This is means each material bodily vessel's "roadway" is already set in stone from its beginning to its end like all roads are, this is because each bodily roadway (material bodily vessel) comes from the already established dreams of Maha-Visnu.
The visiting jiva-souls who enter the material creation, obtain "hire" a bodily "blue-print" that is already a reality from beginning to end (like the roadway) in Maha-Visnu's dreams.
This is why once the jiva-soul has entered one of Maha-Visnu's dreams, nothing on that bodily "roadway" can be changed.
Also each material bodily roadway is repeatedly available and re-occupied by other visiting jiva-souls who have chosen to enter the material creation from Vaikuntha, chosen from Maha-Visnu's collection of material bodily vessels from within His permanent volt of "dreams."
All material bodily vessels are like costumes "hired" out from the Costume shop owner Maha-Visnu.
All of one's choices and expressions of free will are factored in before one is given a particular material bodily vessel to enter the material creation in.
Maha-Visnu sees all this because He knows past, present and future.
There is always "free will" however, each material bodies destiny is already mapped out AS the dreams of Maha-Visnu.
"Free will" is experienced by first choosing a material bodily vessel before one enters it and already knowing and agreeing to its entire pathway or journey.
This means the jiva-soul's ability to express "free will" is already factored into the equation of the destiny of the material body one has chosen.
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is - "O Arjuna, whatever you wish to see, behold at once in this body of Mine! This universal form can show you whatever you now desire to see and whatever you may want to see in the future. Everything moving and nonmoving is here completely, in one place." (BG As It Is, Ch 11 Text 7 Translation)Srila Prabhupada - "No one can see the entire universe while sitting in one place. Even the most advanced scientist cannot see what is going on in other parts of the universe. But a devotee like Arjuna can see everything that exists in any part of the universe. Kṛṣṇa gives him the power to see anything he wants to see, past, present and future. Thus by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna is able to see EVERYTHING." (BG As It Is, Ch 11 Text Is Purport)
The great sages and devotees in previous ages thousands of years ago were "tri-kāla-jñā".
Tri-kāla-jñā means they could understand -
1 - What was in the past,
2 - What there shall be in the future,
3 - And what is at present.
Srila Prabhupada - "So the point is that five thousand years ago the things which were written for this age, how they are coming to be true in our experience. That is the point: how they could see past, present, and future so nicely. The sages were known as tri-kāla-jñā. Tri means three. There is almost similarity, tri and three. Tri is Sanskrit, and three is English or Latin, but there is similarity. Tri-kāla-jñā.
Tri means three, and kāla means time.
Time is experienced by three ways: past, present and future. Time limitation, past, present and future. Whenever you speak of time, it is past, present or future. So, the sages in those days were tri-kāla-jñā. Tri-kāla-jñā means they could understand, they could know what was in the past, what there shall be in the future, and what is at present. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says-
"My Dear Arjuna, you, Me, I, and all these kings and soldiers who have assembled in this battlefield, they were all individuals, and we are still individual. And in this past, in the future, we shall all remain individuals. That past, present, and future, he explained. Another place Kṛṣṇa says, vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). Atītāni, atītāni means past. Vartamānāni ca, "and present." So that is yogic power one can know past, present, and future." (SB, Canto 12 Ch 2 Text 1, San Francisco, March 18, 1968)
There is still a lot more to learn about the movement of the marginal living entity (jiva-soul) through material space and time, we have only scratched the surface in understanding Vedic texts in the 50 years since Srila Prabhupada made his valuable contribution to the western world.
The movement of time is eternally divided into past, present and future ONLY while these material universes (Brahmandas) exist.
And all material bodily vessels or bodily containers are part and parcel of material time and space governing this material creation that takes up 1/4 of the Spiritual Sky as matter.
In the material creation we are simply the passengers riding on/in this material energy/bodily vessels.
The individual living entities or jiva-souls exists in those material vessels as passengers given to them by Maha-Visnu according to their desires and the reactions to acting out those desires (present and past pious and impious actions in a material bodily vessel)
Therefore past, present and future in the material creation all exist simultaneously, as explained above, like a long and winding roadway.
