Real love or service is based on a "two-way" expression where the student Vaisnava is carefully nurtured to achieve the personal goal of voluntary loving exchanges that are the foundations of pure devotional service.
Genuine voluntary loving exchanges with Krsna can only be fully expressed when the jiva-souls realize they each have their independent individual freedom and unique personality separate from Krsna's Personality endorsed with free will.
Without free will, one would never have the vision to intelligently contribute in their relationship with Kṛṣṇa, increasing and expanding one's awareness of who they are as a contributing independent marginal living entity (jiva-soul).
So without free will, one is no better than dead stone that is unable to voluntarily receive or give love.
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." (Aug 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)
Swedish man - "Is there free will?"
Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, just like you are sitting here. If you don’t like, you can go away. That’s your free will. There is free will, we are part and parcel of God, therefore we have got minute quantity of freedom." (Temple lecture Stockholm Sweden 1974)
Srila Prabhupada explains "free will," and why the jiva-souls always have their free will, but only fully realized in Goloka-Vrindavana and the Vaikuntha planets.
Having free will in the spiritual world is necessary for the jiva-souls, so they can voluntarily express themselves in the unique service of their choice to Krsna in a "two-sided" relationship of loving exchanges, cooperation and reciprocation.
Srila Prabhupāda – "Unless there are "two-persons," where is the question of love? Love means two persons, then there is exchange, then there is love. I must deal with you open-hearted, you must deal with me open-hearted, then there is love. So if you want to love Kṛṣṇa, God, then these things must be there." (Aug 9, 1976, Tehran)
Srila Prabhupada - "Love means two. There MUST be two, the lover and the beloved. Kṛṣṇa is already lover. He loves you so much that He's trying to get you back. Therefore love cannot be one or love cannot be executed only one, there MUST be another one. I love somebody; somebody loves me, so there must be lover, there must be beloved. We must understand that love means you take and you give also. 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 and forced obedience. If I go on simply taking from you, and if I don't offer you anything, that is simply exploitation." (Srila Prabhupada quotes 1966 - 1974, Vaniquotes)
Srila Prabhupada - "The impersonalist philosophy is oneness. So how there be love with just one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience that love means one? No. Love means two. There MUST be two, the lover and the beloved. Kṛṣṇa is already lover. He loves you so much that He's trying to get you back. That is Kṛṣṇa's attempt. "Please, My dear boy, or My dear friend, My dear servant." (Lecture on SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)
Bali Mardana - "An example of free will is someone can choose Kṛṣṇa or turn away? Is that an example of free will?"
Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, because if you accept Kṛṣṇa, then you must follow what Kṛṣṇa says. If you don't follow Kṛṣṇa, then what is the use of talking of Kṛṣṇa? If he accepts Kṛṣṇa, he must abide by the injunction of Kṛṣṇa." (Morning Walk, Jan 22, 1974, Hawaii)
Krsna always serves His pure devotees far more than they can EVER serve Him! However, such pure devotees are extremely rare in the material world.
The mundane cold loveless slave/master "impersonal relationship of convenience" between individuals does not exists in Goloka Vrindavana or Vaikuntha (The Kingdoms of God).
In the spiritual world there are ALWAYS deep loving exchanges of emotions and reciprocation going on between Krsna and His dear friends, family members and inhabitants of Vrindavana.
Reciprocation and loving exchanges between two are the only foundation of spiritual life because "love." can never exist in a "one-sided" relationship.
It is NEVER a "one-way street" of just obey, obey obey and do what you are told, no, that impersonal reaction will only deny and restrict the jiva-soul's individual voluntary contributions of sharing of one's unique abilities.
No two jiva-souls are the same in the Spiritual Sky (both spiritual and material worlds), every jiva-soul is "unique" with their own personality, individuality in their relationship with Krsna.
How boring would Goloka-Vrindavan be if every jiva-soul in God's Kingdom cooked food preparation in exactly the same way being like a robot in an assembly line.
That version of Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana, or God's so called Kingdom, should be rejected because it is IMPERSONALISM!!
