Devotional service and medical help and care, go side by side.

Trying to better understand the mental illness in some devotee and congregational members in ISKCON. 

Mental illness is NOT understood very well in ISKCON today, often devotee’s broadcast a 60 year old quote from Prabhupada that condemns psychiatrists and mental health professionals. 

However, understanding mental illness has come a long way in the last 60 years since Prabhupada made those comments, and the following comment should NOT be applied today in 2023 because proper mental professional can and do help devotees where in many cases, ISKCON cannot help devotees and, as we have seen, just ignore their struggles by quoting out dated comments from Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada - "Psychiatrists are humbug, all humbug. They cannot help. Best thing is to be engaged in continuously chanting and hearing Sankirtana, that will cure anyone of mental disease." (Letter to Upendra, Feb 19, 1972) 

Today in 2023 I believe that comment by Srila Prabhupada does not apply and is certainly not relevant to today’s time, place and circumstance of mantal health! 

Although one should ALWAYS chant Hare Krsna no matter what situation they are in.

Other than that, in most cases, the new medicines given by modern psychiatrist today, that did not exist 60 years ago, DOES help one perform their devotional service and should be researched to find a medication suitable for elevating serotonin levels in the brain.

Therefore, to call all psychiatrists humbug in today’s world is not correct and not right and certainly does not apply in today's world. 

Those who use the above comment by Prabhupada are ignorant of what is going on in the world today that is a lot different than the world Prabhupada was born into in 1896.

Over the last 60 years the world of medicine has greatly changed, many medical advances have happened that never existed when Prabhupada was here, so how can they all be humbug when he never had full knowledge of medical science in the 1960s and early 70s.

Back then medical science about the brain was in its early infancy.

So, many comments Srila Prabhupada said back then about psychiatry cannot be applied to today’s practice of psychiatry.

For example, psychiatry back in Srila Prabhupada’s day was influence strongly by Freudian ideas, a man of his time (he was born in 1856).

Śrīla Prabhupāda has said - “By speculating on some shock that may or may not have occurred in childhood, one will never discover the root disease. He [Freud] did not know the basic principle of spiritual understanding, which is that we are not this material body, we are different from this body, and we are transmigrating from one material body to another." (Vaniquotes discussion with devotees)

Today also many psychiatrists reject the outdated Freudian ideas, His method of cure was to have the patient try to recall the painful events of their childhood or some trauma in their lives and analyse them, Prabhupada referred to practise as nonsense. 

Psychiatric therapy today in 2023 is more in favour of chemical medicines like anti-depressants and anti-psychotics that acts on the damaged brain substance that is chemically unbalanced due to physical trauma.

In many cases, this therapy developed in the mid 1990s works well I have experienced, rather than turning to uneducated people, including immature young devotees, who have no professional training to properly deal with mental illness.  

There are many researchers who believe that an imbalance in serotonin levels influences mood in a way that leads to depression, in 1970 this research was in its infancy and Prabhupada had no knowledge of this and only preached we are not the material bodily vessel we are in, which he is right.

Trying to repair or fix the material bodily vessel's brain substance was not his concern, he simply preached we are not the material body.

But the fact is, to understand that, we must have a healthy ans sane human form (body) of life.

This repairing the material bodies brain substance is where Prabhupada lacked knowledge however, in all fairness back then in the 1960s almost everyone did.

The inbalance in the brain substance can be balanced with serotonin medication and other new medications now available since the mid 1995. 

Srila Prabhupada never commented on that form of psychiatry that is so prominent today in 2023 because it NEVER existed while he was with us.

So, to apply Srila Prabhupada's comment that all Psychiatrists are "humbug" today is a irresponsible and even dangerous for those who DO need help and support from a bonafide Psychiatrist.

To make a blanket comment that all psychiatrist are humbug by saying "they cannot help" or they are "all humbug" found in Srila Prabhupada’s letter in 1972, is just simply NOT true and WRONG in today's society.

To help us in our devotional service, sometimes we have to accept the help of the medical industry as many devotees including Jayapataka Swami, Mukunda Goswami, Gopal Krsna Goswami (some had byepass heart surgery)

Some devotees who had heart bypass surgery and other life saving procedures, are often criticised by a few ISKCON fanatical devotees, claiming they should follow only Ayurvedic medical methods in stead.

Sadly, they are often criticised by these ISKCON and Gaudiya math Ayurvedic fanatics who call modern Doctors and Surgeons "disgusting meat eating, karmi, Godless demon Doctors," then using Prabhupada's misinformed comment - "They are all humbug" to back their nonsense ignorance, saying nothing else can help you except the chanting of Hare Krsna."

The fact is, are these misinformed silly devotees going to ONLY chant Hare Kṛṣṇa if they break their leg? 

Foolishly they think only the chanting of Hare Krsna will heal their broken bones? Or refuse a breathing ventilater if they have Covid-19 and can't breath? (We know most of them died including Gurus and Sanyasis)

Mental illness is the same as a broken leg, medication is also needed to bring balance to the brain, and like the healing of a broken leg, the chanting of Hare Krsna will help you remember Krsna and will not heal a broken leg. 

God helps those who help themselves to seek out the proper medical help to.

I remember some years ago in the 1970s a devotee was offered psychiatric help but was told to reject it by immature Temple authorities at that time who told him that "no meat eating nonsense karmi Godless demon" can ever help a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, claiming "only Krsna can help you, He is the ONLY real doctor, so pray to Him and have faith in just chanting Hare Krsna!"

Sadly, this nonsense immature dogma is still prevalent today in some ISKCON Temples, who always call Hospitals, meat eating Doctors and Psychiatrists, demons.

Very immature!

Sadly, this has caused some devotees and congregational members to avoid the help of modern medicine they need and suffer because of such extremism ignorance and nonsense, even to the point of suicide.

Even with the Covid-19 pandemic (2020/23) where vaccination is the ONLY way out of being infected, sadly some devotees refuse to be vaccinated and condemns all vaccinations.

Ayurvedic medicine may help with some symptoms but it can NOT cure Covid-19 as previous proved during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1919/20 when 22 million people died in just India and 100 million world wide, and with the recent COVID-19 pandemic 2020/23 that killed 8 million world wide, it was useless against stopping Covid-19.

Even many big, big sannyāsis and ISKCON Gurus have died from Covid-19 because their Ayurvedic medication was useless against the virus.

History provides vaccinations work, Small pox, Polio, Diphtheria have all been eradicated because of vaccines.

Such immature ISKCON fanatics who demand you avoid vaccinations and specialist western educated doctors when sick, will only keep devotees and sincere congregational members, who need medical help, suffer more in ignorance under the advice of some immature ISKCON devotees and Temple authorities. 

The fact is, don’t listen to these people’s opinions on mental illness and vaccines, always have faith that Krsna DOES help those who seek out the medical help they need, to help themselves overcome different illnesses. 

As said above, all psychiatrists are NOT humbug in today’s (2023) world. 

Mental illness, just like a broken leg, also needs the proper medication to bring balance to the brain cells, like the healing of a broken leg. 

The chanting of Hare Krsna will help you only remember Krsna, but you must also make the endevour to help yourself and seek out medical care too.

Some of Prabhupada's letters are therefore meant for a particular time, place and circumstance, and are not  meant for all future time as the "humbug" letter reveals.

All doctors and psychiatrists are not demons, and certainly not humbug! There are many, many good medical Doctors who can help you.

The fact is, our medical profession has come a long way since Srila Prabhupada was here and in most cases, you cannot apply his teachings to all time, place and circumstance. 

Even some information in Prabhupada's 8th Canto purport in Srimad Bhagavatam need more clarification and explanation instead of just following blindly because the comments by Prabhupada do not seem to be clear. 

