Srila Prabhupada - "This material world is the taṭastha "material conditioned" characteristics, and the spiritual world is the "Personal" (Vaikuntha) characteristics." (New York City, Dec 28, 1966)
The marginal living entities or jiva-souls are NOT called tatastha-sakti in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana as Prabhupada explains above.
The word "tatastha-sakti" refers to the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) in their FALLEN conditioned state in both the material creation and when dormant (inactive) in the (impersonal) Brahmajyoti.
Revatīnandana - "Srila Prabhupāda you very clearly explained to me once in a letter that if the jiva-soul then goes into the brahmajyoti, he is considered still fallen. Still fallen. Does that means the whole brahmajyoti is composed of fallen souls? You see my question? If I go there, I'm a jīva-soul, and I go to the brahmajyoti I'm still fallen."
Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes."
Revatīnandana - "That means all jīva-souls there are also fallen souls?"
Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes." (Room Conversation Aug 17, 1971, London)
Srila Prabhupada - "Existence in the impersonal brahman is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness. Those who are in the brahman effulgence are also in the fallen condition, so there is no question of falling down from a fallen condition." (Letter to: Revatinandana, Los Angeles 13 June, 1970)
Srila Prabhupada - "When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition. The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness." (Letter to Revatinandana, Los Angeles 13 June, 1970)
The jiva-soul's ORIGINAL position and home in Goloka Vrindavana have the same bodily features as Krsna-
sat,
cit,
ananda,
vigraha,
which means-
Eternity,
Knowledge,
Bliss,
Form.
All together these qualities are seen as a perpetual bodily form, like Krsna's form.
The full potential and original feature of all marginal living entities (jiva-souls) is a two arm form like Krsna's Form.
Devotee – "Is the original body of the spirit soul a human form?"
Srila Prabhupada – "Yes, human form. God is also human form. "Man is made after the shape of God." I think there is in the Bible. Is it not? So God is also like human form. Here you see Krsna, two hands, two legs."
Hari-sauri – "How do we understand, then, that there are peacocks and flowers and trees in the spiritual world? Are these not eternal forms?"
Srila Prabhupada – "[describing material form first]: Yes, they are more covered, just like if you cover your body with blanket, the hands and legs are invisible. But you are not the blanket. So the trees and plants, they are more covered. They are not in full manifestation. The human form is the full manifestation of the soul."
Hari-sauri - "They are covered in the spiritual world?"
Srila Prabhupada - "Not in the spiritual world. There that is voluntary. Some devotee wants to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, he becomes flower, voluntarily, and he can change his, from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna as cow, as calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact." (SB Canto 6 Ch 1 text 1-4 - Melbourne, May 20, 1975)
Srila Prabhupada - "So this material world is the taṭastha (conditioned characteristics), and the spiritual worlds are the "Personal" (Vaikuntha) characteristics." (New York City, Dec 28, 1966)
The word "tatastha-sakti" refers to the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) in their FALLEN conditioned state in both the material creation, and when dormant (inactive) in the impersonal Brahmajyoti or Brahman.
The "marginal living entities" (jiva-souls) ARE a collective of eternal jiva-souls without any beginning point, who are spread throughout the entire Spiritual Sky (both the spiritual world and material world) like the sun-rays (compared to the jiva-souls) emanate and surround the Sun-disc (compared to Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes)
Those jiva-souls who have made the choice to enter the temporary decomposing material creation, can later, due to the frustration of material life, enter an inactive dormant state within the Spiritual Sky known as the impersonal Brahmajyoti or the impersonal aspect of the Spiritual Sky also called Brahman.
The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are known in both the material creation and the impersonal Brahmajyoti as tatastha-sakti but NOT in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana Prabhupada has explained above.
In other words, tatastha-sakti is the "conditioned fallen designation" of the marginal living entity that describes those jiva-souls who have entered the material creation and impersonal Brahmajyoti, but NOT those jiva-souls (marginal living entities) in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana.
This is important to try and understand as the marginal living entity (jiva-souls) has many different names describing their position and condition, and tatastha-sakti is one of those names describing the jiva-souls "conditioned state" outside the spiritual world.
The jiva-souls (marginal potency) were NOT created from a "clear sheet of consciousness" either as some big gurus wrongly claim because they have ALWAYS existed with any beginning nor will their existence end.
