There, the jiva-souls have their own unique personality separate from Krsna's Personality, and can choose to "voluntarily" serve Krsna in unlimited ways, or even reject Him and enter the temporary material world if they want.
The jiva-souls are an eternal spiritual "bodily form" who have always looked like Krsna AS their "infinite" spiritual bodily form - two-arms, two legs, etc in the spiritual world, and eternally have their own unique personality separate from the Krsna's Personality.
Srila Prabhupada - "The human form is the full manifestation of the jiva-soul." (Melb, May 20, 1975)
Srila Prabhupada - "The spirit soul is NOT formless; it has got form, the spirit soul always has form and is expressed as hands, legs, heads, everything. But with our material eyes at the present, our gross eyes, we cannot see these facts; therefore we foolishly believe the jiva-souls have no form." (Lecture BG, Ch 2 Text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)
Devotee - "What is the form of the spiritual body. If the spirit soul is non-material, what is the form?"
Srila Prabhupāda - "There is form, just like this material body is compared with the dress. Now, just like in your present material form you have got hand; therefore your coat has got hand. You have got legs; therefore your pant has got legs. Therefore it is to be assumed that the spirit soul always has got form, and is expressed as hands, legs, heads, everything. The spirit soul is not formless; it has got form. But with our material eyes at the present, gross eyes, we cannot find it; therefore we say and foolishly believe it has no form." (Lecture BG, Ch 2 Text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)
Devotee – "Is the original body of the jiva-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 jiva-soul."
Hari-sauri - "They are covered in the spiritual world?"
Srila Prabhupada - "Not in the spiritual world, there that is voluntary, some devotees want to serve Krsna as flower; then they become flower there, they lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna as a flower voluntarily, but he can change his form from flower to human body if one wants. 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, Melb, Australia May 20, 1975)
Devotee - "If jiva-soul is non-material, what is the form?
Srila Prabhupāda - "There is form, just like this body is compared with the dress. Now, just like in your present material form you have got hand; therefore your coat has got hand. If you have got... You have got leg; therefore your pant has got leg. Therefore it is to be assumed that the spirit soul has got form, and it has developed into hands, legs, heads, everything. It is not formless; it has got form. But with our material eyes at the present, gross eyes, we cannot find it; therefore we say it has no form." (Lecture BG, Ch 2 Text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)
Devotee - "Śrīla Prabhupāda, you state that spirit soul has form."
Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, otherwise, how is the material body grown to accommodate the spirit soul? Just like a shirt has no form, but when it's put on the body, it takes the shapes of the body. Does that mean that the spirit soul has the shape of the body that is accommodating it? Yes, you are spiritual body with form. If you have got spiritual power, then you can measure it in the material world. And that measurement in the material world is also given in the śāstra. What is that? One ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. Hair is a very small point. And divide it into ten thousand parts. That one part is the measure, magnitude of the soul. But you have no eyes to see, how to see one ten-thousandth portion of the top of the hair. You cannot see even the original top of the hair. Everything is there. We must the have the eyes to see." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 Ch 16 Text 24, Hawaii, Jan 20, 1974)
Srila Prabhupāda - "This material world is existing on the spiritual prakṛti. You can calculate what is your body, This material body is existing on the spiritual body. Just wearing your shirt. The shirt is existing on your actual hand. The shirt has got a hand because you have got hand. So matter is impersonal. But because the superior prakṛti, jīva, he is person, therefore the matter appears like a person.
Because I have got hands and legs, therefore this cloth has got hands and legs. Otherwise the cloth has no hands and legs; it is impersonal. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. This body is just like dress. Just like your coat has got hand, your pant has got leg, but either the pant or coat has no leg, no hand.
Because you have got leg and hand, therefore the coat has got leg and hand. Everyone can understand, it is very easy. So, the original eternal the spirit soul has got form. Therefore the cloth has been cut into form. It is very easy to understand, otherwise how you get the form? And in this form the spirit soul is trying to enjoy this material world. But it is not puruṣa. It cannot enjoy. That is false. That is illusion." (Lecture SB, Canto 3 Ch 26 Text 3, Bombay, Dec 15, 1974)
Devotee - "Would the jiva-soul that is within, say, a cow's body, is in a different shape?"
Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, it has got also legs, but the shape has taken a form according to his desire. Just like a bird, it has two wings, two legs. The animal has got four legs, and man has got two hands, two legs. So the same parts of the body, they are appearing in a different type. But the four limbs of the body are there."
Hayagrīva dasa - "Aquinas believed that God is the only single essence that consists of pure form. He felt that matter is only a potential and, in order to be real, must assume a certain shape or form. Being in the universe have to acquire an individual form in order to actualize themselves. When matter unites with form, the form gives an object its individuality and personality. A form gives an object its individuality and personality."
Srila Prabhupāda - Yes, matter has no form but the jiva-soul has got form. Though matter is covering the actual form of the jiva-soul, the matter then appears to have form. Just like the original cloth has no form, but when the tailor cuts the cloth according to the body of the person, then the shirt and coat takes a form. The matter itself has no form. When you take clay, it has no form, but if you make it like a doll, like a man or woman, then it has a form. When you change the clay, and you manufacture a fort, then the fort has form. So form and formlessness is of the matter, but in the spiritual world everything has got form. The spirit soul has got form. God has got form. This is the truth."
Hayagrīva dasa - "Aquinas believed that only God and the angels have form that is not material. There is no difference between God's form and His spiritual self."
Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, as in the material world any form-man or beast or anyone—in the outward, external covering is matter, but within the matter there is the soul. The soul has form and God has form. That is real form. And the material form is simply shirting and coating over the spiritual body."
Hayagrīva dasa - "Aquinas considered that matter was necessary to give the jiva-soul form."
Srila Prabhupāda - "No, the jiva-soul has its original eternal spiritual bodily form."
Hayagrīva dasa - "Original form?"
Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes."
Hayagrīva dasa - "Which is the form of the body."
Srila Prabhupāda - "Original form, that is the form of the spirit."
Hayagrīva dasa - "Of the spirit."
Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, and the form of the body takes place on account of the form of the spirit. This is very nice example. The cloth has no form, but when it is cut according to the form of the gentleman, it takes a form. Similarly, matter has no form. When it is coated on the spiritual form of the soul, it takes the form. This is very easy to understand." (Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas)
As said above, the original eternal FORM of the marginal living entity (jiva-soul) is a "two-arm form" like Krsnas (that human species also have)
Further more, the jiva-souls in Goloka-Vrindavana can choose to enter the Vaikuntha planets where they manifest from their "two-armed form" to a "four armed form" similar to Visnu's bodily form.
The marginal living entities or jiva-soul's original bodily form are made up of-
Sat - eternity.
Chit - knowledge.
Ananda - bliss.
Vigraha - perpetual bodily spiritual form.
Therefore, the original eternal bodily feature of the jiva-soul is not some impersonal formless spark in the inactive Brahmajyoti, or Brahman as the impersonalists and mayavadis believe, nor does the jiva-souls originate from the dreams of Maha-Visnu, whom they go to AFTER entering the material creation from Vaikuntha, and then provided with a variety of material bodily vessels.
Only the material bodily vessels or costumes the visiting jiva-souls have, come from Maha-Visnu and NOT the jiva-souls.
The material bodies are "hired" from the dreams of Maha-Visnu so they can enter His material creation in a suitable bodily container that matches their desires that are separate from Krsna.
Srila Prabhupada - "We are not the owner of this body, not the owner of the material senses. The senses are "hired" from the Supreme Lord. This is very subtle understanding; one should know the proprietor of the senses is God." (March 1966, NY, City)
All the material bodily vessels in the material creation belong to Maha-Visnu and must be aquired from Him in order to enter the material worlds.
However, all such bodily vessels in the material world are temporary and are subject decay, nothing made of matter lasts forever.
This causes the eternal jiva-souls within those material bodies, who are visiting from the spiritual worlds as passengers, to continue taking birth and continue trying to satisfy their desires.
Srila Prabhupada – "This material creation is the spirit soul’s dream." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 29 Text 83)
To enter the material creation, the visiting jiva-souls have to approach Maha-Visnu to "hire" a material bodily vessel from Him, in order to experience their own desires separate from Krsna and His spiritual abode.
The visiting jiva-souls enter the material creation by first "hiring" a material bodily vessel from the dreams of Maha-Visnu.