For example, Prabhupada's claim the moon is further away from earth then the Sun, not even Sadaputa dasa, ISKCON's PhD Cosmologist agrees with.

After Sadaputa read Surya Siddhanta by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, he concluded the Moon is about 258 thousand miles away from earth and NOT 96 million miles away Srila Prabhupada has claimed.

Just a humble request by not only me, but of many others that this should be correctly explained. 

After all, it is claimed Prabhupada’s Books are directions for society for the next 10,000 years.

However, in all fairness, Srila Prabhupada’s main point in all his preaching and writings is we are not the material bodily vessel we are trapped in, and should now finish up our selfish existence in this material world and return back home back to Godhead. 

So yes, we are not these troublesome material bodily decaying vessels but an eternal spiritual bodily form meant to be in our real home of Goloka Vrindavana in the perpetual spiritual world. 

Over the years many ignorant ISKCON Temple leaders would often demand when you are sick-

“Snap out of it prabhu!! Your in Maya, get off the mental platform and just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, nothing else can help you! These meat eating demon doctors and their medicines will never help you because they are made by karmi meat eaters!"

Such narrow minded ignorant instructions will NEVER help anyone with mental illness! 

In fact, because of such fanaticism some devotees have even committed suicide because they were told in ISKCON not to take their "karmi" medication because it's made by meat eating karmi demons!

It will take ISKCON many more generations to mature and properly guide the people of this world into mature spiritual life.

Mental illness is caused by brain damage or some childhood trauma that is often difficult to understand. 

In most cases, it is something you cannot get over unless you take medication, just like you cannot heal a badly broken arm unless you put it in a cast.

Similarly attempting to heal the brain substance also requires medical help.

One must always practice Krsna Consciousness in a practical way, therefore the example of the chanting Hare Krsna alone thinking it will heal your broken arm or leg is nonsense.

Such chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa will NOT heal a broken leg or arm, you MUST see a doctor.

This means to chant Hare Krsna and believe it will heal your material body and ignore medical help for mental illness is also absurd, in fact it is an offence to chant Hare Krsna for material gain, including healing your material body.

The fact is yes, one should always chant Hare Krsna enthusiastically under all conditions however, one should also seek medical help to keep the material body healthy. 

Of course doctors are not going to help us on our death bed because the material body will eventually grow old, break down and wear out, in that case only the chanting of Hare Krsna will help you remember Krsna.

Here are some interesting quotes about understanding Srila Prabhupada’s instructions according to time, place and circumstance-

Jayadvaita Swami – “What Prabhupada said sometimes differed. Sometimes he spoke for the benefit of an individual, sometimes for the world. Sometimes what he said was for the moment, sometimes forever. So as well as we can we need to recognize, in what Prabhupada said, not only the content but the intent." (quotes from vedabase)

Jayadvaita Swami – “Srila Prabhupada responds to the questions of specific individuals. Though again the philosophy is always the same, we cannot assume that how he speaks it to one person is how he would speak it to all. With one inquirer he might be stern, with another sympathetic, with one subtle, with another deliberately simple. We’d be rash to cite one instance as evidence of how he would respond in all instances." (quotes from vedabase)

Jayadvaita Swami – “What Prabhupada said sometimes differed. Sometimes he spoke for the benefit of an individual, sometimes for the world. Sometimes what he said was for the moment, sometimes forever. So as well as we can we need to recognize, in what Prabhupada said, not only the content but the intent." (quotes from vedabase)

Jayadvaita Swami – “Srila Prabhupada is again addressing a particular person, in a particular time and circumstance. And this time his words are sent in a sealed envelope, not spoken in a public assembly. His words, therefore, may be intended for many people or only for one. They may give instructions meant to apply always and to everyone or only to a special circumstance and one recipient." (quotes from vedabase)

The following are very interesting comments by the late Dr. Pusta Krsna dasa who was Srila Prabhupada’s personal servant in the mid 1970s

Dr. Pusta Krsna dasa - “I must be one of those demons that a recent devotee speaks of when he talks about hospitals and modern medicine (saying they are all demons!) In my opinion, you have to be clear about physical health and the use of healers. If you subscribe to homeopathy or Ayurvedic treatments, that is a choice you personally make. 

Surely, you must know that Srila Prabhupad and so many others used medicines and treatments of those fields. His Divine Grace also would use western medicine, even surgery, when necessary, to sustain his life and his service. Prabhu, you do not know everything.

As a practicing physician and surgeon for over 30 years, you cannot imagine how much suffering I have encountered, and have been able to help. In my field, trauma to the limbs and the spine, injuries to soft tissues (skin, tendons, nerves), and infections (life and limb threatening, of which I have two patients in the hospital now), are all worthy pursuits.

It is so easy for those who are healthy and currently free from severe pain, to say “humbug” to the science and people who work to alleviate pain for others, and place the well-being of their patients above their own. Most such people who cry “humbug” are themselves enjoyers of the illusory energy. Psychiatry is a field of medicine. It involves psychology when dealing with neurotic behaviour, but it can involve medications when serious depression and psychosis occur. 

While not everyone is fully versed in that field, including myself, my eyes are not closed to the reality of mental illness. Is it simply bad karma? Sure, but do you have enough compassion to help others, both physically and spiritually. If you have the capacity and expertise, then you must help. If you don’t have the capacity or expertise, then please do not denigrate the sincere efforts of others to alleviate suffering. Prahlad was paradukhadhuki, he felt suffering for the suffering of others. 

While the chanting of the Holy Names is the ultimate path back to Home, if you try to make light of the physical and mental suffering of others, then you might one day find yourself the recipient of such unconcerned people when you your self are suffering. It will come back to you, as it must. 

Even the Bible says that those who show compassion for others, will receive compassion. It is safer, if you have the heart, to err on the side of being compassionate and caring toward those who are less fortunate. 

After all, fortune is in the hands of the Supreme Lord.  Let us therefore become more aware of the needs of devotees, being the servant of the servant, and try to bring affectionate care in our dealings with devotees.

Srila Prabhupada has said, to engage in our devotional service we need a healthy body and that means we may need the help of medical professionals, be them doctors or modern psychiatrists (obviously not the Freudian camp of psychiatrists that Srila Prabhupada said are all nonsense)

There are other psychiatrists however, who promote anti-depressants and anti-psychotics medication which have already been proven to help devotees and aspiring devotees. If they can help you then they are certainly not humbug.

Srila Prabhupada’s ultimate mission is to free us all from the entanglement of repeated birth and death and return back home back to Godhead, if we need some medical help in pursuing this goal, then get the help you need, do not ignore mental illness." (The late Dr. Pusta Krsna dasa Prabhupada’s servant)

The final comment is from Srila Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada - "First of all, there is not question of a devotee becoming ostracized because he has become ill, nor do I think this is being widely practiced. Who has been ostracized? One of the symptoms of a devotee is that he is kind, so if our Godbrother becomes ill it is our duty to help him get the proper medicine and treatment so that he can recover." (Letter to Sukadeva on April 5, 1974) 

God helps those who help themselves.

Real love or service is based on a "two-way" expression where the student Vaisnava is carefully nurtured to achieve the personal goal of voluntary loving exchanges that are the foundations of pure devotional service.

Genuine voluntary loving exchanges with Krsna can only be fully expressed when the jiva-souls realize they each have their independent individual freedom and unique personality separate from Krsna's Personality endorsed with free will. 

Without free will, one would never have the vision to intelligently contribute in their relationship with Kṛṣṇa, increasing and expanding one's awareness of who they are as a contributing independent marginal living entity (jiva-soul)

Bali Mardana - "An example of free will is someone can choose Kṛṣṇa or turn away? Is that an example of free will?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, because if you accept Kṛṣṇa, then you must follow what Kṛṣṇa says. If you don't follow Kṛṣṇa, then what is the use of talking of Kṛṣṇa? If he accepts Kṛṣṇa, he must abide by the injunction of Kṛṣṇa."(Morning Walk, Jan 22, 1974, Hawaii)

So without free will, one is no better than dead stone that is unable to voluntarily receive or give love.   

