Krsna (God) gave the jiva-souls free will, what does that really mean?

In Sastra (Scripture), Krsna does promise the jiva-souls will never fall from Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana, and yes, Krsna will always keeps His promise.

However, Krsna's promise that one will never fall down to the material creation once there is Krsna's promise but do the jiva-souls also have the free will to accept or reject His promise?

Or does this mean the jiva-souls can never choose to leave Krsna even if they want to?

This promise by Krsna, confirmed in Bhagavad Gita, says that once reaching Vaikuntha the jiva-souls will never again fall down to the material world.

Prabhupada has explained this is true for most jiva-souls, over 90%, but not all choose to accept Krsna's promise because of free will.

Those who repeat this comment in Bhagavad Gita are right for the majority of jiva-souls in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, but as explained less the 10% choose to leave because of free will.

Srila Prabhupada explains Krsna's promise and gives the proper understanding of those comments, explaining that a small minority do fall down. 

Why do some fall down? 

Ultimately, freedom is not a one way street, the freedom of the jiva-souls includes their unique quality to make choices. 

Real love can only exist when it is based on reciprocation and loving exhanges in a two-way relationship.

Therefore, we must not forget the jiva-soul's feelings too.

The jiva-souls must also have their choice to stay in Vaikuntha or leave  if they choose otherwise there is no meaning to having fee will.

Loving exchanges is activated by reciprocation between two,  it can never exist on a one-way platform. 

Therefore the destiny of the jiva-souls is not exclusively up to Krsna, the jiva-souls also have a choice.

The fact is Krsna will never force the jiva-souls to accept His promise of never again falling down to the material creation if they choose differently.

He can force His will on the jiva-souls if He wants to because Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes and controls everything including the jiva-souls free will.

But no, Krsna never interferes with the jiva-soul's free will by forcing them to love Him because He knows not allowing the jiva-souls to have their freedom only makes them no better than dead stone.

Krsna can do anything He wants but to force His will on the jiva-souls only destroys the independent individuality and unique personality of each jiva-soul, depriving them of experiencing loving voluntary exchanges with Krsna.

In other words, experiencing love means having a relationship between two that includes the free will to even reject Krsna if one chooses.

If Krsna forced the jiva-souls to love and serve Him then how can their be genuine loving exchanges as Prabhupada explains, love can only exist between two, it is never one.

By promising He will never let the jiva-souls fall down by forcing His will on the jiva-souls, is actually interfering with their free will, because it denies them their right of self expression, reply and independent acts of voluntary service to Krsna. 

Sadly, some jiva-souls do eventually choose to leave the spiritual worlds as Prabhupada has explained.

And yes, they are entitled to that choice of serving or not serving Krsna.

Krsna therefore will never force His promise on the jiva-souls that once returning to the spiritual world they will never again fall down, no, each jiva-soul has to make that choice for themselves.

Otherwise one's free will is violated and there can be no question of loving exchanges if not based on free will.

Ultimately in the end it is the jiva-soul's choice and not just Krsna's will or demands.

This is because Krsna wants loving voluntary exchanges with His servants who can choose for themselves through their own free will to voluntary serve and love Him in their own unique way.

It is a foolish saying that once you are in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana you never again fall down to the material creation.

No, that is not Krsna's call, it is also the jiva-souls choice to remain there as His servant as weĺl.

The relationship between servant and Master is never one-way, it is a perpetual relationship based on reciprocation and loving exchanges.

The promise by Krsna that the jiva-souls will never again fall down into the material world is from His side but ultimately it is not only Krsna's decision, it is also the jiva-souls choice too as explained above.

Devotee - "Srila Prabhupada, why did God give us free will if He knew we would fall down in the material world?"

Srila Prabhupada - "If you have no free will, then you are a stone. The stone has no free will. You want to be stone? Then you must have free will. But don't misuse your free will. But don't try to become stone. That is not life". (August 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)

Srila Prabhupada - "Free will means that you can act wrongly. That is free will. Unless there is chance of doing wrong or right, there is no question of free will. Where is free will then? If I act only one-sided, that means I have no free will. Because we act sometimes wrongly, that means we have free will."

Hayagriva - "A man may know better but still act wrongly."

