This chapter is the English translation of Gujarati Book
               Title   -  Sadhak and Sathi
               Author  -  Shri Atmanandji (Dr. Soneji)



                          CHAPTER - 22

                          TRUTHFULNESS

                         (SATYA-NISHTHA)


      BACKGROUND:

      Truth is what is genuinely true.  One who has full faith in this
      truth, one who accepts it, is a truthful person and his best
      feeling is truthfulness.

      GENERAL NATURE OF TRUTH:

      The conventional meaning of truth is well-known to the society.
      An object visioned or known at a specific time, in a specific
      manner, under specific circumstances is true at that time, in
      that manner and under those circumstances.  To illustrate,
      "India won independence on 15th August in 1947.  My average
      yearly income is eighty-five hundred Rupees or (fifty dollars).
      The idol of Bahubali Swami, in the village Shravanabelgola
      situated in the Karnataka State is fifty-seven feet in height."
      These are conventional truths or factual information.

      Now, the practice of truth in the day-to-day events of one's
      life or in all other matters is the cherished goal of an
      aspirant.  One who is successful in this type of practice is
      conventionally recognized as a truthful person in society.  This
      is all about conventional truth.

      ATTAINMENT OF ABSOLUTE TRUTH:

      Let us now turn to absolute truth, which dominates in the true
      spiritual progress (Sadhana).  However, it is based on
      conventional truth.  The ultimate aim of spiritual Sadhana is
      realization of one's true self.  This true self is revealed in
      direct proportion to destruction of the amount of bondage to
      Karmas, and this in turn, is achieved by removing the two main
      causes of bondage to Karma:  (a) lack of self-knowledge and (b)
      lack of self-control.  Let us now examine, how this could be
      accomplished.

      The way to self-purification is self-knowledge, and the way to
      self-knowledge, is through contemplation of the self.  In order
      to be able to practice self-contemplation, the non-self
      contemplation should be curtailed.  It is difficult to turn the
      flow of our thoughts inwards to our Soul (Atma), while we remain
      engrossed in the outward objects of the world and believe them
      to be true.

      One should therefore have the clear conviction that only one's
      own pure Soul is truth and immortal all other objects in the
      world are destructible and momentary.  The latter are thus
      unreal when looked at from the salvation point of view.  The
      aspirant (Sadhaka), who knows, believes and adores this fact,
      verily realizes the absolute Truth in stages.  Thus the reward
      of the practice of truthfulness is self-knowledge and
      self-realization.

      Persons desirous of attaining to absolute Truth should consider,
      to their advantage, that perfect truth is attained to by
      developing a sense of relative vision.  This is because all
      objects in the universe are multifaceted in their basic nature.
      It is essential therefore, to develop multi-faceted vision of
      any object.

      To illustrate, describing an elephant as like a wall, a wooden
      pestle, a pillar, a rope, or winnowing basket is true, from the
      points of view of its back, trunk, foot, tail and ear
      respectively.  However, if we mistake the part as to be the
      whole, our knowledge regarding the elephant remains partial,
      imperfect and therefore defective.  This principle applies to
      all other forms of knowledge also.

      If we want to accomplish perfect and authentic knowledge about
      any object or topic we should think over it from several points
      of view.  One should apply at any particular time, a viewpoint
      by adopting which purity of the self gets enhanced while other
      points of view should be made subsidiary to it.  In the absence
      of the application of such well-planned multi-faceted knowledge,
      only unilateral and imperfect knowledge would be accomplished,
      which is naturally defective.

      It is therefore necessary that those Sadhakas who desire to
      follow in essence the path of eternal bliss and perfect
      knowledge, should adopt the principle of multiplicity view
      (Anekanta-vada) or understanding the objects in various facets
      and obtain comprehensive knowledge by combining all viewpoints.

      Learned Acharyas have propounded that the essence of an object
      is its true nature and further, it is only when we understand
      this essential nature that our knowledge of that object becomes
      true.  We all, therefore, should strive to realize the self
      through attainment of truth.

      GLORY OF TRUTH:

      1. There is no enlightenment in life like knowledge; no
         austerity like truth; no sorrow like attachment to worldly
         objects; and no happiness like renunciation.

      2. Truth is only truth; it is eternal and unified, However, it
         seems to be diversified only because of one's imagination and
         the lack of genuine knowledge and true faith.