Even with mundane logic, the material desires of an individual marginal living entity (jiva-soul), would eventually repeat themselves over the span of infinity because every combination of material elements would again repeat themselves.
Many have asked, could the past activities of a material body one chooses from Maha-Visnu's dreams, still be happening today somewhere in the material universe's division of space-time, with another jiva-soul playing that part I am playing now?
The answer is yes, that is exactly what's going on because past, present and future are happening eternally ( over an infinity ♾️ and is always part and parcel of the fabric of material energy.
This means all material bodily vessel ARE a permanent 'POST' just like Lord Brahma's material body is also.
This further means only those jiva-souls with the right qualifactions can experience what ever bodily vessel they are given and deserve.
This also means the material universe is seemingly repeating itself except with a different batch of individual jiva'souls possessing all material bodily vessels.
Some believe this is the same as a "repeating universe" or "eternal reoccurrence" of the material universe? But no, this is not happening in that way.
When the material bodily vessel wears out and decays, it breaks down into material elements and merges again back into the material energy around us.
Only the jiva-soul or spiritual form (anti-matter) never decays and eternally remains an individual person separate from the material creation and all that is in these decaying material worlds.
Therefore, the material universes concept of time is governed by past, present and future, but exists ALL at the same time to those who can see from above this mundane movement material time.
This means that all material bodily vessels (material energy), like yours and mine included, are all a permanent fixture of Maha-Visnu's dreams of the material universe and are eternally existing through the continuous flow of space-time in Maha-Visnu's library of material dreams available to be "hired" to the jiva-souls who have chosen to visit the material creation.
In other words, it is the constant flow of material space-time (material energy) that is seemingly repeating itself, and NOT the material bodily vessels.
Only by observing the fabric of material space-time from above can we observe each stage of the "NOW" (past, present and future) and see all past, present and future eternally exist together.
Srila Prabhupada always encouraged us to have personal realizations and yes, the ones here are thought provoking because they are based on Vedic teachings.
Keep in mind, the 'dreams' of Maha-Visnu are mind boggling, even Arjuna could view past, present and future simultaneously, seeing that EVERYTHING, past, present and future, exists right NOW!
This means one is just traveling through what is already there, what already exists like travelling down an already built roadway.
Another way of understanding this is just like when one rewinds a video tape, the contends captured will always be the same at every stage on the tape.
Similarly, the material bodily vessel we are now in is like a 'POST' that is always existing for jiva-souls to enter and experience.
This means material time and space is permanently recorded and ALWAYS exists AS the material dreams of Maha-Visnu.
This also means we take our next birth in a bodily vessel that already eternally exists in the past, present and future time zone explained above, where the jiva-soul moves though the stages of past, present and future, experiencing in the moment of "NOW" meaning birth, childhood, youth, middle age, old age, death of the material vessel the jiva-soul is "moving through".
That further means when we choose a bodily vessel, the pathway in its different stages of childhood, youth, middle age, old age etc of that material body, already exists in its time zone because each material bodies time zone is a permanent fixture of this material universe known as the Maha-tattva (material creation).
What we are learning here, is all the 'dreams' of Maha-Visnu are all happening "NOW" which means past, present and future exist simultaneously and at all times and we only move through the different time stages of a material bodily vessel that exists in the past, the present or the future like the beginning, middle and end of a roadway always exist.
The dreams (full roadways) of Maha-Visnu are eternal.
The material energy is all "one" but NOT the life force (individual jiva-souls) that are eternal spiritual PERSONS as Prabhupada has taught us.
This is important to understand as there are many impersonalists who believe there is one all pervasive life force that moves through all material bodily species.
Their ideas are wrong and are dangerous impersonalism.
As said above, in the material creation everything is under the movement time (past, present and future) already exists, like a long roadway already exists from its beginning to its end.
This means the pathway or roadway of the material bodily vessels, gross or subtle, we possess and enter, like the roadway, is already carved out and we are simply passengers on that roadway in that material bodily vessel for its journey.
In other words, one who worships the rich and famous can take birth in a material bodily vessel they also admired, and after being trained up, they qualified to take that birth which in itself would take many, many, many births just for the opportunity to be famous for one insignificant life time like Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley or Bill Gates etc.