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)

Swedish man - "Is there free will?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, just like you are sitting here. If you don’t like, you can go away. That’s your free will. There is free will, we are part and parcel of God, therefore we have got minute quantity of freedom." (Temple lecture Stockholm Sweden 1974)

Srila Prabhupada explains "free will," and why the jiva-souls always have their free will, but only fully realized in Goloka Vrindavana and the Vaikuntha planets.

Having free will in the spiritual world is necessary for the jiva-souls, so they can voluntarily express themselves in the unique service of their choice to Krsna in a "two-sided" relationship of loving exchanges, cooperation and reciprocation.

Association between the devotee, Guru and Krsna is never an impersonal "one-sided" puppet on a string forceful domination where an aspiring devotee is foolishly told to forget themselves and just let Krsna flow through them, controlling all their thoughts and actions.

No, such impersonalism is attempting to extinguish the aspiring devotees individuality and learning how to voluntarily contribute to their relationship with Krsna.

The idea that surrender means forgetting yourself and your free will (being able to voluntarily express yourself) by allowing Krsna to take complete control of your thoughts and actions, is not only impersonalism but also spiritual suicide.

Srila Prabhupāda – "Unless there are "two-persons," where is the question of love? Love means 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 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. 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." (1966 - 1974, Vaniquotes)

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 on SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)

Krsna always serves His pure devotees far more than they can ever serve Him! However, such pure devotees are extremely rare in the material world.

The mundane cold loveless slave/master "impersonal relationship of convenience" between individuals does not exists in Goloka Vrindavana or Vaikuntha (The Kingdoms of God). 

In the spiritual world there are always deep loving exchanges of emotions and reciprocation going on between Krsna and His dear friends, family members and inhabitants of Vrindavana. 

Reciprocation and loving exchanges between two are the only foundation of spiritual life because "love" can never exist in a "one-sided" relationship.

It is never a "one-way street" of just obey, obey obey and do what you are told, no, that impersonal reaction will only deny and restrict the jiva-soul's individual voluntary contributions of sharing of one's unique abilities. 

No two jiva-souls are the same in the Spiritual Sky (both spiritual and material worlds), every jiva-soul is "unique" with their own personality, individuality in their relationship with Krsna.

How boring would Goloka-Vrindavan be if every jiva-soul in God's Kingdom cooked food preparation in exactly the same way all the time being like a mindless robot in an assembly line.

That version of Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana, or God's so called Kingdom, should be rejected because it is IMPERSONALISM!!

That "impersonal" version of "surrender", prominent in the 1970s with many nonsense religious cults and sangas, is just a "mindless" concocted dangerous version of religion, where the cult congregational members are encouraged to extinguish their individual identity, free will and voluntarily acting as an independent contributing PERSON in the name of surrender, and instead just being told what to do and how think. 

No, love between the devotee, Krsna and Guru can never exist in a selfish, domineering relationship, that is a "one-sided" and impersonal like that.

That kind of unproductive impersonalism denies loving reciprocation, voluntary contributions and individual personal exchanges of intimacy between Krsna and his servants.

The fact is, this kind of nonsense mindless surrender that denies personal contributions and self-expression, certainly does not exist in the Kingdom of God of Goloka-Vrindavan or the Vaikuntha planets.

On the spiritual level of Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, one never denies, or attempts to extinguish their free will or individuality, thinking that is becoming selfless, or is the real meaning of "surrender."

Being Krsna's mindless drone by giving up your free will is not the meaning of surrender, it is actually spiritual suicide as said above.

Being the unique person one eternally is, and having the free will that allows one to give the very best of their character in the service of the Lord, is what selflessness and surrender really means, and is the basis of who one really is as that independent person in both Goloka-Vrindavana and the Vaikuntha planets.

Having "free will" is the eternal constitutional make up of every "marginal living entity (jiva-soul)", and is the standard for all to follow and understand.

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!" (Aug 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)

Srila Prabhupada - "So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom." (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)

The jiva-souls in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana therefore are forever expanding their sense of individuality with personal offerings based on selfless loving reciprocation with Krsna.

It is never a "one-sided" puppet/master impersonal relation with the Krsna.

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, ‘You love me, otherwise I shall kill you!" (Washington DC July 8, 1976)

Real love or Bhakti 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.

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

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)

This is important to understand because each individual jiva-soul has their own independent personality, sense of self and unique characteristics that they only individually have, that is part and parcel of each individual marginal living entities make up as the independent eternal "person" they are.

Srila Prabhupada - "Because you are Son of God you have got independence, full independence, therefore you have acquired the quality of your father. You have got little independence, so God does not interfere with your little independence." (Melb, Australia June 25, 1974)

Devotee – "But in the 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 and demand you love me, you love me, you love me otherwise I will kill you, 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 explains "free will," and why the jiva-souls always have their free will, but only fully realized and acted upon in the perpetual spiritual realm of Goloka-Vrindavana and the Vaikuntha planets, and NOT the troublesome temporary material world.

Having free will in the spiritual world is necessary for the jiva-souls so they can voluntarily express themselves in their full potential, in a voluntary unique service of their choice in a "two-sided" relationship of loving exchanges, cooperation and reciprocation with Krsna.

Srila Prabhupāda – "Unless there are "two-persons," where is the question of love? Love means 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 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. 

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." (Srila Prabhupada quotes 1966 - 1974, Vaniquotes)

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 on SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974).

Bali Mardana - "An example of free will is someone can choose Kṛṣṇa or turn away? Is that an example of free will?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, because if you accept Kṛṣṇa, then you must follow what Kṛṣṇa says. If you don't follow Kṛṣṇa, then what is the use of talking of Kṛṣṇa? If he accepts Kṛṣṇa, he must abide by the injunction of Kṛṣṇa."(Morning Walk, Jan 22, 1974, Hawaii)

Srila Prabhupada - "As soon as the servant feels like becoming the master, he falls into māyā. Thus it is by misuse of free will that one falls under the influence of māyā." (CC Madhya 11.189, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "Of course, man is endowed with free will, and as such if he does not want to free himself from the material world he may enjoy the life of brahma-pada (occupation of the post of Brahmā) and visit Siddhaloka, the planets of materially perfect beings, who have full capacities to control gravity, space and time. To visit these higher planets in the material universe, one need not give up his mind and intelligence (finer matter)  but need only give up grosser matter (the material body)." (CC Adi 5.22, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "Although God is great and the living entity small, they are spiritual individuals, and therefore as soon as there is a reciprocal exchange by the living entity's free will, at once the great spiritual being attracts the small living entity, thus freeing him from all material bondage. This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.1.30)." (CC Adi 5.35, Purport)

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 there is free will."

Hayagriva - "A man may know better but still act wrongly."

Srila Prabhupada - "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." (Philosophy Discussions with Srila Prabhupada - Rene Descartes 1976)

Srila Prabhupada – “So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom.” (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique Descartes)

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 - "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)

Swedish man - "Is there free will?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, just like you are sitting here. If you don’t like, you can go away. That’s your free will. There is free will, we are part and parcel of God, therefore we have got minute quantity of freedom." (Temple lecture Stockholm Sweden 1974)

Many, in fact most, do not understand what the spiritual world is and only there is free will fully acted upon and realized.

The "free will" to feel envy means you want to enjoy like Krsna and be in the centre instead of Krsna, such self centred desires immediately disqualifies you to remain in the spiritual world (Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana) and immediately you a transferred to the material creation managed by Maha-Visnu. 

