TRUTH

People often find themselves in an indecisive state, in a dilemma - to hold the truth back or to spell it out as it is. Different situations demand a different decision and accordingly, truth has to be divided into three parts.

 

Truth is bare, a naked truth

Truth is bare and naked; it is not coated with anything; it is straightforward.  It may not be appreciated by everyone but the fact remains that truth cannot have any additions or subtractions. It may sound crude and unpleasant to the ears but the truth is always hard to accept and most often unpleasant. This is why it is known as the bitter truth. Even if someone does not like it, it has to be told at times. Truth does not show any sympathy or appreciation towards any one; it shows no consideration and is not concerned with the consequences that the listener would have to bear. Truth is not spoken for or against some one. It is not meant for appreciating someone or letting one down. Truth does not see faces, places, situations, convenience, inconvenience, time, age, purpose, profit or loss, after effects etc.

Truth has its own nature, ways and effects. The nature loves it, the saint loves it, and the existence loves it as they know the inner beauty of the truth. A common man on the other hand, who lives in a make-believe world, may not like the truth. It is somewhat like the difference between a natural pearl and a cultured pearl. Even truth itself cannot change the swabhaava (nature) of truth. Truth is divine, simple, cannot be measured or changed in any yuga (era). It is the existence and every jeevathma lives in the existence. If one tries to complicate the truth, he becomes complicated while the truth remains unchanged as it is unchangeable.  Be simple to be simple. 

Truth may have to be told for the purpose of investigation or to prove someone wrong so that the right can be saved. Certain truth can be dangerous and disastrous. It is always right to speak the truth, but we must ensure it is not told for entertainment, or for hurting some one, or for creating a riot - misunderstanding - letting someone down - to insult someone without reason - to put some one in trouble - to create problems in community, to create misunderstanding between relations and friends, or between anyone and everyone. We should not tell that truth that will ruin someone's life, leave some one without any support, or create riots and problems in one's life and that which does not fulfill any good purpose to the self or anyone else. It should not create hatred in the society, between individuals and communities; it should not cause constraints and calamities. Truth should be spoken only to maintain Dharma, with Dharma and for Dharma.

Truth has to be concealed when it could hurt someone or hinder progress in someone's life. Do not blurt out the bare truth for the sake of appreciation from someone, for monetary gains, for the sake of telling the truth or find reasons to tell the truth which ultimately does not have any positive outcomes except for creating gossip. Many times the only benefit derived is the satisfaction of having told the truth but this could jeopardize someone's life. We always insist on others --" tell me the truth" but we have never thought what we would do after we know the truth. Sometimes it is better not to know the truth.

Normally it is the wrong and lies that make someone's life miserable and difficult, as it is a negative way of living; hence we said we must speak truth at all times. Yes, we must speak the truth alone and never a lie, but the truth spoken should necessarily lead to upliftment and happiness of all. Once we start living in truth we may not have to tell lies at all at any point of time. Lies are told only to hide the truth. One should never lie - never. When I am reasoning out the application of Truth in the right sense, one should not feel it is a passport for telling lies. Managing Truth does not advise any one to tell lies.

 So, no misunderstanding happiness, please. Never tell a lie.

 

Fact:-Truth as a fact - should be convincing but incomplete

Facts that convince others should be told and just enough what is needed for the situation; it may be incomplete when compared to bare truth. It is not a lie but it may not be complete either. I mean leave, ignore, those parts which does not give any support for solving the problem. It can be something like this: - "hammer fell on his head and injured him" instead of "he dropped the hammer on his head" can help avoid a big fight. It is true but incomplete to save a bad situation. Well, one should be calculative, which implies that truth such spoken should not be to save the culprit but at that time it could save a big fight.

At some other time you might reveal that so and so dropped the hammer unknowingly or it fell from his hand.... Fact is truth but used carefully for the purpose of harmony of all. If a bare truth hurts a person and which benefits none, what is use of such truth? Fact is truth but should be divulged depending on the situation to save the situation and fulfill the right purpose with no intention of harm even at the thought level. Fact can also be a thought done with good intention and an action taken thinking that it is true. One can express the failure in bare truth, in case it fails, that it was done in a good intention and should be pardoned for such action.

            Truth can be modified leaving some portions of it which is harmful (as said above in bare truth), and let out only whatever will fulfill the purpose of discussion but should not be a lie and should not be misleading by removing some portions of it. Removing some portion of it does not mean to change the meaning of the subject; keeping the meaning of subject intact, disclose only what will fetch the desired results at that time for the particular purpose.

Rishi Pathanjali also believed that speech to be classified as truth should not cause injury to anyone. He says:

    "Truthfulness consists in true speech and mind i.e., the speech and mind in accordance with that which is seen, inferred and heard. The speech is uttered for transferring one’s own knowledge to another, if it is neither deceptive nor mistaken nor barren of observation and if it is engaged for the good of all living beings but not for their injury (that speech is truthful). In spite of being used with the best intentions, if it turns to be the injury to the living beings, it cannot be truthful; it must be but sin; the advocate of such Truth must go to painful darkness by that false show and false appearance of virtue. Therefore, after reexamining it carefully, one should speak the truth beneficial to all beings".

Sense

Truth should be let out to the extent that is sensible to the situation and circumstance, that which is necessary for resolving the dispute or difference at that time. Sensible should be the declaration of a truth for the purpose of good for all involved in it. This implies that truth should be explained sensibly depending on the situation, circumstance and necessity. One should express it in a language befitting, at right time (may have to wait very long), for the right cause, benefit of all, may have to add encouraging and harmless recommendations within the permissible limits, omit that what is not needed at that moment, but do not add lies, use it discretely for solving the problem and not harming any one.

Most of the time silence is the best and powerful truth. Ignore many things that may not come in way of true living and maintaining the purity of self and others. Be an example. Do not dig for truth of others for discussions and experiments. The truth of others may not be of any interest to us. Besides, by knowing some truth we may become miserable. Why to invite such miseries in our life and add to the existing ones, even though it is truth?? It is better not to know some truths. Silence is a blessing and you must maintain silence where ever possible. Silence is not - just not speaking in words but not bringing lies into thought form itself.

The purpose of discussion should be sensible, in the sense- - language, time, situation, place, purpose; benefits to both without any misunderstanding, good for future  etc, have to be judged. Silence is the biggest communication of truth and one must learn that. Great men have imparted knowledge through silence, to a disciple. There is only Truth in silence and never a lie. All knowledge comes from silence alone.

Home