Truth is more than words
Mahabharata lays a great stress on truth. In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma tells Yudhishthira:
Satyeshu yatitavyam vah satyam hi param balam|
Exert in truth, for truth is the greatest force.
Mahabharata also repeatedly stresses that the nature of truth is very complex and exceedingly difficult to grasp. We may think that speaking the truth and refraining from uttering lies may count as following the truth, but this may not always be enough.
In the Battle of Kurukshetra, Guru Dronacharya was fighting on the side of the Kauravas. He was an expert in warfare who had taught both Kauravas and Pandavas. In the war, he proved unconquerable. A plan was hatched by Sri Krishna, according to which Bhima shouted in Drona’s hearing, “Asvatthama is dead.” This was technically true because earlier Bhima had killed an elephant called Asvatthama from his own army. Drona loved his son Asvatthama dearly and had confidence in his prowess. He refused to believe it until he heard it from Yudhishthira, who was known to always speak the truth. Yudhishthira repeated “Asvatthama is dead,” loudly, and added “It was Asvatthama the elephant” in a whisper that Drona could not hear in the din of the war. Drona believed it. Stunned, he laid down his arms and sat down in his chariot with his eyes closed. When he was grieving like this, Dhrishtadyumna rushed at him, seized him by his hair, and cut his head off with his sword. Arjuna, though aware of the plan, rushed to save his guru but he was too late.
The words spoken by Bhima and Yudhishthira were true and yet they cannot be called the truth. They knowingly and deliberately misled Drona. Their words were designed to cleverly serve the purpose of a lie, without being an outright lie. Mahabharata immediately and clearly denounces this act.
Arjuna called Yudhishthira “a mean despicable liar,” one who was “a hypocrite in the garb of a truth-speaking person.” Divine judgement also denounces Yudhishthira’s “technical truth-speaking.” His chariot which used to ride a little above the ground now touched it. For his act, he later also had to spend time in hell. His words also had other severe repercussions at the end of the war. Asvatthama, who was one of the few survivors from the Kaurava army, brutally killed Dhrishtadyumna to avenge his father’s killing. He also killed all of Draupadi’s sons. Truth is not limited to the truthfulness or falsehood of the words spoken but also extends to the manner of speaking the words and the intention behind speaking them. If all of them confirm to the ideals of truth, only then can it be called a complete truth.
Epics for Children
Gaurav Yadav