Your spiritual memories are in the spiritual world and you cannot take them with you to the material world because they are NOT material.

Once the jiva-souls enter the material world, their free will is almost non-existent, and instead are directed by the demands of the material senses- 

eating, 

sleeping, 

mating,

defending, 

These instincts direct all species of material life and in over 8 million species of life there is no free will.

Only in the 400 thousand human species is there a minute expression of free will but nearly all are controlled by Karmic reactions and also instinct. 

There are no choices in the spiritual world influenced by "matter" or "maya" because matter (maya) does NOT exist in the spiritual world.

Also, maya is NOT the cause of the jiva-souls fall down from the spiritual world to the material world.

Free will (including the actions of Jai and Vijaya who offended the 4 Kumaras) is the cause of fall down to the material world, and that means there is ALWAYS a choice in the spiritual world that some nonsense gurus and their disciples cannot understand.

The jiva-souls can only enter the material world in a material bodily vessel provided by Maha-Visnu, and NOT as their spiritual eternal bodily form which becomes restricted.

All knowledge of Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana is in the spiritual body, but now covered over because the jiva-soul has entered the material world, and is now the occupant within a temporary decaying material bodily vessel.

Srila Prabhupada - "The pure, self-realized souls are constantly absorbed in serving Lord Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet with their body, mind, and words. They never associate with atheistic people. 

These saintly persons know that although the spirit soul is infinitesimal, it is nevertheless endowed with minute free will at all times. 

The Supreme Lord is absolutely independent and can exercise absolute free will over all; because the spirit soul is qualitatively the same as the Supreme Lord, the Lord does not annul his minute free will." (Renunciation Through Wisdom 1.9)

Srila Prabhupada - "Because he is a living soul, he has the capacity to desire by his free will. Such desire is fulfilled only by the omnipotent Lord. And so, when the living entity is bewildered in his desires, the Lord allows him to fulfill those desires, but the Lord is never responsible for the actions and reactions of the particular situation which may be desired. 

Being in a bewildered condition, therefore, the embodied soul identifies himself with the circumstantial material body and becomes subjected to the temporary misery and happiness of life. 

The Lord is the constant companion of the living entity as Paramātmā, or the Supersoul, and therefore He can understand the desires of the individual soul, as one can smell the flavor of a flower by being near it. 

Desire is a subtle form of conditioning for the living entity. The Lord fulfills his desire as he deserves: Man proposes and God disposes. The individual is not, therefore, omnipotent in fulfilling his desires. 

The Lord, however, can fulfill all desires, and the Lord, being neutral to everyone, does not interfere with the desires of the minute independent living entities. However, when one desires Kṛṣṇa, the Lord takes special care and encourages one to desire in such a way that one can attain to Him and be eternally happy." (BG 5.15, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "Material interaction is set in motion by a superior being who creates a favorable circumstance to accommodate the spiritual living force. The superior energy handles matter in an appropriate way—as determined by the free will of the spiritual being. 

For example, building materials do not automatically "react" and suddenly assume the shape of a residential house. The living spiritual being handles matter appropriately by his free will and thus constructs his house. 

Similarly, matter is the ingredient only, but the spirit is the creator. Only a man with a poor fund of knowledge avoids this conclusion. The creator may remain unseen in the background, but that does not mean that there is no creator." (Easy Journey to Other Planets 1)

Srila Prabhupada - "The spirit soul unfortunately misuses this God-given minute free will and falls into the dark well of nescience and illusion. Once the spirit soul takes shelter of māyā, the illusory material energy, he develops the material qualities of goodness, passion, and ignorance. 

The spirit soul loses his original characteristics and develops a new nature, which is controlled by the three modes of material nature, and this continues until such time as he transcends them. His actions are prompted accordingly. 

If it happened in any other way, then material variegatedness would not be visible in this phenomenal world. 

So if a person fails to inform himself about the very subtle laws and workings of material nature, and at the same time he argues that all activities are sanctioned and inspired by the Supreme Lord, then he is reducing the Supreme Lord's position and making Him out to be partial and unjust. 

The Lord never favors one and discriminates against another. Factually, He advises everyone to give up all material activities, which are by nature unstable and temporary. Because of forgetfulness of God, a man becomes an eternal victim of ignorance, which then colours all his actions." (Renunciation Through Wisdom 1.9)

Srila Prabhupada - "Mahā-Viṣṇu lies down in some part of the spiritual sky by His own free will. Thus He lies on the ocean of kāraṇa, from where He glances over His material nature, and the mahat-tattva is at once created. Thus electrified by the power of the Lord, the material nature at once creates innumerable universes (Brahmandas), just as in due course a tree decorates itself with innumerable grown fruits. The seed of the tree is sown by the cultivator, and the tree or creeper in due course becomes manifested with so many fruits. Nothing can take place without a cause. The Kāraṇa Ocean is therefore called the Causal Ocean. Kāraṇa means "causal." We should not foolishly accept the atheistic theory of creation." (SB 1.3.2, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "Without knowing the subtle laws of nature, if we tried to justify all our deeds as influenced by the will of the Personality of Godhead, we would be attempting to bring partiality, inebriety, and gracelessness into the acts of the all-good Personality of Godhead. It should never be imagined that various mundane discrepancies arise by the will of the Personality of Godhead—that some are happy by His will, while others are unhappy by His will. Such differences in the material world are due to the proper or improper use of free will enjoyed by the individual living entity.

Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, enjoins everyone to give up all such conditional engagements dictated by the various modes of nature. Such varieties of engagements of the living entity arise out of ignorance perpetuated by the modes of nature. Therefore, the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (5.13) that He is not the cause of anyone's particular work, nor the authority, nor the result of such work - but that all these come out of the various modes of nature. 

Thus, all acts performed by the living entity—except those with transcendental results—are self—created engagements arising from an abuse of the free will, and therefore such acts or engagements are never to be considered as if the works and the results were somehow ordained by the almighty Godhead. Such works are all material and are therefore conditioned and directed by the modes of nature. The Personality of Godhead has nothing to do with such works." (Message of Godhead 2)

Many have misunderstood the facts about what "marginal" really means referring to the jiva-souls. 

It is NOT some place in outer space the jiva-souls are generated or originate from. 

Being “generated” from the marginal plane does NOT mean the jiva-souls “originated” from some "so called place" in the Brahmajyoti or Spiritual Sky, including tatastha-sakti, the impersonal brahmajyoti or Maha-Visnu that foolish religious cults claim.

Being "marginal" means in-between and includes having free will, or having the choice to choose "this side or that side," which means being influenced by the spiritual energy, which is the jiva-souls nature position and full potential, or influenced by the material energy, their unnatural conditioned state outside the spiritual world.  

As said above, the real meaning of "marginal" means the jiva-souls can choose to be influenced by either the spiritual energy, or the material energy based on their free will.

There is no origin to the individual jiva-souls, they are eternally parts and parcel of Krsna and just as old as Krsna.

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)

There is no origin to Krsna's marginal energy (an unlimited number of individual jiva-souls), who have existed for as long as Krsna has existed which is eternity. 

The "jiva-souls," who naturally belong in the spiritual energy (Goloka-Vrindavana) as individual spiritual PERSONS with Krsna, are eternal PERSONS and called the "marginal living entities" because they are influenced by either the spiritual energy or the material energy explained as follows by Prabhupada.

