Srila Prabhupada - "There is no new soul, new and old are due to this material body, but the soul is NEVER born and NEVER dies, so if there is no birth, so how there can be new soul?" (Letter to Jagadisa dasa 7/9/1970)
Srila Prabhupada - "We (the jiva-souls) are marginal energy (jiva-souls). Marginal means sometimes internal, sometimes external. When we are under the internal energy, that is our normal life, and when we are under the external energy, that is our abnormal life. Therefore, we are called marginal energy (jiva-souls); we can be either this way or that way. But being qualitatively one with the purusa, our tendency is to remain in the internal energy. Being in the external energy is our artificial attempt." (Letter to Lilavati, Allston, Mass 25 April, 1969)
Also Maha-Visnu does NOT create any jiva-souls as some foolishly believe and teach their disciples. The jiva-souls go to Maha-Visnu after leaving Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, and there aquire a material bodily vessel so they can enter the material creation in an attempt to experience their desires separate from Krsna and Visnu. No jiva-souls originates from Maha-Visnu, nor does He create any jiva-souls as many so called scholars wrongly teach, because all jiva-souls (marginal living entities) originate from Vaikuntha.
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 – "Regarding your questions if someone has a relationship with Lord Krsna on Krsnaloka, does he ever fall down? The 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 – "These spirit souls and all spirit souls are coming from Vaikuntha, but in these material worlds they are taking various grades of bodies according to their material activities. There is no new souls. New and old are due to this material body, but the soul is never born and never dies, so if there is no birth how there can be new soul." (Letter to Jagadisa Dasa, 7/9/1970)
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)
Srila Prabhupada – "The jiva-souls are Krsna’s marginal energy. Marginal energy means the jiva-souls may be under the control of the spiritual energy, or they may be under the control of material energy. But when the jiva-souls are under the control of the material energy, that is their precarious condition, struggle for existence. And when they are under spiritual energy, that is their original position and life of freedom." (Los Angeles, Nov 23, 1968)
Srila Prabhupada - "The material energy, called as Maya, is also one of the multipotencies of the Lord, as much as we (the jiva-souls) are also marginal potency of the Lord. The living entities (jiva-souls) are described as superior energy than matter, when the superior energy is in contact with inferior energy, it becomes an incompatible situation. But when the supreme marginal potency (jiva-souls) are in contact with the spiritual potency, Hara, it becomes the happy, normal condition of the living entity." (The Happening Hare Krsna record album, New York City, Dec 1966)
Srila Prabhupada - "The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are NOT from the impersonal brahman. We do not accept anyone elevated to the brahman effulgence as actually liberated. Existence in the impersonal Brahmajyoti is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness and a fallen condition therefore, 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. When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition and that non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness. To remain in the brahman effulgence is also another phase of that fallen condition. Those who are thinking that they are liberated by being situated in brahman effulgence are described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam as impurely intelligent. In other words, they are actually NOT liberated, and because they are not actually liberated they again come down to the material world. So, we do not accept anyone elevated to the brahman effulgence as actually liberated." (Letter to Revatinandana dasa, Los Angeles 13 June, 1970)
All jiva-souls (marginal living entities) originally came from either the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana Prabhupada teaches. The visiting jiva-souls who enter the material creation MUST obtain (hire) a material bodily vessel first from Maha-Visnu's dreams. Every material bodily vessel in the material creation is first "hired" to the jiva-souls from Maha-Visnu who owns them all.
Each individual jiva-soul (marginal living entity) in the spiritual world ALWAYS have a choice to be with Krsna or reject Krsna which is the meaning of being "marginal," otherwise free will has no meaning.
The jiva-souls can "choose" to "voluntarily" serve Krsna in an unlimited variety of ways as an unlimited varieties of spiritual bodily forms in the spiritual world. Or they can reject Krsna and enter the impermanent material world and experience their independent desires. And this has nothing to do with Maya or material energy because Maya does not exist in the spiritual world, nothing material can exist there but free will ALWAYS exists in the spiritual world.
