*4. Spotlight on Speaking the Truth*
A person stole some goods. He was accosted and made to take an oath that he would answer truthfully. He said, "As long as there is life, I shall speak the truth." He was then cross -examined. He flatly denied that he had stolen anything. On the basis of his testimony, he was let off. A friend of his, who had participated in the vile act, asked him," Why did you utter falsehood so brazenly in spite of the oath that you took?" The man nonchalantly replied, "I did not lie. All that I said was true. I agreed to spell out the truth as long as there was life. I had an insect in my hand. Before I started answering, I crushed the insect to death. Hence my statement, 'I shall speak the truth as long as there is life', continued to hold."
This is an example of sophistry. When a person has something in mind but makes equivocal or confusing statements so as to cause the listener understand something else, he is guilty of having deviated from the truth. To speak the truth, as insisted upon by the scriptures, one's words should accord with one's thoughts. The next point to be noted with regard to veracity is that one should speak what is pleasant. But uttering what is pleasant does not imply speaking what is not factual.
A mischievous person decided to fool a friend of his. He went to his friend and said in an excited voice, "Are you not aware that you have won ten lakhs in a lottery? How can you sit here so calmly?" The friend was dumbfounded. When his amazement decreased a little, he began to build castles in the air. In the meantime, the prankster left. Finally, the man took up a newspaper to have the pleasure of seeing his lottery-ticket number there. When he could not find it, his exultation have way to total dejection. This is an example of pleasant untruth.
One should not irresponsibly verbalize a distressing truth. Following a massive heart-attack, a person was convalescing in a hospital. One day, his son was involved in a road accident and died. A person who had witnessed the accident rushed to the hospital and exclaimed to the heart-patient, "Do you know what has happened? Your son has died!" The person, who was very fond of his son, could not bear the terrible news. As his heart was already weak, he breathed his last. The conduct of the person who conveyed the bad news was blameworthy.
To sum up, one should speak the truth. Further, one's words should be pleasant and beneficial to others. Distressing truths ought not to be irresponsibly verbalized and words should not be chosen so as to mislead others.
*(Source: From Sorrows to Bliss - Motivating Narratives.*
*Published by the Centre for Brahmavidya, Chennai).*
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