Devotion is a matter of the heart. Does that make it irrelevant to ethics? No, because the heart can’t be reached as easily as we might think. At its core, our heart is pure and potent, for we all are essentially parts of the Divine. Presently however, our heart is presently covered by many superficial and even immoral desires.

If we compare devotion to a flame and the heart to wood, the potential to be lit with devotion is there within every heart just as the potential to be lit is present in wood. Of course, unlike wood that gets consumed and exhausted by fire, the heart stays lit with devotion forever. Yet if the wood is especially wet, the fire may not light at all or may die out once the drier parts of the wood get burnt. What does this imply? Even if those with an impure heart aspire to act devotionally and even if they succeed sometimes, their impurities may deviate them. Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita states that steady devotion manifests in those who have purified themselves steadily (07.28).

With this understanding, let’s consider two reasons each why ethical conduct matters for both devotee-seekers and devotee-seers. For devotee-seekers, adherence to ethics prevents more water from being poured on the wood; that is, it prevents more impurities from clouding and covering the heart. And it dries the wood so that it can burn brighter; that is, it cleanses the heart so that its natural devotion can manifest better. For devotee-seers, ethical conduct enables them to please Krishna (12.13-19) and set an example for society (03.21), thereby maintaining social order and fostering an overall culture conducive to devotional growth.  

One-sentence summary:

Ethical conduct matters for devotees because it both expresses devotion and prepares the heart for manifesting devotion.

Think it over:

  • When devotion is a matter of the heart, why does ethical conduct matter on the devotional path? 
  • Why does ethical conduct matter for devotee-seekers?
  • Why does ethical conduct matter for devotee-seers?

***

07.28: Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination.

To know more about this verse, please click on the image