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. Being in the external energy is our artificial attempt." (Letter to Lilavati - Allston, Mass 25 April, 1969)

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)

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 Album, New York City, Dec 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - "You are also energy; you are marginal energy (jiva-soul). Marginal energy means you (the jiva-souls) may be under the control of the spiritual energy or you may be under the control of material energy—your marginal position. But when you are under the control of the material energy, that is your precarious condition, struggle for existence. And when you are under spiritual energy, that is your life of freedom." (Intro BG, As It Is, Los Angeles, Nov 23, 1968)

Srila Prabhupada – “The jiva-souls are Krsna's marginal energy. Marginal energy means we can live either in this external energy or in the internal energy, in between. So at the present moment we are living in the external energy. But this external energy is also Kṛṣṇa's energies, God's energy. It is not different from Him. But the external energy means we are captivated by the external energy. But the external energy is not permanent. The internal energy is permanent. The spiritual world is permanent, and the jiva-souls are also permanent as Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 2 text 20 (1983 edition) reveals.” (Lecture on BG 9.4 - Melb, Australia April 23, 1976)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 2 text 20 explains the jiva-souls have existed for “infinity”

This means, just like Krsna, they are beginning less and endless, and were NEVER created-

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)

Important quotes by Srila Prabhupada.

Bali Mardana - "An example of free will is someone can choose Kṛṣṇa or turn away? Is that an example of free will?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, because if you accept Kṛṣṇa, then you must follow what Kṛṣṇa says. If you don't follow Kṛṣṇa, then what is the use of talking of Kṛṣṇa? If he accepts Kṛṣṇa, he must abide by the injunction of Kṛṣṇa."(Morning Walk, Jan 22, 1974, Hawaii)

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, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom." (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)

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 on BG 2.14 - 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 2.14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

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)

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. 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)

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)

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

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 BG, Ch 9 text 2-5, New York City, Nov 23, 1966)

Srila Prabhupāda – "Unless there are two persons, where is the question of love? Love means 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)

Having "free will" allows the jiva-souls to be the individual independent PERSON they are eternally in God's perpetual Kingdom, where they always choose to voluntarily contribute their own personal unique offerings to Krsna.

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

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)

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 Album, New York City, Dec 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - "You are also energy; you are marginal energy (jiva-soul) Marginal energy means you (the jiva-souls) may be under the control of the spiritual energy or you may be under the control of material energy—your marginal position. But when you are under the control of the material energy, that is your precarious condition, struggle for existence. And when you are under spiritual energy, that is your life of freedom." (Intro BG As It Is, Los Angeles, Nov 23, 1968)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 2, Verse 12.

Bhagavad Gita - "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 2.12)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is "1983 corrected edition," Chapter 2 text 20-

Bhagavad Gita - "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)

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)

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 there is free will."

Hayagriva - "A man may know better but still act wrongly."

Srila Prabhupada -"Yes."

Hayagriva - "Yes."

Srila Prabhupada - "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." (Philosophy Discussions with Srila Prabhupada – Rene Descartes 1976)

Bali Mardana - "An example of free will is someone can choose Kṛṣṇa or turn away? Is that an example of free will?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, because if you accept Kṛṣṇa, then you must follow what Kṛṣṇa says. If you don't follow Kṛṣṇa, then what is the use of talking of Kṛṣṇa? If he accepts Kṛṣṇa, he must abide by the injunction of Kṛṣṇa."(Morning Walk, Jan 22, 1974, Hawaii)

Syamasundara - "But can we predict that the process (returning back home back to Godhead) will be permanent? Can we predict that? Just like many prisoners leave the prison, but some come back."

Srila Prabhupada - "No, there is no permanent effect there because we have got little independence (free will). 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 - "When a man is released from the prison house, that does not mean permanently because he can come back again if he wants, however, the general law is NOT to come back, but if he likes, he can come back, otherwise what is the meaning of independence? Just like one becomes free from the prison house, naturally he should not go there again." (Discussions with Syamasundara - Henri Bergson)

Swedish man - "Is there free will?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, just like you are sitting here. If you don’t like, you can go away. That’s your free will. There is free will, we are part and parcel of God, therefore we have got minute quantity of freedom." (Temple lecture Stockholm Sweden 1974)

Srila Prabhupada - "Every individual soul is awarded a portion of independence because each is part and parcel of God. Thus he has the quality of independence, but in minute quantity. That is his individuality." 

Syamasundara dasa - "Is Krsna within each atom as an individual entity different from every other entity?

Srila Prabhupada - ''Yes, Krsna is there, He is individual. There are varieties of atoms, and sometimes they are combined together."

Syamasundara dasa - "How is each Krsna different? How is it He is an individual in each of the atoms?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Why is He not an individual? Krsna is always an individual. He is always a person, the Supreme Person, and He can expand Himself innumerably."

Syamasundara dasa - "And is Paramatma a person?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, every expansion is a person. We are all atomic expansions of Krsna, and we are all individual persons. Paramatma is another expansion, but that is a different kind of expansion."

Syamasundara dasa - "Is the jivatma, the individual soul, also a person?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, if he were not a person, then how would you account for the differences? We are all different persons. You may agree with my opinion or not, but in any case you are an individual. Krsna is also an individual. Nityo nityanam. There are innumerable individual souls, but He is the supreme individual person." 

Syamasundara dasa - "So even within material atoms, there is a spiritual life, a spiritual force?"

Srila Prabhupada - '"Yes, force means spiritual force."

Syamasundara dasa - "But even within the dead body there are forces. There is the force of decomposition."

Srila Prabhupada - "Krsna is within the atom, and the body is a combination of so many atoms; therefore the force for creating other living entities is also there even in the process of decomposition. When the individual soul's force is stopped within a particular body, we call that body a dead body. Still, Krsna's force is there because the body is a combination of atoms. The ultimate desire is of Krsna. If you take it in that way, Krsna is within every atom, and therefore Krsna wants whatever is to be.  Therefore He wills that these two elements become one, and therefore the molecules combine to create water, or whatever. Thus there is a creation, and again there is another creation, and so on. In any case, the ultimate brain governing all creation is Krsna."

Syamasundara dasa - "Does the individual soul have a little independence to choose?"

Srila Prabhupada - "No (not without the sanction of Krsna, unless Krsna sanctions, we cannot do ANYTHING) Bhagavad-Gita As It Is states that when the individual soul wants to act, Krsna gives the orders. Man proposes, and God disposes."

Syamasundara dasa - "So we have no free will?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Not without the sanction of Krsna. Without Him, we cannot do anything. Therefore He is the ultimate cause."

Syamasundara dasa - "But I thought you have been saying that we have a little independence."

Srila Prabhupada - "We have the independence in the sense that we may deny or affirm, but unless Krsna sanctions, we cannot do anything." (Dialectical Spiritualism: A Vedic View of Western Philosophy)

Paramahaṁsa - "So we can come to the spiritual world and return?"

Prabhupāda - "Yes."

Paramahaṁsa - "Fall down?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, as soon as we try, "Oh, this material world is very nice, Yes, Kṛṣṇa says, yes, you 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 At Cheviot Hills Golf Course, May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

The full potential and eternal feature of all marginal living entities, is a "two-arm form" like Krsna's Body.

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 on BG 2.14 - 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 2.14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

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 - "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; they become flower there. If I want to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, he becomes flower, 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 Ch 1 text 1-4 - Melb, May 20, 1975)

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)

Srila Prabhupada – "Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya appear "once" in each day of Brahmā." (CC Adi 3.10 Text 10 Purport)

Devotee - "Śrīla Prabhupāda, does Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu also appear every day of Brahma?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, following Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa comes in the Dvāpara-yuga. There are four periods of each yuga: Satva, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali. So Kṛṣṇa comes at the end of Dvāpara-yuga, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes in the Kali-yuga." (Lecture, SB Canto 6 Ch 1 Text 3 - Melb, Australia May 22, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "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)

Srila Prabhupada - "When Krsna wants to be attracted by a woman, He has to create such a woman from His own energy. That woman is Rādhārāṇī. It is explained by the Gosvāmīs that Rādhārāṇī is the manifestation of the pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When the Supreme Lord wants to derive transcendental pleasure, He has to create a woman from His internal potency and that women is Srimati Radharani." (SB, Canto 3 Ch 31 text 38, Purport)

Caitanya Caritamrita - "Among the gopīs, You, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, are the chief. Therefore You are the very life of My life and center of all Vṛndāvana’s activities." (CC, Madhya 13.150, Translation)

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)

Srila Prabhupada - "Even in Vaikuntha you can choose not to serve Krsna if you want."

