Conscience, Truth & Falsehood

Conscience: An Obligation to Truth 

We all have a conscience, an inner voice that will not leave us alone. Our conscience is the motivating force that comes as an unrelenting thought and reflects the truthfulness and honesty of our actions. It reminds us of our relationship with ourselves. Of course, there are many times when we are tempted to cheat and carry on as we please but, inevitably, we are unable to deny the truth and must accept responsibility for our actions. By listening to our conscience and following our intuition we can be at peace.

Intuition is an instinctive knowing that what we have thought and felt is absolute and correct. Our experiences of pleasure and pain, joy and suffering, are all relative to our ability to listen to our conscience and to follow our intuitive instinct which tells us that we have no choice. We must act according to our conscience.

Common sense is the conscience within all of us. Truth and honesty in our relationships with each other and with ourselves leads to fulfilment and contentment in life. The correct use of common sense is dharma. Following the path of dharma maintains faith and trust in ourselves and others.

The whole of humanity is confused in a mixture of self-afflicted fears, faithlessness and a lack of integrity in their conscience, i.e. common sense of dharma. A real commitment is required and cannot be avoided. Commitment is an inner relationship between spirit and that part of us that is knowing of spirit. It is awareness that allows us to view this relationship. You cannot separate awareness from spirit; the two are inseparable in exactly the same way as sugar and sweetness are inseparable. Spirit and I (awareness) are one and it is the conscience that reflects the reality of spirit. Awareness of our conscience combined with the intuitive instinct is a recognition of spiritual existence. The awareness is consciousness looking back on itself.

Consciousness (shiva) in action (shakti) is spirit. Consciousness is the essence of being (existence). It is an absolute reality, formless and beyond description, yet evident and undeniably real. When consciousness acts then spiritual life exists. Spirit is all pervading, do not think of it as a separate thing. Spirit has by its very nature of existence generated a field of activity, an arena of consciousness in action. This vibrational activity is known as mind.

Mind is the interactive playground of consciousness. It is an inexhaustible matrix of chitta (mind stuff), a weave of impressions, patterns of movement and formula jumbled into active and interactive thinking. The brain is a functional apparatus that can receive, store and transmit chitta. This is why we become confused. We are under the impression that the mind, thinking and awareness is trapped within the brain and that it is a product of the brain's activity. It is a natural phenomenon and in yoga this phenomenon is known as maya. However, the truth is that the whole of creation, everything known and unknown, visible and invisible, is a reservoir of consciousness. We are a product of mind and in an effort to reach a point where consciousness can interact with itself, the world of object has evolved

From The Mahabharata, Santi Parva;

Truth : 

Yudhishthira said: Brahmanas and Rishis and Pitris and the gods all applaud the duty of truth. I desire to hear of truth. Discourse to me upon it, O grandsire! What are the indications, O king, of truth? How may it be acquired? What is gained by practising truth, and how? Tell me all this.

Bhishma said: A confusion of the duties of the four orders is never applauded. That which is called Truth always exists in a pure and unmingled state in every one of those four orders. With those that are good, Truth is always a duty. Indeed, Truth is an eternal duty. One should reverentially bow unto Truth. Truth is the highest refuge (of all). Truth is duty; Truth is penance; Truth is Yoga; and Truth is the eternal Brahman. Truth has been said to be Sacrifice of a higher order. Everything rests upon Truth. I shall now tell thee the forms of Truths one after another, and its indications also in due order. It behoveth thee to hear also as to how Truth may be acquired.

Truth, O Bharata, as it exists in all the world, is of thirteen kinds. The forms that Truth assumes are impartiality, self-control, forgiveness, modesty, endurance, goodness, renunciation, contemplation, dignity, fortitude, compassion, and abstention from injury. These, O great monarch, are the thirteen forms of Truth. Truth is immutable, eternal, and unchangeable. It may be acquired through practices which do not militate against any of the other virtues. It may also be acquired through Yoga. When desire and aversion, as also lust and wrath, are destroyed, that attribute in consequence of which one is able to look upon one’s own self and one’s foe, upon one’s good and one’s evil, with an unchanging eye, is called impartiality.

Self control consists in never wishing for another man’s possessions, in gravity and patience and capacity to allay the fears of others in respect of one’s own self, and immunity from disease. It may be acquired through knowledge. Devotion to the practice of liberality and the observance of all duties are regarded by the wise as constituting goodwill. One comes to acquire universal goodwill by constant devotion to Truth.

As regards non-forgiveness and forgiveness, it should be stated that the attribute through which an esteemed and good man endures both what is agreeable and disagreeable, is said to be forgiveness. This virtue may well be acquired through the practice of truthfulness.

That virtue, in consequence of which an intelligent man, contented in mind and speech, achieves many good deeds and never incurs the censure of others, is called modesty. It is acquired through the aid of righteousness. That virtue which forgives for the sake of virtue and profit is called endurance. It is a form of forgiveness. It is acquired through patience, and its purpose is to attach people to one’s self. The casting off of affection as also of all earthly possessions, is called renunciation. Renunciation can never be acquired except by one who is divested of anger and malice.

That virtue in consequence of which one does good, with watchfulness and care, to all creatures is called goodness. It has no particular shape and consists in the divestment of all selfish attachments. That virtue owing to which one remains unchanged in happiness and misery is called fortitude. That wise man who desires his own good always practises this virtue. One should always practise forgiveness and devotedness to truth. That man of wisdom who succeeds in casting off joy and fear and wrath, succeeds in acquiring fortitude. Abstention from injury as regards all creatures in thought, word and deed, kindness and gift, are the eternal duties of those who are good.

