Acyutananda – "In the Bhagavad Gita Krsna says, "Once coming to the spiritual world, he never returns to the material creation but you say he can return?" Srila Prabhupada – "If he likes, he can return." (Mayapur, Feb 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 some end up back there?''

Srila Prabhupada - "No, there is no such thing as permanent 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 and fall again if he wants; that choice is always there. That's why when a man is released from the prison house, that does not mean it is permanent because he can again come back however, the general law is not to come back, but if he likes, he can come back, otherwise what is the meaning of having independence and free will? Just like one becomes free from the prison house, naturally, he should not go there again."(Discussions with Syamasundara, Henri Bergson)

Krsna's promise in the Bhagavad Gita is that the jiva-souls will never again fall down from the spiritual world; however, do the jiva-souls also have a say in this due to their free will? 

Srila Prabhupada explains here- 

Acyutananda – "In the Bhagavad Gita, Krsna says, "Once coming to the spiritual orld, 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, Feb 19, 1976)

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 is protecting you. He says, "You rascal, don’t desire like that, 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 a reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force; that is rape. Why is one called lover another called rape?" (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)

Paramahamsa - "But ultimately, if we come to Krsna, there’s no return to the material creation?"

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 and enjoy the material world, 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 the opportunity, "All right, you enjoy like this." Just like some of our students sometimes go away, again come back. It is free will. Just like one goes to the prisonhouse, not that government welcomes, "Come on. We have got a prison house. Come here, come here." He goes out of his free will; again comes out, again goes, like that."

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

Srila Prabhupada - ''Yes." (Morning Walk May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

Krsna's promise in the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, is that the jiva-souls will never again fall down to the material creation; once they have returned back home, back to Godhead.

So do the jiva-souls have to accept that promise from Krsna as final, or can they leave Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana anytime they choose?

In Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Krsna promises the jiva-souls they will never again fall down from Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana and enter the material creation, and yes, Krsna will always keep His promise!

However, Krsna's promise of the jiva-souls never again falling down to the material creation once in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana is from Krsna' point of view. 

So, do the jiva-souls also have a choice to accept Krsna's promise, or can they reject it if they choose?

In other words, does this mean the jiva-souls have no choice and can never choose to leave Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, even if they want to leave?

Krsna's promise, confirmed by many grateful devotees who agree that once the jiva-souls reach Vaikuntha, most never again fall down to the material world, is true, but not all, the fact is less than 10% again fall down to the material creation Prabhupada has explained.

Those who always quote Krsna's promise from Bhagavad Gita are therefore right for the majority of jiva-souls, which is over 90% in Vaikuntha, and Goloka Vrindavana because they choose not to fall down again to enter the material creation.

But not all jiva-souls choose that way; because less than 10% do reject Krsna's mercy and go back to the material creation. 

This is because each jiva-soul has their own free will and independence; this means it is also their choice to stay or leave.

Otherwise there is no meaning to free will.

Srila Prabhupada explains that a small minority of jiva-souls do choose to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana and puts that figure at less than 10%.

Over 90% choose to remain in either the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana.

To understand this, one must realize that, ultimately, love is not just a one-way street or a dictatorship of just obeying without voluntary personal contributions.

Real love and service are based on reciprocation and loving exchanges between two, not just one, meaning not just only Krsna.

Therefore, we must not forget that the jiva-souls also have their right of self-expression too, which means they have their individual choices of how they want to uniquely contribute to their relationship with Krsna, expressed from their point of view.

This is because love is always based on reciprocation, on a two-way street between two, and not just one or dominated by only Krsna, no, Krsna never demands that type of impersonal surrender from His devotees, where one just obeys with personal contributions to the relationship with Krsna.

Only impersonalists preach that surrender means giving up free will, individuality, and extinguishing your unique personality, and that everyone should become little Krsna imitaters.

It is a fact Krsna can do anything He wants to do however, if Krsna forced His will and complete dominance on the individual jiva-souls, then how can the jiva-souls express themselves as independent person's who offer their own contributions to Krsna?

