[Advaita-l] Is morality necessary for liberation?

[Suresh]

Friends,

First of all, this isn't a justification for immoral behavior. 

In most religions, especially creator-centered religions, morality is most important. Even if faith in god is stressed, it still requires the believer to be moral, or else god won't be pleased. This is the logic, basically. Suffice it to say that for theistic religions, morality is perhaps as important as faith. 

But advaita is unique in that God is all there is - everything else is a mere appearance. So morality cannot get you out of this samsara any more than morality can get you out of a dream. Only knowledge between real and unreal can. So morality, as far as I can see, has utilitarian value - the same value that 'dream water' has for a dreamer. But does it have any salvific value at all?

Again, I am not attacking morality or moral people - but isn't it silly in the context of advaita to see morality as something mighty important? Knowledge alone is salvific - morality is simply useful for us to carry on at the worldly, vyavaharika level. But to obsess over moral codes, to constantly think in terms of dos and don'ts, rights and wrongs - isn't that unnecessary for an advaitin?

Thanks,
Suresh