Many ask how can the jiva-souls live a separate existence from Krsna if they choose, when they are His minor expansions? And that EVERYTHING is Kṛṣṇa's expansion in different categories?
The result of "the paradox" that the eternal individual marginal living entities (jiva-souls) have their "free will" (independent voluntary acts of self-expression) is that the eternal individual jiva-souls can ALWAYS choose to exist with Krsna, or separate from Him even though fully dependent on His energies.
This is eternally happening, even though Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of everything and not a blade of grass moves without His sanction.
This means Krsna will ALWAYS sanction free will to allow the eternal individual jiva-souls to voluntarily choose for themselves how to serve Krsna.
Krsna allows this because without free will the jiva-souls could never participate in a "two-way" character building reciprocal relationship with Krsna.
It is important to first understand that the individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) can never exist independently from Krsna but simultaneously have their separate existence too, this paradox is necessary to create the diversity that the individual jiva-souls have their own sense of feeling they are an independent separate PERSON.
However, even though they can never be independent from Krsna's energies, they can still express themselves separate from Krsna's Personality because each jiva-soul has their own unique independent personality.
In other words, the paradox is the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) can always express their own unique independence and individuality even though Krsna is the Supreme Controller, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, and not a blade of grass moves without His will as Bhagavad Gita As It Is explains.
This happens because Krsna provides free will for the purpose of encouraging personal contributions expressed in a "two-way" loving exchange where they are able to offer to Krsna their own personal singular offerings, even separate from Krsna's influence if they choose.
In the spiritual world's of Goloka-Vrindavana and Vaikuntha, loving devotional service is never a "one-way or one-sided" affair, no, real love or service is always voluntary expressed in reciprocal "two-way" exchanges in God's (Krsna) Kingdom.
Voluntary reciprocal association in the Kingdom of God with Krsna can only be expressed in a genuine loving way when there are "two" involved in loving exchanges nurtured and encouraged by Krsna.
In Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, personal voluntary expressions involving loving exchanges, can only be expressed due to the jiva-souls having free will.
Such free will is always encouraged by Krsna in His relationship with the jiva-souls, which adds flavour, variety and mystery to the relationship between the jiva-souls and Kṛṣṇa.
This means the Kingdom of God is not a one-sided dominating impersonal stagnant domain devoid of free will that does not allow personal contributions or offerings to God (Krsna), meant to expand, enrich and flavour the relationship.
As said above, love or service is not a "one-sided" affiliate of total supremacy or preeminence.
The fact is genuine loving relations and service are based on voluntary reciprocal exhanges and contributions between two, not just one!
The individual jiva-souĺs have their choices too, even if that choice means rejecting Krsna!
Free will only has meaning when the jiva-souls can express themselves in a "two-sided" affair.
In other words, loving reciprocation is only possible on a "two-way" street between two, with each contributing to the relationship's expansion of nectarine mellows.
The word "reciprocation" only has meaning when there are two involved, not one!
This also means the individual jiva-souls can reject Krsna if they choose, which in a sense proves that "free will" does truly exist.
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 free will." (Discussions on Rene Descartes philosophy)
Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly, one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that you cannot become fall down, that is not independence. That is force." (Mayapur, June 20, 1973)
Having "free will" is the eternal constitutional make up of every "marginal living entity (jiva-soul)," and is the foundation for all jiva-souls so they can express a "two-way" relationship with Krsna.
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 - "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 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." (SB Canto 1 Ch 2 text 6, Delhi, India 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." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)
Devotee – "Is the original body of the spirit soul a human form?"
Srila Prabhupada – "Yes, human form. God is also human form. "Man is made after the shape of God." I think there is in the Bible. Is it not? So God is also like human form. Here you see Krsna, two hands, two legs."
Hari-sauri 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 - "They are covered in the spiritual world?"
Srila Prabhupada - "Not in the spiritual world. There that is voluntary. Some devotees want to serve Krsna as flower; so they become flower there. If I want that, to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna and become flower, voluntarily, and he 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, 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, Australia May 20, 1975)
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 free will."
Hayagriva dasa - "A man may know better but still act wrongly."
Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, but that is free will. He misuses his, just like a thief, he knows that his stealing, it is bad, but still he does it. That is free will. He cannot check his greediness, so in spite of his knowing that he is doing wrong thing—he will be punished, he knows; he has seen another thief, he was punished, he was put into prison— everything he knows, but still he steals. Why? Misuse of free will. Unless there is misuse of free will, there is no question of free will." (Talk on Rene Descartes philosophy )
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)
The individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) can never exist independently from Krsna even though they can express their own independent free will that Krsna provides separately for the purpose of allowing "two-way" voluntary exchanges of loving expressions and encouraging unique (individual contributions) personal offerings.
We must never forget that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes and not a blade of grass can move without His sanction, 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 jiva-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 of Kṛṣṇa 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 or the eternal 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 Krsna 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) Bhagavad-Gita 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)
Srila Prabhupada here is simply confirming everything comes from Krsna and must be sanctioned by Krsna first, including free will because Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes. Nothing happens without the sanction of Krsna.
