Basic Principles Of Jainism

Author(s): Narayan Lal Kachhara
Publisher: Narayan Lal Kachhara

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it is falsehood to make a wrong statement through careless activity of body, mind or speech (pramatta-yoga). Falsehood is of four kinds: i) denying the existence of a thing with reference to its position, time and nature when it actually exists; ii) assertion of the existence of a thing with reference to its position, time and nature when it does not exist: iii) where a thing is represented to be something different from what actually it is, as when a horse is said to be cow; iv) when a speech is ordinarily condemnable (garhita), sinful (savadya) and disagreeable (apriya).
Any speech which is actuated by passion (pramatta-yoga) is false. Back biting, harsh, unbecoming, non-sensual or unethical speech is condemnable (garhita). That speech which provokes another to engage in piercing, cutting, beating etc., or likely to lead to destruction of life is sinful (saavadya). All disagreeable speech (apriya) causes uneasiness, pain, hostility. grief, anguish etc., to another person. Falsehood involves himsa or injury of some kind or other. The material point is the intention behind the speech. Where a saint or a preceptor gives sound advice against vices or questionable habit of life, he cannot be said to indulge in false speech, even though the person affected may feel ashamed or uncomfortable.
Umasvami has advised that a person who wants to be truthful ought to give up anger, greed, cowardice fearfulness, jest and blaming words (anuvichibhasanam). Somadeva makes distinction between degrees of truth mixed with falsehood as we find sometimes truth with falsehood. He mentions divulging of secrets, slander, back biting, forgery and perjury as obstacle to truth. He cautions against exaggeration, fault-finding and indecent speech and advises that one should always speak what is "noble, beneficial and concise." One must avoid boasting and jealousy about the merits of others and that would draw one unconsciously into falsehood.
There are five transgressions of truth against which Samantabhadra has cautioned all those who want to observe the vow of truthfulness. Giving false or wrong advice (parivada) about any matter or rules of good conduct is the first kind of actichara. Misleading people in matters of belief or conduct is very objectionable and must therefore be avoided. Divulging the secrets of others or breaking the promise of secrets (rahobhyakhyana) of others or breaking the promise of secrecy involves untruth. Disclosure of confidential talks which one may have overheard is similarly objectionable. Slandering (paisunya) others or talking about the weaknesses of other people should not be indulged in as it will damage the prestige of the people concerned. Committing perjury or forgery (kutalekha-karana) to which Somadeva has referred is the fourth kind of atichara. This includes keeping or maintenance of false accounts and carrying on false propaganda about others. Committing breach of trust or misappropriation (nyasapahara) of what is entrusted to an individual in confidence is the fifth transgression of the vow of truthfulness. There are many occasions when people entrust their ornaments or cash to others under various circumstances believing that they would be returned when needed. Denying such deposit wholly or partially is an act of falsehood.
Jaihism regards asatya as a form of himsa. Falsehood brings in endless miseries here and in the next birth. A liar becomes a traitor to himself. Truth always triumphs and everyone should
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