What an ignorant selfish waste of time compared to just choosing to return home back to Godhead in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavan.
If those jiva-souls in those material vessels knew what they had to go through to attain that famous wealthy bodily materialistic existence, they would have second thoughts about seeking material fame and wealth on this planet or the heavenly planets.
One can also take the 'POST' of Lord Brahma if they are qualified because he is also a jiva-soul like us. All material bodily vessels or containers are "POSTS" just like Lord Brahma's material body is a POST.
Usually the most pious living entity in each material universe can take up the post of Lord Brahma when the next universe manifeasts.
In the same way; we are all awarded with a material bodily vessel according to our past pious and impious activities known as karma.
All individual living entities (jiva-souls) should try to understand the fabric of space-time which is moving the jiva-souls through the many stages of the roadway of past, present and future (the material bodily vessel)
However, from above, just like one sees the entire journey on a roadway, one can see the beginning, middle and end, all at once of that pathway.
This means "materially" one can see all past, present and future existing together, and its every twist and turn on that roadway.
The explanation in the above essay is correctly suggesting that all material bodily vessels are like "permanent" fixtures or pathways (real but temporary), that ALWAYS exists in the dreams of Maha-Visnu.
This may give the impression of eternal repetition or occurrence but no, the material universe is in constant state of moving or flowing through the existence of past, present and future in the fabric of time.
In other words, moving on the pathway or on the twists and turns of a road is compared to the jiva-soul experiencing the birth, childhood, youth, middle age, old age and death of the material body they are in.
This is the only place in reality that is eternally repeating itself, but ONLY the fabric of time, past, present and future, is continuously existing.
In other words, what is seen from above the movement of material time, is all of Maha-Visnu's dream existing simultaneously. This means all past, present and future are ALWAYS existing.
This further means there is a constant flow of past, present and future which means others jiva-souls can also traverse the same roadway and experience the same material body.
What is explained above, is that all material bodily vessels or containers we are in, are always the property of Maha-Visnu to be "hired" by any jiva-soul qualified, and will always remain part of His dreaming material creation available for other jiva-souls can obtain, enter and experience His material creation.
In Maha-Visnu's dreams, every senerio conceivable is ALREADY existing past, present and future.
The dreams of Maha-Visnu's are found in His "costume shop" which has every dream of Maha-Visnu that covers ever conceivable outcome in different costumes (realities) that the jiva-souls can choose from.
Every jiva-soul who enters the material creation, must go to this so called costume shop of material bodily vessels (dress shop) that are all created from the dreams of the sleeping Maha-Visnu.
This is where the jiva-souls are offered a particular material bodily vessel by Maha-Visnu according to their material desires, so they can enter into the material creation with a suitable material body that is in accordance with their material desires.
Maha-Visnu owns all such material vessels that are part and parcel of the material creation that He is dreaming.
Therefore, those who have chosen to enter the material creation, must go to Maha-Visnu's dreams and choose a material bodily vessel from His unlimited dreams of all material affairs.
Everything conceivable material bodily vessel or container, exists in Maha-Visnu's dreams, every scenario possible, no matter how strange or bizarre, already exists in the dreams of Maha-Visnu.
All that there is, all that there will be, every combination of material existence, already exists in His dreams.
It is these material bodies (coming from Maha-Visnu's dreams) all jiva-souls in all the billions of Brahmanda universes coming from Maha-Visnu, must "hire" from, just like one chooses from a variety of costumes from a Fancy dress store.
Regarding eternal associates of Krsna like Arjuna, there is a different set of rules.
The fact is, Arjuna is with Krsna in innumerable different material universes at one time, and there is only one jiva-soul who is Arjuna.
The jiva-soul therefore of those surrendered to Krsna, CAN expand or project their consciousness into many different material bodies at once and be just the "one jiva-soul" in all those material bodies.
Yes this is very true as sastra tells us but very rare especially in this degraded age of Kali-yuga.
The fact is the jiva-soul in Arjuna's material bodily vessel is the same Arjuna in all the different universes.
This is achieved because the one jiva-soul (Arjuna) expands himself into many different material bodily vessels or containers (bodies) that are all also him, "just one jiva-soul" in his case.
