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indeed is the essence of dharma. Similarly, a great emphasis is placed on truth in Buddhism, Christianity, and other religions.
The literal and essential meaning of truth is 'that which always is, is permanent, is eternal, and which never lacks.' In the Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna explains the nature of truth to Arjuna (2:16):
The unreal [that which does not exist] never is. The Real [that which truly exists] never ceases to be. The conclusion concerning these two is truly perceived by the seers of Truth.
Truth is always triumphant; non-truth is conquered. The shastras constantly and rightly praise truth. We should nevertheless observe carefully whether there are any exceptions to speaking the truth. Let us consider the situation where a murderer with a weapon is chasing an innocent person with the intent of killing him. If the fleeing person hides somewhere near us, should we tell the truth when the villain asks us the whereabouts of the fleeing person? Should we speak the truth and contribute to that innocent person being killed, or should we speak a lie and try to protect the life of that man? In such a circumstance, speaking truth incurs the sin of violence, and telling a lie incurs the good results associated with non-violence. So we see that there are exceptions—quite apparent ones—to telling the truth.
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