Srila Prabhupada – "Actually all existence in the material world is a dream of Maha-Visnu, as the Brahma-Samhita describes-
This material world is created by the dreaming of Maha-Visnu. The real, factual platform is the spiritual world, but when the spirit soul wants to imitate the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is put into this dreamland of material creation." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 29 Text 83)
Srila Prabhupada - "Everything happening within time, which consists of past, present, and future, is merely a dream. This is the secret in understanding in all the Vedic literature." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 29 Text 2b)
Srila Prabhupada - "Factually all of material existence is only a dream. Thus, there is no question of past, present, or future. Persons who are addicted to karma-kanda-vicara, which means ‘working for future happiness through fruitive activities’, are also dreaming. Similarly, past happiness and present happiness are merely dreams." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 29 Text 2b)
All material bodies in the material creation are provided to the jiva-souls, who reject Krsna and Visnu, by Maha-Visnu.
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 - "We cannot say therefore that we are not with Krsna. As soon as we try to become Lord, immediately Maya covers us. Formerly we were with Krsna in His lila or sport. But this covering of Maya may be of very, very, very, very long duration; therefore many creations are coming and going." (Letter to Madhudvisa Swami June 1972 Melb, Australia)
Srila Prabhupada - "So to go to Krsna means you will have to acquire your original, spiritual body. The spiritual body is already there, but we are now covered by this material body." (Germany, June 22, 1974)
Srila Prabhupada - "We have also come down from Vaikuntha some millions and millions of years ago. Anadi karama-phale. Anadi means before the creation. The real desire is how to go to home, back to Godhead."(Lecture BG, London, Aug 6, 1973)
Srila Prabhupada - "We may fall down from Vaikuntha at any moment, so even in the Vaikuntha, if I desire that, "Why shall I serve Krsna? Why not become Krsna?" I immediately fall down." (Lecture, Honolulu, July 4, 1974)
Srila Prabhupada - ''When fall down takes place it means falling down from the non-fallen condition. That non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness, 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, LA, California 13th June, 1970)
Srila Prabhupāda - "We are only a (dormant) spark (while fallen in the impersonal Brahmajyoti). But because we are spirit, we cannot remain in that fallen impersonal stage. He wants to enjoy, so for as long as one has forgotten (their spiritual bodily origin while outside of the spiritual atmosphere), one develops a body which is called matter."
Śyāmasundara - "Does the jiva-soul develop a spiritual body?"
Srila Prabhupāda - "No, he IS spiritual body, he has a spiritual identity already."
Revatīnandana - "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 jiva-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." (Aug. 17, 1971, London)
As said above, the original spiritual form of the jiva-soul has "two-arms" like Krsna, however their original home is a choice between the Vaikuntha planets serving the four-armed Visnu, or being Krsna's friend, the two-armed Kṛṣṇa in Goloka Vrindavana.
Also, only when the jiva-souls voluntarily choose to leave Goloka-Vrindavana and enter the Vaikuntha planets, do they manifest a four-armed form like Lord Visnu/Narayana.
There are billions of different perpetual Vaikuntha planets that take up 3/4 of the spiritual sky, each having their own Visnu form who has their own unique name that describes the pastimes on their particular Vaikuntha planet.
Srila Prabhupada - "Surrender BY your intelligence but don't surrender your intelligence." (Letter to Bali Mardan 1974)
Many in this world cannot understand that the nature of the jiva-soul in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, is being an independent contributing person who chooses to voluntarily serve Krsna, or, if they like, can even reject Krsna.
Each individual jiva-soul eternally has within their constitution the God given right of self expression, and should be encouraged to voluntarily express themselves in their own unique way to find ways to please Krsna.
Such self articulation allows the jiva-souls in the piritual world, to voluntarily contribute their own unique offerings instead of always being mindlessly told what they must offer, think and do. Self determination is based on free will, but some authorities who want self expression restricted, call it radical personalism. These so called authorities fear their position of control and power is threatened if they allow others to express themselves and voice their own realizations and opinions.
Many question if there really is free will, or joke about free will by wrongly claiming some jiva-souls are never granted free will because Krsna does not always allow it in the spiritual worlds. Such comments are nonsense, free will and a two-way dialogue between the jiva-souls and Kṛṣṇa is always there. Without free will there can never be any loving exchanges with Krsna.
Many who are overly attached to their position of power over others, do not understand what it really means to have free will.