Srila Prabhupada – "The jiva-souls are Krsna’s marginal energy. Marginal energy means the jiva-souls may be under the control of the spiritual energy, or they may be under the control of material energy. But when the jiva-souls are under the control of the material energy, that is their precarious condition, struggle for existence. And when they are under spiritual energy, that is their original position and life of freedom." (Los Angeles, Nov 23, 1968)
Srila Prabhupada - "Regarding your question about our relationship with Srimati Radharani, She is the internal energy, we are marginal energy. Marginal means sometimes internal, sometimes external. When we are under the internal energy, that is our normal life, and when we are under the external energy, that is our abnormal life. Therefore, we are called marginal energy; we can be either this way or that way. But being qualitatively one with the purusa, our tendency is to remain in the internal energy. But being in the external energy is our artificial attempt to enjoy separately from Krsna." (Letter to Lilavati, Allston, Mass 25 April, 1969)
It is important to understand there is no such thing as new jiva-souls being created because they have ALWAYS existed and were NEVER created 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)
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 "correct" 1983 edition)
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)
Only matter is temporary (like the material bodily vessel the jiva-soul is presently in), while the jiva-souls in the mmaterial bodily vessels are eternal and can NEVER cease to exist.
This means when the material vessels the jiva-soul are in breaks down due to disease, decay, old age or accidents, and ceases to function, the jiva-souls can no longer remain in that broken material body, and are forced to take another material bodily vessel in the womb of a new mother.
The jiva-souls contained in the "subtle" material body, (mind, intelligence, ego) are forced to continuously change "gross material bodies" because of the temporary decaying nature of matter.
All jiva-souls are beginningless and endless, they were NEVER created, not even by Krsna, this is because they have ALWAYS existed, just like the Sun-disc and the sun-rays can only always exist together.
Krsna is like the Sun-disc who maintains all the sun-rays (jiva-souls) both are eternal without beginning or end.
The jiva-souls have their own individuality and independence, that includes a unique personality separate from Krsna's Personality, who voluntarily choose to serve Krsna.
The jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are simultaneously ALWAYS dependent on Krsna and His Visnu-tattva expansion whether they are in the spiritual world or material world because only Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes and provides all things.
Srila Prabhupada - "Because he stays dormantly merged into the Body of Maha-Visnu after the dissolution of the material universes (Brahmandas), he thinks Maha-Visnu is his origin, or when one falls down from Brahma-sayujya (impersonal Brahmajyoti), he also thinks that this impersonal Brahmajyoti may be his origin, but he does not remember that long, long, long before that, he was with Krsna." (letter to Madhudvisa Swami, July 1972 Melb, Australia)
Also, no jiva-souls originate from the impersonal Brahmajyoti, tatastha-sakti or the Body of Maha-Visnu simply because those conditions are already a fallen condition the jiva-souls have already fallen too.
Furthermore, as explained above, the jiva-souls have no origin because they have always existed.
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 (the impersonal brahmajyoti and tatastha-sakti). 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)
So, tatastha-sakti is a fallen "condition" of the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) and refers only to those rebellious jiva-souls who are already fallen from Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana.
Tatastha-sakti describes those "conditioned" in the material creation and who are further "conditioned" in the impersonal Brahmajyoti. In other words, tatastha-sakti does not describe those jiva-souls in their original "none-fallen" position in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana.
Tatastha-sakti is a name describing the none Krsna conscious condition of the fallen jiva-souls.
Srila Prabhupada - "So this material world is the taṭastha (conditioned) characteristics, and the spiritual world is the "personal" characteristics. So our effort is to get out of this taṭastha (conditioned) characteristics and to enter the permanent characteristics. That is called spiritual elevation." (Lecture CC, Madhya-lila 20.354-358, New York City, Dec 28, 1966)
Srila Prabhupada - "Because the individual soul is apt to fall down sometimes under the clutches of māyā, it is called taṭastha-śakti. Just like in the seaside the shore, the beach, sometimes you see it is covered by water and sometimes it is land; similarly, when we are covered by māyā, that is our jīva-bhūta stage, and when there is no more covering, that is brahma-bhūta stage. When we are Kṛṣṇa conscious, then we are brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20), and when we are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, we are materially conscious, that is māyā." (Lecture BG, Ch 7 Text 4-5 Bombay, March 30, 1971)
The marginal living entities or jiva-souls are not called tatastha-sakti in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana as Prabhupada explains above because the word is a "conditioned" designation.
