Is joking a sin?

Transcript

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short of the truth in certain important ways.
Thank you. Hare Krishna. Question.
Is joking a sin? No, not at all. Especially if that joking is not connected with a sinful activity, then it is definitely not sin. We shouldn’t think that to be devoted to God, to be pure, to be sinless, that we have to live a very mournful, grave life without any jolliness or joviality.
No. God is supremely happy and contact with Him makes us happy. And humor is a part of happy life.
So, all attractive qualities are present in God in the fullest measure. So, humor is also present in God. And humor can also be a means by which we connect with God.
So, for example, when we hear Krishna, Krishna’s pastimes, when we hear Krishna’s message, we, if it is presented by spiritual teachers who are also good at humor, then that humor makes the message memorable and makes the message relishable. So, this is humor that can be used in devotional service also. Now, that is humor which connects us with God.
So, there can be humor which connects us with God. There can be humor which disconnects us from God. For example, there are many risk jokes.
There are what can be called non-veg jokes about sexual innuendos and double intenders. And these hyper agitate already agitated imagination with sinful ideas, sinful dreams and schemes of pleasure. And this sort of humor is undesirable.
It is connected with a sinful activity. And in the present Kali Yuga, we are not penalized for mental sins. But still, whatever we think about, we will do.
And acting at a physical level, say laughing at such jokes, that is also undesirable. So, if the activity associated with the sinfulness, with the humor, with the joking is itself sinful, then that sort of joking will become sinful. Now, intermediate between these two, there is humor, joking that can connect us with Krishna.
There is joking that can take us away from Krishna. And intermediate is just mundane humor. So, that is like intellectual titillation.
There are comedians who make jokes with word plays, which are not necessarily sinful, but which are not necessarily spiritual also. So, this is simply intellectual titillation. Some people can get hooked on to that, they can get addicted to that.
But intellectual titillation means, it is like intellectual tickling. Sometimes when a child is tickled, the child feels happy. The child seems happy and the child is laughing.
But we know that is not happiness. If that were happiness, then we could all get perpetual tickling machines for ourselves and we would all be happy. So, similarly, just that there can be physical tickling, there can be intellectual tickling.
That means, we read or hear some jokes, there are comedy shows, there are comedy books, and people read that and sometimes they get addicted to these also, thinking that this is what pleasure is. But actually, that itself will become boring after some time and that is a false shelter that cannot give us lasting, that is not real happiness, that cannot give us lasting happiness. So, rather than seeking pleasure in such things, we focus on seeking pleasure in devotion to Krishna and finding whatever our need for humor is, for jokes are, we finding some expression, some connection within the circle of devotion.
The circle of devotion is so encompassing that it can encompass all human traits and needs, including the need for humor. Thank you.