Do the jiva-souls have the "free will" to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrndavana?

It says in Bhagavad Gita As It is that once reaching Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrndavana, the jiva-soul never again falls to the material creation.

However, Prabhupada was asked about this and if the jiva-souls CAN leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrndavana if they choose to do so and he said "yes" they can if they desire to do so, otherwise what is the purpose of having free will if the jiva-souls cannot choose to stay or go?

The reason why, Prabhupada explains, is the jiva-souls ALWAYS have their "free will" eternally in the Spiritual World, meaning ultimately it is also THEIR choice to stay or go.

This further clearly means not even Krsna's promise of never falling down can be enforced by Krsna because of the jiva-soul's free will.

This is important understanding because sadly many great scholars and devotees cannot understand the importance of "free will" as explained here by Srila Prabhupada -

Acyutananda – “In the Bhagavad Gita it says, “Once coming to the Spiritual World, he never returns to the material creation. He can return?”

Srila Prabhupada – “If he likes he can return”.

Guru-kripa – “How is it that one can become envious of Krsna?”

Srila Prabhupada – “You have got little independence, you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God. God has got full independence, but you have got independence too, proportionately, because you are part and parcel, so if he likes, he can return. That independence has to be accepted. We can misuse that. Krsna-bahirmukha haïä bhoga väïchä kare. That misuse is the cause of our falldown”. (Conversation, Mayapur, February 19, 1976)

Paramahamsa - “But ultimately if we come to Krsna, there’s no return.

Srila Prabhupada - “There is return, that is voluntary. Return there is”.

Paramahamsa - “If we want”.

Srila Prabhupada - “Yes”.

Paramahamsa - “So we can come to the spiritual world and return?”

Srila Prabhupada - “Yes”.

Paramahamsa - “Fall down?”

Srila Prabhupada - “Yes. As soon as we try, “Oh, this material world is very nice,” “Yes,” Krsna says, “yes, you go.” Otherwise what is the meaning of free will? Every living entity has got a little free will. And Krsna is so kind, He gives him opportunity, "All right, you enjoy like this." Just like one goes to the prisonhouse, not that government welcomes, "Come on. We have got prisonhouse. Come here, come here." He goes out of his free will; again comes out, again goes. Like that. Therefore, mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te: "Anyone who surrenders unto Me, maya does not interfere anymore."

Paramahamsa - ''So our desire to enjoy, we achieve these bodies; and our desire to achieve Krsna brings us to our natural position''.

Srila Prabhupada - ''Yes. (Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course--May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

Srila Prabhupada - ''So, even in the Vaikuntha, if I desire that ‘Why shall I serve Krsna? Why not become Krsna?’ I immediately fall down. That is natural. A servant is serving the master, but sometimes he may think that, “If I could become the master.” They are thinking like that; they are trying to become God. That is delusion. You cannot become God. That is not possible. But he’s wrongly thinking”.

Vipina Purandara - “Why doesn’t Krsna protect us from that desire?

Srila Prabhupada - “He’s protecting. He says, “You rascal, don’t desire. Surrender unto Me.” But you are rascal; you do not do this”.

Vipina Purandara - “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.)

By misusing one's "free will" causes the jiva-souls to live separately from Krsna and therefore enter the material creation.

And that choice has nothing to do with maya or material energy because Maya does not exist in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrndavana.

As Prabhupada has explained, the cause of the jiva-souls fall down is their free will that allows the jiva-souls to reject Krsna if the choose to do so.

Srila Prabhupada - “Regarding your questions concerning the spirit souls falling into Maya’s influence, it is not that those who have developed a passive relationship with Krsna are more likely to fall into nescient activities. Usually anyone who has developed his relationship with Krsna does not fall down in any circumstance, but because the independence is always there, the soul may fall down from any position or any relationship by misusing his independence. (Letter to Jagadisa 02/27/1970)

Srila Prabhupada - “The relationship with Krsna is never lost, it is simply forgotten by the influence of maya, so it maybe regained or revived by the process of hearing the Holy Name of Krsna and then the devotee engages himself in the service of the Lord which is his original or constitutional position. The relationship of the living entity with Krsna is eternal as both Krsna and the living entity are eternal; the process is one of revival only, nothing new'' (Letter to Jagadisa 02/27/1970)

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

Returning home back to Godhead is not necessarily permanent Prabhupada explains as follows. 

That "choice" to stay or go is also the jiva-souls choice too because of "free will", it is not just a "one-way"  dictatorial decision made by Krsna. 

