Is working in illegal companies sinful to their employees also?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna Sir. I am working in a company where its core business is illegal totally and I need this job coz they are paying me well. Sir am I doing right or wrong ?? Should I leave this job ?? But I’m afraid whether I’ll get good amount of money in another company. I’m confused sir whether it is a sin ?? Plz guide sir. Help me. Waiting for ur reply hare krishna.”
REPLY:
Undoubtedly, working in illegal companies is sinful to their employees also. I will explain why.
Assisting a person who is doing sinful acts is also sinful.
For example, Consider a person who cuts a goat and another person is holding the goat tightly when the first person cuts the goat. Who acquires the sin of killing the goat?
Both the person who cut it and the one who was holding the goat while cutting, shares equal sins, though only the person who cuts it eats the goat and the second person does not eat it. He assisted the person to kill the goat. So, he also gets the karma.
Am I right by telling like this? You may ask me.
The Scriptures say so. It is not my theory. I am telling it attractively, that’s all.
(Is it sinful to remain single for ever? READ HERE!)
Indian Scriptures give importance for association. That is why, it is said that one can judge the character of someone by seeing his friends. If one’s friends are immoral or illegal people, this person too may be seen as immoral or illegal. Otherwise, he can’t stay with immoral people.
Not only working, even giving something to sinful people is also sinful.
It is not my view, but, that of Krishna himself.
In Garuda Purana, Lord Narayana (Krishna) advises us NOT TO give even dhaans (donations) to those brahmanas who are not true brahmanas or are doing sinful acts. We must use the services of a brahmana for performing vedic rituals or marriage functions only after evaluating whether a brahmana is following discipline. In case, we use the services of an indisciplined brahmana and give him gifts/ dhaans, etc, we share the sins of his sinful activities.
(Is it sinful to kill animals for research by the scientists and the employees? READ HERE!)
Only because we encourage him to stay a violator by using his services, he dares to continue to do sinful acts. So, we are assisting that brahmana to become more sinful. That is why, in kaliyuga, performance of yagas, yagnas, homas have been prohibitted because, as per Srimad Bhagavatham, PERFECT BRAHMANAS are very less in kaliyuga to perform the rituals.
Same applies for beggars. If we help a beggar who has perfect body and mind to work and earn, but is begging out of lethargy or cleverness, we acquire negative karma of making a person stay lethargic.
So, we must offer gifts only to the beggars who are really helpless, visionless, handicapped, mentally challenged, dropped out in their old age, etc.
(What is the right way of donating for charity and beggars? Can we gift old clothes? KNOW HERE!)
Similarly, it is better for us to work in a company that is dealing with legal services and products.
You may ask: whether it is legal by the laws of government or laws of dharma.
The reply is: “As per the laws of dharma”. Why? Because, one activity may be allowed in one country and not allowed in another country. Eg: Plantation of narcotic plants like Ganja, majuarina is allowed in some western countries. But, it is illegal in India and some other countries.
Similarly, only the intimacy between the husband and wife is allowed in the scriptures, but, in the laws of government, the intimacy between two youths with mutual consent even before marriage is allowed and not punishable.
Having intimacy during the women’s menstruation is condemned by the scriptures of most of the religions. The Bible (Old testament) is very strict in this similar to the Indian (Hindu) Scriptures. But the doctors do not speak much about it condemning it and some persons even do that. Here also, the rules of the scriptures are the ultimate.
So, the laws of scriptures and the laws of governments will differ in many cases. So, follow the laws of scriptures that you are following.
What kind of jobs the people can do a days in this modern world?
Some examples: Medicine, Teaching, agriculture, milk production, promoting or working in companies producing consumer products, consumer durables like computer, IT and IT enabled services, production industries, General stores, vegetable selling, medical shops and production of drugs, service industries, automobiles, construction industries, oil industries, electricity industries, transport, internet, web designing, software developing, hardware, Mechanical engineering, Civil engineering, construction industry, etc. The list will be big. You can also go to all the government jobs, military services, etc., that are permitted.
(Will the death of a patient adds karma to doctors who treated him? KNOW HERE!)
Becoming a brahmana/ devotee and teaching others about the Lord and the scriptures, is also a recommended job.
You may avoid working in a company that is producing/ selling liquor (except pharma companies that use alcohol for some syrups), lotteries, meat and meat products, media promoting tempting/illegal contents, media that is publishing paid news (Paid ads are allowed since people know that it is an advt), bogus finance companies if you know that they try to cheat the people, Gambling, Smuggling, etc.. Working in such illegal companies is sinful to their employees also.
Both the above lists are not complete. Thus, there are 100s of permitted jobs to earn and live. Though you work in the legal industries, seriously involve in Krishna Consciousness simultaneously. Work keeping the Lord in mind.
In brief, we can briefly say: Perform and earn any job that does not affect innocent people and animals.
(1) Do not do any job or work in a company that is doing any job/ producing any product that is prohibited by your government laws though it is allowed in the scriptures. This is just to lead a peaceful life free from litigations.
(Is selling meat by a Krishna devotee allowed as a profession? READ HERE!)
(2) Do not do any job or work in a company that is doing any job/ production of any product that is allowed by your government laws, but, not allowed by the scriptures. This is to escape from the karmic reactions.
(3) So, do any job that has been allowed both by both the Scriptures and the law of your country. It is safe in this birth as well as after leaving this body.
This is safe for you. In case your company is caught by the government in future, you too will be affected and you may not be in key post, but will lose the job when you are not prepared for a shift/ change. For example, if a finance company promoters run away cheating the innocent people, the police arrests the agents and the working ‘senior’ staffs of that company also because, they too are involved in such offences of the promoters.
So, try your level best to switch your job if your company is doing prohibited acts. There are many companies that take talented people. So, try your best to get another job. Try sincerely. If you do not get a good job in spite of your sincere attempts, do not involve in administrative activities of that company. Just be a last bench employee and do your duties without attachment. Also pray to Lord to forgive the offences and give you another legal job. Keep on trying for a good and legal job and switch whenever you get it.
Till that, work there.
(How to serve Krishna through our job or business of earning money? READ HERE!)
For the youth who are trying for jobs: If you like to lead a peaceful life, try and go only for a good jobs not prohibited by the scriptures.
I have seen in our temples, that those devotees who are working in Government or private sectar ‘Office’ jobs involve in devotion comfortably because, it is 10-5 job of about 7 hrs. After that, they are free. So, becoming a government servant is good for a peaceful life. Even after the retirement, you and your spouse are protected with pension till death.
Next preferable is Private companies. Here, the only issue is that we may have to switch jobs at any time when that company does not perform well or there are politics in the management or any other reasons like purposefully giving excessive works beyond the capacity of a normal person that costs one’s personal life.
Usually the Small and medium sized business people are struggling to manage their time for devotion in temples that I have noted. I too came out of my business to serve the Lord still better as a full time devotee.
So, make up your life easy by working in a good & legal set up that does not cost your peace and health.
So, the conclusion is: Working in illegal companies is sinful to their employees also.
(I like to try Lottery once to help my parents. Is it allowed for genuine reasons? READ HERE!)