Truth is God. Honesty is telling the truth. It is straightforward conduct. It is the quality of being sincere and trustworthy. It is having integrity and being fair. Honesty is a divine virtue. An honest person speaks the truth with the acceptance of the consequences. It is also speaking the truth in a kind manner with the intention of not hurting anyone. Honesty gives us ability to look into ourselves positively and as well as critically. An honest man can be entrusted with responsibilities, in faith that he will fulfill them in the desired manner. All of us desire that we are trusted. The importance of honesty is given in the story of the two travelling salesmen:
Once, two travelling salesmen of pots, pans and handmade trinkets visited a town. They agreed to divide the town between them and only after one man had covered his area, the other could go there for making sales. As one of the salesmen was walking through the streets, a poor little girl called him. She wanted a bracelet. Her grandmother offered to exchange it for a sooty old plate they had. The salesman did not want the deal but agreed when the little girl pleaded. He scratched the sooty plate the old woman gave him to check it. To his surprise he found that it was made of gold. Greed overtook him. He did not let on that he had noticed it. He told the old woman that the plate was not worth even one bracelet and went away. He decided to go back after a day or two and get the plate at an even lower value.
Meanwhile the other salesman had finished his part of the town and decided to try his luck in the other part of town as agreed. Again the little girl begged her grandmother to get her a bracelet in exchange of the old plate. The old woman looked at the face of the second salesman and felt he was kind hearted. So she called him and showed him the old plate which she wished to exchange for a bracelet for her grandchild. The salesman examined the plate and saw that it was made of pure gold. He was an honest man and told her the truth: This plate is worth more than all my money and goods put together. It is made of gold.
The old woman was shocked and delighted at the discovery. She was ready to accept whatever the honest salesman was ready to offer. The salesman was ready to give all his pots and pans and trinkets and all his money except eight coins and his balancing scale with its cover to put the golden plate in. They made the trade. The salesman went down to the river and paid the ferry man eight coins to take him across.
The greedy salesman had made mental calculations of huge imaginary profits in his head. He went back to the hut of the old woman and said he was ready to offer a few copper coins for the old sooty plate. The old woman told him he had lied to her and she had already made an exchange. The greedy salesman was not ashamed that he had told lies. He was saddened by the thought of the huge loss he had incurred. He asked the old woman for the direction in which the other salesman went. She told him that he went down to the river.
The greedy salesman dropped all his pots and pans there and ran to the riverside. There he saw the other salesman crossing the river. He shouted and screamed for the other salesman to return. He called him a robber and cheat. But the honest salesman kept going on. The greedy salesman saw his profits disappearing and there was nothing that he could do about it. Rage exploded in him. He beat his chest in frenzy and collapsed there.
Honesty is its own reward as truth is a characteristic of the Divine. When we speak the truth, we have the Infinite Power helping us. Regular japa of SitaRam Mantra, meditation and following teachings of the Guru help us to overcome greed and other vices and develop honesty and other virtues.
