Guest guest Report post Posted June 12, 2003 Dear Sri Sudharshan, Agreed Yudhistar suppressed the truth (not being truthful) . But my understanding is that such acts are considered being truthful if it leads for a good cause ( in this case lead to victory of Dharma)? adiyen' Lakshmi >>> sampathkumar_2000 06/09/03 12:21am >>> Sir, Wise men of the past tell us that there is a world of a difference between "Being truthful" and "Speaking the truth". WHen the Upanishad says "satyam vada", it means "Be truthful" at all times. This phrase does not mean "Speak the truth". Yudhishtara when he cried out "asvattAmA hatah kunjara:" he was surely "speaking the truth" but was he really "being truthful"? No. He was referring to an elephant called AsvattAma being felled although he knew it was only meant to convey to Drona the false impression that Asvattama, his son, was no more. In Latin there is a saying that "suppressio veri" and "suggestio falsi" are one and the same i.e. one can be untruthful in 2 ways: you can suppress truth as well as suggest falsehood. In both cases one would be violating the real spirit of the Upanishadic dictum "satyam vada..". Trust this clarifies your question. Regards, dAsan, Sudarshan Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook. http://calendar. Sponsor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