No, real loving exchanges and relationships can ONLY exist on a "two-way" street, and that is only possible when the "free will" of the jiva-souls are also taken into consideration too.

So this means one can also use their "free will" to reject Krsna if they choose, that choice has to be there Prabhupada explains.

Srila Prabhupada - “Unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom.” (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)

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. (Excerpt from: Philosophy Discussions with Srila Prabhupada – Rene Descartes)

A devotee once ask Srila Bhaktisiddhanta why was the jiva-soul granted free will when they could also misuse it?

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta answered

“You are fighting for freedom. Don’t you know the value of having free will? Devoid of freedom the jiva-souls are only matter".

Furthermore freedom (free will) offers one the alternative to do either right or wrong. 

Gandhi said this to the British authorities-

”We want our freedom too.”

The British authorities replied-

“You are not fit to have self-government or your freedom, when you are fit, we shall give it to you.”

Gandhi replied-

“We want the freedom to do wrong too.”

So, freedom does not guarantee only acting in the right way; and that choice must be there to do wrong too.

Freedom means being able to choose "right or wrong".

The possibility of also rejecting Krsna must ALWAYS be there even in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana because of free will.

Our first choice after rejecting Krsna in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, is to dominate and imitate Krsna.

Therefore it is that choice that causes the jiva-souls to enter the material world of domination and exploitation.

And as said above, such choices have nothing to do with the influence of Maya or the material energy that does not exist in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrndavana.

As a result of this "choice" to misuse free will, everything else in the material creation has developed.

Srila Prabhupada has explained  that the "original position" of the jiva-souls are being with Krsna in Goloka-Vrndavan in a relationship of voluntary loving exchanges, and a servitor relationship with Visnu on the Vaikuntha Planets.  

Therefore Maya can NEVER be blamed for the fall down of the jiva-souls from Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana in any way because Maya, in her role as the personification of material energy, does NOT exist in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrndavana, nothing material can exist there.

But "free will" DOES eternally exist there and has ALWAYS existed in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrndavana!

Therefore the jiva-souls are always responsible for their choices and actions in both the Spiritual Planets and the material creation.

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)

For loving exchanges to truly exist with Krsna, the marginal living entity (jiva-soul) MUST have the right to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrndavana at anytime if they choose, therefore returning to Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana is not necessarily permanent Prabhupada explains here -

Srila Prabhupada – “You have got little independence therefore you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God you have got independence, proportionately, therefore if he likes he can return. That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We CAN misuse that. (Conversation, Mayapur, February 19, 1976)

Syamasundara - "But can we predict 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)

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. (Excerpt from: Philosophy Discussions with Srila Prabhupada – Rene Descartes)

For those who believe no one can ever fall down from Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrndavana have NOT understood these clear points explained by Prabhupada.

In Bhagavad Gita As It Is Krsna promises the jiva-souls they will NEVER fall down from Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrndavana to the material creation, and yes, Krsna will always keeps His promise!

Therefore Krsna's promise of NEVER falling down to the material creation once there, is from Krsna's point of view, however do the jiva-souls have to accept Krsna's promise as final, or do they have a choice ?

In other words, does this mean the jiva-souls have no "free will" in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrndavana?

And therefore have no choice to leave Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrndavana even if they want to leave?

The fact is, Krsna's promise of NEVER again falling down to the material creation once there in Vaikuntha, is from Krsna's point of view, and is His promise.

However, do the jiva-souls also have to accept His promise as final, or do they have a choice?

In other words, does this mean the jiva-souls have no "free will" to "choose" for themselves and leave Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, if they want to leave?

There must be choice (free will) otherwise there is no question of loving voluntary exchanges to contribute to the relationship with Krsna.

Krsna's promise, confirmed by many past Acharays and Vaisnavas whose opinions agree that once reaching Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, the jiva-souls will never again fall down to the material World, is true for almost all jiva-souls, BUT NOT ALL OF THEM!

Those great souls who quote Krsna's promise from Bhagavad Gita, ARE right for the majority of jiva-souls, which is over 90% in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrndavana because they "choose" not to fall down and leave the Spiritual Planets to enter the material creation.

In other words, they do not misuse  their "free will".

However, as Prabhupada explains, not all jiva-souls make that choice to stay.

The fact is, less than 10% DO misuse their free will and fall down to the material creation (rejecting Krsna).

HERE HERE HERE.

And at the same time there are jiva souls returning back home back to Godhead from the material creation continuously.

The fact is, as part of their perpetual constitution, each individual jiva-soul is endowed with their own "free will" that allows independent thinking. 

