Truth :
Another Reminder
सत्येन वायुरावाति सत्येनादित्यो रोचते दिवि सत्यं वाचः प्रतिष्ठा सत्ये सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितं तस्मात्सत्यं परमं वदन्ति ||
{Anuvaak 79, Mahanarayan Upanishad}
By Truth, the wind blows. By Truth the sun
shines in the sky. Truth is the foundation of speech. Everything in practical
life depends on truth. Therefore, they say Truth is the supreme means of
liberation
These words above
are from our scriptures; and this verse is just one among many that speaks of
truth, its importance and its supremacy. In July this year, I had shared another, also from the Mahanarayan
Upanishad; {Travelling The Path Of Satya In The Professional World }The Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta also lays great emphasis on the importance
and irreducible minimal requirement of Satyabhaashan, among other favourable
attributes. These are all supportive of the need of being completely truthful
in life… something that any number of us, perhaps self included, find a
difficult challenge. The objective of sharing is two-fold; a reminder to self,
as well as a genuine attempt to introduce the incredible magnetic beauty in our
literary history to those among you who are interested in these aspects.
In further
writings, I will try and go deeper, dig deeper into what it means to be truthful
in the modern world – identify specifics of modern challenges while finding
ways to stick to the path ; as well as introduce other verses I come across in
my readings into our magnificent scriptures. For now, suffice it to state that
the truthfulness of a person is a defined religious, scriptural parameter –
established through at least two verses so far on my blog. In my opinion, our
scriptures can teach us a lot; all it needs is for us to be willing learners.
For too long, we have not actually read our scriptures – they are a treasure
trove of knowledge, dnyaan, and learnings. This is just one small aspect that I
have picked on to start my content creation; there is so much more to them…
By speaking the truth
– my interpretation, based on these two verses above, and The Shrimad Bhagwad
Geeta {to be taken up specifically in other articles later on} – is that we
need to be completely truthful.; every word that escapes our lips cannot be
anything less than the unvarnished absolute truth, whatever the situation. Easy
to do –no. But no one said following the path of the scriptures is going to be
easy. Neither is it my claim that I have succeeded; I am not acting holier than
thou. I am just a learner, just like yourself – dear reader.
In the modern
world, especially so, this is no mean feat. We may be pulled to tell a lesser
version, a more palatable soft lie, or just plain survival instinct will force
us to lie. Either lie, or not tell the truth, or keep silent – whatever. There
will be situations when even keeping silent will do damage to innocents. Every
time we lie, we cause hurt & damage to an innocent; this is an absolute. Sure
– we may gain, or save our losses; but this is at the cost of a more deserving
gainer, who lost because you lied. By lying, we thus create Karmic deeds that
need to be atoned for.
Think about that
for a small moment. And then try and think – was there / is there a way I can not
tell a lie, as well as avoid karmic damage to self, and material / other damage
to the others? Again – this is not an easy path, for the path of truth is
immediately on a near term a difficult one to traverse, whereas lies are
advantageous in the near term. But while the path of lies is easier for you –
it causes hurt and/or damage to others. Why should others pay needlessly for
your benefit? It could be something large, or something inconsequential, like a
small lie committing your friend you will visit. Whatever it may be – let it be
the absolute truth. Even to the extent of saying – I will come to a friend; and
then actually visit. If you don’t want
to – don’t say it. Every word you utter, mean it. Else, if you cant – keep your
silence… which is a far better alternative to telling lies…
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