What is the mode of goodness?

(written April 14, 2018)

There are actually two modes of goodness; the material mode of goodness and the real mode of goodness. People in the material mode of goodness tend to be in a greater sense of happiness and knowledge compared to those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance. However, Srila Prabhupada wrote,“The difficulty here is that when a living entity is situated in the mode of goodness he becomes conditioned to feel that he is advanced in knowledge and is better than others. In this way he becomes conditioned. The best examples are the scientist and the philosopher. Each is very proud of his knowledge, and because they generally improve their living conditions, they feel a sort of material happiness. This sense of advanced happiness in conditioned life makes them bound by the mode of goodness of material nature. As such, they are attracted toward working in the mode of goodness, and, as long as they have an attraction for working in that way, they have to take some type of body in the modes of nature. Thus there is no likelihood of liberation, or of being transferred to the spiritual world” (BG 14.6). Even if people have contained themselves in the mode of goodness, that it not enough for one to be freed from the cycle of birth and death, because they develop this false pride over their accomplishments of knowledge. That is what makes the difference between those in goodness and those in real goodness. People in the real mode of goodness have spiritual knowledge and follow the four universal principles and the four regulative principles. To follow the four universal principles it is crucial to give up false pride, meat eating, gambling, illicit sex, mental speculation, and intoxication. So, to be in the mode of real goodness it is extremely important for people to especially give up false pride. Those in the material mode of goodness have false pride over what they have materially accomplished, like the scientists and philosophers, which does not allow them to give up the cycle of birth and death. For those who are in the mode of real goodness, they can get out of the cycle of birth and death, because they have bhakti, or pure love for Krishna, and therefore abide by the four universal principles and the four regulative principles.