default image for post
Dangers of hypocrisy
February 2, 2011  |  radhanath-swami

At a bookstore in Rome, Richard (now Radhanath Swami)’s lower nature overcame him; he stole a book that taught to play the harmonica.  Later when he discovered that Gary had a stolen a wooden crucifix of Jesus, he was angry and chastised him. Gary was quick to point out Richard’s hypocrisy in stealing a book but later condemning Gary for doing the same. Richard felt ashamed and defeated. Later at night gazing at the stars, Richard realized it’s a horrible sin to be a hypocrite; to preach but to not practice.

The word hypocrisy originated in the Greek language as a theatrical term. One actor often played multiple roles in the same play by disguising himself with a series of masks. The actor was called a “hypocrite” because he had two or more faces. The idea of a person being “two-faced” evolved, describing someone who said one thing and did another.

Hypocrisy is a front – it is a person who pretends to be more righteous than he is. Radhanath Swami reveals that a hypocrite lives a lie; he tries to make the outside appear better than the inside. It involves deception, dishonesty, and trickery by a person that is a fraud or a con. Radhanath Swami answers the question why one becomes a hypocrite; when one seeks praise and approval from others or has a desire to be well-liked, he will do anything to get his desired goal.

Radhanath Swami warns that hypocrisy is dangerous, especially for those professing to be spiritualists. When the deception of a hypocrite is exposed, many people are hurt, disappointed, and disheartened. There are a large number of people in the world who want nothing to do with God, or religious and spiritual organizations because they have been deceived or misled by so called religionists. A hypocrite not only can cause the loss of his own trustworthiness but the integrity of others he associates himself with and the institution he is affiliated with, is at stake.

As a spiritual practitioner I am beginning to realize the dangers of preaching and speaking beyond my level of realizations. Radhanath Swami’s solution to guard against this is profound; he implores a seeker to be honest and humble in his aspirations. Radhanath Swami says that a devotee of God should abandon material motivations or at least to begin with aspire to be free from material ambitions. If this tendency of seeking worldly glory isn’t checked, hypocrisy is inevitable. Radhanath Swami’s favorite line has been, “we should only aspire to be the servant of servant of servant of all living entities; not expecting anything in return but willing to offer all respects to others.”

Radhanath Swami once answered a doubt I had for long time. As a teacher of a spiritual path, I am often giving lectures on lofty spiritual principles. Am I being a hypocrite in spreading the message of God when I am myself not advanced? Radhanath Swami assured me that if am acutely aware of my limitations and while giving the lectures if I focus on speaking the sermon to myself rather than others, God shall certainly protect me. It’s not hypocrisy if I seek to preach to myself first, and preach to others only as their servant in the mood of a simple messenger of God.

Related Posts:


50 Comments


  1. Giving sermons to oneself and preaching to others with the understanding that it is all for myself — such a wonderful revelation and instruction by Radhanath Swami.

    View Comment
  2. Mood of perfect preacher
    “It’s not hypocrisy if I seek to preach to myself first, and preach to others only as their servant in the mood of a simple messenger of God.”

    View Comment
  3. Such a beautiful understanding by Radhanath Swami on the subject of hypocrisy and how to deal with it.

    View Comment
  4. thank u for sharing

    View Comment
  5. In the mood of a servant of God, we can speak the lofty message. This way we don’t risk being called hypocrite.

    View Comment
  6. Thank you for sharing

    View Comment
  7. Very nice explanation of how to avoid hypocrisy. Thank you very much for sharing the same.

    View Comment
  8. Radhanath Swami Maharaj explains why we become hypocrite…

    View Comment
  9. HHRNSM has always provided us with a very clear understanding on many issues and this article is a wonderful explanation which makes us understand the meaning of hypocrisy and its dangers, thank you Maharaj, haribol, rajesh karia

    View Comment
  10. Thanks for sharing this article that has excellent answers for someone like me.

    View Comment
  11. Thank you for sharing.

    View Comment
  12. Shoba Ramachandran

    Very very nice article. Thanks very much. Yes, as said in the article if we cultivate the mood being the servant of servant of everyone and act as simple messenger of God as our service to Him then, everything will fall in place. This article really inspired me. Thanks very much

    View Comment
  13. thank you Radhanath Mahraj !! for making us aware of how serious it is and dangerous to not practice the principles which we have understood the importance of . and thank you for giving the solution for our current condition also as you said

    View Comment
  14. The dangers of hypocrisy are so great. If one is exposed it causes embarassment not only to the individual but also to the every organization the person represents. But, there is a severe personal loss when one is not exposed because there will be zero improvement within. Radhanath Swami Maharaj has brought out all these points into focus. He has even explained how our service attitude can protect us from hypocrisy.

    View Comment
  15. Yes in spiritual life mood is very imp.

    View Comment
  16. People tend to take extreme approaches about hypocrisy. But Radhanath Swami’s approach seems to be a balanced one.