      3. True religion always comprises truthfulness.  Untruth can
         never become a religion (Dharma).  Dharma gets concealed and
         covered up in all those instances, where untrue presumptions
         prevail.

      4. He, who really conceives Truth, and acts up to it by mind,
         speech and body, beholds the Divine.  Through Truth, once can
         attain clairvoyance or even omniscience and get liberation.

      5. Truth by itself is illumination.  Being self-luminous in
         nature, it cannot be hidden, like a shining lamp.  Truth is
         therefore beyond all concealment.

      6. He, whose way of life is well-established in truthfulness,
         for him truth is not a matter of prescription or prohibition
         but a way of life.

      7. Let the truth be woven in life, so that one may experience
         peace, and fearlessness.  Truthfulness also usually bestows
         upon the person, wide-spread respect, trust worthiness and
         veneration.  One can be successful in achieving self-control,
         austerity and other spiritual practices by truth.  People
         with due discrimination, never give up Truth even at the cost
         of their lives.


      LIVING EXAMPLES OF TRUTHFULNESS:

      [1]

      Pal Chowdhary was a social leader and businessman in Bengal who
      lived in the nineteenth century.  He was famed for his great
      honesty and several philanthropic works.  He was the follower of
      Lord Shri Krishna

      Once he bargained a sale of salt to a man who left a certain
      amount as a deposit with him.  The man did not return in time to
      buy the salt because of some difficulty and did not even come
      for his deposit.  Meanwhile, due to not enough supply of the
      salt, the price of salt shot up very high.

      After some time Pal Chowdhary sold the salt purchased by that
      man and credited the amount of the profit of that quantity of
      salt in the account of that person and handed over the amount to
      him when he eventually returned.

      Another was a transaction of rice with an Englishman.  The
      transaction was just oral and the quantity was also not fixed.
      The price of rice tripled after the transaction.  Pal Chowdhary
      called the man to take the delivery of rice from his storage.
      When a few bags of rice had been loaded, that Englishman said,
      "Brother, this is enough for me.  My steamer will sink if I take
      excessive advantage of the truthfulness of a pious religious man
      like you."

      These examples show that Pal Chowdhary had devoted his whole
      life to truthfulness and keeping his word.

      [2]

      In the nineteenth century, Calcutta University was a
      a famous university for advanced degree and students from all
      parts of the country, came to receive their education.

      One of the rules for admission to this university was that the
      student must have reached the minimum age of sixteen years at
      the time of admission.

      A new student who was only fourteen years old, wrote sixteen
      years his age in the admission form as all the other students
      were doing.  He did not know the rule.  During his first year,
      at the University he came to know about the rule and realized
      his mistake.

      He felt deeply sorry for his false statement, approached the
      principal of his college and made a confession.  He was told
      that now the mistake could not be corrected.  He approached the
      Registrar of the University and received the same reply.  What
      was to be done now?  How to get his mistake corrected?  As a
      punishment for giving false statement, he discontinued his
      University education for two years!  This student was Shree
      Ashvinikumar Dutt, who turned out later as a great
      educationalist in the state of Bengal.

      [3]

      It was the year 1814, when landlords were very powerful in
      Bengal.  In a small village of Hoogli district, there was a
      landlord named Ramanand Rai.  He was a liar, proud, unjust, and
      utterly selfish.  He had monopolized power in his own hands and
      would act only at his own will.

      Once he had a conflict with an ordinary man.  The landlord
      decided to assert his power and therefore raised a false
      allegation against him and he needed somebody as a witness.

      A person named Khudiram lived in this village.  He was a
      truthful and he loved justice.  The landlord thought this man
      would give evidence in his favor.  He approached him and said,
      "I hope you will come to the court and give evidence in my
      favor."

      Khudiram replied, "I always state what is true." The landlord
      said, "No, you have to state in the court, just what I say."

      Khudiram did not agree.

      This enraged the landlord so much that he decided to take
      revenge on him.  He snatched away his vast land within six
      months and auctioned his house.  Ultimately, Khudiram was forced
      to leave his native village and had to settle down in a village
      called Kamarapuker.

      Khudiram stuck to truth and had to give up land, house, wealth,
      prestige, and native place.  He became pious, religious, devoted
      to God, and led a very simple life then.

      This Khudiram was the father of the famous saint Shree
      Ramakrishna Paramhans.