Sadhguru speaks about the nature of goodness and morality in one's life, explaining that a person becomes good only in comparison with someone else. Morality may work to keep balance in the society at times, but it will not work for individual growth and evolution. Once a person begins to recognize life as life, then there is no need for morals, you know how to be.

Sadhguru: You okay for a joke? Hum? Any kind? In his previous life Shankaran Pillai was a very good man. After a brief illness he died. Being a good man, naturally he went to heaven. When he went to heaven the angels, the reception committee, welcomed him and then they opened his account book. You know, there they keep account of everything, you know that? They turned pages good deed, good deed, good deed, good deed, good deed cover to cover only good deeds. Then there was a little confusion among the angels. Then they came to Shankaran Pillai and said, ‘Mr. Pillai there is a little problem.’ Shankaran Pillai said, ‘What is the problem?’ They said, ‘See we have various types of accommodation in heaven. One bad deed, highest level of heaven, sea front view. Two bad deeds next level; three bad deeds next level like this there are many levels of heaven but no bad deed, there is no such accommodation here. Till now we have never received a man like you without a single bad deed. So, we don't know what to do with you.’ Shankaran Pillai said, ‘What nonsense? I was such a good man in the world, nobody wanted to come anywhere near me. I just lived with the hope of going to heaven. Even here a problem? What kind of nonsense is this? Always I was told being a good man I can go to heaven. When I do a good job of it you have problem.’ Then the angles met among themselves, had a discussion and then said ‘Don’t you worry Mr. Pillai we have found a solution. We are giving you three hours extra life. Your body is still intact anyway. You go back, just commit one bad deed. We will put you in the highest heaven; nothing lost.’ And lo! he became alive here. He sat up once again. He sat here thinking how to commit a bad deed. See, he has no practice, not like you, you know; he's never committed one.

So, he sat there thinking, thinking, thinking one and a half hours passed away. Then he suddenly realized there is a woman well passed her prime in the neighborhood who has been casting inviting glances at him. He being a good man he never looked that way. Now he thought, ‘Okay adultery is a bad deed,’ so he went. He went to that lady’s house and knocked on the door. She came and opened the door. Shankaran Pillai said ‘I want you.’ ‘Why Mr. Pillai, they told me just yesterday evening that you are on your death bed. What is this? He said ‘It doesn’t matter, I want you.’ He went in. Whatever he lacked in practice he made it up with his enthusiasm to go to heaven. Nature took over, things happened. Now, he looked at his time, the watch is ticking away. He doesn’t want to die in her house. He wants to go back home and die. So, he is leaving in a hurry... he said, ‘I need to go. I need to go’ and he came to the door. The lady also came to see him off. As he was leaving the woman said, ‘Mr. Pillai do you know what a good deed you have done for me today?’ One more good deed, If you are too good you will neither make it here nor there because your goodness is always coming in comparing yourself with somebody or something, isn't it?

How do you certify yourself ‘I am a good man’ you look at this one, ‘He is not okay, she is not okay, she is not okay, he is not okay. Compared to all those people I am a good man,’ isn't it? If you want to be really good you have to make everybody in the world not okay, please see. Those people who think they are very good in their minds, nobody is okay. Isn't it so? Have you noticed this? If nobody is okay in the world it is not a question of goodness, it just means you are sick in your head; that’s what it means. Yes or no? If nobody in the world is okay what does it mean? You know one of the things that your psychiatric or psychologist will tell you is if you start thinking everybody is not okay that means you’re heading for insanity? Yes? Because it is madness and your goodness is just a kind of madness. Maybe it's needed to keep some balance in the society sometimes but not for your evolution. Your morality will not evolve you. If you begin to recognize life as life then you will see as life you respond to life and you don’t need morals, you know how to be. You will never cross any lines because there are no lines but at the same time you are simply incapable of doing anything harmful, that's all. You are not holding back, you are not controlling because somebody told you, ‘This is the way you must be. You should not do that, you should not do this,’ the very way you are there is no question of harm; it doesn’t exist in you. Effortlessly you can be good. Right now, with great difficulty you are being good, isn't it? And if you’re too good even in heaven they will reject you.