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Untruth as truth

Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG Chapters 13 - 18

They think truth to be untruth and accept untruth as truth.
BG 18.32, Translation and Purport: That understanding which considers irreligion to be religion and religion to be irreligion, under the spell of illusion and darkness, and strives always in the wrong direction, O Pārtha, is in the mode of ignorance. Intelligence in the mode of ignorance is always working the opposite of the way it should. It accepts religions which are not actually religions and rejects actual religion. Men in ignorance understand a great soul to be a common man and accept a common man as a great soul. They think truth to be untruth and accept untruth as truth. In all activities they simply take the wrong path; therefore their intelligence is in the mode of ignorance.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Adi-lila

That misunderstanding is called vivarta, or acceptance of untruth to be truth.
CC Adi 7.123, Translation and Purport: “Transformation of energy is a proven fact. It is the false bodily conception of the self that is an illusion. The jīva, or living entity, is a spiritual spark who is part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unfortunately, he thinks the body to be the self, and that misunderstanding is called vivarta, or acceptance of untruth to be truth. The body is not the self, but animals and foolish people think that it is. Vivarta (illusion) does not, however, denote a change in the identity of the spirit soul; it is the misconception that the body is the self that is an illusion. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not change when His external energy, consisting of the eight gross and subtle material elements listed in the Bhagavad-gītā (bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ, etc. [Bg. 7.4]), acts and reacts in different phases.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings, "Being puffed up by false ego, I have taken untruth as truth."
Morning Walk -- June 9, 1974, Paris:

These rascals, because they have no idea what is spiritual thinking, they want to make this thinking zero only. That's all. Śūnyavādī. They are called Śūnyavādī, nirvāṇa, Buddhist philosophy. "Your body is subjected to pains and pleasure; so dismantle this body." This is Buddha philosophy. "Make it zero. There will be no more pains and pleasure." "You have got some trouble in the eyes? Pluck it out." He does not know how to cure it. He simply knows, "Pluck it out." This is their philosophy. Asatyere satya kari māni. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura's song.

ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā,
asatyere satya kari māni
"Being puffed up by false ego, I am, I have taken untruth as truth. And when somebody speaks about truth, I take it as untruth." Asatyere satya kare māni.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

No, their knowledge is so imperfect, they're taking asatyere satya kori māni, accepting the untruth as truth.
Room Conversation -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Dr. Wolf: Śrīla Prabhupāda, may I venture very humbly to this opportunity of saying something I've experienced so much with people, that they would say, "Oh yes, we are ready to respect the spiritual values, but we live in this real world, in this material world and so we would rather not have the spiritual values interfere with it, settle everything in the material sense."

Prabhupāda: No, they, what they are saying, "real world," that is unreal.

Dr. Wolf: They don't realize that.

Prabhupāda: No, their knowledge is so imperfect, they're taking asatyere satya kori māni. Asatyere, you understand Bengali? Asatyere satya kori māni, accepting the untruth as truth. Asatyere nitāi-pada pāsariyā, ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā nitāi-pada pāsariyā, asatyere satya kori māni, by forgetting our relationship with God and being proud of their so-called... [break] That motor car is not your life. That is being misguided. Everyone is thinking that this body, motor car, is everything. But within, the driver, he's starving. So how long he'll carry on this motor car. So first of all take care of the driver who will protect this motor car nicely. And if the driver is a nonsense, he's starving, then how can I expect the car will go very nicely.
Page Title:Untruth as truth
Compiler:Labangalatika
Created:28 of Dec, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=1, SB=0, CC=1, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=2, Let=0
No. of Quotes:4