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Not truthful

Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG Chapters 7 - 12

BG 10.4-5, Purport:

Asammoha, freedom from doubt and delusion, can be achieved when one is not hesitant and when he understands the transcendental philosophy. Slowly but surely he becomes free from bewilderment. Nothing should be accepted blindly; everything should be accepted with care and with caution. Kṣamā, tolerance and forgiveness, should be practiced; one should be tolerant and excuse the minor offenses of others. Satyam, truthfulness, means that facts should be presented as they are, for the benefit of others. Facts should not be misrepresented. According to social conventions, it is said that one can speak the truth only when it is palatable to others. But that is not truthfulness. The truth should be spoken in a straightforward way, so that others will understand actually what the facts are. If a man is a thief and if people are warned that he is a thief, that is truth. Although sometimes the truth is unpalatable, one should not refrain from speaking it. Truthfulness demands that the facts be presented as they are for the benefit of others. That is the definition of truth.

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 1

SB 1.17.41, Purport:

The progressive religionists and those who are responsible human beings or those who do not want to spoil their valuable human lives should refrain from all the principles of irreligiosity, especially illicit connection with women. If a brāhmaṇa is not truthful, all his claims as a brāhmaṇa at once become null and void. If a sannyāsī is illicitly connected with women, all his claims as a sannyāsī at once become false. Similarly, if the king and the public leader are unnecessarily proud or habituated to drinking and smoking, certainly they become disqualified to discharge public welfare activities. Truthfulness is the basic principle for all religions. The four leaders of the human society, namely the sannyāsīs, the brāhmaṇa, the king and the public leader, must be tested crucially by their character and qualification. Before one can be accepted as a spiritual or material master of society, he must be tested by the above-mentioned criteria of character.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hyderabad, December 15, 1976:

This is therefore ācāra. Ācārati. Practically you have to behave; then you can preach. Otherwise you cannot become ācārya. Ācārya means one who practices the ācāra and then teaches. He is ācārya. So ācāra. Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyam. Satyam means truthfulness. He is preaching something and doing something. That is not truthfulness. Truthfulness means what you preach, you must do. So these things are lacking in the asuric life, so we have to be careful that we must be very neat and clean. We must behave according to injunction of the śāstra and guru. Then we can get out of the jurisdiction of asuras. Then we can come to the platform of sura, or devatā. Then we can make advance in spiritual life. If you keep yourself in the asuric platform there is no possibility of making advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is warning here. Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate. Asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te jagad āhur anīśvaram (BG 16.8). Because we are rascals, not cleansed, inward, outward... Externally one has to be cleansed.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.16.25 -- Hawaii, January 21, 1974:

Some big politician some years ago, he visited India. You know. He is Mr. Lloyd George, British politician. So he was asked by somebody that "Why you are not truthful?" So he answered that "Truthfulness is the qualification of an ass." He replied like this. Truthfulness, especially in politics, he said, that "In politics, truthfulness is the qualification of an ass." So here the first thing is recommended, satyam, truthfulness. Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). And the biggest politician says, "This is the qualification of an ass." Just see how much opportunity we have got to make spiritual progress. The first beginning is satyam, and our leaders says, "This is the qualification of an ass." So just see our position.

Lecture on SB 1.16.25 -- Hawaii, January 21, 1974:

So anyone who will stop chanting, he will be a victim of māyā. Always remember it. Therefore we insist, "Please do not forget to chant at least sixteen rounds." That is minimum. The maximum is 300,000. (laughter) As Haridāsa Ṭhākura used to do, three hundred..., not impractical. But you, we cannot do that. Even we cannot complete sixteen rounds. We are so unfortunate. But that does not mean because we are unfortunate, we shall give it up. Try, try, try your best. Then life will become perfect.

So satyaṁ śaucaṁ dayā kṣāntis tyāgaḥ santoṣa ārjavam. These are the qualities. Now, these qualities, we have to explain one after another, it will take time. So three qualities: satyam, to become truthful... They say, "This truthful is a qualification of ass." Some big politician some years ago, he visited India. You know. He is Mr. Lloyd George, British politician. So he was asked by somebody that "Why you are not truthful?" So he answered that "Truthfulness is the qualification of an ass." He replied like this. Truthfulness, especially in politics, he said, that "In politics, truthfulness is the qualification of an ass." So here the first thing is recommended, satyam, truthfulness. Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). And the biggest politician says, "This is the qualification of an ass." Just see how much opportunity we have got to make spiritual progress. The first beginning is satyam, and our leaders says, "This is the qualification of an ass." So just see our position.

Lecture on SB 1.16.26-30 -- Hawaii, January 23, 1974:

Cleanliness, always clean, taking thrice bath. Cloth clean, mind clean, body clean, activities clean, desire clean, thinking clean—everything clean. No contamination. This is the test. "I am doing all nasty things, and I am advertising 'I am advanced devotee.' " What rascal you are? You are doing all nonsense and you are advanced? But they have no shame even, to call themselves... Shameless. Shameless, even not gentlemen. Cheating, and still, he is advertising, "I am advanced." But a person who is actually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness or actual... Sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya, tinete koriyā aikya. We have to...