Such actions of Arjuna is rare.
A yogi can also project his consciousness and be in 8 different material bodies at one time. But this is NOT the case with every material bodily vessel in the material creation!
It is only some rare eternal associates of Krsna.
This is NOT the case with the different Lord Brahmas in each of their small universes that deep within and surrounded by the greater Brahmanda universal shell, is a different jiva-soul and not one jiva-soul.
So, in every material bodily vessel of Lord Brahma, there is a different jiva-soul every time Maha-Visnu dreams up all the billions of Brahmanda universes in the material creation.
All the different Brahmas are NOT the same "jiva-souls", there are billions of different jiva-souls who can become a Brahma in all the different material univeses that are deep inside each outer Brahmanda universe that comes from the Body of Maha-Visnu.
Actually, it only "seems" that way because everything that is, and can be, already exists within the dreams of Maha-Visnu.
This means the material universe, including all bodily vessels, is continuously existing with an endless flow of individual jiva-souls possessing those material bodies (passing through them)
Therefore it only "seems" the material universe is repeating itself when in actual fact it isn't.
This is because each material vessel or container eternally exists within the material dreams of Maha-Visnu, and is therefore a permanent "POST" that "always" exists as a roadway for visiting jiva-souls to simply travels through while in the material creation.
Remember, all these material bodily containers ARE coming from the dreams of Maha-Visnu and ALWAYS belong to Him.
It is therefore the jiva-souls that move through the journey of material existence in a material body experiencing its birth, youth, middle age, disease, old age decline and decay, and its death and rebirth if one fails in getting out of this temporary material mundane world of repeated birth and death.
Being in a material bodily vessel or container, is like one who travels on a pathway or road that leads to a destination.
This is what is really happening in the material creation instead of eternal repetition.
Material existence is always moving through time (past, present and future) from its creation to annihilation (birth, youth, disease, old age, death) of material bodies.
This process "seemingly repeats" itself again and again when the material universes are created again by Maha-Visnu but that is NOT what is going on.
The fact is, the material bodily vessels that are the dreams of Maha-Visnu, are a permanent fixture or POST existing "within" the dreams of Maha-Visnu that the visiting jiva-souls simply move through, like one moves on a roadway or pathway that still remains there as they pass on it.
Another way of looking at this-
Just like there always exists a fancy dress shop in society where one can go and "hire" costumes to experience a particular play, similarly every material bodily vessel conceivable exists in Maha-Visnu's "fancy dress shop of material costumes that one can "hire" if they desire." (From within His dreams that are available to all the jiva-souls to "hire")
Therefore, each time the material universe is again created, a different batch of jiva-souls come from Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana to "hire" a roadways (a material bodily vessel) as a costumes that cover the jiva-soul.
The fact is, like costumes in a fancy dress rental shop, all bodily vessels in the material universe are a permanent fixture within Maha-Visnu's dream of material creation and "hired" from Him.
The fact is, each material bodily "costume" is a permanent "POST" within Maha-Visnu's dream of material existence that provides the material bodily experiences of birth, youth, disease, old age and death,
These material vessels or costumes always remains the property of Maha-Visnu's dreams and are only "hired" to the visiting jiva-souls who enter the material creation.
The cycle of material existence from creation to decay continues on eternally with the continuous flow of souls appearing in each material body at the beginning of that material bodies creation and experience its journey through to its annihilation or demise.
In other words, each time the universe is created and "seemingly" repeats itself, a different batch of jiva-souls takes the "post" or that material bodily vessel from Maha-Visnu's dreams.
Therefore, the next time around (the next material creation created by Maha-Visnu), all the exact same material bodily vessels will again exist, but with a new batch of jiva-souls in them.
This means within each material bodily vessel, exists a different jiva-soul playing that part, different from the previous jiva-souls who played that exact same roll in the previous movement of space-time.
The material universes "seem" to be eternally repeating themselves, but in actual fact it is fixed and there is no repetition going on.
However, the "jiva-soul" is NOT the material bodily vessel. The material bodily vessel is only like a garment covering the jiva-soul who is a passenger in that outer garment or material body.*^