In order to beautify the life, our soul needs many qualities. A quality less life cannot be termed as a human life, rather it is equivalent to an animal’s life. We should adorn our soul by developing qualities like forgiveness, simplicity, gratitude, non-violence, truth, invincibility, candidness etc.

How should a person speak? The wise people/scholars have mentioned four things in this regard.

1. Speak the truth

It means to speak only what is appropriate to be spoken in practice. Do not speak the naked truth, choose your words appropriately. If you address your mother as ‘ my father’s wife’,  then although it is true, but yet it is said to be an offending truth/a naked truth which cannot be stated in this manner. And so, this is not the way to speak a truth on day to day basis.

2. Speak in a way that someone would like to listen to you.

Truth must not be stated in such a manner that person listening to you would become angry, ridiculous or offended. The words which cause anger or offense to someone are disliked words.

Once a king called upon an astrologer to find out about his own life-period. After looking at the longevity of the king’s life, the astrologer said : ‘Dear King! Your life is too long. You will be alive to see the death of seven generations which would come after you’. When the king heard this, he was angry and he ran to kill the astrologer. The agile ministers then brought the situation under control and they called for another good astrologer. The astrologer saw the king’s palm-lines and said: ‘O Dear king ! You are very lucky. You are going to encounter an incredible event in your life and it would be such which would be one of the rarest to find for all. Your seven generations will be able to see you rule … you have such a long longevity in your life. On listening to these words, the king was pleased. He gave nice gifts to the astrologer and made him happy. Although both of the astrologers had mentioned the same thing, yet there was a difference in their manner of speaking which made a difference in the same  situation.

3. Speak for other’s benevolence.

The words that we state should not prove to be harmful, disrespectful for others. It should not be said just for buttering others. If sweet words are used for buttering people, then it can be felt as a good thing for a little time but

if  this type of our behavior causes suffering to someone, then is not called benevolent.

If we would be standing on the road and if we find four deer running away towards the right direction. Then in a few minutes if a hunter comes to the same place and asks us if we have seen the deer passing away from here, then what should we answer? If we insist on blindly speaking the truth, then we will show the hunter the way on which the deer would have gone running. But our such deed would cause significant damage/loss to the deer and also to the hunter. In that case due to our this action, the death of the deer would become certain and also it would  become certain that even the hunter will have to suffer  in the next birth. So, in such a situation, we deliberately need to say that yes, I have just seen four deer running on the left path. In such situations, our words may seem to be false, but still it is right because ultimately they would prove to be beneficial for others.

4. Speak softly and speak less

Even elongated truth is considered ugly/ deformed. Some people have the habit of speaking a lot, more than even needed. Due to this habit, at times the person listening to them gets bored of their talks.

In case, if we get a boil in one part of our body, then we utilize  an  entire tube of ointment at a time, the ointment is applied as per needed. In the same manner we must speak only as per needed. Remember, the one who speaks truth without any specific reason, that person’s truth also is not considered as truth, rather it is considered fake.

There is a proverb in Sanskrit … ‘ अति सर्वत्र वर्जयेत् ‘! [ Always avoid the extreme]

Extreme is not needed at any place.