Friday, March 8, 2024

Tatastha-sakti refers only to those marginal living entities (jiva-souls) who are already in a fallen conditional state outside of the spiritual world's of the Vaikuṇṭha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana.

Tatastha-sakti only refers to those individual jiva-souls who have ALREADY fallen to the material world, or further fallen to the impersonal (inactive) brahmajyoti. 

Those individual jiva-souls who fall to this tatastha-sakti designation, means they have fallen to the material world. 

They have chosen to leave the Vaikuntha planets or Krsna's central planet of Goloka Vrindavana to enter the material world. 

Furthermore, tatastha-sakti also includes those individual jiva-souls who become frustrated within the temporary nature of material existence, due to the constant suffering of repeated birth and death, causing them to attempt to extinguish their individual existence and unique personality (attempted spiritual suicide), by entering a dormant (inactive) state of consciousness (being almost dead) within the impersonal brahmajyoti.

But ultimately, entering the impersonal brahmajyoti is also only a temporary solution to the jiva-soul's suffering on its endless journey.

This is because the individual jiva-soul's dormant (inactive) existence in the impersonal brahmajyoti is NOT eternal.

Eventually after a long, long, long, long period of inactivity, ALL individual  jiva-souls AGAIN take birth in the material world and again become active.  

Entering the fallen state in the impersonal brahmajyoti is temporary because the original nature of the individual jiva-souls is to be always active in Kṛṣṇa's pastimes.

By rejecting Krsna's pastimes the jiva-souls still remain active but now follow their own self centred desires becoming active within the 8 million 400 thousand species of life (material bodily vessels) within the material world of which only 400 thousand are human species.

This means 8 million species of life have no free will in the material world but exist on the basis of instinct - 

eating, 

sleeping, 

mating,

defending. 

Tatastha-sakti does not describe those individual jiva-souls in their original eternal "none-fallen" position on the Vaikuntha planets or in Goloka Vrindavana, tatastha-sakti therefore describes the none-Krsna conscious condition of the fallen jiva-souls in both material existence and the impersonal brahmajyoti.

Srila Prabhupada - "So this temporary material world is the taṭastha (materially conditioned) characteristics, and the spiritual world is the permanent (personal) characteristics. So our effort is to get out of this taṭastha (materially conditioned) characteristics and enter the permanent (personal)  characteristics. That is called spiritual elevation." (Lecture, CC Madhya-lila 20.354-358, New York City, Dec 28, 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - "Because the individual soul is apt to fall down sometimes under the clutches of māyā, it is called taṭastha-śakti. Just like in the seaside the shore, the beach, sometimes you see it is covered by water and sometimes it is land. Similarly, when we are covered by māyā, that is our jīva-bhūta stage (which means struggling under the laws of material nature), and when there is no more material covering, that is brahma-bhūta stage (realizing you are the jiva-soul above material influence). When we are Kṛṣṇa conscious, then we are brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20), and when we are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, we are materially conscious (jiva-bhuta), that is māyā."(Lecture BG, Ch 7 Text 4-5 Bombay, March 30, 1971)

So, clearly the marginal living entities or jiva-souls are not called tatastha-sakti in the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka Vrindavana as Prabhupada explains above because the word tatastha-sakti is a "conditioned fallen" designation of the jiva-souls. 

In the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana the individual jiva-souls are NOT in a "conditioned fallen state, they are in their natural full spiritual potential as Krsna's eternal servant and therefore NOT called tatastha-sakti.

As said in the beginning, tatastha-sakti refers to the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) in their "fallen conditional state" in both the material creation and when dormant in the (impersonal) Brahmajyoti.

Revatīnandana Dasa - "Srila Prabhupāda you very clearly explained to me once in a letter that if the jiva-soul then goes into the brahmajyoti, he is considered still fallen. Still fallen. Does that means the whole brahmajyoti is composed of fallen souls? You see my question? If I go there, I'm a jīva-soul, and I go to the brahmajyoti I'm still fallen."