Vipina Purandara - "Why doesn’t Krsna protect us from that desire?"

Srila Prabhupada - "He is protecting. Krsna 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 and demand, ‘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." (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)

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 Melb, Australia June 25, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada -  "Unless there is the choice to misuse free will, then there is no question of free will!"

Srila Prabhupada – "In the Padma Purana, wherein it is said that there are "two kinds of spiritual entities," one is called the jiva, and the other is called the Supreme Lord." (87th Ch of Krsna Book - "Prayers by the Personified Vedas")

Srila Prabhupada - "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 two transcendentalists Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are a puzzle to materialists. The description of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa from the diary of Śrīla Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī is a condensed explanation, but one needs great spiritual insight to understand the mystery of these two personalities. One is enjoying in two.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the potent factor, and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the internal potency. According to Vedānta philosophy, there is no difference between the potent and the potency; they are identical. We cannot differentiate between one and the other, any more than we can separate fire from heat. Everything in the Absolute is inconceivable in relative existence. Therefore in relative cognizance it is very difficult to assimilate this truth of the oneness between the potent and the potency.

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. Impersonalists cannot understand this without the help of a mahā-bhāgavata devotee. 

The very name “Rādhā” suggests that Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is eternally the topmost mistress of the comforts of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. As such, She is the medium transmitting the living entities’ service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Devotees in Vṛndāvana therefore seek the mercy of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in order to be recognized as loving servitors of Śrī Kṛṣṇa." (CC Adi 4.56, Translation and Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "Sometimes people ask who is Lord Balarama? And the answer is that He is the brother of Lord Krsna. However, He does many things besides that. How we understand this is to first recognize that, according to Vedic scripture such as the Srimad Bhagavata Purana (Srimad Bhagavatam), it is described that Lord Krsna is the primeval Lord, the original Personality of Godhead, so He can expand Himself into unlimited forms with all potencies. 

They are no different from Him, but may exhibit differences in form and function. He first expands Himself into Baladeva, or Balarama, who is considered Krsna’s second body and brother. Balarama assists in Lord Krsna’s innumerable spiritual pastimes in both the spiritual and material realms. 

Lord Balarama is also Lord Sankarshana, the predominator of the creative energy. He creates and is also the shelter of the material and spiritual worlds. By the will of Krsna and the power of the spiritual energy, Lord Balarama creates the spiritual world, which consists of the planet Goloka-Vrindavana [the supermost spiritual planet] and the Vaikuntha planets [in the spiritual sky]." (CC, Madhya-lila, 20.255-6)

Srila Prabhupada - "Lord Balarama especially assists Lord Krsna in the creation of the material world. After Balarama has expanded Himself into Lord Maha-Sankarshana, He expands Himself into four different forms, including:

1) Karanadakashayi Visnu [Maha-Visnu], 

2) Garbhodakashayi Visnu [the Visnu expansion in each material universe], 

3) Ksirodakashayi Visnu [the Supersoul or Paramatma with each living being],

4) Sesha, also called Seshanaga, who lies down and is the support and resting place for Lord Visnu. 

These four plenary portions assist in the material cosmic manifestation. 

Sesha is Balarama’s form who assists in the Lord’s personal service. He is also called Ananta, meaning unlimited, because He assists the Lord in His unlimited variety of pastimes." (CC, Adi-lila, 5.4-6, 8-11)

Srila Prabhupada - "To explain more clearly, all expansions of the Lord begin with Sri Krsna. For His pastimes in one of the highest levels of the spiritual realm, called Dvaraka, Sri Krsna expands Himself into Balarama, who then expands Himself into Pradyumna and Aniruddha. These four expand into a second quadruple which is present in the unlimited Vaikuntha planets of the spiritual sky. The second quadruple is known as Vasudeva, 

Sankarshana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha. They are changeless, transcendental expansions of the Supreme Lord, Krsna. 

In the second quadruple, Vasudeva is an expansion of Krsna, and Sankarshana is a representative of Balarama. In the Vaikuntha spiritual sky there is the pure, spiritual creative energy called Suddha-satva that sustains all of the spiritual planets with the full opulences of knowledge, wealth, power, beauty, etc., all of which pervade the entire spiritual kingdom and are fully enjoyed by the residents there. 

This energy is but a display of the creative potencies of Balarama, Maha Sankarshana. It is also this Sankarshana who is the original cause of the Causal Ocean (which takes shape as a cloud in a corner of the spiritual sky) where Karanodakashayi Visnu (Maha-Visnu) sleeps, while breathing out the seeds of the innumerable universes. This is the start of the material creation. It is the Karana Ocean, also called the Causal Ocean, in which the material universes are manifest. 

When the cosmic creation is annihilated, all of the materially conditioned, although indestructible, living entities merge back into the body of Maha-Visnu where they rest until the time of the next creation. So Balarama as Sankarshana is the origin of Maha-Visnu, from whom originates all of the potencies of the material manifestation." (CC, Adi-lila, 5.41 and purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "So, to summarize, for His spiritual pastimes in the Vaikuntha realm, Lord Krsna has four original expansions, namely Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha. Maha-Visnu is an expansion of Sankarshana. Garbhodakashayi Visnu is an expansion of Pradyumna. Ksirodakashayi Visnu is an expansion of Aniruddha." 

(CC, Adi-lila, 2.56, purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "At the time of creation, after the Supreme has been sleeping for some time, the first emanation from the breathing of Lord Maha-Visnu are the personified Vedas who serve Him by waking Him from His mystic sleep. They begin to enthusiastically sing His glories, pastimes and praises, just as a King is awoken in the morning by poets who recite his heroic deeds." (SB, 10.87.12-13)

Srila Prabhupada - "As one of the first expansions from Maha-Visnu, this also shows the eternal and spiritual nature of the vibrational energy of the Vedic literature. They are not merely the writings of men, but they are spiritual vibrations that exist before, during and after the material creation, and which emanate from the Supreme Lord. Once the Lord is awoken, He casts His glance upon the material energy of maya. Then she becomes agitated. At that time the Lord injects [through His glance] the original seeds of all living entities. This glance is how the Supreme impregnates material nature with all the living entities. Thus, the Lord does not personally touch the material energy, but by His functional expansion He places the living entities into the material nature by His glance." (CC, Madhya-lila, 20.272) 

Srila Prabhupada - "This functional expansion of the Lord takes the form of Siva. The glance of Maha-Visnu is Siva known as Sambhu. which we explain more fully elsewhere. After agitating the material nature into three qualities, which are the modes of nature in the form of goodness, passion and ignorance, they become active, and material nature begins to give birth to the total material energy known as the hiranya-mahat-tattva. This is the sum total of cosmic intelligence. Thus, material nature becomes agitated by the destinations of the conditioned souls as determined by the influence of these modes of nature." (SB 3.26.19) 

Srila Prabhupada - "Simply by the glance of Maha-Visnu consciousness is created, which is known as the mahat-tattva. The predominating Deity of the mahat-tattva is Lord Vasudeva, another expansion of Lord Krsna. This explains how the material energy is like the mother of the living beings while the Lord is the Supreme Father of everyone. Just as a woman cannot give birth without the contact of a man, or at least his seed, so material nature cannot create without the contact of the Supreme Being. So first, the total material energy is manifest, and from this arise the three types of egotism, which are the original sources of all the demigods [the minor controlling deities], the senses, and material elements.

