31.10.13
Article published in 'Sadguru's Blessings' Magazine
December 2013 issue
Telling lies, no papa!
Telling
lies is one of the very basic instincts of man. Every person, at one point of
time or the other would have uttered a lie in life. Telling lies may be a habit
in some; may be indispensable for some and may be forced by circumstances for
some others. Whether lying is a sin or a virtue is a debatable issue, though
the decision weighs more in favour of sin!
Human
relationships are sustained through the bridge of mutual belief and
understanding. Cordial relationships among individuals can be expected only
when they act in good faith without sacrificing the interests and hurting the
sentiments, feelings or the belief of others. A person who is very open in
mind, thought and speech is revered by the society as a gentleman. Such a
person will be a role-model to the rest of the society.
Lies, in
most of the times, lead to undesirable results. It may result in breaking up of
relationships, it may cause irreparable damage to one’s ego, it may create
unnecessary enemity among individuals and groups and it may also lead to
physical harm including death! Therefore, lying, especially in bad faith, is a
great sin and has to be avoided at all costs. Therefore, sanctity in our
thoughts, words and actions lead us to a righteous way of life. Read these
words of Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam: “When you speak, speak the truth; perform when you
promise; discharge your trust... Withhold your hands from striking, and from
taking that which is unlawful and bad...”.
Inculcating this virtue of always
telling the truth among the children right from early stages is one of the
pre-requisites of a sane and civilized society. It is, therefore, very
necessary that we observe our children right from their childhood closely from
this angle. Children naturally tend to lie for various reasons. This tendency
has to be watched very carefully and they need to be educated through anecdotes
and stories about the ill-effects of telling lies (like King Harishchandra, ‘Punyakoti’ – story of a cow which dares to present
itself before a tiger after feeding its calf in order to keep up its earlier
word to the tiger, etc). Of course, it is incumbent that those who teach their
children on this issue must, in the first instance, practice it themselves in
letter and spirit, thus inspiring their off-springs. Children naturally and
blindly follow their parents. They have an infallible faith that their parents
can never commit a mistake. It is up to elders to live up to their untarnished
faith and belief.
Being
true to oneself is the first step towards avoiding telling lies. Because a man
who lies to himself and believes it, will, in course of time, finds it hard to
distinguish the truth inside him and around him. Such a person will soon lose
all respect in the society. Many such people also think that frequently telling
a lie will camouflage the truth and people will accept it as the truth. But
this is not so; it will only be short-lived.
Truth is like a sun covered by clouds. The moment clouds wither away,
the sun re-appears and glows more powerfully. Avoiding telling lies and
adherence to truth is the surest means of removing fear or guilt conscience
from one’s heart. This practice is an established and sure way of purification
of the inner-self and a silent worship of the Lord Supreme inside. Therefore,
telling a lie is, basically, deceiving one’s own self. It is like deceiving the
Lord Supreme presiding in the lotus of our hearts. Telling lies to others also
amounts to a similar act of deceiving the God. Our conscience will always be
reminding us whenever we are telling a lie. It cautions us that it is not right
to do so and also warn us about its ill-effects. But still, owing to some
pressure or other, we proceed to tell lies over-looking the advice of our
inner-self. We need to keep our conscience clear and pure in order to
perpetually avoid telling lies. In this connection, the words of Swami
Vivekananda are very relevant: “You have to grow from the inside out. None can
teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own
soul”. Telling a lie may, at some point of time, may be inevitable. But there
is always scope and opportunity to reverse it or tell the truth at least later.
Confession is a great virtue; it is not cowardice. As Mahatma Gandhi has said: “Confession
of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface
brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for confession.” Confession of a guilt or
a lie is not a matter of shame. In fact, it lightens one’s heart and enables to
regain one’s lost respect in society very quickly.
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lÉÉlÉ×iÉqÉç oÉëÔrÉÉSåwÉ kÉqÉï xÉlÉÉiÉlÉÈ ||
[qÉlÉÑxqÉ×ÌiÉ – 4 – 138]
This
implies: Always tell the truth and always tell the truth which is dear to
others. Do not tell a truth which, at a particular of time, may not be
desirable. But never tell a lie simply because it is dear and pleasant to
others. This is Sanaatana Dharma.
There is
an incident in Ramayana where Lakshmana speaks about the ill-effects of telling
a lie to Sugriva. With the
ambassadorship of Hanumantha, both Lord Rama and Sugriva agree to join hands in
the pursuit of Seetha. Rama agrees to kill Vali, the elder brother of Sugriva
and Sugriva in turn agrees to help the latter to find Seetha. After the killing
of Vali by Lord Rama, Sugriva was anointed as the King. Sugriva, forgetting his
word to Rama, indulges himself in the company of beautiful women in the palace.
Raged by this breach of word, Lakshamana angrily rushes to the palace of
Sugriva and admonishes him. During that conversation, he mentions that:
“Telling a lie on account of a horse amounts to killing hundred horses. Telling
a lie in respect of a cow amounts to killing thousand cows. But a person who tells
a lie to another person will be killing his own kith and kin, besides himself”.
No need to elaborate or reiterate that telling a lie is one of the greatest
sins.
Sometimes
telling a lie may prove to be beneficial and profitable, in the short run. But
it will be short-lived and will bounce back causing much more damage and loss. Truth
remains truth for ever. This is the hard truth we must all remember always! Truth
and righteousness is the root of human life. However, the path of truth, most
of the times, appear to be very hard to tread. Many obstacles and problems
bother us in the way. But an enlightened person knows that these obstacles are
merely a test of our commitment to truth. Once we move firmly in the set
direction, especially under the guidance of a benevolent preceptor (Guru), the
obstacles wane away. Therefore, avoiding telling lies and unstinted commitment
of being true to oneself and to society at large is a virtue which all of us
should foster, pursue and cherish at all times.
|| xÉirÉ qÉåuÉ eÉrÉiÉå ||
