Tuesday, October 10, 2023

We must never forget that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, if we properly understand this, then we will understand the following discussion that EVERYTHING comes from Krsna, including free will.

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)

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 (jiva-tattva) known as the individual jiva-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 jiva-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 and Krsna is also in the atom. If you take it in that way, Krsna is within every atom, and wants whatever is to be. Therefore Krsna "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." (Dialectical Spiritualism: A Vedic View of Western Philosophy)

If we properly understand this, then we will understand the following discussion that everything comes from Krsna including free will. Srila Prabhupada is simply confirming below that everything comes from Krsna and MUST be sanctioned by Krsna first, including FREE WILL 

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

Srila Prabhupada - "No (not without the sanction of Krsna) Bhagavad-Gita states that when the individual jiva-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 of all causes."

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)

Srila Prabhupada here is simply confirming that EVERYTHING comes from Krsna, and MUST be sanctioned by Krsna first so the jiva-souls can have, including "free will" because Krsna owns EVERYTHING, and is behind everything, making Him the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes. Nothing can happen without the sanction of Krsna.

However, Krsna will ALWAYS sanction free will and the ability to choose, regardless of what is said above because without free will, the jiva-souls could never voluntary contribute in their own individual way to their relationship with Kṛṣṇa, which actually what makes it a "two-way" exchange.

Above Srila Prabhupada in his discussion with Syamasundara dasa, is simply making the point that everything is under the control of Krsna as the Bhagavad-gita teaches us-

"Not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Lord."

In other words, we only have free will because Krsna allows it. On the other hand, without free will the spiritual worlds would be impersonal and emotionally stagnant and cold like dead stone!

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)

All the individual personal contributions from the jiva-souls are forever expanding their unique ability of self expression in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana. 

This allows them to always make voluntary offerings to Krsna that forever increase and expand loving emotions in healthy "two-way" exchanges between Kṛṣṇa and the individual jīva-souls.

It is VERY important to understand that the individual jiva-souls are "PERSONS" with their own unique individual feelings of self expression existing always in both Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana.

It must be clearly understood for love to truly exist, each jiva-soul MUST have the free will to make their own choices, even if it means leaving Krsna, otherwise, there can be no question of genuine love or service without free will.

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

Srila 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)

Bali Mardana - "An example of free will is someone can choose Kṛṣṇa or turn away? Is that 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? Kṛṣṇa says, satataṁ kīrtayanto mām: (BG 9.14) "Always chanting about Me." That is mahātmā. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ: (BG 9.13) Mahātmā, those who are devotee, they are not under these material influence. If he accepts Kṛṣṇa, he must abide by the injunction of Kṛṣṇa." (Morning Walk, Jan 22, 1974, Hawaii)

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)

To say you have no desires in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana is Impersonalism or Mayavadi nonsense, the jiva-souls NEVER loses having "desires" in the spiritual worlds because THOSE desires are forever expanding their service to always please Krsna.

It is foolish to think one becomes desireless in the spiritual worlds, only impersonalist try to extinguish their desires.

Actually devotees increase their desires in both Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana because they desire to ALWAYS please Krsna more and more.^^^.

















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