"Free will", the best explanation.

"Free will" in its full potential, is ONLY fully experienced in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, which is the jiva souls original perpetual home.

Free will or the ability to “choose” is eternally part and parcel of the jiva-soul's (marginal living entities) natural constitution and ALWAYS exists without beginning or end in the Spiritual Planets.

Devotee – “Srila Prabhupada why did Krsna give us free will if He knew we may miss use it?”

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)

Devotee – “In 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, ‘You love me, you love me, you love me.’ ” Is it 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).

As Srila Prabhupada explains below, the relationship between Krsna and the individual soul is never a "one way" relationship that denies personal contributions and choices. 

No, love is ALWAYS based on the reciprocation between two because love can only exist when there is two as Prabhupada explains-

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”. (August 9, 1976, Tehran)

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 – “So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom.” (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)

Ultimately each individual soul is a unique person who can choose for themselves to voluntarily serve Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, or ignore Him. 

As Prabhupada explains, Krsna never forces you to surrender to Him, never forces you to love Him, that must be voluntary.

Srila Prabhupada – “Krsna NEVER forces you to love Him, that MUST be voluntary. (Melbourne June 25, 1974)

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.” (July 8, 1976)

In the following conversation Srila Prabhupada is explaining to us that Krishna is ALWAYS in control because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes.

This includes allowing the jiva souls to have their independence and free will explained here –

Syamasundara dasa – ”Does the individual soul have a little independence to choose?”

Srila Prabhupada – ”No, Bhagavad-Gita states that when the individual soul wants to act, Krsna gives the orders. Man proposes, and God disposes”.

What Srila Prabhupada is saying here, is the individual soul cannot have their little independence or free will without the sanction of Krsna first. This is because Krsna is the cause of ALL causes, it is by His will alone that the jiva-souls have their freedom.

Syamasundara dasa – ”So we have no free will?”

Srila Prabhupada – ”Not without the sanction of Krsna. Without Him, we cannot do anything. Therefore He is the ultimate cause”. (Dialectical Spiritualism: A Vedic View).

In summary, free will MUST exist as part and parcel of the perpetual constitutional make up of every marginal living entity (jiva-soul) because if Krsna did not allow free will, the jiva-soul would not be able to contribute their own unique personal offerings in a "two-way" relationship of loving exchanges with Krsna, instead of it being a mindless "impersonal one way relationship" of convenience with Krsna, where one's every actions and thoughts are controlled by Krsna.

Under those impersonal conditions, LOVE can never exist! 

So Krsna does not want such an impersonal one sided, one way relationship with the jiva-souls, there must ALWAYS be a "two-way" exchange of loving feelings as Prabhupada explains -

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". (August 9, 1976, Tehran)

There must always exist the ability to choose because love can never exist without the jiva-soul also voluntarily contributing to the relationship with Krsna and experiencing loving exchanges.

Such freedom (free will) in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, allows loving exchanges to go on in a meaningful character building way between the jiva-souls and Krsna to be genuine and personal in a "two-way" respectful relationship.

If Krsna was in complete control of the jiva souls "individual thoughts and actions", extinguishing their personal independent identity, sense of self and free will, then how can their be a genuine exchange of love?

By denying the jiva-soul's their "free will" and them having the ability to voluntarily contribute their own unique offerings on their individual level of self expression (all jiva-souls are different, each with their own unique character and personality), then loving exchanges based on a "two-way" relationship can NEVER exist.

Love is NEVER "one", there MUST be two. 

A loving relationship is always based on a good exchange of feelings and emotions between "two" Prabhupada tells us. 

Love in the Spiritual World is ALWAYS based on the reciprocation and loving exchanges between "two", between Krsna and the jiva-souls because love can only exist when there is a relationship of loving exchanges between two.

Krsna gives the jiva-souls their freedom (free will) so they CAN voluntarily choose for themselves to love Kṛṣṇa in their own personal unique way, instead of being impersonally programmed to mindlessly obey,  always told what to do and never think for themselves.

Without "free will" in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, the jiva-souls would have no meaning at all, they would be no better than dead stone.

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)

It is very important to understand this explanation of why the jiva-souls MUST have their freedom in order to give and except loving emotions. 

Voluntary expressions of loving exchanges expressed through free will by the individual jiva-souls are ALWAYS encouraged by Krsna in His relationship with the jiva-souls, that adds flavour, variety and mystery to the association.

The individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) can NEVER exist independently from Krsna even though they CAN express their own independent free will that Krsna provides separately for the purpose of allowing "two-way" voluntary exchanges of loving expressions for encouraging unique individual contributions and personal offerings.

In the Spiritual World's of Goloka-Vrindavana and Vaikuntha, loving devotional service is never a "one-way or one-sided" affair, no, REAL love or service is ALWAYS reciprocal and voluntary as a "two-way" exchange in God's (Krsna) Kingdom.

Willing reciprocal association in the Kingdom of God with Krsna can only be expressed in a genuine loving way, when there are "TWO" involved in reciprocal exchanges nurtured and encouraged by Krsna.

In Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, personal voluntary expressions of loving exchanges expressed through free will are ALWAYS encouraged by Krsna in His relationship with the jiva-souls, that adds flavour, variety and mystery to the association.

This means the Kingdom of God is NOT a one-sided dominating impersonal stagnant domain devoid of free will that does not allow personal contributions or offerings to God (Krsna), meant to expand, enrich and flavour the relationship.

As said above, LOVE or service is NOT a "one-sided" affiliate of total supremacy or preeminence. 

The fact is genuine loving relations and service are based on voluntary reciprocal exhanges and contributions between TWO, not just one!

The individual jiva-souĺs have THEIR choices too, EVEN if that choice means rejecting Krsna!

Free will only has meaning when the jiva-souls can express themselves in a "two-sided" affair.

In other words, loving reciprocation is ONLY possible on a "two-way" street between two, with each contributing to the relationship's expansion of nectarine mellows.

The word "reciprocation" only has meaning when there are TWO involved, not one!

This also means the individual jiva-souls CAN reject Krsna if they choose, which in a sense proves that "free will" DOES truly exist.

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." (Philosophy Discussions with Rene Descartes)

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.” (Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

Having "free will" is the eternal constitutional make up of EVERY "marginal living entity" (jiva-soul) and allows the relationship with Kṛṣṇa to be ALWAYS voluntary.

In other words, having free will means being able to make choices.^^^