Just like if you go to the chemical laboratory, you are testing the characteristic. In the book there is characteristic, even an ordinary chemical. Now, they say... Take, for example, salt. It is called? Chemical name is sodium chloride. Eh? Sodium chloride. So in the book you'll find sodium chloride, and the characteristics, "It is like this. It is like this. It is like this." The color, the taste, the composition, so many things are there. Similarly... How we are testing the purity of sodium chloride? From the books. Similarly, here is the characteristic of pure devotee. Characteristics. You test whether he's truthful. "He's not truthful, sir." Then he's not pure devotee. He's doing something... He promised before his spiritual master, before the Deity, before the fire, "No illicit sex," but he's having illicit sex. So how he is advanced? How he's advanced? He's not even truthful, the first qualification. He's unclean. Truthfulness. Śaucam, means very clean.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 9, 1968:

We don't speak brāhmaṇa by birth. Brāhmaṇa does not become by birth. Brāhmaṇa is a qualification. That is the injunction of Vedic literatures. The most intelligent man is called brāhmaṇa. And how his intelligence is exhibited? There are twelve qualities. If you find those twelve qualities in any person... It doesn't matter whether it is in India or in Czechoslovakia or anywhere. Simply you have to find out whether that man is qualified. These qualifications are stated in Bhagavad-gītā also: satyam śaucam sam dama titikṣā ārjavam, jñānam vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jaṁ (BG 18.42). If a person is a brāhmaṇa, then his natural qualification will be like this. What is that? Satyam: he is truthful. In any circumstances he will be truthful. Even to an enemy he will disclose the secret, "This is the fact." That is truthfulness, not that I am very truthful, but when my interest is jeopardized, I tell lie. That is not truthfulness. Truthfulness means at any circumstances one will speak the plain truth. That is truthfulness. Satya sama. Satya śaucam. Śaucam, cleanliness. There are two kinds of cleanliness: external and internal. External cleanliness by taking bath with soap and other cleansing material... Of course, in India, the brāhmaṇas, they take... They cleanse themselves externally at least three times a day: in the morning, early in the morning; at noon before taking lunch; and in the evening before going to the temple. Tri-sandhyā. There are so many rules and regulations for becoming cleansed. This is external cleanliness. And there is internal cleanliness. The internal cleanliness is this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ (CC Antya 20.12), cleansing the heart.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:

Śyāmasundara: Individual circumstances should not have any bearing.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Then the basic principles of civilization should be that those who are unable to do it, they should be trained up. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are elevating persons from the lowest level to the highest level. That we are actually doing. So these four classes of men exist, but by education, by training, the lowest class of men can be elevated to the highest class. That is our movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Śyāmasundara: It is true that if there are certain laws, moral commandments, that I should follow them regardless of individual exception? There are no exceptions, regardless...

Prabhupāda: That is brahminical qualification. A brāhmaṇa shall be truthful in all circumstances. Even before his enemy, he will disclose everything, what is truth. That is brahminical qualification, whereas kṣatriya, he is a diplomat. Although he is truthful, but he will not be truthful before his enemy.

Philosophy Discussion on The Evolutionists Thomas Huxley, Henri Bergson, and Samuel Alexander:

Śyāmasundara: So if the majority of the whole world accepted Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he would call that of value.

Prabhupāda: No, the majority may not accept. You see, if you want to sell jewels, a diamond, you cannot get many customers. That is not possible. But still, diamond is diamond. It may not have many customers. It doesn't matter. If there is one customer, that is sufficient. Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca taraḥ sahasrasaḥ. If there is one moon in the sky that is sufficient to dissipate all darkness. There is no need of thousands or millions of stars. So our movement, if anyone, through all men in the world, can understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will do tremendous good to the people. My Guru Mahārāja used to say like that.

Śyāmasundara: So he searched around for those values that are most accepted by the most people and he found they are truth, beauty, and goodness are the three main values. Truth, beauty, and goodness.

Prabhupāda: Well, it is a false proposition. In the material world nobody likes truth. They always want to place untruth, at least in this age. The majority of people are not truthful. As soon as one becomes truthful, he's a brāhmaṇa.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 12, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Why you accuse government? Government is your election.

Dr. Patel: Now she is not going to have any more elections. "Elections are not necessary. People have given me the mandate to rule over them."

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's nice. If the dictator, executive officer, is very nice, religious, then there is no need of this election.

Dr. Patel: Oh, she goes to the temples, all right. (laughs) (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: No, no. She has got the tendency of spiritual life and she requires improvement. That's all. She has spoken in Chandigarh that "Now we require spiritualism." Hm?

Dr. Patel: (Hindi) She is shamming, sir. Shamming. Shamming. She is not truthful to any of her words.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Dr. Patel: She is not truthful to what she says.

Prabhupāda: (break) Any circumstances, they can adjust. (break) Oh, Gaṅgā-sāgara.

Śrīdhara: Yes. That's on the fourteenth, tomorrow.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) ...stand where there is water then they will manage everything. Water must be there.

Page Title:Not truthful
Compiler:Visnu Murti, ChrisF, Lilasara
Created:09 of Apr, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=1, SB=1, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=7, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:10