“If we do our duty nicely, what is the use of worshiping God?

1956 In Delhi at that time I was publishing this Back to Godhead. The postmaster was talking with me about the paper, Back to Godhead. He said, “If we do our duty nicely then what is the use of worshiping God? If we become honest, if we become moral, if we do not do anything which is harmful to anyone. Because our paper’s name was Back to Godhead. So he was indirectly protesting, that what is the use of propagating this philosophy of Godhead if we act nicely?

Who is a real moralist?

The Arya-samajists, their point of view, how to avoid God. So I replied that if one is not God conscious, he cannot be moralist, he cannot be truthful, he cannot be honest. This is our point of view. You study the whole world only on these three points, morality, honest, and dutiful. So many nice things are there. But if he’s not God conscious, he cannot continue such thing. He must fail.

Even the, there are so many instances, even amongst the devotees, because this material world is made so that you cannot continue this principle perpetually. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, you’ll find.

Because the three modes of material nature is working, even if you are on the platform of goodness, the other modes of material nature will try to attack you. And goodness, morality, honesty, these things will be polluted by the onslaught of the other two inferior modes of nature. Therefore, sometimes we find that a very nice man committing some sinful activities.

The Standard of morality cannot be fixed up if one is not God conscious

So the decision of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. Mahad-guṇāḥ. We can find it easily, just like we say that no illicit sex, no meat-eating, we consider this is sinful. But there are others, big, big leaders, politicians, philosophers, even religious priests, they do not think that this is immoral or this is sinful.

Meat-eating is sinful. Why? What is the sin there? Illicit sex, what is the wrong there? Intoxication, what is wrong there? They do not find any immorality. So this standard of morality, there cannot be fixed up if one is not God conscious. There cannot be.

Standard of morality, standard of goodness, cannot be. That is the decision of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.  Lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They think that animal has no soul. They do not accept this morality that animal cannot be killed, it is sinful, it is immoral. They have created their own theory. So without being standardised by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you cannot find the standard platform of morality, honesty. These things you cannot find. This is not possible.

Who decides what is moral and immoral?

Just like if you do not follow a standard law, how you can fix up “This is morality” or “This is honesty or dishonesty.” There must be standard law. And who can give you the law unless he is the greatest authority? So law changes according to different countries, climate, situation. So man-made law cannot give you standard morality, honesty.

It is not possible. Because one will think “This is morality,” another will think, “No, this is not morality.” Same thing. Keep to the left, keep to the right. Somebody says “Keep to the left is right,” somebody says “Keep to the left, it is wrong.” Manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ [SB 5.18.12]. Because those who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, they are hovering on the mental plane.

They cannot, there cannot be any fixed up morality, honesty, dishonesty. No. And rascals will also say yato mata tato patha. Means, whatever you think is all right, that is all right. According to your conception this is right, and according to my conception, both of them are right.

How both of them can be right? So this contradiction, opposing elements, will continue unless there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this is not a fact that the karma-vādīs simply by discharging your duties nicely. On principle, it is all right. But we must know what is actual morality.

Just like when there is war, to kill the enemies, that is morality. But in peaceful condition if you kill a person that is immorality or sinful. The process is the same, morality or immorality, the process is the same. But sometimes it is moral, sometimes immoral.

How to standardise morality?

Therefore Bhāgavata says [SB 6.3.19]. Real dharma, real religion, morality, honesty, they can be decided on the words of the Supreme Lord. When Kṛṣṇa says “This is all right,” then it is all right. When Kṛṣṇa says it is not right, then it is not right. This is our decision.

We Kṛṣṇa conscious men, we simply accept. And that is a fact. That is a fact in this way because Kṛṣṇa is the greatest authority, Supreme Being. Supreme means the greatest authority. Just like state says “Now it is wartime. If you kill a number of enemies then you will be awarded with gold medal.”

The same process of killing. But at another time, when there is no war, if you kill one person you’ll be hanged. The killing process is the same, but the judgement is given by the greatest authority, the government. “This is all right, this is not right.” Therefore, the standard of morality means to abide by the orders of the greatest authority. That is standard of morality. This is the conclusion. You cannot make your own morality. No. If Kṛṣṇa says “This is all right,” then it is all right. Otherwise, it is not.

What is immorality?

