I was put in a situation recently, where I was not sure whether speaking the truth was the best course.  To tell a lie for an assumed greater good, or simply to keep silence.  All options seemed to cause some harm to other(s) -- in my perception.   I always have trouble with the 'silence' as a choice.  When someone asks me a question directly (speak, email, etc), or ask for help, I always try to respond, even in situations where silence and not responding, may  be the best course of action.  In rare cases, I have kept silence or not responded.   When I had this dilemma, I recalled the story of Satyavrata from Devi Bhagavat Purana.  This story has been described in different ways. I have described the story as I remember with few sentences from a book.     In some versions of the story, they say Satyavrata kept silence.     That which sees is the organ eye  and it has no capability to speak.  That which speaks is the mouth, and it has no capacity to see.  What Satyavrata did in his condition is described as the right course of action for him.     I just wonder, if this justification is valid, even in his case?     "Purāṇa are called Purāṇa because they make the Veda “Pūrṇa” (complete). "