That "impersonal" version of "surrender", prominent in the 1970s with many nonsense religious cults and sangas, is just a "mindless" concocted dangerous version of religion, where the cult congregational members are encouraged to extinguish their individual identity, free will and voluntarily acting as an independent contributing PERSON in the name of surrender, and instead just being told what to do and how think.
No, love between the devotee, Krsna and Guru can NEVER exist in a selfish, domineering relationship, that is a "one-sided" and impersonal like that.
That kind of unproductive impersonalism denies loving reciprocation, voluntary contributions and individual personal exchanges of intimacy between Krsna and his servants.
The fact is, this kind of nonsense mindless surrender that denies personal contributions and self-expression, certainly does NOT exist in the Kingdom of God of Goloka-Vrindavan or the Vaikuntha planets.
On the spiritual level of Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, one never denies, or attempts to extinguish their free will or individuality, thinking that is becoming selfless, or is the real meaning of "surrender."
Being Krsna's mindless drone by giving up your free will is NOT the meaning of surrender, it is actually spiritual suicide.
Being the unique person one eternally is, and having the free will that allows one to give the very best of their character in the service of the Lord, is what selflessness and surrender really means, and is the basis of who one really is as that independent person in both Goloka-Vrindavana and the Vaikuntha planets.
Having "free will" is the eternal constitutional make up of EVERY "marginal living entity (jiva-soul)", and is the standard for all to follow and understand.
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!" (Aug 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)
Srila Prabhupada - "So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom." (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)
The jiva-souls in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana therefore are forever expanding their sense of individuality with personal offerings based on selfless loving reciprocation with Krsna.
It is NEVER a "one-sided" puppet/master impersonal relation with the Krsna.
Srila Prabhupada - "Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force, no, Krsna does not want to become a lover like that, ‘You love me, otherwise I shall kill you!" (Washington DC July 8, 1976)
Real love or Bhakti is reciprocal, as said above, it is NEVER a one way street where surrender to Krsna takes away one's sense of self, individuality and personal contributions.
Devotee - "Srila Prabhupada why did Krsna give us free will if He knew we would miss use it 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." (Aug 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)
This is important to understand because each individual jiva-soul has their own independent personality, sense of self and unique characteristics that THEY only individually have, that is part and parcel of each individual marginal living entities make up as the independent eternal "person" they are.
Srila Prabhupada - "Because you are Son of God you have got independence, full independence, therefore you have acquired the quality of your father. You have got little independence. "So God does not interfere with your little independence." (Conversation in Melb, Australia June 25, 1974)
Devotee – "But 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?” Why doesn’t He save me from thinking like that?"
Srila Prabhupada - "That means you lose your independence. That is force, in Bengali it is said, "If you catch one girl or boy and demand you love me, you love me, you love me, is that love? You love me, otherwise I will kill you! Is that love?" So Krsna does not want to become a lover like that, on 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; that is rape. Why one is called lover, another is called rape?" (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C).*^*.
It is CLEARLY explained in the above post that free will ONLY refers to our original position in Goloka-Vrindavana and Vaikuntha. Please read carfully Prabhupada's quotes!!
ReplyDeleteAnd what many other sangas may say, claiming we only have free will when Guru give it to us, is silly ignorant nonsense and impersonalism.
This denial of individuality and free will is preached by other bogus sangas and their nonsense gurus who foolishly claim the jiva soul originates from the impersonal brahman, and some nonsense "clear sheet of consciousness!"
The fact is, the marginal living entity or jiva soul does NOT attain free will because the jiva already has free will as part of their eternal constitution as a marginal living entity.
Never was there a time in the Spiritual World did they not have free will. And free will in the material creation is explained above in post.
As Prabhupada explains, free will has ALWAYS existed in the Spiritual World otherwise how can there be genuine love?
Devotee - "Srila Prabhupada why did Krishna give us free will if He knew we would miss use it 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)
Srila Prabhupada - "Krishna Consciousness Movement is for training men to be "independently thoughtful", there must be always "individual striving", not that one center shall dominate and distribute benefits to all others and they do nothing but beg from you and you provide.