As said 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 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 in the impersonal Brahman (Brahmajyoti) are also fallen souls?"
Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, when fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition (Goloka-Vrindavana and Vaikuntha). The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness.'' (Letter to Revatinandana, LA 13 June, 1970 and 1971 London)
The jiva-souls are not impersonal, they are a "perpetual bodily form" eternally like Krsna's two-arm bodily form.
The full potential and original feature of all marginal living entities is a two arm form like Krsna's Body Prabhupada explains.
All jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are eternal PERSONS, as a spiritual bodily form like Krsnas Body, whose perpetual permanent natural home is the spiritual world.
God (Krsna) is not ONLY an all-pervading consciousness who is even in the atom, no, Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes is also simultaneously an individual "PERSON" as an eternal spiritual bodily Form, who's Bodily rays ARE the Brahmajyoti.
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 - "I want to know exactly what is the form of the body. If the spirit soul (jiva-soul) is nonmaterial, 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, 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."
Devotee - "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 jiva-soul has the shape of the body that is accommodating it?"
Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, you have got body, shape, very minute shape, that we cannot see, we cannot measure. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, anumeyam. You cannot measure. What is that word used? Aprameyam. Aprameyam, you cannot measure but it has a form. What is the length and breadth of that form, that is not in your power to understand, not materially. If you have got spiritual power then you can measure it. And that measurement 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." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 Ch 16 text 24 Hawaii, Jan 20, 1974)
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 - "Are they 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 and become flower, voluntarily, and can change from flower to human body if one desires. 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)
As said 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 in the impersonal Brahmajyoti or Brahman only.
It is foolish to believe the jiva-souls originate from tatastha-sakti (a conditioned fallen state) Srila Prabhupada explains.
The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) sometimes fall down to the material creation from Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana which are their original homes.
And then after being frustrated in a material body trapped in the cycle of birth and death in the material creation, they attempt to find escape by entering the impersonal (inactive or dormant) Brahmajyoti.
The fact is, the jiva-souls do NOT originate from the Impersonal Brahman (Brahmajyoti), the Body of Maha-Visnu or tatastha-sakti (all conditioned designation explained above) as some believe.
"Fall-down" (becoming nitya-baddha) means originally the jiva-souls are eternally liberated as "nitya-siddha" on the Vaikuntha planets or in Goloka-Vrindavana in their none-fallen eternal condition.
That none-fallen original position of the jiva-souls is eternally in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana, but they can choose to leave at anytime and become nitya-baddha in the active material creation and inactive within the impersonal Brahmajyoti (both come under the heading of nitya-baddha)
The jiva-souls (marginal potency or living entities) were not created from a clear sheet of consciousness either from the impersonal Brahmajyoti as some wrongly claim, because they have always existed without beginning or end.
The implications of existing for infinity in the material world, forever changing material bodily vessels life after life, is bizarre and mind blowing.
It means over infinity, the jiva-soul inside the material bodily vessel, could have occupied a material bodily vessels around them in another time, place and circumstance over an eternity (remember, eternity means beginningless and endless)
The jiva-souls who choose stay in these temporary decaying material bodily vessels life after life as nitya-baddhas (eternally conditioned) may have already possessed" the material bodily vessels of the rich and famous people over an eternity, from the pious and impious leaders, to great musicians from Bob Dylan to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones etc etc, great Generals like Rommel, infamous leaders like Hitler and Starlin and human rights advocates in society like Gandhi and Martin Lurther King, the list is endless.