With such freedom, the jiva-souls 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. Do 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)

Such one-way control by this kind of God will only destroy the jiva-soul's independent ability of voluntary self-expression and unique individuality.

Denying the jiva-souls, their natural eternal constitutional right of self-expression and free will (freedom) is impersonalism.

If Krsna did force His will on the  jiva-souls to love Him, then how can there be real genuine loving emotions in a two-way exchange 

Srila Prabhupada explains-

Srila Prabhupada - "Love is a 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)

By promising that Krsna will never let the jiva-souls fall down, by keeping them in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana, can be seen as interfering with the free will, independence and individuality of the jiva-soul.

This is because the jiva-souls are entitled to having their own choices of how to serve Krsna too, or even reject Krsna if they choose, meaning they must be allowed to leave anytime they like, otherwise what is the point of free will?

The fact is Krsna will never make that decision for the jiva-souls; they must voluntarily choose for themselves; otherwise, free will is violated. 

There can be no question of love if the jiva-souls have no right to choose for themselves.

Devotee - "Srila Prabhupada, why did Krsna give us free will if He knew we would miss use it?"

Srila Prabhupada - "If you have no free will, you are a stone. Do you want to be stone? Then you must have free will!" (Aug 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)

Free will is something never acquired, nor ever given up or surrendered in the spiritual world as ignorant fools believe, free will is eternally part and parcel of the jiva-souls (marginal living entities) natural constitution and therefore always exists without beginning or end on the spiritual planets.

However, free will, in its full potential, is only fully experienced in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, which is the jiva-souls original perpetual home from where they originated from.

Ultimately in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, it is also the jiva's choice of how to serve and not just Krsna's because He  wants loving servants who choose to be with Him through their own free will and personal offerings, to serve and love Him voluntarily.

Not forced to serve Him by saying once you are in Goloka Vrindavana, never again will you fall down.

No, that is not Krsna's call, it is not His choice alone, it is also the jiva-soul's choice to remain there as a servant of the servant as weĺl, or even leave if they choose to.

The relationship between servant and Master is never one-way; it is a perpetual relationship based on reciprocation and loving exchanges between two.

The promise by Krsna that the jiva-souls will never again fall down into the material world, is from His point of view as explained above however,  the jiva-souls can reject His offer if they choose, otherwise there is no meaning to having free will.

Ultimately, it is not only Krsna's will and complete control that determines loving exchanges; no, it is a joint participation between the jiva-souls and Krsna. 

The spiritual worlds are not dictatorships where one is a yes man or women who are denied and personal contributions or offerings.

As said above over 90% of jiva-souls do choose to accept Krsna's promise and never again leave the spiritual worlds, but even that can change because free will is eternal.

The fact is, there are no guarantees that the jiva-souls will never fall down to the material creation.

As said above, only less than 10% do choose to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana, and that is their right.

Srila Prabhupada - "Independence means you can do this, you can do that, all right, whatever you like; otherwise, there is no meaning of independence."(Discussions with Syamasundara and Henri Bergson)

Sadly, many can not understand these words from Srila Prabhupada and still claim that once they reach the spiritual world, they will never again fall down because Krsna will not allow them to fall down.

If true, then that means Krsna takes away the jiva-soul's free will in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana, which is simply not true.

The jiva-souls always have free will in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana otherwise, how can voluntary loving exchanges exist?

The reason why is because all each jiva-soul is an independent individual person with 78.125% of Krsna's qualities and have their own personality separate from Krsna's Personality. This means having their own unique independent identity.

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).

The jiva-souls in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana are forever expanding their expression of individuality with personal offerings based on free will and voluntary selfless reciprocation with Krsna, it is never a one-sided relationship with the Krsna.

Real love, bhakti or devotional service 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.

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 individually only have, that is part and parcel of each individual marginal living entities make up as the independent unique person they are eternally.