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes."

Revatīnandana Dasa - "That means all jīva-souls there in the impersonal Brahman (Brahmajyoti) are also fallen souls?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, 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 (Goloka Vrindavana and Vaikuntha). The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness."(Letter to Revatinandana, LA 13 June, 1970 and 1971 London)

The full potential and original feature (bodily spiritual non-material form) of all eternal marginal living entities (jiva-souls), is a "two-arm form" like Krsna's Body. 

All individual jīva-souls (marginal living entities) are eternal PERSONS without any beginning or end to their existence, this means there are no new jiva-souls ever being created because they have ALWAYS existed.

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 9th July 1970)

The individual jiva-souls therefore are eternal spiritual living PERSONS who can never be destroyed, terminated, divided into pieces or extinguished because the individual jiva-souls are indestructible. 

The individual jiva-soul's being "generated" from the "marginal plane or energy" does NOT mean the jiva-souls “originated” from a beginning source because the jiva-souls were NEVER created.

The jiva-souls are therefore  beginningless and endless and as old as Kṛṣṇa as Bhagavad Gita As It Is teaches.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be." (BG, Ch 2 text 12, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change." (BG, Ch 2 text 13, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed." (BG, Ch 2 text 14, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both." (BG, Ch 2 text 16, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul." (BG, Ch 2 text 17, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain." (BG, Ch 2 text 19, 1983 edition)

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)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?" (BG, Ch 2 text 21, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones." (BG, Ch 2 text 22, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind." (BG, Ch 2 text 23, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same." (BG, Ch 2 text 24, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body." (BG, Ch 2 text 25, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again.Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament."  (BG, Ch 2 text 27, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all." (BG, Ch 2 text 29, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the material body can never be slain. Therefore, you need not grieve for any living being." (BG, Ch 2 text 30, 1983 edition)

Srila Prabhupada - "God is also human form. "Man is made after the shape of God." So Kṛṣṇa is also like human form, two hands, two legs." The human form is also the full manifestation of the jiva-soul." (Melb, Australia May 20, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "The spirit soul is NOT formless; it has got form, the spirit soul always has form and is expressed as hands, legs, heads, everything. But with our material eyes at the present, our gross eyes, we cannot see these facts; therefore we foolishly believe the jiva-souls have no form." (Lecture BG, Ch 2 Text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

Devotee - "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, Ch 2 Text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

As said above, the original feature of the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) is like Krsna's Bodily form, they do NOT originate from the impersonal Brahmajyoti or tatastha-sakti as some foolishly believe.

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 dasa – "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 dasa - "Are they covered in the spiritual world?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Not in the spiritual world, there that is voluntary, some devotee wants to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna and become flower, voluntarily, and can change from flower to human body if one desires. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna as cow, as calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 Text 1-4 Melb, May 20, 1975)

Devotee - "If jiva-soul is non-material, what is the form?

Srila Prabhupāda - "There is form, just like this body is compared with the dress. Now, just like in your present material form you have got hand; therefore your coat has got hand. If you have got... You have got leg; therefore your pant has got leg. Therefore it is to be assumed that the spirit soul has got form, and it has developed into hands, legs, heads, everything. It is not formless; it has got form. But with our material eyes at the present, gross eyes, we cannot find it; therefore we say it has no form."(Lecture BG, Ch 2 Text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

Srila Prabhupāda - "The impersonal conception of the Supreme is so detrimental to the path of devotional service that it is very difficult to associate with the stubborn non-devotees, who always think in terms of material conceptions. Impersonalists always think backwards. 

They think that because there is form in matter, spirit should be formless; because in matter there is sleep, in spirit there cannot be sleep; and because the sleeping of the Deity is accepted in arcanā worship, the arcanā is māyā. All these thoughts are basically material. To think either positively or negatively is still thinking materially. Knowledge accepted from the superior source of the Vedas is standard." (SB, Canto 3 Ch 9 Text 21, Purport)

Srila Prabhupāda - "This material body we are in is existing on the spiritual body. Just like your shirt. The shirt is existing on your actual hand. The shirt has got a hand because you have got hand. So matter is impersonal. But because the superior prakṛti, jīva, he is person, therefore the matter appears like a person. 

