FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.8.34

गुणाधिकान्मुदं लिप्सेदनुक्रोशं गुणाधमात् । मैत्रीं समानादन्विच्छेन्न तापैरभिभूयते ॥ ३४ ॥
guṇādhikān mudaṁ lipsed
[gunaadhikaan mudam lipsed]
anukrośaṁ guṇādhamāt
[anukrosham gunaadhamaat]
maitrīṁ samānād anvicchen
[maitreem samaanaad anvichchen]
na tāpair abhibhūyate
[na taapair abhibhooyate]
Word-for-word
guṇa-adhikāt — one who is more qualified mudam — pleasure lipset — one should feel anukrośam — compassion guṇa-adhamāt — one who is less qualified maitrīm — friendship samānāt — with an equal anvicchet — one should desire na — not tāpaiḥ — by tribulation abhibhūyate — becomes affected.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
guṇādhikān mudaṁ lipsed
guṇa-adhikāt
one who is more qualified
mudam
pleasure
lipset
one should feel
anukrośaṁ guṇādhamāt
anukrośam
compassion
guṇa-adhamāt
one who is less qualified
maitrīm
friendship
maitrīṁ samānād anvicchen
samānāt
with an equal
anvicchet
one should desire
na tāpair abhibhūyate
na
not
tāpaiḥ
by tribulation
abhibhūyate
becomes affected.
Every man should act like this: when he meets a person more qualified than himself, he should be very pleased; when he meets someone less qualified than himself, he should be compassionate toward him; and when he meets someone equal to himself, he should make friendship with him. In this way one is never affected by the threefold miseries of this material world.
Purport

Generally when we find someone more qualified than ourselves, we become envious of him; when we find someone less qualified, we deride him; and when we find someone equal we become very proud of our activities. These are the causes of all material tribulations. The great sage Nārada therefore advised that a devotee should act perfectly. Instead of being envious of a more qualified man, one should be jolly to receive him. Instead of being oppressive to a less qualified man, one should be compassionate toward him just to raise him to the proper standard. And when one meets an equal, instead of being proud of one’s own activities before him, one should treat him as a friend. One should also have compassion for the people in general, who are suffering due to forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. These important functions will make one happy within this material world.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
One should rejoice on meeting a person more qualified. One should feel compassion on meeting a person less qualified. One should be friendly on meeting a person of equal qualification. He should not succumb to any difficulties. The ablative case here indicates a missing participle. One should feel joyful on meeting a superior person, and not envy him. One should feel compassion (anukrośam), not contempt on meeting an inferior. One should feel friendship to an equal, and not be competitive. If because of one’s faults one does not attain superior persons, then one should desire to attain them.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Meet the more qualified with gladness, the less qualified with compassion, the equal with friendship. This single map alone disarms most material distress arising from comparison.
Reflection Questions
  • Which of these three reactions do I most often invert — envy upward, contempt downward, rivalry sideways?
  • Whom can I practice the correct response with today, just to see how different my mood becomes?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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