Satya - To seek and speak the truth

We are on Satya - a Yama which leads to three broad categories of interpretation. We have spoken about the first category, where Satya is to speak the truth unalloyed by any other consideration, in the previous post. This appears too be 'straightjacketed' and also impractical. Satya has to follow the lead of Ahimsa [not hurt anyone], but this approach will lead to the opposite on many occasions. So the proponents of Ahimsa reject the idea of speaking out exactly what is on one's mind and approach Satya in a much more practical way.

In this context there are two words in Sanskrit - Rtam and Satyam. Rtam is absolute truth and Satyam is the spoken truth. The spoken word Satyam is very unique. When one speaks, the words uttered become the property of the listener. The speaker can never retrieve them. The spoken word is a strong weapon which can inflict pain and injure others without bloodshed or obvious violence and can leave a permanent scar. It is called 'vāk vajram' . Thirukkural, a Tamil classic comprising couplets dealing with various facets of life, says that a wound caused by fire may heal without leaving a trace but the scar created by wrong speech will cause permanent damage.

The life story of Sage Patanjali illustrates this concept. The story goes that people prayed to Lord Vishnu, pleading with Him to save them from misery. The Lord took pity on them and sent down Adisesa, the benign snake who serves as His bed, as His emissary to help people out of this misery. Adisesa descended as Sage Patanjali and set about finding out the causes for man's unhappiness. He narrowed the reasons down to three important factors. These were ill-health, disturbed mind and/or mis-communication. This is illustrated in the prayer to Sage Patanjali which starts with "Yogena Cittasya".

A wrong word spoken, an inappropriate tone, speech under wrong circumstances can damage and destroy a relationship built over many years. Hence the idea of speaking truth as it is, is rejected and moderation should certainly be practiced.

How do we define this Satya? Quoting a well known dharmasāstra - Manusmriti the definition is as follows

   1.  Satyam bruyāt priyam bruyāt

   2.  Na bruyāt satyam apriyam

   3.  Priyam cāpi nanrtam bruyāt

Speak the truth that will create goodwill [1].

Do not speak the truth which will create ill-will [2].

Does this imply that we speak untruth? No, says the third line.

For the sake of goodwill do not speak an untruth [3].

So our speech should fall within these three boundaries.

Let us continue our discussions.

Satya - seek and speak the truth

“Satya” is a part of Yama, the first anga or limb of Astāngayoga. It is the second  [ the first being Ahimsa ] of the five Yama-s that are prescribed. The focus of Yama is to improve our relationship with friends, relatives and fellow living beings. Its aim is to establish harmony in our life, harmony with our surroundings. Satya should be understood in this spirit.


Yogasūtra written in sūtra form does not offer much of an explanation. Sage Patanjali just mentions satya without elaboration. This gives rise to a lot of lively discussion and interpretations from different learned authors and practicing yogis. These varied opinions on satya can be classified into three major categories. We will now look at the first of these.


Satya is to speak the truth - nothing but the truth. In this context, what one speaks is in perfect conformity with what one 'understands' as correct, the pramāna. Pramāna is acquired through senses, logical interpretation, words of an authority and/or a combination of these. When such knowledge is acquired or conclusions reached, to communicate this 'as it is' through speech is called 'satya'.


No shades, no tricks, no delusion, no ambiguity or deceit and free from all such defects. - this is glorious speech glowing with satya. Speaking this truth is the prime goal and all consequences that follow must be accepted with equanimity. Situations, compulsions or any other consideration should not be allowed to impact this conviction. 


When one is known to speak the truth at all times, with conviction, his words carry weight and receive respect. In an international cricket match involving India and Australia a dispute arose between two players. The Australian complained about the derogatory comments made by an Indian player who denied the charges. Various players on the scene deposed but finally the Indian was cleared of any wrongdoing. This was because Tendulkar who was on the scene, said that no such derogatory comments had been made. Tendulkar, playing international cricket for the past two decades, has such an impeccable record of honesty and 'truth speaking' that his deposition become the deciding factor. Such is the glory of satya. 


In a scene from Ramayana, an Indian epic, Sita is informed that Ravana, the aggressor king, had captured Hanuman, a messenger from her husband Rama. She is horrified to learn that a cloth has been strung around his tail, dipped in oil and is about to be set on fire. Sita in her anxiety said “the fire will not hurt him or burn him”. Agni, the fire god, duly conformed to her words. Only the cloth got burnt and Hanuman was unharmed. This was because Sita always spoke the truth and therefore Agni was obliged to have her words come true. So when one speaks the truth at all times all the utterrances of such a person come true.


Let us look at one more situation. This is about a man who was completely committed to satya. One day as he was sitting outside his house, which was in a lonely area, he saw a girl running for her life. She ran past his house, turned at the end of the road and disappeared. A few minutes later a group of drunken looking thugs, obviously in pursuit of the girl arrived near his house and seeing him there asked if he had seen which way the girl had gone. The man had many choices to answer, but stuck to his principles and said, “I saw the girl, I know which way she went, but I will not tell you”. He received a sound thrashing from the men and was badly injured. A friend who visited him lamented his foolishness and said, “see what has come of sticking to your principles”. Our friend said, “ By acting as I did, I gave the girl a little more time to make her getaway, and maybe saved her. The beating I received I take as a 'karmic' cleansing. I may be in some pain, but I am the happier for it”.


Such is the glory of  satya. Whether we look at it from a philosophical, mythological or practical view point, truth always triumphs. So let us speak the truth and nothing but the truth.

Does this view appear very extreme? We will look at other interpretations of satya in future  posts.