Living in Falsehood
When we pose as something we are not, because of that falsehood fear comes. If I tell a lie, to cover up that lie I am always in fear of that lie being exposed.
Apparently falsehood may appear as truth but finally truth comes out. So when we allow falsehood into our lives fear will come.
The Blue Jackal
Long long ago, before the invention of modern appliances, the village washer man would wash everyone’s clothes by hand and then return them in the evening. He uses a blue colored substance (that acts as a brightening agent for whites) in which he dips the white clothes to keep them white longer. He has a tub in which he keeps this deep blue solution. One evening a jackal was running behind the washer man’s house and fell into that tub. He managed to get out and saw that he was all blue and looked strange. A jackal is considered a very cunning animal. Immediately an idea came to him. He thought “No one can recognize me now. I can change my voice and I can declare myself to be the Lord of the animals. I would pretend to be a great person.” So he went into the forest and started walking very majestically. All animals wondered who this new animal was as no one has ever seen it. Even the lion that is the king of the forest got the news of this new animal. The lion called a meeting of the ministers asking them what to do about this animal.
They decided to send a spy for collecting information. This spy approached the jackal and asked him who he was. “I am from heaven,” said the jackal. “I have come here to bring a new life to all the animals here. I am the Lord and if they don’t trust me they will be in difficulties as I am God sent.” When this information was conveyed to the lion he was afraid. He felt it is better to be friends with this new animal to maintain peace in the animal kingdom. So he sent a message to the jackal, agreeing to his Lordship and the jackal lived in style for sometime.
You cannot hide truth. Outwardly we may pose to be anything, but truth will be known. Jesus said, “What is in your heart will come out, you cannot hide.” After some time a few jackals thought, “This animal looks like us. Only the color is different. He is speaking in a different style in a very authoritative way but still behind it is the tone of a jackal.”
Some of them got together and made a plan to expose the jackal. Jackals have the strong habit of howling in the evening. The plan was to approach this new king one evening and start howling. If he is a jackal he cannot resist and would join the howling and would be exposed. If he doesn’t then they can just say that they came to pay their respects. So they carried out the plan and the jackal could not control himself and joined in. Needless to say what happened after that.
The purpose of telling this story is sometimes we pose as something we are not and because of falsehood fear comes. If we achieve honesty in ourselves then fear cannot remain.
Here is another simple example. Suppose one person uses makeup and another does not. Who has to be careful and who is carefree? The one who wears the make up is always afraid of the make up fading. Once Baba did this to me. It was March 26th 1995; I got chicken pox. On April 10th I went back to India with black marks on my face from the chicken pox. On April 25th Baba wanted to initiate a few of us into monkhood. I had very little hair and the marks were visible. We came back to the West for Baba’s birthday on May 27th, to be celebrated in Hamburg. Five minutes before we were to go into the hall for the function, Baba came to me with a rose-colored foundation cream and asked me to use it to cover the pockmarks. I resisted but Baba would not listen. So I had to compromise and use the makeup that day. I was so self-conscious all the time because even if I unthinkingly used my handkerchief to wipe my face there was the make up on it. If we tell a lie or live a life of falsehood we are always in fear.
When one who speaks a lie or behaves in a false manner, not only is this person in fear, but also those who think this person is great. Like the jackal in the story the jackal is in fear of being exposed and the other animals are in fear of the jackal as they are thinking that the jackal is a supernatural being sent to rule over them.
In Spiritual Life
In spiritual or religious life as also in political life, some leaders create this fear in people to keep their position. In religious life, the leaders try to establish their authority by saying they are the messengers of God and people should listen to them. Those who live in falsehood are in fear and those who believe in them are in fear. What if he has supernatural powers? If there is any element of fear, then it is not spiritual life. In spiritual life there should be no fear. Just as one is not afraid of ones own mother. If I did something wrong my mother will tell me I am wrong but will still love me, I’m afraid of the consequences but not of her. If there is fear, there is no love. Like light and darkness they cannot co-exist. Individuals should examine to see if a relationship is based on fear and if it is, then there is falsehood and one should correct them.
In the Bhagavad Gita the Lord says,
yasmãnno dvijateloko lokãnnodvijate ca yah
haräa maräa bhayodvegai mukto yassacame priyah
Gita 12-15
One of who people are not afraid, and one who is not afraid of people and is free from elation, intolerance, anger and fear is dear to me.