Slander

[Balait_da_Sher]

I would like to know the meaning of 'slander' as it occurs in Sikhism. 'Slander' it mentioned many times in the SGGS, specifically in Sukhmani Sahib. My understanding of what slander is, is saying untruthful things which are harmful to another persons reputation. But, I have some friends who think that even if we tell the truth about someone that we had a bad dealing with, we are engaging in slander. For example, if we had a bad dealing with an autoshop and they ruined our car & then we told all of our friends not to go there, would that be considered Nindia/Slander? Wouldn't we be doing a good thing by informing others so they don't have to go through the same thing? What does guruji tell us about what slander is?

[OhTwadi]

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[Babbar Shere]

its true. even if its the truth, if it is affecting the other person's image, then it is slander. and we should try and stay away from it.

using your example of the auto shop, yes suppose you had bad dealing with them, then you turn around and tell all your friends of that, they will not go their either.

but you dont know that you friends will get dealt the same way do you? no, just becasue it happened with you, doesnt mean it will happen with everybody.

everybodies karams are different.

whatever was supposed to happen with your dealing happened.

whatever is supposed to happen with your friends and thier dealings will happen reguardless of what you tell them.

because if they are meant to have bad dealing, then they could have it at another auto-shop as well.

you get it paji?

[Guest _Guest1232_]

yeah thanks I get it now, thanks. Avoid talking behind someones back even if what you say is true. Unless an issue is very important and it needs to be made known to benefit a 3rd person.

For example, if i know a girl whose supposed to get an arranged marriage with a guy and he told her that he doesn't drink, but in actuality he's an alcoholic. Yeah thats slandering the man, but I think by me keeping silent would be worse because I knew information which could have helped her situation. That would be alright i guess?

[Mehtab Singh]

For example, if i know a girl whose supposed to get an arranged marriage with a guy and he told her that he doesn't drink, but in actuality he's an alcoholic. Yeah thats slandering the man, but I think by me keeping silent would be worse because I knew information which could have helped her situation. That would be alright i guess?

You can do what you did here: tell her anonymously if possible.

[MPKaur]

Ok we all pretty much agree that lying and saying untruthful stuff is slander.

But the question arise when it's the truth. Could the truth be slander at times and not at other times?

Maybe it depends on the intent?

If your intent as in the case of the girl being engaged to an alcoholic, is to protect your friend and avoid her getting into a bad marriage, your intent isn't to do harm the reputation of the guy but protect your friend. Is it slander then? Are you better keeping silent about it? (assuming you know the guy is an alcoholic for a fact and not hear say!!!). Maybe the way the information is being said is also important: keeping the the facts, without adding anything else that is unrelated to the facts, ...

However sometimes the truth can be use to get back or get even for something a person has done to us. Maybe that's the case of the car dealership?

[Mehtab Singh]

Very good points raised by MPKaur bhenji. The basic definition of slander (nindya) is, in my opinion, making up false stories about someone to cause some sort of (no matter how minor) harm to them or their reputation. Another easy definition of slander/nindya is the stuff you say about someone that you can't/won't say on their face and so you say it behind their back.

Please shed more light.

[kaur_khalistani_lioness]

very good replys so far...=)

jus my two cents here

tell the truth in a way where u aren't ridiculing the person but stating what u know and lettin the other person decide what they need to do about the facts they got from u

need to start seeing the wrong done...or the false information given as something thats lil part of that individual not the whole of thm.

def i would go with whats said above....if u can say the same thing to the persons face, what u about to tell behind their back, there is nothing wrong with it

jus watch ur intention

for a sec think of that person if he/she was ur own a person u love so much.. or if that was a ck gursikh...how would u approach the situation and what would u do or say ?

bhul chuk muaff karni

lookin fwd to readin more thoughts on this topic