The constitutional position of the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are they are part and parcels of Krsna, being His eternal loving servants in their original position.

Srila Prabhupada - "The "immediate" expansions of the Lord are called svāṁśa or personal direct expansions (Known as Visnu-tattva, or the Lord playing a different role in His own pastimes). The "separated" expansions of the Krsna are called vibhinnāṁśa - (jiva-souls endowed with independence and free will) like us." (From BG 10.37, Purport)

The explanation by Srila Prabhupāda explaining where the jiva-souls came from to enter the material creation, is they originally came from Goloka Vrindavana (Vaikuntha) long, long ago.

And in Goloka-Vrindavana and Vaikuntha they were NEVER created because they have always existed. 

The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) have eternally existed as individual "persons" as Bhagavad Gita As It Is 1983 "correct edition," Chapter 2 text 20 clearly explains-

"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 As It Is Ch 2 text 20)

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

Srila Prabhupada - "Your question about one's relationship with Lord Krsna on Krsnaloka, does he ever fall down? The jiva-souls are endowed with minute independence as part of their nature and this minute independence may be utilized rightly or wrongly at anytime, so there is always a chance of falling down by misuse of one’s independence."(Letter to Jagadisa dasa, 4/25/1970)

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

These are clear statements by Srila Prabhupāda about where jiva-souls have come from. There is no contradiction in Srila Prabhupada's words above. 

Keep in mind, less than 10% of jiva-souls choose to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana and enter the material creation, then later for some, fall further to the impersonal dormant brahmajyoti, while over 90% never choose to leave the Spiritual worlds.

The fact is no other acarya has given such clear simple teachings on so many aspects of Krsna consciousness as Srila Prabhupada has. 

Does the brahmajyoti have consciousness?

The brahmajyoti is the impersonal manifestation as the effulgence of Supreme Personality Krsna, where unlimited jiva-souls are existing dormantly (inactive)

What does that mean?

Entering the impersonal brahmajyoti is an attempt to end all existence by the jiva-souls, to no long experience the suffering of repeated birth and death in the material creation.

To a Vaisnava, such an act of attempting to extinguish one's identity, individuality and personality and forget everything, is seen as spiritual suicide.

Therefore the impersonal brahmajyoti is the dormant (inactive) destination of so called liberated spiritual jiva-souls, like many yogis, jnanis (mental speculators) and various religionists that have not attained their real full potential of pure devotional service, returning back to their original home, the Vaikuntha planets serving Visnu or Goloka Vrindavana as Krsna's dear friend. 

The impersonal (inactive or dormant) aspect of brahmajyoti is also eternal but the jiva-souls position in it is only temporary. 

Unlike Christanity, Islam and Judaism, there is no "eternal condemnation" for jiva-souls in the teachings of Krsna in Bhagavad Gita As It Is and Srimad Bhagavatam.

Only a cruel unloving God would keep a jiva-soul eternally in the eternal fires of Hell, or dormant in the impersonal brahmajyoti Prabhupada has explained.

Each individual jiva-soul within brahmajyoti is an eternal conscious living person, who ARE a spiritual bodily form (vigraha) in their full potential, but while in the impersonal brahman, or brahmajyoti, appear as an insignificant dormant inactive spark of life.

This "inactive" (almost dead to a Vaisnava) condition in the impersonal brahmajyoti, can last for a very, very, very long time, equivalent to billions of life times of Lord Brahma who lives for 311 trillion and 40 billion years.

But eventually the jiva-souls in their fallen condition in the impersonal brahmajyoti, fall from there too and again take birth in the material creation because the nature of the jiva-soul is to be active, not inactive.

There is no birth or death for the jiva-souls as Bhagavad Gita As It Is 1983 (correct edition), Chapter 2 text 20 clearly says-

"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 As It Is Ch 2 text 20)

Spiritual existence (life) means no beginning and no end. 

Material existence means repeated birth and death because every material bodily vessel is temporary.

However, the jiva-soul (the passenger in the material bodily vessel) is eternal and is only forced to change bodies because such material vessels are temporary and eventually decay and wear out.

Hence the cycle of repeated birth and death.**.