In plain words
“I have been born a human being. So I must speak only Satya. I must not stoop to Asatya and injustice”: you must hold to this firm vow. At times a situation may arise where speaking Satya puts a life in danger. At such a time, speak neither Satya nor Asatya. You must keep silent. Use your wits and protect Satya. A sādhaka who held to Satya in his speech was sitting under a tree in a forest, repeating Śiva's five-syllabled mantra, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”. Īśvara, wishing to test him, came in the guise of a hunter, chasing a deer. The deer came running and slipped into a bush. The sādhaka saw it happen. Just then the hunter came up: “O ascetic! The deer I have been chasing came this way. Did you see which way it went?” he asked. The sādhaka found himself in a dilemma of Dharma. If he said he had not seen it, his vow of Satya would be broken. If he said he had seen it, the deer would lose its life. He prayed to Īśvara Himself to show him a way out of this problem. When God, who gives the moment He is asked, is in our very home, at our side and with us as our companion, why should we fear?! By Īśvara's grace a fine plan came to him. Straightaway, to that hunter: “My dear! What saw does not speak. What speaks did not see,” he said. The eyes saw, but they cannot tell. The mouth can tell, but it did not see. In this way the sādhaka used his wits and escaped. Īśvara appeared before him and said, “My dear! Even the skill that protects Satya is yoga.” With such skill we must sustain Satya. By prayer to God we must escape from troubles.
Morality and integrity are the life-breath of the human race
You must foster good feelings that do good to all. You must do harm to no one. If you do harm to one, tomorrow ten will do harm to you. So plot treachery against no one; revile no one. Give up the negative traits that belong to pravṛtti and foster the positive traits that belong to nivṛtti.