According to social conventions it is said that one can speak the truth when it is palatable to others. But that is not truthfulness. The truth should be spoken in such a straightforward way, so that others will understand actually what the facts are. If a man is a thief and people are warned that he is a thief, that is truth. Although sometimes the truth is impalatable, one should not refrain from speaking it.
Truthfulness demands that the facts be presented as they are for the benefit of others.
That is the definition of truth. We are now faced with what is, perhaps, the most serious possible allegation of criminal activity and spiritual degradation ever to be brought forward among the disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. The disciples of Srila Prabhupada would be grossly negligent NOT to investigate recent suspicious evidence, and we would be similarly negligent to leave such investigation in the hands of those who have proven themselves untrustworthy in the past. Therefore, as painful and potentially spiritually dangerous as it may be, I do not see how we can shirk our responsibilities in this regard. In order that we might present the facts of this matter, we begin by discussing and questioning.