Item 5 in Jain Ten Supreme Virtues
Supreme truth
Commit to truthful speech and conduct while considering harm and context.
- Position
- 5
- Form
- Mixed formulation
- Obligation
- Context-dependent
- Wording status
- Translation
- Intended audience
- Especially Digambara Jains, with broader Jain ethical relevance
- Last reviewed
- 28 June 2026
Names and terminology
Canonical name: Supreme truth
Source wording
Commit to truthful speech and conduct while considering harm and context.
Broader interpretation
Commit to truthful speech and conduct while considering harm and context.
Practical meaning
Commit to truthful speech and conduct while considering harm and context.
Ethical purpose
This principle is intended to guide conduct, character and relationships in accordance with the parent framework.
Variations across schools or traditions
Interpretation and application may vary across communities, translations and individual circumstances.
Criticism and difficult cases
This principle should be applied with attention to evidence, consent, equality, power, foreseeable harm and realistic alternatives.
Truth By Reason analysis
Commit to truthful speech and conduct while considering harm and context. Its ethical force depends on whether its application reduces avoidable harm and respects equal human dignity.
Ethical themes
Sources
- Das Lakshan — Festival of the Ten Virtues Mainstream secondary source