Truth is a lamp. Truth is a force. It is God as well. Man always wishes to be away from darkness. Truth is the lamp that lights the path of man so that he can emerge from the darkness of falsehood. It is the force that leads a man to light. Darkness starts vanishing even before the sun appears in the horizon. Similarly falsehood vanishes when truth as the sun appears on the firmament of the heart of the person who has taken a vow to speak the truth alone. Just as darkness flees the sun, falsity flees truth.
Do you know what truth is? Truth is to convey exactly what one hears or sees. Nothing should be twisted or exaggerated. If you wish to be a worthy and respected person, never resort to falsehood. One should never lie to cover up a mistake. Everyone commits a mistake at some point in life; but to own up to that mistake rather than covering it up shows great strength of character.
A lie leads to more lies. What will one achieve if we cover up a fault by telling a lie? Nothing. On the other hand one might have to lie again to cover up that lie. And then it becomes a habit and we start lying more and more. If one implicate someone falsely also, the lie would be doubled. Then people start losing faith in us.
However, speaking the truth according to ones conscience keeps us happy. One who adheres to truth would never experience sorrow or regret. One who speaks the truth always is dauntless whereas one who lies lives with the constant fear of his lies coming to light. One who speaks the truth has an extraordinary radiance about him; and the faith and confidence that others have in him keep abounding. We know that all the relations in this world – whether personal or business – depend on mutual trust. One who speaks the truth gains the confidence and trust of everyone, gaining a lot more in the process. His truthfulness makes people respect him and none of his tasks is ever hindered.
I am sure we all know the story of the shepherd who lied. Sometimes he played a prank when he took his herd for grazing. For sheer fun, he would shout, “Help, help! A wolf is coming. Save me!” Peasants working in fields would quickly run to his rescue, only to find out that he had been lying out of mischief. This happened many times. When a wolf did come, the shepherd raised an alarm, but no one came to his rescue, thinking it was his usual prank. They took his truth for a lie. The wolf struck the shepherd and he lost his life.
I think we do understood the moral enshrined in this story – that a lie might serve a momentary purpose or temporary entertainment. But one does not gain anything out of a lie. A lie and pleasure born out of it are short-lived whereas truth is eternal. Truth is God personified and one who adheres to truth is never afraid of anything.