Spiritual Code and Restraints

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 23

Telling lie has been denounced by all the saints in the universe. Lie causes distrust among
the people and should therefore be given up.
By truth we normally mean not to tell a lie. That relates to the verbal truth which has its own importance. Let us therefore first examine its implications in dealing with other people. If we happen to believe that a person speaks truth, we rely upon his statement. In that case, we can take action in light of what he states. But if we have doubts about what he says, that causes distrust as stated in the above mentioned verse of the Dashvaikälik Sutra. In that case, we have to find out the truth before coming to any decision. If all the people speak truth, the life would be easy and dealing with one another can be smooth. Speaking truth is therefore in overall interest and is helpful to every one.
The purpose of telling a lie is to hide some fact. On the other hand, truth discloses it. But the question that would arise, is about a statement, which is verbally true, but which purports to hide reality from the responding party. For instance, it is possible to make use of equivocal words, which can enable the conveyer to interpret it the way he likes, while causing the respondent to draw different conclusion. Or, one may deliberately indulge in ambiguous words so as to keep the other party in dark about the reality. In such cases, the speaker usually intends to hide the truth while making apparently correct statement. That makes it hard for the other party to correctly understand the situation. In order to avoid that, it is said that truth must be unambiguous and unequivocal. With this view in mind, Mahätmä Gandhi has said that in case of unclear statements, the meaning drawn by the respondent should be considered as binding. If that standard is made applicable, no one would have any incentive to indulge in ambiguity or equivocality.
Another aspect of truth is that it has to be beneficial. The scriptures, while dealing with truth, frequently mention: Satyam Hitakaram Cha. It means that what one speaks, should be true as well as beneficial. So the question arises: 'What should we do when we think that speaking truth would not be beneficial?' This is a very pertinent question, because we do come across situations in which it may not be beneficial or even appropriate and advisable to speak truth. Do we have to state the truth even when it evidently seems undesirable?
For replying to that question, let us examine an anecdote of the time of Lord Mahävir. One of his principal pupils was Muni Metärya, who is also known as Metäraj Muni. One afternoon, the Muni went to the house of a goldsmith for alms. That time the goldsmith was making barley shaped grains of gold for some costly jewelry. Seeing the Muni at his door, he left his work and went inside to get some articles of food. Meanwhile, the Muni noticed that a pet bird of the goldsmith came and swallowed the golden grains taking them to be the real barley grains. As the goldsmith came out with the food, he saw that the grains of gold were missing. He therefore asked the Muni about whereabouts of the precious grains.
For Muni it was a dilemma. He could not tell a lie and if he spoke the truth, the goldsmith would kill the bird for getting the grains out of its stomach. In that case, the Muni would