Only in the material creation and lower species of life is free will restricted and almost none existant. Such restrictions only refers to those jiva-souls in the lower species of life forced to fully act by instink, eating, sleeping, mating and defending, and not karma or free will. Obviously, under those conditions, there is no free will, therefore the jiva-souls have no choices, they only respond to sensual instincts (eating, sleeping, mating and defending)
Only in the human form of life are the jiva-souls forced to act by the modes of material nature and the reactions from past karma and not in the lower species of life. However, free will in its full potential is ALWAYS experienced in the Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana (The Kingdom of God) where free will always exists. If the jiva-souls have no free will in the spiritual world, then they are no better than dead stone Prabhupada tells 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." (Aug 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)
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 - "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 on Rene Descartes 1976)
Loving relationships are always a two-way street, love can never be experienced by just one, there must be two.
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." (July 8, 1976)
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 SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974).
As Prabhupada also explains, Krsna never forces you to surrender to Him, never forces you to love Him, that must be voluntary otherwise love can never exist.
Srila Prabhupada – "Krsna never forces you to love Him, that must be voluntary." (Melb, Australia June 25, 1974)
Krsna will NEVER interfere with the free will of the jiva-souls.
Free will allows genuine loving exchanges and reciprocation to take place, and as said above, without free will the jiva-souls are like dead stone! Voluntary service is the bases of real surrender to Krsna in Goloka-Vrindavana and the Vaikuntha planets, which are the permanent eternal homes of the marginal living entities (jiva-souls). The jiva-souls in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana are forever voluntarily expanding their independent expressions with their unique individuality with an increasing variety of personal devotional offerings based on free will.
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 here, then why are we here? Why doesn’t He save me from thinking like that?"
Srila Prabhupada - "That means you lose your independence, your free will. 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 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)
Srila Prabhupada - "Unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom." (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)
Ultimately each individual jiva-soul is a unique PERSON with their own sense of independent self who are able to choose for themselves how to voluntarily serve Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, or even ignore Him if they choose to do so.
As said above, free will in its full potential only fully exists in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, the spiritual worlds, which are the jiva-souls original perpetual home.
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." (Aug 5, 1976, New Mayapur France).
As Prabhupada has warned us, if you have no free will then you are no better than dead stone, the stone has no free will, no one wants to be dead and mindless like cold stone.
Becoming a disciple happens by first surrendering to Krsna's pure devotee however, that does not mean one extinguishes their individuality, unique personality and free will, and then become Krsna's mindless drone and controlled puppet! No, that is not surrendering to Krsna's pure devotee, it is actually surrendering to impersonalism and committing spiritual suicide!
Srila Prabhupada - "Parīkṣit Mahārāja was an ideal king and householder because he was a devotee of the Personality of Godhead. A devotee of the Lord automatically has all good qualifications. And the Emperor was a typical example of this. Personally he had no attachment for all the worldly opulences in his possession.
But since he was king for the all-around welfare of his citizens, he was always busy in the welfare work of the public, not only for this life, but also for the next. He would not allow slaughterhouses or killing of cows. He was not a foolish and partial administrator who would arrange for the protection of one living being and allow another to be killed. Because he was a devotee of the Lord, he knew perfectly well how to conduct his administration for everyone's happiness—men, animals, plants and all living creatures.
He was not selfishly interested.
Selfishness is either self-centered or self-extended. He was neither. His interest was to please the Supreme Truth, Personality of Godhead. The king is the representative of the Supreme Lord, and therefore the king's interest must be identical with that of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord wants all living beings to be obedient to Him and thereby become happy. Therefore the king's interest is to guide all subjects back to the kingdom of God.
Hence the activities of the citizens should be so coordinated that they can at the end go back home, back to Godhead. Under the administration of a representative king, the kingdom is full of opulence. At that time, human beings need not eat animals. There are ample food grains, milk, fruit and vegetables so that the human beings as well as the animals can eat sumptuously and to their heart's content.
If all living beings are satisfied with food and shelter and obey the prescribed rules, there cannot be any disturbance between one living being and another. Emperor Parīkṣit was a worthy king, and therefore all were happy during his reign." (SB, Canto 1 Ch 4 text 12, Purport)
Srila Prabhupada explains that proper loving relationships are always a two-way reciprocal exchange.