    View Comment
  17. The whole article is very nice, but I like what HH Radhanath Swami says in the last para in particular…preaching as an act of preaching to one’s own self first.

    View Comment
  18. One of the best posts .. thank you for such an instructive article.

    View Comment
  19. Hypocrisy and Quarrel are two qualities of Kaliyuga

    View Comment
  20. A true spiritualist should be free from hypocrisy……otherwise as mentioned in the article, he not only loses his own truatsworthiness but also of the institution he associates with…….

    View Comment
  21. Radhanath Swami Maharaj explains dangers of hypocrisy!

    View Comment
  22. Anything that does not please Krishna and his devotees must be avoided and hypocrisy is one of such things

    View Comment
  23. A very nice article on hypocrisy……thanks

    View Comment
  24. Radhanath Swami has exposed a deep rooted trait of human beings. He has explained how hypocrisy works at different levels and how it impedes our spiritual progress.

    A very nice article.

    View Comment
  25. Radhanath Swami has always been at the forefront to accept the things which were not correct for him. His concern about not being a hypocrate should be taken very seriously by any society because the concept of being a hypocrate can wrath any kind of havoc in the society.

    View Comment
  26. rambaboo maheshwari

    when one seeks praise and approval from others or has a desire to be well-liked, he will do anything to get his desired goal becomes hypocrite. Nicely explained by Radhanath swami.

    View Comment
  27. Radhanath Swami Maharaj highlights the evil of hypocrisy at the same time he gives practical advice on avoiding it.

    View Comment
  28. one should be very careful of this evil of Hypocrisy

    View Comment
  29. Radhanath Swami is a very thoughtful person. Before he says anything to others, he makes sure that he himself is following it. And that is how I see his students respect him so much.

    View Comment
  30. Radhanath Swami’ analysis of hypocrisy is perfect.

    View Comment
  31. If this tendency of seeking worldly glory isn’t checked, hypocrisy is inevitable… Thank you Radhanath Swami Maharaj for pointing to the root cause and its remeady.

    View Comment
  32. very good article. thank you

    View Comment
  33. All Glories To H.H Radhanath Swami Maharaj

    Its an profound and moving narrative. It brings a pin drop silence in our mind when reading and sinking it in.

    Hare Krishna

    View Comment
  34. Those last two lines are especially so very important. Thank you for sharing this message with us all.

    View Comment
  35. Beautiful explanation of hypocrisy.

    View Comment
  36. Madana Kishore Das

    Awesome!!

    View Comment
  37. Really wonderful.For Spiritual practitioner to advance swiftly one has to safeguard oneself from these diseases of heart Hypocracy & Duplicity.Beautiful explaination by Maharaj. Thank you so much Maharaj.Radhanath Swami Maharaj ki jai !!

    View Comment
  38. Thanks for the excellent points of view based on the teachings of Radhanath swami.

    View Comment
  39. I am really inspired with the words of Radhanath Swami “we should only aspire to be the servant of servant of servant of all living entities; not expecting anything in return but willing to offer all respects to others.”

    View Comment
  40. M Pandu Rangayya Shetty

    A very good advice from Radhanath Swami not to become hypocrite. All glories to Radhanath Swami.

    View Comment
  41. Maharaj’s realization on the topic of hypocrisy is very profound stemming from his personal experiences. It is very important that one cultivates a proper image of himself without being a hypocrite.Like Maharaj has pointed out that hypocrisy is living a lie.It can harm one’s own spiritual growth that anything else.

    View Comment
  42. Jagdish Majethiya

    Very instructive article – “if I seek to preach to myself first, and preach to others only as their servant in the mood of a simple messenger of God”. Thank you so much Maharaj for enlightening us on the dangers of hypocrisy.

    View Comment
  43. Thank you Maharaj for guiding s nicely…

    View Comment
  44. Yes, as rightly pointed out by Maharaj, a hypocrite can cause loss of faith in the heart of the innocent masses. The general public as a result may not be willing to attend & associate with spirirtual organizations even if they are genuine.
    Thank you for guiding & warning us Maharaj. May I learn to understand my own limitations first & then preach to others.

    View Comment
  45. Radhanath Swami explains very nicely the pitfalls along the path to self-realisation while taking all his followers toward their ultimate destination – kingdom of God.

    View Comment
  46. Radhanath Swami warns that hypocrisy is dangerous, especially for those professing to be spiritualists.

    View Comment
  47. Arjun K Ramachandra

    Very relevant article this is! Hypocrisy means to pretend to be more righteous than one is- what a perfect definition!

    View Comment
  48. Kalpana Kulkarni

    We really should practice what we preach!

    View Comment
  49. Thank you Radhanath Swami for this wonderful article

    View Comment
  50. Kalpana Kulkarni

    I feel so relieved! Even I used to think that I’m being a hypocrite when I preach to others even though I’m not on that level. But the mood should be that we are preaching to ourselves. Wonderful advice to follow.

    View Comment

Leave a Reply