Unselfishness and Morality

There is to be found in every religion the manifestation of this struggle towards freedom. It is the groundwork of all morality, of unselfishness, which means getting rid of the idea that men are the same as their little body. When we see a man doing good work, helping others, it means that he cannot be confined within the limited circle of “me and mine”. There is no limit to this getting out of selfishness. All the great systems of ethics preach absolute unselfishness as the goal. Supposing this absolute unselfishness can be reached by a man, what becomes of him? He is no more the little Mr. So-and-so; he has acquired infinite expansion. The little personality which he had before is now lost to him for ever; he has become infinite, and the attainment of this infinite expansion is indeed the goal of all religions and of all moral and philosophical teachings. (I, 109)

All great teachers emphasise the role of unselfishness in morality. Absolute unselfishness expands us to be one with the universe. Karma Yoga is the science which leads to absolute freedom through completely unselfish work. It follows that unselfishness leads us to our goal and selfishness takes us  away from the goal. At one place Swamiji defines that “selfishness is immorality and unselfishness is morality.”