The Vedic Perspective on Criticism
Vedic Sanskrit word for criticism was निन्दा (Ninda.) The criticizer is निन्दक (Nindaka.) Whereas विनिन्दा (Vininda) & विनिन्दक (Vinindaka) stand for Unjust Criticism & Unjust Criticizer. Interestingly, in the languages that followed Vedic Sanskrit, the very word Ninda is synonymous with Vininda. In most Indic languages Ninda is unjust, unwise and is often, incorrectly, defined as अधार्मिक: (Adharmic) or against Dharma. According to the Vedic Rishis, the problem is not with criticism but with our अहंकारं or ego. What if our adversary is to criticize us with abuse but also say a few facts along? Why not only retain the facts and ignore their abuse? It’s incorrect to assume that someone says something, and we felt bad. We feel bad because of our attachment to our sense of ego, which in turn led us to ignore the truth in their words by holding onto their abuses with undeserving emotions.
