IS TRUTH JUST WORDS?

TRUTHFULNESS BEYOND WORDS

The following post was made on February 25, 2015 at 6:48
am to add to yesterdays discussion about unpleasant truths,
the teachings of the eternal (Sanatana) dharma and the Bill
Cosby accusations.

Vj Laxmanan 2 mins (as of 6:50 am on 2/25/2015)

SATYAM AND ANRUTAM

In the famous sloka about Sanatana dharma (see matrix presentation in
yesterday's post, 2/24/2015), we encounter the words satyam (which means
truth) and the word anrutam which is the opposite, which I had translated as
untruth. Is Na Anrutam (double negation) the same as Satyam?

l
ll ( = + )
Satyam brooyaat priyam brooyaat na brooyaat satyam apriyam l
Priyam ca naanrutam brooyaat esha dharmah sanaatanahaa ll
The word anrutam ( = + ) is actually the opposite of rutam (the
"ru" is pronounced as in "rishi" and Hrusheekesha). There is a famous mantra
from the Rig Veda, given below, which has both rutam and satyam. This
mantra is also part of the Mahanarayana Upanishad and the daily Sandhya
vandanam namaskara mantras,

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 l
ll
Rutam (or ritam) satyam param Brahma Purusham Krishna pingalam l
Oordhva-retam Viruupaaksham Vishwaroopaaya vai namo namahaa ll
So, now the question arises what is the difference between rutam (or ritam)
and satyam and can we just translate anrutam (anritam) as untruth and be
done with. Actually, the significance of rutam (ritam) is much deeper.
What exactly do we mean by "the truth" or "satyam"?
If you think about it, we are referring to something that is spoken, the words
used to express ourselves. Is that all there is to being "truthful"? What about
our thoughts and our actions? Is there anything in our thoughts and actions, if
not words, that may be lacking. Actually, there are many verses that talk about
what is known as "manasikam", of the mind or manas, as opposed to
vaachikam, or kayam, which has to do with the speech, or bodily actions. At
the start of our prayers, the priest will usually ask us to chant the following
sloka, or mantra, as a self-purificatory gesture.

l
ll
ll
Maanasam vaachikam paapam karmaNaa yat samupaarjitam l
Shree Raama smaraNenaiva vyapohati na samshayahaa ll
Shree Raam Raam Raam ll
We say the above and then follow it with utterring the name of the Lord,
Raama, three times. The verse means that all our accumulated sins, be they
committed by words, or our thoughts (maanasam) and actions (karmaNaa),
are instantly eradicated when we think of the Lord as Raama. This is
reinforced by utterring the naama three times.
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Thus, the difference between ritam (or rutam) and satyam is the difference
between our words and our thoughts and actions. Sometimes we lie with our
words. But more often we lie not with words but with our thoughts and
actions. We promise to do something, with words, and then do NOT follow it
up with our actions. We say one thing, with words, while thinking just the
opposite in our minds and almost negating ourselves as we speak. We know
that we do not mean what we say.
This is the domain of "ritam" and so anrutam, or anritam, in the Sanatana
dharma statement is a very powerful one. The prohibition against pleasant
lies extends to all our words, thoughts, and actions, that are superficially
pleasant but which are not meant to be. They are convenient escapes from the
"evil" or the "paapam" that lies hidden within us.
Well, I did find one discussion that supports the above distinction between
ritam (or rutam) and satyam. Here's the link. http://www.advaitavedanta.org//adv/1998-April/008376.html
Hari Bol! Govinda Govindaa!! Om Namo NaraayaNaaya !!!

Brahman and Ritam

advaita-vedanta.org

Vj Laxmanan Here's one more discussion

https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index...

Ritham Sathyam ParamBrahma Purusham Krishna Pingalam,...

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in.answers.yahoo.com
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BILL COSBY AND THE SANAATANA DHARMA MATRIX

The following is a pictorial representation of the famous Sanskrit sloka, considered
to be the essence of Vedic dharma, and highlighted by Kanchi Mahaperiyavaa (the
sage of Kanchi) in one of his discourses (see Daivatthin kural).

