This is a question that is asked sometimes about the morality of Krsna – is Krsna immoral? Someone asked a question – “Do we have to give up our conception of mundane morality in order to worship Krsna in Braj?”
No, we answer. You don’t have to give up worldly morality, but we must understand that Krsna is not immoral. He is the highest, most moral Person. That is why we see throughout the vedic literature that the most respected and exalted persons in the universe are praying to the braja-gopis.
No one can be more moral that the Lord Brahma. If he is praying, to become a spec of dust or rock on the footpath where the gopis may rub their feet and sprinkle some dust on his head or he offers his four faces as the place of lila for Radharani to walk on, braja gopis to walk on in Barsana. His four faces became the four - tan ghar, man ghar, vilas ghar and mandir of Radharani.
We have to understand that worldly morality is based on the bodily concept and the gopis or damsels of Braj are not functioning on a bodily concept at all, for one second.
If we examine or look at the activities of the braja gopis, from the bodily conception then it appears that their activities are immoral. But then we are making a big mistake by pulling the gopis down to the materialistic platform.
Everything the braja gopis do – all their behavior and love – is only an expression of their intense mood of service for the pleasure of Krsna. Everything they are doing is only for the sake and happiness of Krsna and that is the highest morality.
What is the function of morality? Morality must have a function even in the material world. What is the purpose of mundane morality? The purpose of morality is to keep people from becoming too engrossed in the bodily activities.
Ultimately, the purpose of society is to become uplifted spiritually, therefore to advance or develop, one must follow certain codes of conduct. And without rules and regulations of morality to regulate the people, all the human beings would just live like animals, or even worse.
If humans are not trained according to some standards of morality, and they become devoid of a code of conduct, then they will become just like monkeys. That will not help the society; either materially or spiritually. The purpose of morality ultimately is to bring humanity to the platform of worshipping God – that is the essence. That worship of God in the highest sense is done when one transcends all this moral conduct.
Morality is only a means to come to the level of worshipping God, but morality is not the goal of life. It is not the end in itself. Morality is a process to assist us to realize the ultimate good. That is why Krsna concludes the Bhagvad-gita by saying –
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
Srila Prabhupada: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.
Here, in this verse, Krsna is basically saying to give up morality. Giving up morality means to place no importance in it. It doesn’t mean that we become immoral. However, if one has to act immorally for the pleasure of Krsna, then they should give up that morality. That is the point. That is why Yudhishthira had to lie in the battle of Kurukshetra. Otherwise, you become controlled or limited by morality.