Acharya Tulsi
A man has different kinds of urges. One of these is the urge to criticize. It is of two kinds—disciplined and indiscipline. Healthy and impartial criticism, inspired by goodwill, is disciplined criticism. lt has its own limits and principles. immoderate and unprincipled criticism, a criticism which is accusatory and whose sole purpose is to bring down the person criticized in the eyes of good people, and which is contrary to individual and collective welfare, is indiscipline criticism.
ln our religious organisation, there is no room for indiscipline, destructive criticism. Revered Bhikshu Swami, rejecting such criticism, said, "lfa man talks ill of someone, and the person addressed takes delight in hearing it, both the defamer and the listener are to blame."
What should one do on sighting another’s fault? Making his stand clear, Acharya Bhikshu said, "Let the fault be not hid, nor broadcast. When a fault is discovered, one should, without propagating it among others, acquaint the person concerned or the Acharya with it. To propagate a fault is as much blameworthy is to ignore it. The right policy is to inform the proper authorities with a view to getting the fault rectified."
Those who violate this principle, or, inspired by malice, indulge in baseless criticism, hurling accusations right and left,and also those who encourage such irresponsible behaviour by agreeing with the accusers, are equally to blame. A poet has said:
To speak ill of a great man is a sin; to listen to such slander is no less sinful.It is the moral responsibility of those hearing a slander, to counter it suitably, or disassociate themselves from it altogether. Not only should they reject such unwarranted criticism but also they should warn their kith and kin against it. This power of rejection is quite remarkable. Through it, wrong individuals, policies, methods and thoughts, which weaken a man's faith in his organisation, or adversely affect its prestige and character, can be easily discouraged.