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." (quote 1966 - 1974, Vaniquotes)
Srila Prabhupada - "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." (quote 1966 - 1974, Vaniquotes)
The word surrender should be properly understood so that one's so called surrender and voluntary service is appreciated, reciprocated with and not forcefully demanded in an impersonal way.
Impersonalism means-
1 - Attempting to extinguish your individuality, unique spiritual identity, personality and free will and become God's mindless drones and controlled pawn.
2 - Being bullied, patronized, talked down too and treated and used like a slave who is never allowed to think for themselves, but rather instead should be nurtured, appreciated and encouraged to be a contributing independent living entity with the freedom of individual self expression when serving God as a person.
3 - lnactively merge dormantly into His Brahman effulgence. Impersonalism means one all-pervasive consciousness that denies the individual jiva-souls. Therefore, attempting to extinguish one's individuality and unique personality like impersonalist are doing, is spiritual suicide.
In the spiritual world with Krsna, surrender does not mean you give up you individuality, free will, sense of self or the independence that allows you to make your own personal contributions and offerings to Krsna unique to just you.
Goloka-Vrindavana and Vaikuntha are very personal places based on loving voluntary exchanges eternally going on with Krsna and His servants and friends. Therefore, the jiva-soul's relationship with Krsna is unique and very personal, each jiva-soul has their own different personal exchanges with Krsna that no other jiva-soul duplicates.
No two jiva-souls are the same in Vaikuntha (in personality and character) or in Goloka-Vrindavana. Therefore genuine love, service and surrender can only exist in a "two-way" voluntary exchange of feelings, based on reciprocation and mutual respect, Krsna NEVER forces His will on anyone in the spiritual world.
Facing the non-sentimental facts that some refuse to understand.
Having free will is the constitutional make up of all marginal living entities (jiva-souls) that is eternally part and parcel of their individual 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 choose, at anytime. It is nonsense sentimentality to claim the jiva-souls can never again fall down to the material worlds once they are in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana. This is because free will always allows the jiva-souls to make their own choices in the spiritual worlds.
Therefore, without that ability of being able to voluntarily choose, there is no question of loving exchanges or expressing genuine free will.
So, the choice to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana is possible because Krsna allows a "two-way" relationship which includes accepting or rejecting Krsna if they choose.
It is nonsense to say and believe once on the Vaikuntha planets, or in Goloka-Vrindavana, the jiva-souls can NEVER leave. In fact, over "infinity," most jiva-souls have visited the material world one way or another (fall down, or voluntary service in Krsna's pastimes)
Remember, all marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are beginningless and endless.
The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) NEVER lose their "free will" in the spiritual world because it is part of their eternal constitution.
The jiva-souls are eternal spiritual living PERSONS and can never be destroyed, terminated or extinguished, the jiva-souls are indestructible as Bhagavad Gita As It Is explains-
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "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, Ch 2 text 12, 1983 edition)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change." (BG, Ch 2 text 13, 1983 edition)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed." (BG, Ch 2 text 14, 1983 edition)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both." (BG, Ch 2 text 16, 1983 edition)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul." (BG, Ch 2 text 17, 1983 edition)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain." (BG, Ch 2 text 19, 1983 edition)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "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)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?" (BG, Ch 2 text 21, 1983 edition)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones." (BG, Ch 2 text 22, 1983 edition)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind." (BG, Ch 2 text 23, 1983 edition)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same." (BG, Ch 2 text 24, 1983 edition)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body." (BG, Ch 2 text 25, 1983 edition)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all." (BG, Ch 2 text 29, 1983 edition)
Srila Prabhupada – "There is 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 7th Sep 1970)
"Free will" has NOTHING to do with the external temporary material bodily vessel or the material energy.
"Free will" is the constitutional makeup of every jiva-soul (marginal living entities) in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana, where nothing material exists. There is no Maya in the spiritual worlds however, there is ALWAYS free will.
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. Just like a thief, he knows that his stealing 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." (Talk on Rene Descartes philosophy with Hayagriva dasa 1976)
Unless there is the misuse of free will, even in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana, there is no question of free will.
For loving exchanges to truly exist between Krsna and the jiva-souls, the jiva-souls also must have the right to voluntarily express themselves, which includes being able to choose to leave the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana at anytime, and return to the material worlds.
This is what having free will means.
Therefore returning back home, back to Godhead is not necessarily permanent because there is ALWAYS a choice eternally.**.
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