Vācika Dharma
Vācika Dharma · vācika-dharma, “the dharma of speech”
Grammar: masculine noun; vācika (of speech, from vāc, speech) and dharma (right conduct): “the dharma of speech”.
Meaning: the right conduct of speech: what one must never say, and how one should speak; with the dharma of the mind and of the body, one of the three kinds of conduct by which a person is bound or freed.
In the scriptures: in the dialogue of Umā and Maheśvara, Devī Pārvatī asks Bhagavān Śiva to tell the karmas that are causes of bondage or of mukti, and he begins with speech. “One must not speak untruth: for oneself, for others, for one’s living, for dharma, or by one’s own whim. One must not speak words that are harsh, bitter or cruel, tale-bearing words, words that cause friends to fall apart, or words that bring pain and betrayal to others. Those who speak soft words, with clear syllables, without pāpa, sweet, with a pure heart, without anger, and pleasing, gain svarga (heaven). This is the form of the dharma of speech.” Then, at Umā’s asking, he teaches the dharma of the mind (Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 224).
Related terms: Mānasika Dharma · Trikaraṇa · Satya · Svarga
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 224