Are there any white lies (arthavaadas) in any of Your teachings Swami?

[An online spiritual discussion was conducted on May 30, 2021, in which several devotees participated. Devotees’ questions answered by Swāmi are given below.]

[Śrī Bharath Krishna asked: Padanamskaram Swamiji! While learning the spiritual knowledge from You, I have understood one point that a Sadguru might tell a lie for the immediate benefit of the disciple. Due to this, I get curious sometimes as to whether there are any white lies (arthavādas) in Your teachings also. Whenever I get such a thought, I convince myself that maybe You are teaching me with such arthavādas, if there are any in Your teachings, because I am incapable of understanding the complete truth. Although I convince myself as mentioned above, these thoughts come back to me at times. After analysing Your knowledge to a great extent, I have understood that it is perfect and completely logical. Still, I get such a stupid thought because even the majority of the disciples of Śrī Śaṅkarācārya thought that whatever He was teaching them was perfect and logical. Please forgive me for asking this stupid question and help me get rid of this thought forever. At Your Lotus Feet, Bharath Krishna.]

Swāmi replied: The white lies or Arthavaadas generally crop up while I am speaking with devotees because sometimes it becomes necessary in the view of his/her future welfare. But, when I dictate the spiritual knowledge in writing, such white lies do not get expressed because the reader may think it as truth and may be misled in wrong contexts, which are the situations in which such white lies are not needed. When I speak such white lies to a devotee in the interest of his/her good future, I keep the memory of these white lies and reveal to such devotees at a later part of time when the purpose was over. If I mention any white lie in the authoritative spiritual knowledge, I immediately reveal it as a lie told in the interest of the disciple existing in the beginning stage. If it is not revealed immediately in the written knowledge, there is always a danger of its application in unnecessary context also by a reader of normal level.

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