Hypocrisy is stated to be the mother of all evils. It has been an integral part of human behaviour, since the very beginning. Hypocrisy is the practice of pretending to have religious beliefs, value systems, inherent virtues, personal opinions and internal feelings etc. ; which one does not actually have. It is displaying an outward show of piousness even while continuing to live a life of impure ideas and malicious designs. It is the habit of indulging in the same behaviour, for which one criticises others. People often accuse each other of being a hypocrite, the one who indulges in hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy is prevalent in every sphere of life ; be it social, religious, political or any other realm of activity. Elders teach youngsters the golden principles of life, but themselves do the just opposite. Domain of religion is full of hypocrisy, and no religious belief can claim itself to be immune from this malaise. Poisonous bigotry is often disguised as pious religion. The very name of the game of politics is stated to be hypocrisy. From individual conversations to the discussions at international fora, falsity of claims has become the new norm.
A hypocrite always tries to present an exaggerated and inflated image of himself. He wears different masks at different times, and has double standards for everything. While wearing a mask of piety and sincerity, he only deceives others. The external appearances of a hypocrite do not match his internal convictions. He does not follow his own professed moral standards. He, thus, contradicts himself repeatedly. A hypocrite pretends himself to be better than others. He claims his knowledge to be superior than of anyone else. Hypothetical deception includes displaying altruistic motives and concerns, while always having a hidden agenda of encashing the false image so created.
Attitude of hypocrisy implies lack of self-esteem. Projecting oneself differently from what he actually is points towards a difficulty in accepting one’s true nature. Lying about oneself means living a life of deceit. Lies feed on lies, and one starts believing in his own lies. As a result, one loses touch with reality.
Hypocrisy has severely been condemned in the Hindu scriptures. A hypocrite has been likened to a pot full of poisonous fluid, mouth of which has been smeared with milk. Bhagavad Gita has examined the nature of hypocrisy in chapter sixteen. Hypocrisy (dambha) has been identified as one of the traits of demoniac nature. On the other hand, traits like truthfulness and purity of heart have been held to be of the one who is born with the divine nature. The divine qualities are conducive to liberation and the demoniac nature leads to bondage. It has been stated that the men of demoniac nature, being full of hypocrisy, become slaves of insatiable desires, excessive pride and arrogance ; and get tied, through delusion, to the false principles. They act in this world with impure motives. It has further been stated that being addicted to the gratification of insatiable desires, the demoniacs remain filled with anxiety, till the end.
The nature of religious hypocrisy has been explained in shloka 17.18. It has been stated that the penance which is performed with ostentation in order to gain respect, honour and reverence is in the mode of passion (rajasic tapa). Such penance is unsteady and fleeting i.e. its benefits are unstable and transitory. Performance of severe austerities, which are motivated by hypocrisy and egotism, has also been disapproved in shlokas 17.5 and 17.6. To put it in simple words, running away from the problems of life by pretending to be an ascetic is not the way forward on the path of spiritual evolution.
Sri Krishna has further elaborated on the concept of hypocrisy in shloka 3.6. It has been stated that he who renounces the objects of senses outwardly, even while continuing to dwell upon them in the mind, he only cheats himself. He is called a hypocrite (a mithyachari or a dambhi). This verse suggests that the external control of one’s activities is meaningless, if internally he does not restrain the desires which impel those actions. Even though publicly he may restrain himself from doing that action, but somewhere in his mind, the thought of losing the enjoyment always keeps him troubling. Such a person deceives and misleads not only the people around him, but also himself. Therefore, it has been advised that instead of pretending detachment, one should strive to attain it.
A man of hypocrisy is a man of false conduct. He preaches something and practices something else. Whatever he does, he does for publicity and with a motive. His show-off may impress some people for some time, but the false images do not last for long. The shallowness of the character of a hypocrite ultimately gets exposed. As a result, he loses even that what rightfully belonged to him.
To conclude, Bhagavad Gita has identified hypocrisy as one of the major obstacles in one’s materialistic well-being and spiritual growth. Thus, to move forward in life ; one must be true to himself, and to the world at large.