By combining the different elements, the Supreme Lord creates all of the unlimited universes. Once the material elements have been manifested, and the full potential for creating the universes has been established, the innumerable universes begin to emanate from the pores of the body of Maha-Visnu, and from His exhalations. They appear just like atomic particles that float in sunshine and pass through a screen. Then when Maha-Visnu finally inhales at the time of the universal annihilation, they return to His body. In this way, Maha-Visnu is the Superself of all the universes." (CC, Madhya-lila, 20.275-282)

Srila Prabhupada - "Brahma, all the demigods, and each universe remain alive for the duration of one of His exhalations. (BS 5.48) However, there is no limit to the exhalations of Maha-Visnu." (CC, Madhya-lila, 20.324)

Srila Prabhupada - "Once all of the universe are created, which are unlimited, Maha-Visnu expands Himself into unlimited forms and each one enters each universe as Garbhodakashayi Visnu. Once He is in each universe, He sees that there is no place to reside. Then, after some consideration, He fills half of the universe with water from His own perspiration. He then lays down on the water, again supported by the bed of Seshanaga [an expansion of Lord Balarama]." (CC, Madhya-lila, 20.284-6)

Srila Prabhupada - "This Garbhodakashayi Visnu, who is also known within the universe as Hiranyagarbha and Antaryami, the Supersoul, is glorified in the Vedic hymns. He is the master of each and every universe and shelter of the external or material energy. However, being transcendental, He is completely beyond the touch of the external [material] energy. Next is the third expansion of Visnu, called Ksirodakashayi Visnu, who is the incarnation of the quality of goodness. He is the universal form of the Lord and expands Himself as the Supersoul within every living entity. He is known as Ksirodakashayi Visnu because He lies on the ocean of milk [ksira] on the island of Svetadvipa. These are the three expansions of Lord Visnu who oversee and make the creation of the material world possible." (CC, Madhya-lila, 20.292, 294-5)

Srila Prabhupada – “So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom.” (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique Descartes)

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 – “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 answer to your question about the marginal energy is that the jiva-soul is always called the marginal energy whether he is in the spiritual world or in the material world.” (Letter to Rayarama, Dec 2, 1968)

Srila Prabhupada – “There are two kinds of marginal living entities: nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. The actual constitutional position of every marginal living entity is nitya-siddha.” (CC, lecture, July 13, 1976) 

Srila Prabhupada – “By following the rules and regulations and instructions of the spiritual master, he can become again nitya-siddha. So the Krsna consciousness movement is to make the nitya-baddhas AGAIN nitya-siddha.” (New York Lecture on CC, July 13, 1976)

Srila Prabhupada – “So the Krsna consciousness movement is to make the nitya-baddhas AGAIN nitya-siddha, to bring them to their original position. It is a difficult task.” (London lecture on BG, 13-14, July 14, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada – “Nitya-baddhas are within this material world. Beginning from Brahma down to a small ant, insignificant ant, they are all nitya-baddha. Anyone who is in this material world they are nitya baddha.” (Lecture on BG, 13-14, July 14, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada – “Regarding your questions about how and from where did the conditioned souls fall, your first question if someone has a relationship with Lord Krsna on Krsnaloka (Goloka Vrindavana), 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 – “Regarding your questions concerning the spirit souls falling into Maya’s influence, it is not that those who have developed a passive relationship with Krsna are more likely to fall into nescient activities. Usually anyone who has developed his relationship with Krsna does not fall down in any circumstance, but because the independence is always there, the soul may fall down from any position or any relationship by misusing his independence.” (Letter to Jagadisa dasa 02/27/1970)

Srila Prabhupada – “But his relationship with Krsna is never lost, simply forgotten by the influence of maya social, it maybe regained or revived by the process of hearing the Holy Name of Krsna and then the devotee engages himself in the service of the Lord which is his original constitutional position. The relationship of the living entity with Krsna is eternal as both Krsna and the living entity are eternal; the process is one of revival only, nothing new.” (Letter to Jagadisa dasa 02/27/1970)

Srila Prabhupada – “In all the śāstras [scriptures] the guru is described to be as good as God, but the guru never says, ‘I am God.’ The disciple’s duty is to offer respect to the guru just as he offers respect to God, but the guru never thinks, ‘My disciples are offering me the same respect they offer to God; therefore I have become God.’ As soon as he thinks like this, he becomes a dog.” (From the Book, Science of realization)

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 cannot be one or love cannot be executed 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." (Lecture on 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." (Lecture on SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)

Srila Prabhupāda – "Unless there are "two-persons," where is the question of love? Love means 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 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. 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." (Srila Prabhupada quotes 1966 - 1974, Vaniquotes)

Srila Prabhupāda - "Four billion years is twelve hours of Brahmā's life."

Scholar - "Just one day only."

Srila Prabhupāda - "One day only. Similarly one night. Then one day."

Scholar - "Eight billion years one day of Brahmā (approximately)." 

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, so that is the calculation." (Room Conversation with Indonesian Scholar - Feb 27, 1973, Jakarta)

Srila Prabhupāda - "But because we are interested in Kṛṣṇa, we do not take very much care of this higher standard of life. So higher planetary system means many, many thousand times better standard of life. Many, many thousand times. Just like Brahmaloka, the one day of Brahmā, described, you cannot even calculate mathematically." (Room Conversation with Anna Conan Doyle, daughter in law of famous author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Aug 10, 1973, Paris)

Srila Prabhupāda - "What is the purport? Please read."

Śrutakīrti - "The duration of the material universe is limited. It is manifested in cycles of kalpas. A kalpa is a day of Brahmā and one day of Brahmā consists of a thousand cycles of four yugas or ages, Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali."

Srila Prabhupāda - "In the higher planetary system also, the four rules, birth, death, old age and disease, they are also there. The life is long duration." (Room Conversation with Anna Conan Doyle, daughter-in-law of famous author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Aug 10, 1973, Paris)

Srila Prabhupāda - "Veda means knowledge. Vetti veda-vid jñāne. Jñāna means knowledge. That means the history of Veda means from the date of creation of this material world. Now find out the date of creation of the material world. Approximately, nobody can give what is the date of. We can, we cannot... Date of Brahmā, he got the, first of all, the Vedic knowledge. Now, one day of Brahmā you cannot calculate. One day of Brahmā. When Brahmā's night is there, there is devastation up to some extent. So again in the daytime of Brahmā, that creation takes place." (Morning Walk - Aug 30, 1973, London)

Svarūpa Dāmodara - "But they calculate that (our earth) it's only 4.5 billion year old, the earth."

Srila Prabhupāda - "Let them calculate, but who cares for that? They cannot calculate even one day of Brahmā."

Svarūpa Dāmodara - "So we do not accept this?"

Prabhupāda - "Eh?"

Svarūpa Dāmodara - "We do not accept this."

Srila Prabhupāda - "How can I accept it? Because in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ: (BG 8.17) 

"The Brahmā's one day is equal to one thousand combination of yugas." 

The combination of yuga means forty-three-hundred thousands of years. So such thousand times makes Brahmā's one day of twelve hours. Similar period, his night." (Morning Walk - Dec 10, 1973, Los Angeles)

Srila Prabhupāda - "Now He explaining what is Brahmaloka. That one day of Brahmā, you cannot calculate. And still, you have to die."

Dr. Patel - "Twelve hundred yugas is called one Brahmā."

Chandobhai - "So our hundred years is nothing for..."

Srila Prabhupāda - "It is nothing." (Morning Walk - April 1, 1974, Bombay)

Yaśomatīnandana - "28th day of Brahmā?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, 28th or 27th. 27th Dvāpara-yuga, Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). This is kṣatriya's business: to establish religious principles and to kill the demons. This is kṣatriya's business. 