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."(Conversation Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974)

Acyutananda – "In the Bhagavat Gita it says, 'Once the jiva-soul enters to the spiritual world, he never again returns to the material creation', but you say 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. Krishna-bahirmukha haïä bhoga väïchä kare. That misuse is the cause of our falldown."(Conversation, Mayapur, Feb 19, 1976)

Free will for the jiva-souls is eternal in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan because without the freedom of choosing to either serve Krsna, or forget Krsna, then there is no question of freedom (free will) in the spiritual worlds.

Without free will, the jiva-souls would have no individuality, no sense of self, no independent personality, and no ability to love. The jiva-souls would simply be no better than dead stone Prabhupada has said above.

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)

For loving devotion to truly exist with the marginal living entity and Krsna, the jiva-souls must have the right to even choose to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana at anytime if they want, therefore returning home back to Godhead is not necessarily permanent as Prabhupada has explained.

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

Most jiva-souls (more than 90%) choose to never fall down from the spiritual worlds of Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana and enter the mundane decaying material universes.

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, 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, the 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 is outside the prison house. Similarly, the majority of living being, part and parcel of God, they are in the spiritual world. Only a few fall down."

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

Srila Prabhupada – "Krsna? Yes, Krsna 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 independenc. Everyone is not liking to misuse their independence. The same example, just like a government constructing a city and constructs a prison house because the government knows that somebody will be a criminal. So, their shelter must also be constructed. It is very easy to understand. Not that cent per cent population will be criminal, but the government knows that some of them will be. Otherwise, why do they construct a 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 can not know also, Because there is tendency."

Dr. John Mize – "The origin of that tendency to fall from Goloka is?"

Srila Prabhupada – "Yes."

Dr. John Mize – "From where does that tendency come?"

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly, or one can misuse it. That is independence; that tendency is always there. 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." (BG As It Is lecture, Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

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 the opportunity, "All right, you enjoy like this." It is free will." (Morning Walk Cheviot Hills May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

The original feature of the individual jiva-soul is a bodily form like Krsna Prabhupada has said, having two arms, two legs, etc.

This spiritual bodily svarupa form is the jiva-soul's full potential in their original spiritual position (rasa) in Goloka-Vrindavan.

The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are not called tatastha-sakti in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana; it is a name describing the fallen conditioned state of the jiva-souls.

Srila Prabhupada - "So this material world is the taṭastha (conditioned) characteristics), and the spiritual worlds are the Personal (characteristics). So, our effort is to get out of this taṭastha (conditioned characteristics) and enter the permanent characteristics (Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana). That is called spiritual elevation." (New York City, Dec 28, 1966)

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, 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, L.A. 13 June, 1970 and Aug 17 1971 London)

Srila Prabhupada - ''When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition. The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness.'' (Letter, Revatinandana, LA 13 June, 1970)

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 a 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; then they become flower there. If I want to be a flower, I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna; he becomes flower and 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 6.1.1-4 - Melbourne, May 20, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "We have also come down from Vaikuntha some millions and millions of years ago." (Lecture on BG, Aug 6, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - ''These spirit souls and all spirit souls are coming from Vaikuntha." (Letter to Jagadisa das, 1970)

Srila Prabhupada - "Free will means that you can act wrongly. That is free will. Unless there is a 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)

Srila Prabhupāda – ''Love means a relationship between "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)

The word reciprocation only has meaning when there are two involved in loving exchanges; this is not possible with just one.

Free will only has meaning when the jiva-souls can voluntarily express themselves in a two-sided relationship with Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada - "If you have no free will, then you are a stone. The stone has no free will. Do you want to be stone? Then you must have free will!" (Aug 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)

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 a unique two-way voluntary exchange of loving expressions to encourage individual contributions and personal offerings.

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

Personalism means a two-way relationship of voluntary loving exchange that expands, enriches, and multiplies loving affection, sentiment, and exchanges between the jiva-souls, Krsna and Guru.

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, Nov 23, 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - ''We have got the propensity to love. Love means somebody else. Love can not be one, or love can not be executed by 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." (SB Canto 1 Ch 2, text 6, Delhi, Nov 12, 1973).*^*.