stated that one should not speak untruth. But let us see how it works in practice. I will here quote what Sri Krishna said on the subject in the Mahabharata. A certain hermit, who made a vow that he would never tell a lie, lived in a wood. For his great vow he was much respected by the people of that neighbourhood. Once a travelling party, chased by robbers, entered this wood and hid themselves in the bushes near the hermit's abode. The hermit, on being asked by the robbers in what direction the party had gone, said for the sake of his vow that they were hidden in those bushes. Thereupon the robbers captured them, took all their valuable property and went away. Consequently this hermit, when he died, was doomed to everlasting punishment in Hell for speaking the truth in such circumstances. Therefore under certain circumstances a lie is permissible.