This also further explains why it is the jiva soul's choice to stay or leave Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, and not just Krishna making decisions for them.

In other words, Krishna's promise is NOT binding or absolute law with the living entities (jiva-tattva) because they have their own independent "free will" too that allows them to make THEIR own choices.

Srila Prabhupada explains Krishna's promise and gives the proper explanation in full, saying only a small minority of jiva-souls choose to be rebellious and leave Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, and as already explained, Prabhupada puts that figure at less than 10%.

Dr. John Mize – “Did all the souls that were in the spiritual sky fall out of the spiritual sky at once or at different times, or are there any souls that are always good, they’re not foolish, they don’t fall down?

Srila Prabhupada – “No, there are… Majority, 90%, they are always good. They never fall down”.

Dr. John Mize – “So we’re among the 10%.

Srila Prabhupada – “Yes. Or less than that. In the material, whole material world all the living entities they are… Just like in the prison house, there is some population, but they are not majority. The majority of the population, they are outside the prison house. Similarly, majority of living being, part and parcel of God, they are in the spiritual world. Only a few fall down”.

Dr. John Mize – “Does Krishna know ahead of time that a soul is going to be foolish and fall?”

Srila Prabhupada – “Krishna? Yes, Krishna may know because He is omniscient”.

Dr. John Mize – “Are more souls falling all the time?”

Srila Prabhupada – “Not all the time. But there is the tendency of fall down, not for all, but because there is independence… Everyone is not liking to misuse the independence. The same example: Just like a government constructing a city and constructs also prison house because the government knows that somebody will be criminal. So their shelter must be also constructed. It is very easy to understand. Not that cent percent population will be criminal, but government knows that some of them will be. Otherwise why they construct prison house also? One may say, “Where is the criminal? You are constructing…” Government knows, there will be criminal. So if the ordinary government can know, why God cannot know? Because there is tendency”.

Dr. John Mize – “The origin of that tendency (to fall from Goloka) is?”

Srila Prabhupada – “Tendency means the independence. 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 Krishna says,yathecchasi tathä kuru. “Now you do whatever you like.” (Bhagavad Gita as it is. lecture, Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

Many also do not understand the variety of living entities in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana of whom many never fall down, only a very small minority in the category of jiva-tattva souls choose to fall down while the majority of other jiva tattvas choose to stay also because of their "free will".

The majority of jiva souls do not even know the material creation exists nor cares.

However, there are other categories of living entities who never fall down from Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana

The fact is, there are many different inhabitants of Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana too who are NOT jiva-tattva.

They never fall down by choice because they are more direct expansions of Krishna, known as Vishnu-tattva and Vishnu-sakti-tattvas who ARE an expansion of Krishna's Personality playing another role in His own pastimes.

Many inhabitants in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana are Vishnu-tattva and Vishnu-shakti-tattva and not just jiva tattva.

Therefore they NEVER fall down because they ARE an expansion of Krishna's Personality, unlike the jiva-tattva souls who each have their own independent personality.

The Vishnu-tattvas and Vishnu-Sakti-tattvas are simultaneously His eternal associates and Krishna Himself experiencing Himself in unlimited different ways.

Prabhupada has also explained that because the jiva-tattvas have their independence, there will ALWAYS be a very small minority of ONLY the jiva tattva souls, less than 10% (not the Vishnu-sakti-tattva or Vishnu-tattva) who misuse their free will and "choose" to leave the Spiritual World.

"Free will" for the jiva tattva souls is eternal in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan too, because without this freedom to be able to choose to either forget or remember Krishna, then the jiva soul would have no free will, their individuality, and no independent personality, and no ability to love.

The jiva-soul would simply be mindless pawns of ''yes men and woman'' like mechanical drones in a factory, or like a dead stone Prabhupada has told us.

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 - ''As soon as we try, "Oh, this material world is very nice," "Yes," Kṛṣṇa says, "yes, you can go." Otherwise what is the meaning of free will? Every living entity has got a little free will. And Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He gives him opportunity, "All right, you enjoy like this." It is free will''. (Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course, May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

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 you cannot fall down, that is not independence, that is force. Therefore Krishna says, yathecchasi tathä kuru. “Now you do whatever you like.” (Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - ''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. If I go on simply taking from you, and if I don't offer you anything, that is simply exploitation. (Lecture on Bhagavad Gita Chapter 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 one, personally. There must be another one. I love somebody; somebody loves me, there must be lover, there must be beloved, and the transaction, then love''. (Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 2 text 6, Delhi, November 12, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - ''Their (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 Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 2 Chapter 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974).*.*.