ReplyDeleteNo", this centralisation control of all our Temples will spoil everything! Each temple MUST remain independent and self-sufficient".
Srila Prabhupada - "I have heard from you want to make big plan for centralization of management, I do NOT at all approve of such plan.
Do not centralize anything!
Each temple MUST remain independent and self-sufficient. That was my plan from the very beginning, why you are thinking otherwise?
Once before you wanted to do something centralizing with your GBC meeting, and if I did not interfere the whole thing would have been killed.
Do not think in this way of big corporation, big credits, centralization—these are all nonsense proposals.
The ONLY thing I wanted was that books printing and distribution should be centralized, thats all.
Otherwise, management, everything else, should be done locally by local men.
Accounts must be kept, things must be in order and lawfully done, but that should be each temple's concern, not yours.
Krishna Consciousness Movement is for training men to be "independently thoughtful" and competent in all types of departments of knowledge and action, not for making bureaucracy.
Once there is bureaucracy the whole thing will be spoiled.
There must be always "individual striving", work and responsibility, competitive spirit, not that one shall dominate and distribute benefits to the others and they do nothing but beg from you and you provide. No.
Never mind there may be botheration to register each centre, take tax certificate each, become separate corporations in each state.
That will train men how to do these things, and they shall develop reliability and responsibility, that is the point. (Letter to Karandhara -- Bombay 22 December, 1972)
Many aspiring devotees, religious leaders, seekers of REAL truth and modern day gurus have absolutely no idea what "free will" and "surrender" really means.
ReplyDeleteSrila Prabhupada - "So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom.” (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)
Sadly some foolishly believe to enter Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, one must extinguish their "free will" under the heading of ''surrender'' and allow Krishna to completely control your every actions and thoughts.
In other words, you become "little Krishna mindless drone imitators" running around Vrindavana who are always told what to do, when to do, and never allowed to think for yourself.
Such a hellish nightmare version of God's Kingdom is nonsense impersonalism because one is destroying their individual unique ''personality'' and independent sense of self by being that "mindless yes man or women drone".
In true Spiritual reality, the jiva soul is endowed with ''free will'' in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana, where the jiva soul voluntarily contributes in a reciprocal relationship with Krishna as the PERSON they eternally are.
These impersonalist fools do not even care to stop this nonsense self denial and ''childish imitation'' of trying to be little Krishnas, instead of being the unique independent (yet dependent on Krishna) contributing servant they eternally are.
Real love is always a two-way street based on individual thoughtful loving exchanges and reciprocation. Being Krishna's mindless drone or slave in the name of being His servant is NOT the meaning of surrender or having loving selfless exchanges.
Srila Prabhupada - "Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force, no, Krishna does not want to become a lover like that, ‘You love me, otherwise I shall kill you!" (Washington DC July 8, 1976)
Real love or Bhakti is reciprocal, as said above, it is NEVER a one way street where surrender to Krishna takes away one's sense of self, individuality and personal contributions.
This is important to understand because each individual jiva-soul has their own independent personality, sense of self and unique personality and characteristics that THEY only have, that is part and parcel of each individual marginal living entities make up as the independent unique "person" they are eternally.
Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes, He allows the jiva souls to have their freedom so that they are able to choose for themselves, in cooperation with Krishna, how to love and serve Him.
ReplyDeleteIf Krishna never sanctioned the jiva's free will, then they would be no better than dead stone Prabhupada has explained.
If Krishna does not allow the jiva souls to have their free will, then the jiva souls can NEVER have a meaningful relationship of loving exchanges, personal contributions and reciprocation with Krishna as the individual "living person" they are eternally.
They would simply be no better than mindless programmed impersonal dead machines or drones.
The Spiritual Worlds, and "life itself", can NEVER exist unless the jiva souls are experiencing loving exchanges and reciprocation with Krishna, this can only happen when there is free will.