Gossip and Gossiping

What is so bad about gossip? is it not something that has been around, without meaning to be exaggerative or hyperbolic, since creation? Or so say the people, whom the world consider psychologists, the people who are said to have studied the mind and its workings.

Their credentials aside; but what to make of "gossip"? Acquiescing in the belief that it has been around since time out of mind, does its antiquity lend credence to the senseless belief that it is harmless. If so, from Anaximenes to Archytas, Zhuang Zou to Zhu Xi, Swami Brahmananda to Swami Ramana, everyone is utterly wrong. Of course, there seems to be a serious flaw in that reasoning.

Gossip is a casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. They are passed from one person to another, often including unkind or untrue remarks.

A person who engages in gossips is called a whisperer, one who whispers behind another person's back, secretly slanders him, pours out his poison into others' ears, with the intention of hurting the person about whom he gossips. In the horse and buggy days, people spread gossipry by word of mouth. Today, however, technology has made things much easier for tale-tellers to circulate their canards, which travel through e-mails, Facebook instant messaging and Whatsapp: it takes but a few worthless moments of the slanderers' precious lives to dash them off to eager recipients, who having become brassed off with their Netflix and cable TV dramas, are ever ready like Cleopatra for Anthony's tall tales.

Thiruvalluvar, a celebrated Tamil poet and philospher, has dedicated an entire chapter --- Chapter 19 --- called புறங்கூறாமை (Not to indulge in backbiting) to "the evils of gossiping". His couplet 181 says, "Even if a person does not follow righteous way of life,
still, it is better for him that at least he does not talk ill of others behind their back". Reserving strong language for such mongers, the philosopher pronounces in couplet 183, "Better than a life of slandering a person behind his back is to die not doing so...". In couple 189, he wonders, "Does the earth support the backbiting person’s body weight,
because it thinks that, ‘bearing this person’s weight is my Dharma’?"

Another erudite Brahmana scholar who lived in the 8th century, Srikantha Nilakantha (the author of Uttaramacharita), who later came to be known as Bhavabhuti, dubs a gossip as a dangerous demon, who in terms of his viciousness and malice, is far worse than Ravana, who could only be vanquished by the Lord Himself.

But why has "gossip" been considered dangerous and even painfully virulent? What is it that it does to us that makes it all potently unwholesome? Swami Shivananda, the direct disciple of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, declares: "...gossip and things of that nature are VERY bad. They DRAG the mind DOWN...," (pg. 75, For Seekers of God). Adding on to His dire warning, Mata Amritansndamayi, one of the greatest apostles of the 20th century warns: “If within the mind, some gossip and slander finds root, God leaves, Devil will rule the mind.” (https://www.amritapuri.org/12975/investment.aum).

That, indeed, is an excessively serious warning to everyone who values spiritual life or to anyone works with the mind to attain the purpose of his life. Although most people may not have realised, the time that the world spends on whispering about others is always far more than anyone can imagine. If we add up all the small pockets of time between lunches, during telephone conversations, and train rides that we uselessly squander on gossiping, we will divine why we have not materially or spiritually succeeded in anything. On this point, Swami Sivananda, the spiritual master who has given the world  countless mahatmas, says: "If you can give up IDLE TALKS and GOSSIPING and IDLE CURIOSITY to hear RUMOURS and news of OTHERS and if you do NOT meddle with the affairs of others, you WILL have ample time to do meditation." (pgs. 216-217, Concentration and Meditation). "Plod on in your sadhana", Swami Sivananda further says, "Give up idle talk, tall talk, gossip and backbiting. Save your time," Swami Sivananda (pg 169, Science of Yoga, Vol. 6)

Agreeing with the sage, Swami Yatiswarananda, the author of the celebrated spiritual work "Meditation and Spiritual Practice", cajoles us, "We must MINIMIZE all unnecessary waste of time in FUTILE thinking, GOSSIPING, aimless ACTIVITIES, wandering, etc. THEN, we will get PLENTY of time for our spiritual practice." (pg. 341, Meditation and Spiritual Practice by Swami Yatiswarananda)

The following go only to further underscore the deleterious effects of gossiping on our psyche and inner spirit:

"Refrain from gossip and the spreading if rumours. Give a lie a 24-hour start and sometimes it seems to become immortal," Paramahansa Yogananda (pg. 76 Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda)

"Do not WASTE your energy in IDLE TALKING and worldly gossiping," Swami Sivananda (pg. 83, Sermonettes of Swami Sivananda)

Swami Muktananda: "You should NOT talk AIMLESSLY among yourselves, spread false gossip, or indulge in self-willed behaviour..." (pg. 45, Play of Consciousness)

Swami Brahmananda, the direct disciple of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, pronounces, "There is no enemy more harmful than idle gossip. It ruins one completely." (pg. 26, Spiritual Teachings of Swami Brahmananda).

It does not just ruin one, but ruins one completely; without any modicum of hope for a second chance.