These thirteen attributes, though apparently distinct from one another, have but one and the same form, viz., Truth. All these, O Bharata, support Truth and strengthen it. It is impossible, O monarch, to exhaust the merits of Truth. It is for these reasons that the Brahmanas, the Pitris, and the gods, applaud Truth. There is no duty that is higher than Truth, and no sin more heinous than untruth. Indeed, Truth is the very foundation of righteousness. For this reason, one should never destroy Truth. From Truth proceeds gifts, and sacrifice with presents, as well as the threefold Agnihotras (sacred fire ceremony), the Vedas, and everything else that leads to righteousness. Once upon a time a thousand horse-sacrifices and Truth were weighed against each other in the balance. Truth weighed heavier than a thousand horse-sacrifices.

Truth versus Falsehood:

Yudhishthira said: How, O Bharata, should a person act who desires to adhere to virtue? O bull of Bharat’s race, possessed as thou art of learning, tell me this, questioned by me. Truth and falsehood exist, covering all the worlds. Which of these two O king, should a person adopt that is firm in virtue? What again is truth? What is falsehood? What again, is eternal virtue? On what occasions should a person tell the truth, and what occasions should he tell an untruth?

Bhishma said: To tell the truth is consistent with righteousness. There is nothing higher than truth. I shall now, O Bharata, say unto thee that which is not generally known to men. There where falsehood would assume the aspect of truth, truth should not be said. There, again, where truth would assume the aspect of falsehood, even falsehood should be said. That ignorant person incurs sin who says truth, which is dissociated from righteousness. That person is said to be conversant with duties who can distinguish truth from falsehood. [Note: i.e. who knows when truth becomes as harmful as untruth, and untruth becomes as righteous as truth.]

Even a person that is disrespectable, that is of uncleansed soul, and that is very cruel, may succeed in earning great merit as the hunter Valaka by slaying the blind beast (that threatened to destroy all creatures). [Note:This refers to an episode in Karna Parva.] How extraordinary it is that a person of foolish understanding, though desirous of acquiring merit (by austere penances) still committed a sinful act! [Alludes to Karna Parva. The Rishi, by pointing out the place where certain innocent persons had concealed themselves while flying from a company of robbers, incurred the sin of murder.]

The question thou hast asked me is a difficult one, since it is difficult to say what righteousness is. It is not easy to indicate it. No one in discoursing upon righteousness can indicate it accurately. Righteousness was declared (by Brahman) for the advancement and growth of all creatures. Therefore, that which leads to advancement and growth is righteousness. Righteousness was declared for restraining creatures from injuring one another. Therefore, that is righteousness which prevents injury to creatures. Righteous (Dharma) is so called because it upholds all creatures. In fact, all creatures are upheld by righteousness. Therefore, that is righteousness which is capable of upholding all creatures. Some say that righteousness consists in what has been inculcated in the Srutis (scriptures). Others do not agree to this. I would not censure them that say so. Everything again, has not been laid down in the Srutis.

[Note: This refers to the well-known definition of Dharma ascribed to sage Vasishtha, viz., "That which is laid down in the Srutis and Smritis is Dharma." The defect of this definition is that the Srutis and the Smritis do not include every duty. Hence Vasishtha was obliged to add that where these are silent, the examples and practices of the good ought to be the guides of men, etc.]

Sometimes men (robbers), desirous of obtaining the wealth of some one, make enquiries (for facilitating the act of plunder). One should never answer such enquiries. That is a settled duty. If by maintaining silence, one succeeds in escaping, one should remain silent. If, on the other hand, one’s silence at a time when one must speak rouses suspicion, it would be better on such an occasion to say what is untrue than what is true. This is a settled conclusion. If one can escape from sinful men by even a (false) oath, one may take it without incurring sin. One should not, even if one were able, give away his wealth to sinful men. Wealth given to sinful men afflicts even the giver. If a creditor desires to make his debtor pay off the loan by rendering bodily service, the witnesses would all be liars if summoned by the creditor for establishing the truth of the contract, they did not say what should be said. When life is at risk, or on occasion of marriage, one may say an untruth.

One that seeks for virtue does not commit a sin by saying an untruth, if that untruth were said to save the wealth and prosperity of others or for the religious purposes. Having promised to pay, one becomes bound to fulfil his promise. Upon failure, let the self-appropriator be forcibly enslaved. If a person without fulfilling a righteous engagement acts with impropriety, he should certainly be afflicted with the rod of chastisement for having adopted such behaviour. A deceitful person, falling away from all duties and abandoning those of his own order, always wishes to betake himself to the practices of Asuras (demons) for supporting life. Such a sinful wretch living by deceit should be slain by every means. Such sinful men think that there is nothing in this world higher than wealth. Such men should never be tolerated. No one should eat with them. They should be regarded as fallen down in consequence of their sins. Indeed, fallen away from the condition of humanity and shut out from the grace of the gods, they are even like evil genii.

Without sacrifices and without penances as they are, forbear from their companionship. If their wealth be lost, they commit even suicide which is exceedingly pitiable. Among those sinful there is no one to whom you can say, ‘This is your duty. Let your heart turn to it.’ Their settled convictions are that there is nothing in this world that is equal to wealth. The person that would slay such a creature would incur no sin. He who kills him kills one that has been already killed by his own acts. If slain, it is the dead that is slain. He who vows to destroy those persons of lost senses should keep his vows. Such sinners are, like the crow and the vulture, dependent on deceit for their living. After the dissolution of their (human) bodies, they take rebirth as crows and vultures. One should, in any matter, behave towards another as that other behaves in that matter. He who practises deceit should be resisted with deceit while one that is honest should be treated with honesty.