Srila Prabhupada -"Yes, but that is free will. He misuses his. Just like a thief, he knows that his stealing, it is bad, but still he does it. That is free will. He cannot check his greediness, so in spite of his knowing that he is doing wrong thing—he will be punished, he knows; he has seen another thief, he was punished, he was put into prison— everything he knows, but still he steals. Why? Misuse of free will. Unless there is misuse of free will, there is no question of free will." (Discussions with Srila Prabhupada and Rene Descartes 1967)

Srila Prabhupada - "Surrender BY your intelligence, but don't surrender your intelligence."(Letter to Bali Mardan 1974)

This means the individual jiva-souls in the spiritual worlds always "voluntarily express themselves" in their own unique way with personal contributions they choose to offer to Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada - "The jiva-soul's position in the spiritual world is voluntary. Some devotees want to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna and become a flower, voluntarily, and one can change from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna as cow, as calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact." (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.1-4 - Melbourne, May 20, 1975)

In the spiritual world all relationships with Krsna are equally blissful to each other, just like one may choose to be a carnation flower while others choose to be a rose flower.

Srila Prabhupada - "Because you are Son of God you have independence, you have acquired the quality of your father, so God does not interfere with your independence. If you persist that "I must enjoy independently," God says, "All right, you can go." This is the position, if you persist, God sanctions. And you can come here and enjoy." (Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly, or one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that is not independence, that is force." (Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)

The individual jiva-souls are independent living entities in the spiritual worlds and have their own unique personality and sense of self that is separate from Krsna's Personality, yet are simultaneously dependent on Krsna as His parts and parcels.

The reason why Krsna gives the jiva-souls their independence and free will is so they can choose for themselves how to serve Him in their own unique personal way, or even reject Him if they choose.

This also means the jiva-souls can always contribute their own unique offerings out of unconditional personal love, without the need of any pressure or force from Krsna.

Real love or service can only exist when free will allows the jiva-souls to voluntarily participate in loving devotional exchanges and contribute to the relationship with Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada - ''Love means you take and you also give. Suppose if you love somebody and you simply take from him, but you don't give. Oh, do you think it is very good? No. It is not good. That is not love. That is exploitation. If I go on simply taking from you, and if I don't offer you anything back, then that is simply exploitation." (BG class, Ch 9 text 2-5, New York, November 23, 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - ''We have got the propensity to love. Love means somebody else. Love cannot be one or love cannot be executed only by one, there must be another one. I love somebody; somebody loves me, there must be lover, there must be beloved, and the transaction, then there is love." (Srimad Bhagavatam class, Canto 1 Ch 2 text 6, Delhi, Nov 12, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - ''The impersonalist philosophy is oneness. So how can there be love with just one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience? Love means one? No. Love means two. There must be two, the lover and the beloved. Kṛṣṇa is already lover. He's so lover of you that He's trying to get you back. That is Kṛṣṇa's attempt. "Please, My dear boy, or My dear friend, My dear servant." (Srimad Bhagavatam class Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)

Surrender to Krsna in the spiritual world does not mean giving up your free will and allowing Krsna to control all your actions, deeds, words and thoughts.

No, the jiva-souls are not programmed mindless drones who only obey and never contribute in their relationship with Krsna in their own unique way.

The jiva-souls actually never lose their free will in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana, or their individual ability of voluntary self-expression of personal contributions that are unique to each individual jiva-soul.

This means only by having free will can genuine loving exchanges and reciprocation take place, and without free will the jiva-souls are no better than dead stone Prabhupada has warned us.

Furthermore, Krsna never interferes with the free will of the jiva-souls because if He did, and never allowed them to have their freedom to make their own voluntary offerings in the spiritual world, then that means loving exchanges and reciprocation with Krsna can never exists.

If one is forced to worship Krsna or Visnu then that is not love, it is slavery which is impersonalism.

The impersonal version of God's Kingdom of Goloka-Vrindavana and the Vaikuntha planets, where the jiva-souls are forced to surrender their free will to only be told what to do, how to think and how to act is the teachings of a bogus God and spiritual teacher meant control your every thoughts and deeds. 

Such so called surrender is spiritual suicide to a Vaisnava, because such bogus surrender makes the jiva-souls no better than dead useless unproductive mindless stone.

Having genuine free will on the other hand, allows the jiva-souls to be themselves as a contributing person, which means voluntarily being an independent unique servant of Krsna, who can always choose what to offer to Krsna and how to serve Krsna.