Because I have got hands and legs, therefore this cloth has got hands and legs. Otherwise the cloth has no hands and legs; it is impersonal. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. This body is just like dress. Just like your coat has got hand, your pant has got leg, but either the pant or coat has no leg, no hand. 

So, because you have got leg and hand, the coat has got leg and hand. Everyone can understand this. It is very easy. So the original (and eternally), the spirit soul has got form. 

Therefore the cloth has been cut into form. It is very easy to understand. It Otherwise how you get the form? And in this form the spirit soul is trying to enjoy this material world. But it is not puruṣa. It cannot enjoy. That is false. That is illusion." (Lecture SB, Canto 3 Ch 26 Text 3, Bombay, Dec 15, 1974)

Hayagrīva dasa - "Aquinas believed that God is the only single essence that consists of pure form. He felt that matter is only a potential and, in order to be real, must assume a certain shape or form. 

Being in the material universe have to acquire an individual form in order to actualize themselves. When matter unites with form, the form gives an object its individuality and personality. Actually it is the spiritual form that gives an object its individuality and personality.

Srila Prabhupāda - Yes, matter has no form but the jiva-soul has got form. Though matter is covering the actual form of the jiva-soul, the matter then appears to have form. Just like the original cloth has no form, but when the tailor cuts the cloth according to the body of the person, then the shirt and coat takes a form. 

The matter itself has no form. When you take clay, it has no form, but if you make it like a doll, like a man or woman, then it has a form. When you change the clay, and you manufacture a fort, then the fort has form. So, form and formlessness is of the matter, but in the spiritual world everything has got form. The spirit soul has got form. God has got form. This is the truth." (Discussion on Thomas Aquinas philosophy) 

Srila Prabhupāda - "In the material world any form-man or beast or anyone—in the outward, external covering is matter, but within the matter there is the soul. The soul has form and God has form. That is real form. And the material form is simply shirting and coating over the spiritual body."(Discussion on Thomas Aquinas philosophy) 

Srila Prabhupada - "The individual jiva-souls are always called marginal energy whether he is in the spiritual world or in the material world. There are instances where marginal energy jiva-souls have fallen from the spiritual world, just like Jaya and Vijaya. So the potency to fall under the influence of the lower energy is always there. And thus the individual jiva-soul is called as Krsna’s marginal energy."(Letter to Rayarama, Dec 2, 1968)

The individual jiva-souls are ALWAYS eternally spiritual living beings in both the spiritual world and material world. 

However, in the material world the eternal spiritual jiva-soul is covered by a temporary subtle and gross material bodily container or vessel that decomposes forcing the individual eternal spiritual (anti-matter) jiva-soul to constantly change material bodies.

Remember, maya or the material energy, does NOT exist on the Vaikuntha planets or in Goloka-Vrindavana, so Maya is unknown to the jiva-souls (marginal living entities) in both the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana.

In the spiritual world the jiva-souls ARE their eternal spiritual bodily form voluntary serving Krsna or Visnu in unlimited ways and unlimited forms they can choose to serve Krsna as.

Srila Prabhupada - "Some devotees want to serve Krsna as a flower so they become a flower and lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, voluntarily, and can change 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, as a field as a chair Krsna sits on, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact."(Lecture SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 Text 1-4, Melb, Australia May 20, 1975)

In the spiritual world ALL relationships with Krsna are "equally blissful to each other," just like one may like a carnation flower while others may choose to like a rose flower.

However, having free will, individuality, independence, experiencing a unique sense of individual self, and the ability to express all these qualities is eternally the constitutional makeup of all marginal living entities (jiva-souls) on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana..×=×..













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