And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He appeared as a brāhmaṇa. So He did not kill anybody. Although He was just about to kill Jagāi and Mādhāi, but Nityānanda Prabhu restrained that 

"In this incarnation You have promised not to kill." (Morning Walk - April 6, 1974, Bombay)

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa - "I think we must be extraordinarily fortunate that Lord Kṛṣṇa, He appears once in a day of Brahmā, and He appeared just five thousand years ago. And then Lord Caitanya just appeared five hundred years ago, and we have an opportunity to associate with Them.

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, always remember this grace of Lord and utilize it." (Morning Walk - June 13, 1974, Paris)

Rūpānuga - "This other question. During the day of Brahmā at the end of every Manu there's a partial devastation of the planets up to earth and celestial, right? Now, at that time there's like a flood, and the animals that are in their particular stage of transmigration of the living entities, their bodies are all killed. Now, at that time, when the end of that period is over, how are the bodies manifest? This is a question Richard Prabhu was asking."

Srila Prabhupāda - "There is no body. They are reserved in the Viṣṇu's body. And again, when there is creation, they come out. And therefore matter comes from the spirit. Matter is there, creation, matter. So take advantage of the matter. Just like the cloth is there. You cut it according (to) your body, and there is a coat. The spiritual body is already there." (Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara - March 1, 1975, Atlanta)

Sadāpūta - "Are there different meanings, this day of Brahmā? Are there different creations and annihilations of species? Different Manus, they are sometimes flooding the whole earth?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "There are different, when Brahmā goes to sleep, that is one kind of devastation, and when he dies there is one kind. And during Brahmā's days there are other devastations, manvantara." ('Life Comes From Life' Slideshow Discussions - July 3, 1976, Washington, D.C.)

Srila Prabhupāda - "Different classes of devastation. There are many devastations during Brahmā's day, and there is another devastation during Brahmā's sleep, and another devastation when Brahmā dies."

Svarūpa Dāmodara - "And during different Manus also."

Srila Prabhupāda - "That is day. Such devastation takes place during Brahmā's day. Fourteen Manus."

Svarūpa Dāmodara - "Do we know that in detail, Śrīla Prabhupāda? What type of species are extinct? Not all the species extinct. As it is during Brahmā's day, that partial annihilation, devastation, now some species are extinct?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "No species extinct." ('Life Comes From Life' Slideshow Discussions - July 3, 1976, Washington, D.C.)

Rūpānuga - "In the day of, one day of Brahmā, there are fourteen Manus. And in the course of creation, re-creation of the same species from the previous day—they are re-creating the same species—it takes, there's some time, maybe one Manu, there's some species that are finished, but the next Manu..."

Srila Prabhupāda - "That doesn't mean time. What is this Manu?"

Rūpānuga - "No, no, I'm saying this is what really happened, right? So we were thinking that we could show one day, this is one day, one day of Brahmā..."

Srila Prabhupāda - "No, you do not think what is actually there, you can say. You do not be a speculator."

Rūpānuga - "No, no, but from the Bhāgavatam we have taken it, and broken down the day of Brahmā."

Srila Prabhupāda - "Whether they will accept it or not, that is the question." (Room Conversation - July 5, 1976, Washington, D.C.) 

Sadāpūta - "The scientists say it goes back six hundred million years."

Srila Prabhupāda - "That is also imperfect. If we study Brahmā's day, it will be all... Brahmā's day is, one day equal to forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by thousand, that is Brahmā's one day. So thirty days, one month, and twelve months equal to year, such hundred years. Your mathematics will fail to figure out. Is it not? (laughter)"

Rūpānuga - "There is a slide of this, but we did not show you. The idea is that this is the beginning of Brahmā's day up to present, Vaivasvata Manu. This is the beginning of time according to them. They can't explain anything up to here. They say here, in the middle of the day of Raivata Manu, they begin their Cambrian Age."

Srila Prabhupāda - "No, why Raivata Manu? They are imperfect." (Room Conversation - July 5, 1976, Washington, D.C.)

Devotee - "At the end of Manu's day, when there is flood?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "End of the day of Brahmā. End of fourteen Manus." (Morning Walk - July 9, 1976, Washington D.C.)

Srila Prabhupāda - "Therefore, this creation is another mercy of Kṛṣṇa. That I was reading this night. One creation, so many millions of years... There is calculation. One Brahmā's day, twelve hours, you cannot calculate. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). One yuga, forty-three hundred thousand years, one yuga, thousand times. Forty-three hundred thousand years equal to one yuga. Such thousand times. That is Brahmā's twelve hours. Then another twelve hours, night. That is also another trouble, when Brahmā's night. Everything merge into water, pralaya-payodhi-jale. Not all the planet. At least half the universe plunge into water." (Room Conversation - Jan 27, 1977, Puri)

Srila Prabhupada - "So similarly in creation, there is different kinds of bodies for working, and whenever there is no creation they remain in their own spiritual body sleeping. No, there is no complete annihilation at the end of Kali yuga, there may be some disturbances, but not complete annihilation. There are thousands of Kali yugas in every day of Brahma, and they come and go just like seasonal changes." (Letter to Aniruddha - San Francisco 9 April, 1968) 

Srila Prabhupada - "So, Krsna appears only once in a day of Brahma, and that takes a rotation of unlimited trillions of solar years. So some incidences take place in one day, and other incidents take place in another day. Just like we do something today, something else in a week, and we forget today's action tomorrow, and tomorrow's action after a week." (Letter to Jadurani - Montreal 9 July, 1968) 

Srila Prabhupada - "Regarding your question about this planet and Krsna's coming here, you may note that Krsna comes within this universe once in one day of Brahma. Duration of Brahma's day is very very long, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, 432 crores of years forms the duration of 12 hours of Brahma's day." (Letter to Tosana Krsna - Seattle 7 October, 1968)

Srila Prabhupada - "For example, Brahma's day is calculated as thousands of our years. In one day of Brahma there are millions of our pasts, presents, and futures. So this is all relativity, whereas in the spiritual world, there is no such relativity. Therefore, time has no such influence in the spiritual world." (Letter to Charles McCollough - Los Angeles 12 Feb, 1969) 

Srila Prabhupada - "Actually Krsna's planet and Krsna's pastimes are going on eternally, and the same is manifested before the conditioned souls at certain intervals, that is to say once in one day of Brahma, exactly as the sun is visible for 12 hours once in a 24 hour cycle of day and night. When the sun is visible it is called prakata, and when the sun is not visible that is called aprakata or unmanifested." (Letter to Syamasundara - Los Angeles 14 May, 1970)

Srila Prabhupada - "Lord Mohammed is accepted by us as Saktyavesa Avatar, but we do not recognize the Bahai faith. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu appears once in the day of Brahma or whenever He is required to come. So far attending pujas at the houses of the Hindus there we can go and hold our kirtana but we should not take prasadam there. We can accept raw materials and take them to our temple but we should not accept any prasadam prepared by them." (Letter to Surasrestha - Los Angeles 14 June, 1972) 

Srila Prabhupada - "You can calculate how old is Lord Brahma. It is very difficult to say, but only one day of Brahma in which we are, that has not yet passed. We have come in the middle of his one day. We find in Bhagavad-gita that Brahma's one day is equal to 1000 times 400, 300 years."

Srila Prabhupada - "You can calculate how old is Lord Brahma. It is very difficult to say but only one day of Brahma in which we are, that has not yet passed. We have come in the middle of his first day. We find in Bhagavad-gita that Brahma's one day is equal to 1000 times 400,300 years." (Letter to Aksayananda - Vrndavana Oct 27, 1972)**