On the other hand, great religious teachers like Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada are pure nitya-siddha devotees from the spiritual worlds who have chosen to serve Krsna by preaching to the fallen souls.
Therefore, they are NOT fallen (not nitya-baddha), they have chosen to come here and preach about Krsna and in the process NEVER forget Krsna and are nitya-siddha (eternally liberated) devotees serving in the material world.
The implications of living for "infinity" in the material world are extraordinary to the jiva-souls who have chosen to rebel against Krsna and leave the spiritual worlds to try and enjoy separately in the material worlds.
The jiva-souls may fall to an inactive or dormant state in the impersonal Brahmajyoti, but they certainly did not originate from the impersonal Brahmajyoti, Brahman or tatastha-sakti.
Even entering the impersonal Brahmajyoti or Brahman is also only temporary relief for the jiva-souls who entered there to escape the suffering and pain of being embodied in the material world in the cycle of repeated birth and death.
In fact the fallen jiva-souls can stay in the impersonal Brahmajyoti for a very, very, very long time, so long that some foolishly believe it is where they have originated from after emerging from there.
Merged in the impersonal Brahmajyoti is also only temporary because the nature of the jiva-souls is to be active not inactive therefore, all jiva-souls eventually fall out of the impersonal Brahmajyoti.
It should be made clear the dormant inactive aspect of the Brahmajyoti is not the origin of the jiva-soul, it is actually the fallen state they fall too.
To a devotee attempting to extinguish one's individuality by merging into the impersonal Brahmajyoti is Spiritual suicide.
However, entering the impersonal (inactive) aspect of the Brahmajyoti, or in the atom as an inactive almost dead unit, is also temporary because the natural nature of the jiva-souls are to always be active.
Therefore, eventually the jiva-souls fall out of their impersonal prision and again take birth in the material creation, within the 8 million 400 thousand species of life to again experience the suffering of repeated birth and death.
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.
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 on the marginal plane means the individual jiva-souls have free will and an independent identity with their own unique 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." (LA, 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 can claim that once entering the spiritual worlds, the jiva-souls can never fall down again.
No, the jiva-souls can fall down again and again if they choose to do so! However, the majority (more than 90%) CHOOSE to never again fall down.
The point made here is, it is always the jiva-souls choice that Krsna never interferes with.
And such fall downs have nothing to do with Maya (material energy), it is simply free will or in rare cases like Jai and Vijay, offending devotees.
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 – "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." (LA, June 23, 1975)
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)
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 on Rene Descartes with Prabhupada and Hayagriva dasa)
The different categories of living entities have the following qualities of Kṛṣṇa-
1 - Visnu-tattva (also God) has 93.75%.
2 - Visnu-tattva also includes the personification of Kṛṣṇa's internal energy sakti-tattva who is Srimati Radharani and Her associates.
3 - Siva-tattva (in a league of his own) has 85.938%.
4 - Jiva-tattvas the separated living entities with their own unique personality separate from Krsna's Personality has 78.125%.
Lord Krsna has 64 qualities which is 100% of His own attributes.
Other living entities have as follows-
Visnu-tattva has 60 of Krsna's qualities which is 93.75%, but can at times express those extra 4 qualities temporarily due to lila or pastimes.
For example, the original Kṛṣṇa never leaves Vṛndāvana therefore the Krsna who does come to the material world is really a Visnu-tattva expansion of Kṛṣṇa playing the role of "the original Krsna."
Siva-tattva has 55 of Krsna's qualities which is 85.938%
Jiva-tattva has 50 of Krsna's qualities which is 78.125%
Srila Prabhupada - "Lord Śiva has fifty-five qualities, Lord Nārāyaṇa has sixty qualities, but Kṛṣṇa has in full all sixty-four qualities. Cent percent, hundred percent all the qualities. Therefore either Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā or the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) can be equal to Krsna. This is the conception of God."(Lecture on SB 5.5.1, Los Angeles, Jan 20, 1969)
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna has all these sixty-four transcendental qualities in full. In actual fact, the extent of Krsna's qualities is inconceivable.^**^.
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