Volume 3 · Śānti Veda · Chapter 4 · Śānti Saṃhitā - Short Hymns of Peace
वाक्-औषधम्
Canon Rev1 / Commentary Rev1 (25 December 2025)
Sanskrit
वाणी भेषज-रूपा स्यात्, यदि सत्येन संयुता ।
तीक्ष्णा मिथ्या च दहति, मृदु सत्यं तु रोपयेत् ॥
IAST
vāṇī bheṣaja-rūpā syāt, yadi satyena saṃyutā |
tīkṣṇā mithyā ca dahati, mṛdu satyaṃ tu ropayet ||
English (literal)
Speech is medicine when true; harshness and lies burn; gentle truth heals.
English (poetic)
Let gentle truth heal.
Commentary
Bhāṣya
Speech is medicine when it is truthful and well-dosed. Even a true statement can be poison if delivered to humiliate. Propaganda loves the burn of harshness because it turns disagreement into identity war. Param Veda therefore unites truth with gentleness: not softness toward wrongdoing, but softness toward persons. The goal of speech is repair: to reveal reality and to make better action possible. For communal harmony, this is pivotal: many conflicts persist because people cannot speak without contempt. The mantra invites a higher craft: precision without cruelty.
Praśna–Uttara
Student
“Is gentle truth weak?”
Teacher
“No. It is strong enough to aim at healing, not winning.”
Student
“When must speech be sharp?”
Teacher
“When protecting the vulnerable, never to gratify anger.”
Prayoga
- Replace labels with descriptions.
- Use ‘I observed’ instead of ‘you are’.
- Refuse to forward humiliating content, even if it targets rivals.