29. Truth Makes You Fly

A lie, however skillfully dressed up cosmetically, is not the truth. We distort facts to make them appear as the truth and we state facts with many connotations.

A small story:

In the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, during the 18-day war, General Drona was causing havoc in the Pandava army.

Krishna knew that Drona could not be removed as long as he concentrated well on the war. The only way to weaken his concentration was to talk disturbingly about his son Ashwattama. Drona was not attached to anything or anyone except his son.

Krishna had a simple strategy. On the battlefield, Krishna wanted someone to tell Drona that his son was dead. Krishna was aware that Drona would not easily believe that his son was dead. So he decided that Yudhishtira, the eldest Pandava prince, known never to speak a lie, would be the best person to announce Ashwattama's death.

Yudhishtira was truthful and known as the King of Righteousness; he had never uttered a lie. Krishna asked Yudhishtira to lie to Drona. Yudhishtira said, 'No! Aswattama is alive. I cannot lie.'

Krishna said, 'Your brother Bhima will kill an elephant named Ashwattama. You tell Drona that Ashwattama, the elephant, died. As you utter the words, 'the elephant', I shall blow my conch and drown your words. You won't be lying, and the job will be done.'

Yudhishtira agreed hesitatingly. He did as Krishna told him to. The conch was blown exactly at the right moment and Drona fell prey to the plan. He laid down his arms and was killed by the Pandava warriors.

It is said that Yudhishtira used to walk above the earth, free from its bondage, because of his truthful nature. Even the chariot he rode did not tread the ground. Now, this is not to be taken literally. When we are in ecstasy, in bliss, we feel weightless, as if we were flying.

Physically, Yudhishtira walked on the ground but he felt so light, as if he were flying because of his virtuous nature. It is a feeling of total consciousness, of being beyond boundaries.

The moment Yudhishtira uttered the fact about Ashwattama's death, it is said that his feet touched the earth. His chariot, which had flown above the ground until then, touched the ground.

Yudhishtira lost the state of being beyond boundaries and steeped in consciousness, when he touched the ground. His honesty and truth were lost.

In this story, Krishna, the Lord and master, was the master planner and so whatever happened can never be condemned.

What is illustrated through this story is the power of speaking the Truth; the state of Yudhishtira as the one who never spoke a lie. This is what is illustrated through this.

Speak the truth without dressing it up. Say it gently, softly, and in a manner that it does not hurt the other person. Speak the truth every time. It is profound. When you do this without wavering from it, you will be rewarded in the ultimate possible way in your life.