So the karma-vāda, that you follow morality you’ll get good results. But where is your morality? Because you are disobedient to God, you are immoral.

You are disobeying the greatest authority. There is another example, a story, that a gang of thieves, they stolen some property from different houses, then out of the village they are dividing amongst themselves the booties.

So one thief is saying, “Please divide it morally so that one may not be cheated.” Now just imagine, the property is stolen. Where is the morality there? But when dividing, they are thinking of morality. The basic principle is immoral. Where you can have morality?

Similarly, according to Vedic injunction, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. Everything belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is His property. So the whole planet is God’s property, whole universe is God’s property. But when we are claiming that this is my property, then where is morality? If you claim other’s property as your property, then where is the morality?

So in this material world, such kind of morality, honesty, is going on. But our morality is if Kṛṣṇa is satisfied, then it is honesty, morality, everything.

 

Examples of morality in the Srimad Bhagavatam

Prahlāda Mahārāja

Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja is standing and his father is being killed by Nṛsiṁhadeva in his presence. So do you think it is morality that one’s father is being killed in the presence of his son, and the son without protest is seeing, with a garland, that “As soon as my father is killed, I shall offer this garland to Nṛsiṁhadeva”? Is it morality from material point of view?

We are worshiping. Prahlāda Mahārāja has become mahājana, the greatest authority in devotional service, but if we study his morality that he did not protest the killing of his father, rather he was waiting with a garland, that “As soon as the killing business is finished I’ll reward this.” You see? Where is material morality, there is no morality.

Gopis

The gopīs, they were young girls, wife of somebody, sister of somebody, daughter of somebody, but when Kṛṣṇa was playing on His flute at dead of night, they gave up all their engagement and began to run, “Where Kṛṣṇa is present?” So from Vedic standard of view, this is immorality. They are going to another young boy and leaving family. Even somebody, some of the gopīs, they left their sons also, and went to Kṛṣṇa.

From material point of view this is immoral. So you’ll find in such a way that what is from material point of view immoral, it is the most magnificent morality in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. And similarly, from material point of view, what is moral, that is most, I mean to say, abominable from the point of view…

Yudhisthira Mahārāja

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja became very moral. Kṛṣṇa advised him, “Just go and tell Droṇācārya that ‘Your son is dead,’ ” although his son was not dead. Because Droṇācārya will not die unless he hears the news of the death of his son. He’ll not die. So he would not believe anyone, but Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja is famous, very moral. So Kṛṣṇa asked him that “You go, otherwise he’ll not believe anyone.” So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja hesitated, “How can I say lies?” So for this he had to see hell. He became immoral.

Morality depends on Lord Kṛṣṇa

So our standard of morality and immorality is to see whether Kṛṣṇa is satisfied. If Kṛṣṇa is satisfied, then it is morality. If Kṛṣṇa is dissatisfied, then it is immoral. And Kṛṣṇa’s representative also. Therefore, it is said yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ‘pi. Our morality is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa or His representative, guru. If he’s satisfied, then it is moral. If he’s not satisfied, then it is immoral. So this karma-vāda, that you act nicely and you’ll get nice result, that is all right, but there may be some mistakes. There are so many instances.

Story Of King Nrga

One very great charitable king, he was giving in charity so many cows to the brāhmaṇas. So there was some mistake, and for that purpose, although he was all throughout his whole life he was giving in charity, a little mistake, he became a big lizard in the well. Therefore the conclusion is that this material morality has no value. Spiritual morality means to abide by the order of Kṛṣṇa. That is morality. Whatever Kṛṣṇa says, if we accept.

ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā

varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ

svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya

saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam

[SB 1.2.13]

If you execute your morality principles but if by executing such morality principle you do not, awaken your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is simply waste of time. We have to keep in point of view that to become… Kṛṣṇa also says in Bhagavad-gītā: [Bg. 9.30]. Even one is found not very strictly following moral principles, but he is an unflinching devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he’s sādhu. These things are there.

Conclusion

Therefore the point should be that we should not accept this karma-vāda or the bauddha-vāda or Māyāvāda, there are so many vādas. We shall simply take Kṛṣṇa-vāda. Simply accept Kṛṣṇa. And whatever He orders, whatever He likes, for His satisfaction, we shall do anything and everything. That is our morality.

Srila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gītā Lecture 2.26-27, London, August 29, 1973