This means the jiva-souls were never created because they have always existed as Bhagavad Gita As It Is "1983 correct edition" Chapter 2 Text 20 confirms-
"For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain." (BG Ch 2 text 20)
And in Bhagavad-gītā (2.12)-
"Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be." (BG 2.12)
Srila Prabhupada – "There are no new souls, new and old are due to this material body, but the jiva-soul is never born and never dies, so if there is no birth, how can there be new souls?" (Letter to Jagadisa dasa, 7/9/1970)
The jiva-souls may FALL to an "inactive" dormant state in the impersonal Brahmajyoti, but they certainly did NOT originate from the impersonal Brahmajyoti or Brahman Prabhupada has explained.
Even entering the impersonal Brahmajyoti or Brahman is entering an already fallen conditional state. And it is NOT permanent either, it is only a temporary relief for the jiva-souls, but can last for a "billions upon billions of life times of Lord Brahma" (His life time is 311 trillion 400 billion human years long)
But what is a trillion lifetimes of Lord Brahma in the face of infinity? It really has no meaning!
The fallen jiva-souls from the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana who have taken material bodily vessel in the material creation, may eventually attempt to escape material suffering and enter the impersonal Brahmajyoti so they no longer experience the constant suffering and pain of being confined to a decaying material bodily vessel in the material world within the repeated cycle of birth and death of all material bodies.
As said above, the fallen jiva-soul can stay in the impersonal Brahmajyoti for a very, very, very long time, so long a time that some foolishly believe it is their home from where they originated from after emerging from there long sleep in the impersonal Brahmajyoti.
It should be made clear the dormant inactive aspect of the Brahmajyoti is NOT the original home of the jiva-souls, it is actually a fallen state they fall too.
The individual jiva-souls do not originate from anywhere including the impersonal Brahmajyoti because they have ALWAYS existed as part and parcel of the "marginal plane collective" of Krsna's sakti energies that are all individual jiva-souls spread throughout the entire Spiritual Sky.
The English word "generated" can be misleading if not properly understood because that word can mean a "beginning point," or an "origin point."
However, the jiva-souls have no origin or beginning point. This is because they have always existed and were NEVER created as Bhagavad Gita As It Is teaches us-
"For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain." (BG Ch 2 text 20 "corrected 1983" edition)
The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) in their full potential, ARE a spiritual bodily PERSON (vigraha -form)
However, some time over eternity, due to choice (free will) some jiva-souls fell down from Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana to the temporary material creation.
The now embodied jiva-souls in their material vessels, eventually over time, became frustrated with the constant cycle of repeated birth and death and decaying nature of the material creation.
Seeking freedom from that frustration in the temporary material creation, the fallen jīva-souls then attempt to find their liberation (freedom) from the continuous difficulty of material existence (the painful cycle of repeated birth and death) by attempting to end their existence.
They do this by endeavouring to extinguish their spiritual individuality and personality by appearing as a dormant none entity (inactive) bodiless individual unit or none conscious spark in the impersonal aspect of the Brahmajyoti.
This can also be an almost dead motionless existence in the material atom too as Prabhupada has explained.
To a devotee of Krsna, attempting to extinguish one's individuality, personality and unique identity by merging into the "oneness" of the impersonal Brahmajyoti, is spiritual suicide.
However, entering the impersonal aspect of the Brahmajyoti, or in the dormant atom as an inactive almost dead unit, is also temporary because the nature of the jiva-souls is to ALWAYS be active in the service of Krsna in their original position.
Therefore, eventually the jiva-souls fall out of their "impersonal dormant prision" and AGAIN take birth in the material creation, within the 8 million 400 thousand species of life and again experience the suffering of repeated birth and death in the material world.
The jiva-souls then again evolve through the different species of life until they reach the rare human form of life, which can be the gateway out of the material creation if properly used under the guidance of a bonafide spiritual Master.
Sadly, for some who spent an enormous amount of time in the impersonal Brahmajyoti, when they eventually come out of that FALLEN condition, they foolishly believe the impersonal Brahmajyoti is their origin.
Even some big, big sannyasis, Gurus and devotee scholars foolishly believe the silly nonsense that the jiva-souls originate from the impersonal (inactive) Brahmajyoti or Brahman.
Srila Prabhupada - "So our effort is to get out of this taṭastha, conditioned characteristics and enter the permanent Personal characteristics (Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana). That is called spiritual elevation." (New York City, Dec 28, 1966)
Being a "marginal" means free will and having an independent personality separate from Krsna's Personality.
Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence means the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) 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 – "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." (Mayapur, Feb 19, 1976)
Having "free will" is the constitutional make up of all "marginal living entities" (jiva-souls) that is ALWAYS part and parcel within their eternal character and personality in the spiritual worlds.
This means the jiva-souls can even choose to leave the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana if they want, this is also what free will allows and if it didn't, then they have no free will.
This is why it is foolish that big, big sannyasis and gurus claim once entering the spiritual worlds the jiva-souls can never fall down again.
