Speak the Truth—Speak the truth at all cost. Speak a little. Speak sweetly.                                                                                                                                        —Sri Swami Sivananda 

Commentary: by Swami Chidananda

Not only speak the truth but also speak a little and sweetly. Not a partial but a perfect and comprehensive adherence to truth is required. God is the Supreme Truth and one must be truthful to realize the Truth, i.e. God. You have got to be absolutely truthful if you want to progress towards to God who is Truth. To be truthful thus implies your firm allegiance to God.

Never swerve from Truth. Have no compromise with half-truth. Many forms of untruths have become part and parcel of present day life. Long usage cannot make untruth a virtue. One who wants to attain God, should have nothing to do with untruth in any form whatsoever.

Flattery is a form of untruth. Exaggeration is another form of untruth. Duplicity and diplomacy are sins against Truth. Dishonest actions, hypocritical conduct, receiving bribes, rumour-mongering are all breaches of Truth. Be sincere and straightforward. Be open-hearted. If a truth is likely to hurt others or is unpleasant, then gently change the topic of conversation or just keep silent. Truth is to you what strength is to a strong man. If you are truthful to the core, whatever you utter will turn out to be true; what you think will at once take place.

Be true in thought, speech and action. Being truthful is much more than stating a thing as it is. It is the practising of all good qualities stated in the scriptures.

If you want to attain God, stick to truth at any cost.