In the Sanskrit word for truth is Satya.
Satya, Truth, is one of these words that either gives you joy or you try to dodge.
When you decide that you want alignment with yourself and the world around you above everything else, you’ll hold truth as a primary principle in your life.
When you want the world around you, including your relationships, to carry a connectivity that truth engenders, you align your actions with satya.
It's not that in the name of truth you should walk around blurting out whatever comes into your head.
No.
It's that in your commitment to aligning with the highest Self, you recognize that that includes not tying up your pranawith labyrinthine falsity.
In your quest for deeper connection with self, you come to realize that that commitment of being genuine also extends to others, as well as to yourself.
Holding to truth becomes an invitation to greater connection because in speaking what’s true, you let others know how you feel, and what's true for you. In other words, you let them know who you really are.
This telling the truth then becomes a way to create greater connection.
Truth doesn't need to be synonymous with bad-ass-ery or anything like that. It's simply a dedication to being who you really are, and holding to the truth in all situations means to not lose sight of that for anybody or any reason.
A Key Yogic Practice
The Manusmrti (also called the Mānava Dharmaśāstra) advises us to share the truth.
It says, satyam brūyāt, speak the truth. But it also gives instruction on how to share truth. It says, priyam brūyāt, speak the sweet truth. Then it advises na brūyāt satyam apriyam, if you can't speak the sweet truth then don't speak the truth at all.
The question that lingers for anyone reading this verse is: What does the "sweet truth” mean? And what do I do if I'm pissed? Shouldn't I tell someone that they've upset me? Isn't it important to share the truth even when it isn’t sweet? Why should truth always have to be sweet?
To that my answer will be that you need to understand what the “sweet truth” is. In the Manusmrti.
“Sweet Truth” is the kind truth.
What the Manusmrti is saying, from the yogic viewpoint, holding to truth is important, and that we must grow ourselves to be capable of communicating what is true for us it in a kind way.
The verse finishes with esha dharmah sanātanah, which says, this is the eternal law.
An eternal law can't be changed, it is a profound truth, an unshakeable reality.
The reality is that holding to truth is key to living a yogic life and communicating that truth in a kind manner is a reflection of your yogic maturity.
The Manusmrti reminds us to make a practice of committing to truth and to express that in a way that is both authentic to us and that holds the humanity of the other in hand, thus communicating in a kind manner.
When we read “speak the sweet truth,” we don't have to make -isms out of it. We can receive this wisdom as a guideline.
There may be times in your life when you don't want to prioritize this manner of engaging with truth, but you'd have to admit that those times will be few and far between. In general, what the Manusmrti says, will be the golden rule.
Think of this as a general guideline in how to live a healthy and peaceful life, to communicate and stand in what is true.
When life gets complicated, it's precisely then that you want to be brave and clarify what the truth actually is for yourself, and then with as much kindness as you can muster, be brave and share that truth.
Sending You My Best,
Manorama
