Satya: Truthfulness, Honesty
Continuing our exploration of Patanjali’s Yama and Niyama, we delve into Satya, which stands for truthfulness and honesty.
Vyasa, in his commentary on the Yoga Sutras, defines Satya as “speech and thought in conformity with what has been seen or inferred or heard on authority. The speech spoken to convey one’s own experience to others should be neither deceitful, nor inaccurate, nor uninformative. It is that uttered for helping all beings. But that uttered to the harm of beings, even if it is what is called truth, when the ultimate aim is merely to injure beings, would not be truth [satya]. It would be a wrong.”
Shankara elaborates that truthfulness means conveying what we have genuinely come to understand as the truth, mostly through our own experience or through reliable sources. Truthfulness is a high standard for the yogi, demanding constant striving for accuracy.
Taimni highlights the personal and practical aspect of Satya: “Untruthfulness in any form puts us out of harmony with the fundamental law of Truth and creates a mental and emotional strain that prevents us from harmonizing and tranquillizing our mind. Truthfulness must be practiced by the sadhaka because it is essential for the unfoldment of intuition. There is nothing that clouds the intuition and stops its functioning as much as untruthfulness in all its forms.”
For the yogi, bending the truth, either by omission or manipulation, is unacceptable. The Bible warns against turning truth into a lie (Romans 1:25). This can happen by not telling the full truth or presenting it in a misleading way. The same applies to mixing lies with truth. Even in advertising, politics, and religion, partial truths can be deceptive.
Non-verbal forms of lying, such as living a life that does not reflect one’s beliefs, are also significant. Many people claim to believe in spiritual principles but do not live accordingly. Saint John admonished: “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (I John 3:18). Living truthfully means aligning our actions with our words and beliefs.
Honesty in all interactions is a crucial aspect of truthfulness, including financial dealings like paying debts and taxes. The yogi must earn a livelihood through honest and truthful means. Selling unnecessary or frivolous items breaches truthfulness.
Compromising the truth, even slightly, with the excuse that “everyone does it” is not acceptable. The law of karma ensures that every action has consequences. Lying to oneself, others, or even to God, leads to pain and suffering.
Vyasa notes that truthful speech should be informative—worthwhile, relevant, and practical. Mindless babbling and verbal trivia, even if true, do not serve truthfulness. Speaking truth to harm others is not true Satya, as it must extend from Ahimsa (non-harming). For example, telling someone they are ugly is not virtuous. Shankara states, “What is based on injuring others, even though free from the three defects of speech (i.e., not deceitful, nor inaccurate, nor uninformative), does not amount to truth.” The intention must always be to help, not harm.
Silence can also be a form of untruth, especially when dealing with those who hate the truth. If truth is harmful with the intention of injury, it is not Satya. However, if people react negatively to truth, they must take responsibility for their reactions.
Diplomacy, often described as “the fine art of lying,” should not be used as an excuse for deceit. Self-deception must be eliminated to achieve genuine truthfulness.
Shankara advises, “Therefore let one take care that his speech is for the welfare of all.”
