Even Krsna found the need to experience a loving relationship in a "two-way" exchange, this is why He divided Himself into two individuals just so He could experience loving exchanges and reciprocation with a women, and that women is Srimati Radharani.
Srila Prabhupāda – "When Krsna wants to be attracted by a woman, He has to create such a woman from His own energy. That woman is Rādhārāṇī." (SB, Canto 3 Ch 31 text 38, Purport)
Caitanya Caritamrita – "Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are "one and the same", but They have assumed two bodies. Thus They enjoy each other, tasting the mellows of love. The philosophy of inconceivable oneness and difference propounded by Lord Caitanya is the only source of understanding for such intricacies of transcendence. In fact, Rādhārāṇī is the internal potency of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and She eternally intensifies the pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa." (CC Adi 4.56, Translation and Purport)
Srila Prabhupada – "Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the only personality who can infuse Śrī Kṛṣṇa with transcendental pleasure. Thus Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the chief damsel of Vraja in love with Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa." (TLC, Ch 32)
Genuine love or service only exists when there are "two" or more involved in a voluntary relationship of loving exchanges and reciprocation.
All jiva-souls (individual marginal living entities) are independent living beings with their own unique personality that is separate from Krsna's Personality, yet simultaneously dependent on the energies of Lord Krsna because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes.
Srila Prabhupada – "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? In Bengali it is said if you catch one girl or boy and you demand 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." (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C)
Srila Prabhupāda – ''Genuine 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)
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 in return, that is simply exploitation." (Lecture BG, Ch 9 text 2-5, New York City, Nov 23, 1966)
Srila Prabhupada – ''We have got the propensity to love. Love means somebody else. Love cannot be one or love cannot be executed by only one, there must be two. 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)
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." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)
The jiva-souls have their own unique free will eternally which is part and parcel of their constitutional make up. This means the jiva-souls have, as part of their individual personality, the capability to make their own choices, that even includes accepting or rejecting Krsna.
In other words, Krsna does not force the jiva-souls to love Him and do only what He wants, Krsna also allows the jiva-souls to decide for themselves what they choose to offer Him out of reciprocal loving exchanges. This is because love or service can never exist in a "one-way" domination.
The jiva-souls are able to always voluntarily offer their own unique contributions that Krsna does not interfere with and is pleased with because such independent offerings add mystery and integrity to relationship. If Krsna was in control of everything the jiva-souls did in thought and actions, there would be no free will, or individual contributions of personal offerings, it would be a cold impersonal stagnated relationship.
Such a selfish dictatorial version of God's kingdom would have no personal inputs, making it devoid of loving exchanges, making it an impersonal hell. If Krsna forced the jiva-souls to only do what He thinks and wants, then that is not love, that is domination, exploitation and enslavement.
"Genuine loving exchanges" are based on "free will" expressed in a two-way exchange where each individual jiva-soul is able to make their own independent choices that may agree, or disagree with Krsna. There is no concept of "freedom" unless the jiva-souls always have the choice of voluntary service based on 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." (Discussions with Srila Prabhupada on Rene Descartes philosophy)
Genuine loving devotional service can only exist on a "two-way street", where the jiva-souls also have the choice to accept or even reject Krsna. In this way a loving relationship is never forced.
Our eternal relationship with Krsna is based on loving exchanges on a two-way street, it is not a one-way street of forced obedience!
It is important to understand that love can only exist when it is based on "two-way" exchanges of mutual respect and not forced by one individual, not even Krsna.
The living entities are not "mindless" drones or yes men or women in the spiritual world, no, Krsna does not allow such impersonalism into His abode. If Krsna forced the jiva-souls to only think and do what He dictates, then loving exchanges could never exist because, as said above, loving exchanges are a two-way street, not a one-way dictatorship.
The jiva-souls are eternal individual PERSONS with their own unique character and identity that is independent from Krsna's Personality.
Krsna does not want a relationship based on forced surrender. The jiva-soul's relationship with Krsna is unique and very personal, each jiva-soul has their own personal loving exchanges with Him unique to just them. No two jiva-souls are the same and no jiva-soul can ever become Visnu or Krsna.
As emphasised above, real love or service can only exist in a "two-way" voluntary exchange based on reciprocation and mutual respect.
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)
Therefore, Krsna never forces the jiva-souls to surrender to Him, if He did, then that is not voluntary love, it is forced surrender, exploitation and abuse and such a so called bogus God MUST be rejected.
That impersonal version (attempting to finish up all activity) of Krsna Consciousness must be also rejected Prabhupada explains to us.
Srila Prabhupada - "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 Krishna does not want to become a lover like that, on the point of revolver." (Washington DC July 1976)
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 - "Unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom." (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)
Ultimately, as said above, each individual jiva-soul is a unique PERSON as a spiritual bodily form originally with a two armed form with their own personality and independent character, who can choose for themselves how to voluntarily serve Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, the best way they can, or ignore Him if they choose to do so.
Srila Prabhupada - "The jiva-soul's position in the spiritual world is voluntary, they can become a flower to a human spiritual body, all voluntary, there is no restriction. They can serve Krsna as cow, as calf, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact." (Lecture SB, Melb, May 20 1975)
In the spiritual world ALL relationships with Krsna are "equally blissful to each other," just like one may like a carnation flower while others may choose to like a rose flower.
As Prabhupada has explained, Krsna never forces the jiva-souls to surrender to Him, never forces them to love Him, that must be voluntary otherwise genuine loving exchanges can never exist.*^^*.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.