SATYAM BROOYAAT
PRIYAM BROOYAAT
Truth

Untruth

Pleasant

YES

NO

Unpleasant

NO

l
ll ( )
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Satyam brooyaat priyam brooyaat na brooyaat sataym apriyam l

Priyam ca naanurtam brooyaat esha dharmah sanaatanahaa ll (na anrutam)
Speak the truth, speak the pleasant, do not speak the unpleasant truth
Do not also speak the pleasant untruth (anrutam)
This is the eternal dharma.
We must be truthful. But we also have a duty to be pleasant. We cannot
be truthful and unpleasant. Truthfulness at the cost of being pleasant is
NOT a virtue. Nor can we be pleasant and untruthful. The latter two
conducts are prohibited by the scriptures (Sanatana dharma, or the
eternal dharma) but are rarely understood and, upon reflection, will be
seen to be at the very root of many personal, social, and political
problems that we see around us.
Here's the link to a recent article on the accusations made against Bill Cosby.
http://www.cnn.com//celebrity/bill-cosby-future/index.html
If every accuser had followed this teaching, we would not be where we are.
There is nothing really for Mr. Cosby to do ANYMORE. There is no reputation
to defend. He should just make peace with His God and be done with. If the
accusations are true and he wishes to confess publicly that is his choice. If not
take it to his grave and let the Lord decide.
Let the immortal verses of the Gita, chapter 9, verses 30 and 31, be the guide.
Even the greatest sinner is redeemed, says Krishna in these two verses,
once that person surrenders and starts worshipping Me. That Me can be
Jesus, or Allah, or Jehovah, or Buddha. The results are the same.
P. S, We do not know the truth. We also do NOT have to seek the truth in this case. If this ends up in
court, which is highly unlikely, that is a different matter. Then it is up to the judge and jury. But, in the
interim, everybody else needs to just shut up and let Mr. Cosby deal with whatever he has been dealt
with.
How will we remember Bill Cosby? - CNN.com
It's as if the other Bill Cosby never existed. The admired Cosby of many years has been almost forgotten
amid the allegations against him.
cnn.com|By By Todd Leopold, CNN

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The above was posted on my Facebook page (in OurGitagroup) on

February 24, 2015.
RECENT ACTIVITY

Vj Laxmanan
2 hrs Edited (as of 3:00 PM, 2/24/2015)

THE SANAATANA DHARMA MATRIX

This is a pictorial representation of the famous Sanskrit sloka, considered to be the essence of
Vedic dharma, and highlighted by Kanchi Mahaperiyavaa (the sage of Kanchi) in one of his
discourses (see Daivatthin kural).

Sudha Sekhar and Satyavani Kakarla like this.

Page 6 of 8

Vj Laxmanan This was prompted by the discussion in another post today about "How will we
remember Bill Cosby?".

Vj Laxmanan 3 hrs Edited (Posted at 12:00 noon on 2/24/2015)

TILL MY EARS TURN SOUR

In Tamil there is a saying which is mentioned when you get tired of hearing the same thing over
and over and over and over again. They say "till the ears turn sour". In Marathi also, we say the
same, "kaan pikle - the ears have turned sour." So, it is with the following saying, or the Sanskrit
verse, which describes the eternal (sanatana) dharma. I am sure many of your ears have turned
sour after my posts on this topic. Nonetheless, it popped again in my memory after I read, "How
will we remember Bill Cosy?"
For all that happened, and for all that is still to happen, there is only one teaching to follow - the
teachings of sanatana dharma. Here it is

l
ll ( )
Satyam brooyaat priyam brooyaat na brooyaat sataym apriyam l
Priyam ca naanurtam brooyaat esha dharmah sanaatanahaa ll (na anrutam)
Speak the truth, speak the pleasant, do not speak the unpleasant truth
Do not also speak the pleasant untruth (anrutam)
This is the eternal dharma
Here's the Bill Cosby article again. http://www.cnn.com//celebrity/bill-cosbyfuture/index.html
If every accuser had followed this teaching, we would not be where we are. There is nothing
really for Mr. Cosby to do ANYMORE. There is no reputation to defend - not anymore whatever was there is ALL GONE. He should just make peace with His God and be done with. If
the accusations are true and he wishes to confess publicly that is his choice. If not take it to his
grave and let the Lord decide.
Let the immortal verses of the Gita, chapter 9, verses 30 and 31, be the guide. Even the greatest
sinner is redeemed, says Krishna in these two verses, once that person surrenders and starts
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worshipping Me. That Me can be Jesus, or Allah, or Jehovah, or Buddha. The results are the
same.
P. S, We do not know the truth. We also do NOT have to seek the truth in this case. If this ends
up in court, which is highly unlikely, that is a different matter. Then it is up to the judge and jury.
But, in the interim, everybody else needs to just shut up and let Mr. Cosby deal with whatever he
has been dealt with.
How will we remember Bill Cosby? - CNN.com
It's as if the other Bill Cosby never existed. The admired Cosby of many years has been almost forgotten
amid the allegations against him.
cnn.com|By By Todd Leopold, CNN
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