Voluntary service is the bases of genuine surrender in Goloka Vrindavana and the Vaikuntha planets (the spiritual worlds) which are the permanent eternal home and origin of all the marginal living entities (jiva-souls).

The jiva-souls in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana are forever voluntarily expanding the expression of their unique individuality with an increasing variety of personal devotional offerings based on free will, it is never a nonsense one-sided dominating relationship with Krsna Prabhupada explains.

No, Krsna does not control the surrendered jiva-souls by forcing His will on them like a puppet master controls every movement of his puppets with the manipulations of strings, denying self-expression, individual contributions and voluntary service.

However, Krsna does control His pure devotees with love by His service to them. 

Kṛṣṇa serves His devotees more than they could ever serve Him. 

The jiva-souls who choose to allow this, experience deep feelings of loving exchanges and reciprocation out of their unconditional love for Krsna and therefore always want to serve Krsna and be with Him.

Srila Prabhupada - "Krsna does not want to become a lover by force, from the point of revolver. ‘You love me, otherwise I shall kill you!’ That is not love; that is threatening. Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force; no, that is rape. Why one is called lover, another is called rape?" (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)

Devotee – "When we are in the spiritual sky and serving Krsna, we have a perfect relationship with Krsna, what causes us to fall down in the material world, because we’re already serving Krsna?"

Srila Prabhupada – "Because you desire to fall down. Here it is explained that “Don’t fall down."

Devotee – "Srila Prabhupada, I can’t understand why we should have an impure desire when we are already serving."

Srila Prabhupada – "Because you have got little freedom. Why one is not coming here and going to the liquor shop? It is his desire."

Devotee – "In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it says that Krsna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krsna did not want us to come, why are we here?"

Srila Prabhupada – "Yes, you forced Krsna to allow you to come. Just like sometimes a child forces his father. Father says, "My dear son, do not do this. Do not go there." But he insists, "Oh, I must go. I must go." All right, you go at your risk and suffer. What can be done? So because you are son of God you have acquired the quality of your father so God does not interfere with your independence (free will)." (Lecture Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada - "Unless there is chance of doing wrong or right, there is no question of free will. Where is free will if I can act only one sided? That means I have no free will. Because we can act wrongly (sometimes), that means we have free will." (Discussions with Srila Prabhupada and Rene Descartes)

The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) never lose their free will because they are eternal as Bhagavad Gita As It Is explains-

"For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain." (BG, Ch 2, text 20)

Free will has nothing to do with the material body, free will is a symptom of the eternal jiva-soul.

Free will is the constitutional makeup of the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana where nothing material exists, including decaying material bodily vessels.

Devotee – "Is the original body of the spirit soul a human form?"

Srila Prabhupada – "Yes, human form. God is also human form. Man is made after the shape of God. I think there is in the Bible. Is it not? So God is also like human form. Here you see Krsna, two hands, two legs."

Hari-sauri – "How do we understand, then, that there are peacocks and flowers and trees in the spiritual world? Are these not eternal forms?"

Srila Prabhupada – "[describing material form first]: Yes. They are more covered. Just like if you cover your body with blanket, the hands and legs are invisible. But you are not the blanket. So the trees and plants, they are more covered. They are not in full manifestation. The human form is the full manifestation of the soul."

Hari-sauri - "They are covered in the spiritual world?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Not in the spiritual world. There that is voluntary. Some devotees want to serve Krsna as flower; so they become flower there. If I want that, to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, then he becomes flower, voluntarily, and he can change from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna as cow, as calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact." (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.1-4 Melbourne, May 20, 1975)

Krsna never interferes with the jiva-soul's free will, even when they choose to reject Him.

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly, or one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that is not independence, that is force." (Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "Free will means that you can act wrongly. That is free will. Unless there is chance of doing wrong or right, there is no question of free will. Where is free will then? If I act only one sided, that means I have no free will. Because we act sometimes wrongly, that means free will."

Hayagriva - "A man may know better but still act wrongly."

