The austerity of speech!

[Paramananda das]

The austerity of speech!

I gave a lecture once at ISKCON Soho street when I was Sankirtana leader and Bhakta and Asrama leader there in 1996 ,I mentioned Srila Prabhupada at one point was considering having a second wife (as is explained in Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta as well) but Srila Prabhupada's father Gaura Mohan De , said one day when you take sannyasa will be easy for you if your wife is not to your liking (no need to have a second wife ). Ranchor Prabhu a disciple interrupted my class and stated this never took place.I met with him later in the asrama .Everyone was shocked by Ranchors behavior.I chastised him,that you are supposed to be a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and you behave in this despicable manner, please refrain from commenting unless you speak something beneficial that is the austerity of speech .I actually met Ranchor das first in 1979 on Sankritana in Sweden ,because Vegavan Prabhu was friends with Ranchor who at the time was the TP for ISKCON Soho..well anyway I pray he is well and life goes on

Chapter 17: The Divisions of Faith

TEXT 15

anudvega-karam vakyam

satyam priya-hitam ca yat

svadhyayabhyasanam caiva

van-mayam tapa ucyate

SYNONYMS

anudvega—not agitating; karam—producing; vakyam—words; satyam—truthful; priya—dear; hitam—beneficial; ca—also; yat—which; svadhyaya—Vedic study; abhyasanam—practice; ca—also; eva—certainly; vanmayam—of the voice; tapah—austerity; ucyate—is said to be.

TRANSLATION

Austerity of speech consists in speaking truthfully and beneficially and in avoiding speech that offends. One should also recite the Vedas regularly.

PURPORT

One should not speak in such a way as to agitate the minds of others. Of course, when a teacher speaks, he can speak the truth for the instruction of his students, but such a teacher should not speak to others who are not his students if he will agitate their minds. This is penance as far as talking is concerned. Besides that, one should not talk nonsense. When speaking in spiritual circles, one's statements must be upheld by the scriptures. One should at once quote from scriptural authority to back up what he is saying. At the same time, such talk should be very pleasurable to the ear. By such discussions, one may derive the highest benefit and elevate human society. There is a limitless stock of Vedic literature, and one should study this. This is called penance of speech.

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Paramananda Das
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
Anudvega karam means that in calling out to other persons who have done harm to oneself, one does not cause any disturbance to them.
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
17.15 Verbal austerity consists in using words that do not hurt others, are true, are pleasing and are beneficial. It also involves studying scriptural texts.
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
Tapah or austerities of speech in sattva guna the mode of goodness are words that cause no worry or trepidation. Words that are truthful, encouraging and beneficial, giving an impetus for spiritual development and resulting in attraction to the Supreme Lord Krishna or any of His authorised incarnations and expansions as well as proper recitation of Vedic mantras are all actions of speech in sattva guna.
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
Sri Madhvacharya did not comment on this sloka.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
Lord Krishna speaks of the austerity of speech as the recitation of the Vedas, Puranas, Upanisads, Ramayan, Mahabharata and others along with the chanting of Vedic mantras. Also speaking words that are totally truthful yet causes no offence to those addressed while speaking words that are pleasant to be heard as well as beneficial and gives satisfaction. All these are austerities of speech in sattva guna the mode of goodness.

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Paramananda Das
check out the commentary of Sripada Sankacarya on this sloka also it contains no mayavadi ideas : Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
17.15 Yat, that; vakyam, speech; anudvegakaram, which causes no pain, which is not hurtful to creatures which is satyam, true; priya-hitam, agreeable and beneficial with regard to facts seen or unseen-. ‘Speech’ is qualified by characteristics such as being not hurtful, etc. The ca (and) is used for grouping together the qualifying characteristics. When a sentence is used in order to make another understand, if it happens to be avoid of one or two or three among the qualities-truthfulness, agreeability, beneficialness, and non-hurtfulness-, then it is not austerity of speech. As in the case of a truthful utterance there would occur a want of austerity of speech if it be lacking in one or two or three of the others, so also in the case of an agreeable utterance there would be no austerity of speech were it ot be without one or two or three of the others; and similarly, there would be no austerity of speech even in a beneficial utterance which is without one or two or three of the others. What, again, is that austerity (of speech)? That utterance which is true as also not hurtful, and is agreeable and beneficial, is the highest austerity of speech: As for example, the utterance, ‘Be calm, my boy. Practise study and yoga. Thereby you will gain the highest.’ Svadhyaya-abhyasanam, the practice of the study of scriptures, as is enjoined; ca eva, as well; ucyate, in said to be; tapah, austerity; vanmayam, of speech.