Is simplicity and non-duplicity the same as humility or truthfulness?
From Pandurang Charan P
Answer Podcast:
Transcript
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Question from Panduranga Charan Prabhu Is simplicity or non-duplicity as mentioned in Bhagavad Gita 17.16 the same as humility or truthfulness Answer Bhagavad Gita 17.16 states so satisfaction in the mind saumya is a word which comes again earlier in the Gita also when saumya rupa after Krishna has shown his ugra rupa to Arjuna in the 11th chapter then he shows the saumya rupa gentle form, so saumya literally means gentle now Sri Prabhupada translates it as simplicity now in general gentleness and simplicity can be related because when a person is simple, simple means if we see something which is original pure water and a lot of things are mixed into it then it becomes complicated so simplicity in that sense can be correlated with purity and when we are pure then naturally the soul which is pure is the well wisher of all living beings like Krishna so it is mentioned in 5.29 similarly the soul who is purely devoted to Krishna is so Krishna and the devotees are both benevolently disposed so in that sense when one is simple one will be gentle also, that’s the first point that the literal meaning of the word saumya is gentle and Prabhupada translates that saumya as gentle because the two are correlated now specifically what is the correlation between say simplicity and humility or truthfulness so humility and simplicity are significantly different although there are similarities between them humility especially refers to not wanting prestige, not wanting position, not wanting honor simplicity on the other hand refers to not having not being complex simplicity can refer to at a physical level not having too much too much complexity in one’s life and at a mental level it refers to not having twisted ideas keeping things simple as we say so that means externally one lives as simply as possible for one’s service and internally one lives in a way that is conducive for one’s devotion to Krishna, so a devotee can think of complex philosophical concepts but in conclusion the devotee’s conclusion is simple something which can be understood even by a person who is non-intellectual or the devotee however can go through complex intellectual reasoning and can take others to complex intellectual reasoning to bring people to the simple conclusion so Srila Brahmapada used to say that just chant Hare Krishna and you will attain life’s perfection but if you want to study books, we have many many books, don’t think that we are simpletons so simplicity there is simplicity we should not equate that with being a simpleton simpleton means one who can’t think deeply, simplicity refers to one who can think deeply but they can also have a simple clear faith in the ultimate conclusion, one does not need complexity one has a capacity for complexity but one does not need complexity that is simplicity so as I said this humility and simplicity are different concepts over here now simplicity Prabhupada also translates there as non-duplicity now is non-duplicity the same as truthfulness, it can be, usually truthfulness usually refers to speech one should not speak lies and non-duplicity refers to not speaking in a way that not necessarily speaking but speaking acting in a duplicitous way that means having one thing in the mind and speaking another thing or doing another thing, this is duplicity so a duplicitous person can be truthful sometimes when that is that suits one’s ends and a duplicitous person can be can lie unhesitating without any pinch of conscience whenever it is required so there is overlapping between these various concepts, gentleness, simplicity humility and truthfulness at the same time they also have their distinctive focuses, thank you great