In every walk of life and in every sphere of activity, one comes across the question ‘WHAT IS TRUTH?’ People are always anxious to know the Truth or about Truth. From ancient times Truth has been regarded as something worth pursuing worth finding out or to be investigated.
The wise men in ancient Greece were keen investigators of Truth, but there was one flaw in their methods of attaining Truth. Whatever could be arrived at by correct logical analysis or argument of known data was alone regarded by them as Truth. And Truth, according to them, was not what man perceived with his senses but what he conceived by thinking.
Science believes in perceiving things and verifying same – evidence is essential. So Grecian conception of Truth was against scientific method. What was considered as Truth in an age or period may prove wrong later as had happened with Atistotle and Galileo.
Nearly 2000 years ago in Athens one man set out to be master of all reality – Aristotle was that great man, who surveyed what the men of his times had thought and questioned; he invented new instruments and modes of inquiry and devoted his life codifying and rationalizing what was the sum total of human knowledge.
In India, as all know, Manu did the same thing, but in a different way. Later on, Veda Vyasa wrote a number of ‘Puranas’ to that effect. But for these writings, we would not have understood anything of our glorious past.
Aristotle’s way of finding out the Truth was through investigation, prosaic and earthy as mentioned above.
The Indian way of looking at Truth was rather unique in world history – ‘SATYAMEVA JAYATE’ meaning ‘TRUTH ALONE TRIUMPHS’. Only India has enshrined this in her Constitution.
It is in accordance with India’s thought and heritage. The Vedantic concept of Truth is ‘Atman’. The pursuit of Truth is the ultimate goal of human life. The seeker after Truth is a real ‘Sadhaka’. It is through the knowledge of the world within and without one learns about Truth.
In order to make Truth victorious knowledge is essential. Truth cannot triumph so long Ignorance ‘Ajnana’ persists. The concept of ‘Good winning over Evil’ or’Dharma’ over ‘Adarma’ are all outcome of this thought.
The Indian concept of Truth has both the Gross and Subtle aspects and the Upanishads are the fine examples in this regard. Great men of ancient India probed Truth deeply and came to some conclusions and all that they have left to posterity in the form of Upanishads and ‘Sutras’.
Whether it was the great rishis or the great Buddha or Shankara, all were concerned with Truth; Srimad Bhagavad Gita also deals with it extensively and goes on to give practical methods and suggestions to attain Truth.
Humanity can never remain constant unless it is able to know what is the Truth. Both scientifically and spiritually behind the world of ours, behind this outstanding Universe and all about man’s plight, bound as he is by Time and Space.
Philosophical Truths cannot fully satisfy man as he wants to know things in consonance with real Truth and wisdom based on cause and effect factors etc.
Truth is the only thing according to Hindu thought immortal or imperishable with infinite dimensions and therefore it is also very difficult to attain Truth.
So Truth shall ever remain to be pursued or sought after by every age and every religion. It is the driving force behind human urges and aspirations and will ever continue to inspire humanity.
