<p>In today’s society one of the many casualties is the Truth. From petty lies to distortions or blatant falsehoods, the violations are of varying degrees.</p>.<p>Needless to say, this sullies the atmosphere, affects credibility and leaves us with little trust in the words, statements and promises made by people – family, friends, staff, service providers, influencers, and just about everybody whose life touches us.</p>.<p>As the saying goes, we must take everything with a pinch of salt or remember that the truth lies somewhere in between.</p>.<p>With social media dominating our lives, discerning users know who can be counted on to be honest, and the peddlers of all things fake are openly called out. And all this is hard to digest because Satyameva Jayate is the national motto of India.</p>.<p>When untruths are trotted out with ease, it becomes a long-drawn effort to go about establishing the actual facts. </p>.<p>There are people who believe that if a falsehood is repeated often enough, a day will come when that will be accepted as the truth. But we all know that even for the boy who cried wolf, the bluff was eventually called.</p>.<p>Our scriptures too urge us to uphold the truth at all costs – even if it means undergoing hardships or accepting our mistakes. </p>.<p>There is a story in the Mahabharata which runs thus: During their exile in the forest, Arjuna and Draupadi came upon a humongous gooseberry on a tree. Draupadi couldn’t resist plucking it when a sage came by and told her to desist from eating it, as it was meant for Sage Amritra, who was about to break a twelve-year fast.</p>.<p>They were sure to incur his wrath if she gave in to the temptation and ate it.</p>.<p>The Pandavas sought Lord Krishna’s advice, and he said that if each of them made a true confession, the lapse would be forgiven.</p>.<p>Yuddhishtra emphasised the need for truthfulness to flourish; Bheema and Arjuna openly disclosed that they wanted to kill Duryodhana and Karna, respectively; Nakula observed that a man can attain fame by exercising discrimination, while for Sahadev Truth was akin to his mother. Draupadi rued that she was at fault.</p>.<p>Once they had bared their souls, the gooseberry miraculously affixed itself to the tree branch, proving God comes to the rescue of those who uphold the truth even in trying times.</p>
<p>In today’s society one of the many casualties is the Truth. From petty lies to distortions or blatant falsehoods, the violations are of varying degrees.</p>.<p>Needless to say, this sullies the atmosphere, affects credibility and leaves us with little trust in the words, statements and promises made by people – family, friends, staff, service providers, influencers, and just about everybody whose life touches us.</p>.<p>As the saying goes, we must take everything with a pinch of salt or remember that the truth lies somewhere in between.</p>.<p>With social media dominating our lives, discerning users know who can be counted on to be honest, and the peddlers of all things fake are openly called out. And all this is hard to digest because Satyameva Jayate is the national motto of India.</p>.<p>When untruths are trotted out with ease, it becomes a long-drawn effort to go about establishing the actual facts. </p>.<p>There are people who believe that if a falsehood is repeated often enough, a day will come when that will be accepted as the truth. But we all know that even for the boy who cried wolf, the bluff was eventually called.</p>.<p>Our scriptures too urge us to uphold the truth at all costs – even if it means undergoing hardships or accepting our mistakes. </p>.<p>There is a story in the Mahabharata which runs thus: During their exile in the forest, Arjuna and Draupadi came upon a humongous gooseberry on a tree. Draupadi couldn’t resist plucking it when a sage came by and told her to desist from eating it, as it was meant for Sage Amritra, who was about to break a twelve-year fast.</p>.<p>They were sure to incur his wrath if she gave in to the temptation and ate it.</p>.<p>The Pandavas sought Lord Krishna’s advice, and he said that if each of them made a true confession, the lapse would be forgiven.</p>.<p>Yuddhishtra emphasised the need for truthfulness to flourish; Bheema and Arjuna openly disclosed that they wanted to kill Duryodhana and Karna, respectively; Nakula observed that a man can attain fame by exercising discrimination, while for Sahadev Truth was akin to his mother. Draupadi rued that she was at fault.</p>.<p>Once they had bared their souls, the gooseberry miraculously affixed itself to the tree branch, proving God comes to the rescue of those who uphold the truth even in trying times.</p>