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, but that is free will. He misuses his. Just like a thief, he knows that his stealing, it is bad, but still he does it. That is free will. He cannot check his greediness, so in spite of his knowing that he is doing wrong thing—he will be punished, he knows; he has seen another thief, he was punished, he was put into prison— everything he knows, but still he steals. Why? Misuse of free will. Unless there is misuse of free will, there is no question of free will." (Philosophy Discussions with Srila Prabhupada, Rene Descartes)

Srila Prabhupada - "We have also come down from Vaikuntha some millions and millions of years ago." - (Lecture on Bhagavad-gita on August 6, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - ''These spirit souls and all spirit souls are coming from Vaikuntha." (Letter to Jagadisa das, 1970)

It is not Maya and her material energy causing the jiva-souls to leave or fall down from Vaikuntha because there is no material nature (Maya) in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana that forces the jiva-soul to leave Krsna, Maya's temptation and material energy do not exist in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana however,  free will does exist there.

Srila Prabhupada - ''The next question, about the living entities falling down in this material world are not from the impersonal brahman. Existence in the impersonal brahman is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness.Those who are in the brahman effulgence they are also in the fallen condition, so there is no question of falling down from a fallen condition. When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition. The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness. So long one can maintain pure Krsna consciousness he is not fallen down. As soon as he becomes out of Krsna consciousness immediately he is fallen down." (Letter to: Revatinandana, Los Angeles 13 June, 1970)

Srila Prabhupada - "As living spiritual souls we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness has now become polluted by the material atmosphere." 

(Hare Krsna "Happening record album" New York December 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - "So, even in the Vaikuntha, if I desire that ‘Why shall I serve Krsna? Why not become Krsna? I immediately fall down." (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)

Srila Prabhupada – ''Regarding your questions about how and from where did the conditioned souls fall, your first question if someone has a relationship with Lord Krsna on Krsnaloka, does he ever fall down? The souls are endowed with minute independence as part of their nature and this minute independence may be utilized rightly or wrongly at anytime, so there is always a chance of falling down by misuse of one’s independence." (Letter to Jagadisa Prabhu, 4/25/1970)

Srila Prabhupada – "Where are the spirit souls coming from, these spirit souls and all spirit souls are coming from Vaikuntha, but in these material worlds they are taking various grades of bodies according to their material activities." 

(Letter to Jagadisa 7/9/1970)

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly, one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that you cannot become fall down, that is not independence. That is force. Therefore Krsna says, yathecchasi tathä kuru. "Now you do whatever you like." (BG lecture, Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - "In the broader sense everyone comes from Krsnaloka (Goloka Vrindavana) When one forgets Krsna he is conditioned, when one remembers Krsna he is liberated." (Letter to Mukunda, June 10, 1969)

Srila Prabhupada - "We cannot say therefore that we are not with Krsna. As soon as we try to become Lord, immediately Maya covers us. Formerly we were with Krsna in His lila or sport. But this covering of Maya may be of very, very, very, very long duration; therefore many creations are coming and going." (Letter to Madhudvisa Swami June 1972 Australia)

Acyutananda - ''But in the Bhagavad Gita it says, "Once coming ftom there, he never returns to the material creation."

Srila Prabhupada - ''But if he likes, he can return."

Acyutananda - ''He can return?''

Srila Prabhupada - ''That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that. Krsna bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare. That misuse is the cause of our falldown." (Morning Walk, February 19, 1976, Mayapur)

Devotee - "Srila Prabhupada why did Krsna give us free will if He knew we could fall down in the material world?"

Srila Prabhupada - "If you have no free will, then you are a stone. The stone has no free will. You want to be stone? Then you must have free will. But don't misuse your free will. But don't try to become stone either. That is not life." (August 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)

Syamasundara - "Can we predict that returning back home back to Godhead will be permanent? Can we predict that? Just like many prisoners leave the prison, however, some do come back?''

Srila Prabhupada - "No, there is no permanent effect because we have got little independence. There is nothing permanent because you can misuse your independence at any time."

Syamasundara - "And some come back?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, otherwise there is no meaning of independence. Independence means you can do this, you can do that. "All right, whatever you like."

Devotee - "Then he is so many times falling down, again and again, so will he eventually permanently come back?"

Srila Prabhupada - "He has got independence, therefore there is always the possibility he can misuse his independence, he can fall down. That's why when a man is released from the prison house, that does not mean permanently because he can come back again, the general law is not to come back, but if he likes, he can come back, otherwise what is the meaning of independence? Just like one becomes free from the prison house, naturally he should not go there again."

(Discussions with Syamasundara, Henri Bergson)**..