No, they CAN fall down again and again if they choose to do so! And such fall downs have nothing to do with Maya (material energy), it is simply free will.
The fact is, Maya or material energy does NOT exist in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana.
The choice to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana IS possible because Krsna allows love to be a "two-way" street, this means one can accept or reject Krsna if they choose to do so.
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." (Talk with devotees on Rene Descartes)
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, you can do 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." (Talk with Syamasundara and devotees on Henri Bergson)
Even though Krsna has promised there is no return to the material creation once returning to the spiritual worlds.
The fact is, there IS return if the jiva-souls want to return as Prabhupada explains here-
Acyutananda – "In Bhagavad Gita Krsna says, once coming to the spiritual world, the jiva-souls never returns to the material world, so 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." (Mayapur Feb 19, 1976)
Devotee - "Well, I believe you once said that once a conditioned jiva-soul becomes perfected and gets out of the material world and goes to Krsnaloka, there’s no possibility of falling back to the material world?"
Srila Prabhupada - "No! There is possibility, but he does not come IF he is intelligent. Just like after putting your hand in the fire, you never put it in again. So those who are going back to Godhead, they MUST become intelligent. Why going back to Godhead?" (Talk with Prabhupada, Syamasundara Dasa and devotees)
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 Cheviot Hills 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 Krsna says, yathecchasi tathä kuru. Now you do whatever you like." (Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)
Therefore returning back home back to Godhead is not necessarily permanent Prabhupada has explained above, that choice to stay with Krsna or go is ALSO the jiva-soul's choice too.
Therefore, it is NOT just a "one-way" decision that Krsna only makes, no, real loving exchanges can NEVER exist in a one-sided affair because there is ALWAYS "free will"
Krsna does NOT control the "surrendered" jiva-souls by force like a puppet master controls every movement of his puppets with the manipulation of strings.
Similarly, Krsna does NOT forcibly control or cleverly manipulate the jiva-souls and deny their free will and their natural constitutional right of voluntary self expression, individual contributions and having their own unique personality separate from Krsna's Personality.
Srila Prabhupada - "Krsna does not want to become a lover by force, from 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.)
Such free will means the jiva-souls are "marginal" and that ALL decision making is a "two-sided" affair, that allows the jiva-souls to choose for themselves, EVEN if it means rejecting Krsna.
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)
Having "free will" ALWAYS allows the jiva-souls to voluntarily choose their own unique contributions that they want to selflessly offer to Krsna in loving service. This is the real meaning of surrender.
Without "free will" loving voluntary exchanges with Krsna are NOT possible.
Loving relationships can only work in a "two-way" exchange based on reciprocation and loving selfless service with two sharing loving exchanges.
In this way, the Kingdom of God is NEVER a domineering "one-sided" bullying dictatorship run by a forceful so called God.
No! Krsna is not like that at all.
The fact is, such a "one-way" impersonal master/servant dictatorship is actually a loveless relationship that only destroy one's real freedom of expression (free will) and having a sense of individual self and unique personality independent from Krsna's Personality.
How can a "lifeless puppet" in a puppet show express loving emotions when it is ALWAYS controlled and manipulated by the strings in the hands of the puppet master?
Similarly, how can the jiva-souls express loving emotions in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana if Krsna does not allow "free will" or individual independence and self expression which is the real meaning of being a "marginal living entity?
Surrendering to Krsna and His pure devotee is NOT impersonal like that, surrender does NOT mean giving up your intelligence, free will, individuality and the awareness of being an independent unique contributing free thinking PERSON you are eternally.
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 BG Ch 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 SB Canto 1 Ch 2 text 6, Delhi, Nov 12, 1973)
Srila Prabhupada - "The (impersonalist) philosophy is oneness. So how there can be love, one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience? Love means one? No. Love means two. There must be two, the lover and the beloved. Kṛṣṇa is already lover. He's so lover of you 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)
Devotee – Srila Prabhupada, I can’t understand why we can have impure desire when we are already serving Krsna."
Srila Prabhupada – "Because you have got little freedom, it is one's desire."
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 here, why are we here?"
Srila Prabhupada – "Yes, you forced Krsna 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 and suffer. What can be done?" (June 25, 1974)
Srila Prabhupada - "Because you are Son of God you have got independence, full independence, therefore you have acquired the quality of your father, so God does not interfere with your independence." (June 25, 1974)
Srila Prabhupada - "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." (Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974)
Being the "marginal plane" (the jiva-souls), incorporates free will meaning there is ALWAYS voluntary loving exchanges, contributions and reciprocation going on between Krsna and the independent jiva-souls.*^*
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