Free will in the Spiritual Planets - There is ALWAYS choice to be with Narayana in Vaikuntha or Krishna in Goloka Vrindavan, or leave if one wants.

This painting description below does not mean when we enter Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, we loose our free will, individuality and the sense of self.

We are eternally an independent living entity and that "sense of self", individuality and unique personality is NEVER lost in the Spiritual World.

There is ALWAYS choice to be with Krishna or leave, even if the guru tells you, you have no choice!

Or Krishna promises you, that once you enter Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan, you never again fall down.

No! You CAN fall down if you choose, but by doing so you are carving your way to the hellish material creation Prabhupada has told us (in a letter sent to me May 1975)

And there is NO material cause to one's fall down, it is simply due to free will.

The 4th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam tells the story of one devotee who chose to go to the material world and after many, many lives again meets up with Krishna.

The following Conversation took place in Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974 between Srila Prabhupada and his disciples.

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

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 Krishna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krishna did not want us to come, why are we here?”

Srila Prabhupada – “Yes. You forced Krishna 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. That’s all. And you suffer. What can be done?” Because you are Son of God you have got independence, full independence, almighty—therefore you have acquired the quality of your father. You have got little independence. So God does not interfere with your little independence. If you persist that “I must go and enjoy independently,” so God says, “All right, you can go.” This is the position. You have to take sanction. That is a fact. But when you persist, God sanctions. And you come and enjoy”.

Srila Prabhupada emphasizes the point to his disciple -

"You have already promised to follow the rules and regulations of our ISKCON Society, so therefore there is NO choice, you MUST follow, otherwise you are carving you way to hell!"

I now understand Prabhupada's letter to a disciple about him "having no choice" once he had promised to follow the basic principles of Krishna Consciousness.

Prabhupada's words were -

"You have already promised to follow our teachings, therefore you have NO choice, you must follow, you have promised!"

But then Prabhupada says -

"Otherwise if you do not follow our teachings of chanting 16 rounds a day and following the 4 regulated principles, then you are only carving your way to hell!"

So technically if one does not follow, then "he IS making a choice" which is entering hellish life.

So, even though Prabhupada said you have no choice, actually there IS always a choice -

1 - The Krishna Consciousness path.

or

2 - The path of Hellish life.

Therefore what Prabhupada really means is a choice has already been made, and a promise to follow given, so now one is obliged to live by that promise and honor that promise as a decent human being.

This is Prabhupada's main point.

Therefore, one should keep their promise to the Spiritual Master and follow our ISKCON Society principles.

Prabhupada emphasizes the point-

"You have already promised, so therefore there is NO choice".

However, Prabhupada's point is very clear and that is one should keep their promise because it will lead to the only positive outcome, going back home, back to Godhead.

So in other words, as Prabhupada says, if you reject your previous comittment to surrender to our Krishna Conscious principles, then by making that choice of rejecting your previous promise to follow the instructions of the Spiritual Master.

Then that act of NOT honoring your promise IS really "choosing" to foolishly carve your pathway to hellish life in the material world of repeated birth and death.

So there is ALWAYS a choice for the jiva soul.

It is the same when Krishna says-

"Those who enter My eternal Abode (Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan) NEVER again fall down to the material World".

Yes, Krishna will ALWAYS keep that promise however, the jiva may choose to reject Krishna's offer and come to the material creation anyway.

Therefore it is NOT just Krishna's promise of eternal deliverance for the jiva soul of going back home back to Godhead that automatically means the jiva soul will ALSO agree and accept that promise to NEVER again fall down to the material creation.

No, the jiva souls also have THEIR free will too and may reject Krishna's offer to NEVER again fall down from Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan and choose to enter the material creation.

The point of this comment is only mutual  "reciprication between the jiva soul and the Lord",  can their be true love, pure genuine personel devotional service and selfless dedication between the jiva soul and Krishna.

It is NOT a one way street where ONLY Krishna dictates EVERYTHING and squashes the individuality, sense of self, and unique character the jiva soul has.

The jiva-soul ALSO has THEIR say in where they want to spend their existence too.

Krishna, like the Guru, can NEVER force one to surrender to Him because that "choice to surrender" to the Lord is also up to the individual jiva.

Otherwise if there is force, where one's individuality and a sense of an independent self is squashed, then how can there be genuine love?

Krishna NEVER forces the jiva soul to love Him. And Krishna NEVER forces the jivas to surrender to Him. 

He does not want a mindless slave as a servant.

The relationship MUST always be one of reciprocation between the Lord and the jiva-soul (His devotees and aspiring devotee.)

Only then can "real" love exist.

We are all eternally independent living entities and that "sense of self" and individuality that allows each individual jiva soul to have their own unique characteristics, abilities and talents, is NEVER lost in the Spiritual World.

The photo of chanting Hare Krishna is the formula to help one always think of Krishna as your dearest friend, or reciprocal master.

So always chant Hare Krishna and perform Sankirtan (chanting on the streets of all major world Cities and Towns)

We are all unique individual jiva souls (persons).

Therefore there is ALWAYS the choice made by the jiva soul to be with Krishna, or leave His association in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan, even if the some tell you, you have no choice, no, there is ALWAYS a choice!

Krishna also promises in Bhagavad Gita that once you enter Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan, you NEVER again fall down. 

No! You CAN fall down if YOU choose.

But by doing so you are carving your way to the hellish material creation of repeated birth and death Prabhupada has told us.

And there is NO material cause to one's fall down, it is simply due to free will.