Hansaji Talking on ‘Satya’ (Truth)

“Dr. Jayadeva gave a very clear message that a strong decision has to come to the mind that I am not going to speak lies and untruth. You don’t need more explanation here, it’s just a question of decision. The more words we use, the more there is wrong interpretation. When we talk more than what is required, usually it ends in untruth because its leads to misinterpretation. People who are on the path of truth would speak very less.

Truth is one of the Yamas. Satya is when you see things when you are in a balanced state. When you are in a disturbed state, you see things according to your way. So your state has to be clear when you see something. And then you communicate that to others, but the person who listens also needs to be in a balanced state. Communicate things as they are, without bringing any emotion into it. The facts as they are without bringing in your interpretation or opinions, likes, dislikes, your feelings. The moment these things come in, it becomes Asatya. (Untruth).

Now this is not so easy. Firstly, we have to learn to see things the way they are. Somebody behaved rudely with you and you think he is a rude person and you communicate to others that he is a rude person. But he was rude only at that time. Some people may like his rude behaviour because he needed to behave rudely with someone who was on the wrong path. Now you have seen, as an outsider, that he was rude and formed an opinion. How we have complicated things. We have no right to say anything about other people because you don’t know what was the intention of that person, why he behaved rudely, what happened just before he spoke to you, etc. And that is what creates the whole problem in the world and that is what gossip means. You don’t even reach the truth.

To reach the truth, you have to put in a lot of effort and hard work. The truth doesn’t just appear in front of us. There is a statement in the scriptures that Satya is hiding behind a golden veil. This veil has to be removed to see the truth. This veil represents attractions, likes, dislikes, opinions, etc.

Throughout the day we are speaking untruth. In day to day management, what should be done? Firstly, do not speak unless someone asks you someone. Speaking unnecessarily leads to untruth. Even when answering, be truthful. Giving your opinion is untruth. Every action we do has to be re-payed. It is better to keep busy in your own work and practice Ahimsa. Don’t get hurt, don’t hurt others. Don’t speak your opinion, but convey things the way they are.

For example, you may not like the Kailash flower. So you will say, these flowers do not look good here, use roses. But others may like it. This is how we go about in life. We don’t understand what truth means. Truth doesn’t mean your opinion. It is the scientific way of putting across the facts. What matters is your intention behind what you do. When you marry, you decide to live and do certain things together as one. But what happens later is that you try to change each other. You must accept people as they are. Working together is out of the question. A simple relationship gets so complicated because of this.

A student of ours was a business man and he used to evade tax. One day he decided to file all the correct returns and pay the taxes and felt very relieved. The point is, to think before doing anything and do it with the right intention. It is not necessary that speaking the truth may hurt someone. There are ways of putting it across. Even a simple thing like wishing someone a good morning, should be heartfelt. Speaking less is always better and avoid gossip. Families are destroyed with gossip and so we must never resort to it. So let’s work hard.”

– Smt. Hansaji J. YogendraSatsang is an open meeting held every Sunday from 9:30 to 10:30 am at The Yoga Institute, Santacruz East, Mumbai. It involves an interesting presentation to the public, made by the students of the Teacher Training Course. Each week, a new presentation of a Yogic concept is made in a simple way through skits and decoration for the general public, followed by a short speech from our Gurus, Dr. Jayadeva and Smt. Hansaji Yogendra.