Many people have this notion in life: What is the need for God to be good in life? Can I not be good without God?
Sometimes, I encounter people who proudly boast about their philosophy of life—to do good for others and for the whole world. Can this not be a sufficient benchmark of perfection?
In fact, when I first came in contact with devotees, one of my first questions was: What if someone is very gentle and nice in behavior but simply doesn’t worship Krishna? Is there any problem? I wasn’t an atheist or agnostic, but among the values taught to me since childhood, being good and doing good for others were at the forefront—even more so than worshiping God. I would visit temples, but I would also make it a point to give something to beggars. Without helping people, mere devotion to God made little sense in my life.
It was a bit surprising and even a shocking revelation for me that one who worships God is at a higher position than one who simply possesses good qualities. Krishna confirms this in the Bhagavad Gita (9.30):
api cet su-durācāro
bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination. (BG 9.30)
How do we understand that we cannot be truly good without God? Let us analyze:
Who decides what is good and what is bad?
If I simply desire to be good in life, who will decide my definition of being good? I might even say—smoking cigarettes is good. How can one counter it? I know of a person who had tears in his eyes seeing poor school children. He emphatically mentioned that these children should be fed meat to increase their protein intake.By this logic, killing animals could be justified as an act of goodness. If goodness can mean anything, then even if I murder my next-door neighbor, it might be considered an act of goodness and bravery.
The origin of good and bad is in the mind. And the mind has preconceived notions subjected to our past life, upbringing, etc. Then how can one conclusively define what is good and what is bad? There must be a common foundation or a source of all good qualities.
Who is the source of all goodness?
God is the source of all good qualities. He is the one who created these qualities. Scriptures give us guidelines on which qualities are desirable and which qualities are undesirable. Following God and the scriptures helps us understand real goodness. Krishna talks about divine and demoniac qualities in the Bhagavad Gita. He clearly states that divine qualities must be cultivated, and demoniac qualities must be discarded.
Goodness without God—for what purpose?
Someone might argue, if someone demonstrates good qualities as defined by scripture, even without knowing or worshiping God, what’s the issue?
This gives rise to another question: What is the purpose of manifesting those qualities? Many people behave nicely with others in order to get things done or to show their “good” image to others. But in their private quarters, they might perform the most degrading acts that put a blemish on their integrity. Is this the definition of being good?
Even if someone is selfless in their duties and very “nice” in their behavior, what is the end result of their selfless behavior? Just being good to others doesn’t offer an ultimate purpose to our life, nor does it solve the problems of life. We even see that people who might apparently behave nicely in their lives face inner conflict and dissatisfaction. And ultimately, everyone has to die. Can simply being good to others solve the problems of death, disease and old age?
Many youths are “good” when they are at home. But when they shift to another city or to a hostel and take wrong association, their goodness gets lost. Why are they unable to continue with good qualities? Without God, any good quality cannot have a strong foundation. It can easily get washed away with the waves of time.
Can we solve the problems of people simply by being nice?
Furthermore, merely by being good, we cannot solve the problems of people permanently. The real problem in this world is ignorance caused by forgetfulness of God. And the real solution is connecting people to God. The Bible mentions the story of the Prodigal Son.
The lost son of a father cannot be happy simply by giving him nice clothes, nice food, or being nice to him! The only solution to make him happy is to take him to his father.
Solving people’s problems by being nice is just like applying ointment to a wound without curing the underlying disease. It may help for some time, but the disease may again relapse.
Can mere good behavior free one from karma?
Mere good behavior cannot free one from karma, nor can it free those with whom we are nice!
Shrila Prabhupada writes: “Hariṁ vinā na mṛtiṁ taranti: one cannot escape the cycle of birth and death without becoming a devotee. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.3): Aprāpya māṁ nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. One who does not attain shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa must certainly wander up and down within the cycle of birth and death.” (SB 9.13.10 P)
Conclusion:
For all these reasons, it is essential that virtues must have a foundation rooted in the source of all virtues. Else, they may be irrelevant, temporary or purposeless. Furthermore, such goodness is incapable of offering a permanent solution to the problems of life. Nor can it free one from the entanglement of karma.
The scriptures describe Krishna as the fountainhead of all good qualities:
nāyakānāṁ śiro-ratnaṁ
kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam
yatra nityatayā sarve
virājante mahā-gunāḥ
Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, and He is the crown jewel of all heroes. In Kṛṣṇa, all transcendental good qualities are permanently situated. (CC Madhya 23.67)
When we surrender to Him, there is no need to develop qualities separately. A devotee of God naturally acquires all godly qualities. This is stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam:
yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akincanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-gunā
manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ
All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge, and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord’s external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man? (SB 5.18.12)
Thus, goodness without God is incomplete. By connecting with Krishna, we can fulfill the purpose of life, and imbibe genuine virtues without extraneous effort.
