19.1 Backbiting

 19.1 Backbiting

Question:

Is backbiting really a bad habit?

 

Answer:

Even if you say unkind words in a man's presence, do not utter 

slanderous words about him behind his back without thinking

about the consequences.                                                                           (Couplet – 184)

 

கண்ணின்று கண்ணறச் சொல்லினும் சொல்லற்க

முன்னின்று பின்நோக்காச் சொல்.                              (குறள் – 184)

 

Explanation:

Backbiting is malicious talk about someone who is not present. When a person talks badly about someone in their absence, the listeners are likely to conclude that that person might talk about them too in the same manner in their absence. So, a person involved in backbiting is likely to lose his friends, be labeled a slanderer, and damage his reputation. Depending upon the severity of what is said, it may even be considered slander or defamation. Defamation is a punishable crime in many countries. So, backbiting is genuinely a bad habit, and one should not indulge in it. For this reason, Valluvar says even if you say unpleasant things in front of a person, never say anything bad about him behind his back without thinking about the consequences.