknown source)
“In this world, a mother is great, but a scoundrel is even greater [i.e., far inferior (as a pun)] than a mother. A mother wipes up refuse with her hands [when she cleans a child who has soiled itself], but scoundrels wipe it up with their tongue [when they speak of others’ defilements].”
loṣṭham-ardī tṛṇa-cchedī nakha-khādī ca yo naraḥ
loṣṭham-ardī tṛṇa-cchedī nakha-khādī ca yo naraḥ |
sa vināśaṁ vrajaty āśu sūcako’śucir eva ca ||
(Manu Smṛti: 4.71)
“A person who is a crusher of clods, a tearer of grass, or a nail-biter soon meets with ruin, as does an informer [i.e., one who recounts the faults of others, esp., with the aim of defamation] and one who is impure.”
yad adharma-kṛtaḥ sthānaṁ sūcakasyāpi tad bhavet
yad adharma-kṛtaḥ sthānaṁ sūcakasyāpi tad bhavet |
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.17.22)
“A performer of adharma’s future destination [i.e., Naraka] shall become that of an informer as well [i.e., even one who only speaks about an act of adharma performed by another also gets the reaction for performing that act of adharma even though one has only spoken of it and not performed it oneself].”
para-vācyeṣu nipuṇaḥ sarvo bhavati sarvadā
para-vācyeṣu nipuṇaḥ sarvo bhavati sarvadā |
ātma-vācyaṁ na jānīte jānann api ca muhmati ||
(Unknown source)
“Everyone is always expert in regard to the faults of others [alt., in commenting on or criticizing others]. They are unaware of their own faults, or, even if they are aware, they are mistaken [about them, as they don’t know how to analyze themselves properly].”
sajjanā eva sādhūnāṁ prathayanti guṇotkaram
sajjanā eva sādhūnāṁ prathayanti guṇotkaram |
puṣpāṇāṁ saurabhaṁ prāyas tanvate dikṣu mārutaḥ ||
(Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍārāgāra)
“Only sādhus proclaim the qualities of [other] sādhus [i.e., the impious, on the contrary, typically engage in discussion of sādhus’ supposed faults instead]. Mostly [it is] the winds [that] spread the fragrance of flowers throughout the directions.”
para-vācyeṣu nipuṇaḥ
para-vācyeṣu nipuṇaḥ sarvo bhavati sarvadā |
ātma-vācyaṁ na jānīte jānann api ca muhmati ||
(Unknown source)
“Everyone is always expert in regard to the faults of others [alt., in commenting on or criticizing others]. They are unaware [however] of their own faults, or, even if they are aware, they are mistaken [about them, as they don’t know how to analyze themselves properly].”