The Vow of Truth-Raghavan Iyer

There is a story in the gospel, in which a judge inquired, ‘What is truth?’, but got no answer. The holy books of Hindus tell of Harishchandra who sacrificed his all at the altar of Truth and let himself, his wife, and his son be sold to a chandala. (What, by the way, must be the position about untouchability in those early days?) Imam Hassan and Hussein lost their lives for the sake of truth.

The fact remains, however, that the question posed by that judge has not been answered. Harishchandra renounced his all for the sake of the truth as he knew it and so won immortal fame. Imam Hussein gave up his dear life for truth as he understood it. But Harishchandra’s truth and Imam Hussein’s truth may or may not be our truth.

Beyond these limited truths, however, there is one absolute Truth which is total and all-embracing. But it is indescribable, because it is God. Or say, rather, God is Truth. All else is unreal and false. Other things, therefore, can be true only in a relative sense.

Navajivan, 20 Nov. 1921

Source: “The Essential Writings of Mahatma Gandhi” by Raghavan Iyer, published by Oxford University Press, YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110 001.

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