T Ram Sewak

PARNINDA

Kakabhushundiji answers Garuda's sixth question, "Which is the most terrible sin (param agha/paap)?" in Shri Ramcharitmanas 7.121.

parninda sam agha na girisa

"There is no sin as grievous as slander (speaking ill of others)."

While pointing out someone's genuine faults is parivad (critique), spreading falsehoods, creating shadows where none exist, and causing harm by tarnishing another's honour is parninda (slander). Parninda represents a significant moral and spiritual failing, with serious repercussions for the slanderer.

In Sanskrit, Parninda's synonym is Paishunam. This word is derived from the Sanskrit root pish, meaning "to harm through speech." It combines with the suffix indicating action to form the word. The opposite is Apaishunamthe absence of calumny or refraining from slander. Shri Krishna designates Apaishunam as a divine attribute that we must cultivate in Gita 16.2.

Parninda is the most heinous of all sins, as it encompasses two of the greatest sins recognised in nearly all traditions: untruthfulness (asatya) and causing harm (himsa). Speaking falsely violates the fundamental principle of truth, and because this defamation inflicts pain, it constitutes violence through speech (vacha). Furthermore, it is a sin of both speech and thought, because before actually slandering others, the slanderer also harbours untruthfulness and violence in his thoughts (mansa).

While slandering may cause certain harm and mental anguish to the slandered, it undeniably inflicts even greater damage on the slanderer. When he engages in slandering, the slanderer's mind becomes engulfed by untruthfulness, hatred, anger, hypocrisy, self-conceit, and jealousy. Shri Krishna designates them as asuric (demoniac) attributes in Gita 16.4,10. All these lead to spiritual decline. Words possess energy, and using them to slander generates negative karma and impurities in the mind. In Gita 16.5, Shri Krishna asserts that while the divine attributes are deemed for liberation, the demoniacal ones lead to bondage. Thus, parninda not only harms others but, even more so, ourselves, rebounding inward to sow the seeds of our own spiritual downfall and karmic bondage! / DAILY WORLD /

The author is a former electrical Engineer and resides in the Himalayas. He can be occasionally reached at ramam.namami@gmail.com