However, Krsna will always sanction free will which is the ability choose for yourself based on self expression, 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.
This is why real love can only exist in a healthy relationship when there is a "two-way" exchange. Otherwise we are no better than dead stone or mindless puppets under the manipulative control of the puppeteer. If Krsna denies the jiva-souls their free will and having their own independent personality separate from Krsna's Personality, then His Kingdom is loveless and useless! 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, the jiva-souls only have free will because Krsna allows it, so they can experience a voluntary contributioning relationship with Krsna. On the other hand, without free will in the spiritual worlds would only make Vaikuntha an impersonal emotionally stagnant lifeless place 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 eternal "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 their free will to make their own choices, even if it means leaving Krsna if they choose, otherwise there can be no question of genuine love or service.
Srila Prabhupada - "So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom." (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)
This quality of free will is part of the jiva-soul's marginal constitutional nature, that allows them to be an independent voluntary contributing separate free thinking part and parcel expansion of the Krsna.
Krsna allows this freedom that all eternal individual jiva-souls have because without free will voluntary loving exchanges, self expression and reciprocation can never exist.
Srila Prabhupada – "You have got little independence therefore you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God you have got independence, proportionately, therefore if he likes he can return. That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that." (Mayapur, Feb 19, 1976)
As said above, having "free will" is the constitutional make up of all marginal living entities (jiva-souls) that is always part and parcel of their eternal character and individual personality who are separate from Krsna's Personality in the spiritual world. This means the jiva-souls can choose to leave the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana at anytime. Free will always allows this and if it didn't then there is no question of free will or loving exchanges.
The choice to leave the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana is possible because Krsna allows a "two-way" relationship, this means one can accept or reject Krsna if they choose, otherwise what is the point of having free will?
By entering the material world the unnatural painful cycle of repeated birth, disease, old age and death also is part of the material bodily vessel they accept. The individual jiva-souls in the material world experience being covered by a material bodily vessel they foolishly take for granted and believe is them.
Therefore, the frustration caused from the constant changing of material bodily vessels experienced by those jiva-souls (marginal living entities) who foolishly choose to leave the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, and enter the material creation.
This is because the material creation is always in a constant progressive state of decay, decline, in need of constant maintenance and forgetfulness.
Therefore, the eternal individual jiva-soul's temporary material bodily vessel (covering) always wears out, breaks down and decays and eventually dies.
But the eternal individual jiva-souls, covered by the material temporary bodily vessels, are eternal and therefore never subjected to the decay and decline of material energy.
However, the jiva-souls contained in a "subtle material body", are forced to continuously change "gross material bodies" because of the temporary nature of the material creation.
The suffering of the eternal individual jiva-soul within this temporary material nature, does not happen because of Krsna, He is not responsible for the jiva-soul's choices.
No, Krsna is not responsible for the suffering of the individual jiva-souls who have chosen to enter the material creation, even though the massive Brahmanda material universes are Krsna's creation, built by His expansion Maha-Visnu.
The suffering in the material creation happens because at one point in the spiritual worlds, the individual jiva-soul has "chosen" to misuse their "free will", given to them by Krsna for the purpose of allowing voluntary diversity meant to encourage individual offerings and loving exchanges.
Therefore, as a result of mistakingly misusing their free will, the jiva-soul is forced by their own actions, to enter the temporary material creation and become entangled in the repeated cycle of birth and death.
The spherical material universal shells coming from Maha-Visnu, are called Brahmandas.
Deep inside each massive Brahmanda spherical shell is a secondary universe created by Garbhodakashayi Visnu, who is an expansion of Maha-Visnu.
From Garbhodakashayi Visnu, Brahma is born who builds the many planetary systems within the inner material universe inside the Brahmanda as painting below reveals.
Krsna will never interfere with the individual jiva-soul's free will because if he did, the jiva-souls would have no independent sense of self, or abilities to accept and experience genuine loving exchanges and service.
Without having that independent sense of individual uniqueness, or having the personal individual desires that allows one to "choose" for themselves how to voluntary serve Kṛṣṇa as a unique person, then how is genuine love "between two" possible?
Being involved in loving exchanges of service between Krsna and the jiva-souls, based on loving reciprocation, then there can be no question of genuine respect ful love.
These are the characteristics that make the jiva-souls (marginal living entities) the individual "persons" they are eternally, and Krsna the Supreme individual person who cannot exist without His loving devotees.
Loving exchanges or service in the spiritual world are never a "one-way street," love can only exist when "two" are exchanging loving service to each other voluntarily. Only then when there is loving reciprocation and exchanges of good feelings between Kṛṣṇa and His devotee, does love exist.
Only when "two" are voluntarily involved in reciprocating with each other in a mutual exchange can love exist.
In this way, real love or service is always based on a "two-way exchange of feelings."
The fact is Krsna serves His devotees far more than they can ever serve Him, Krsna is always serving His devotees. Often the great loving emotions in Krsna consciousness is felt while in separation from Kṛṣṇa as the gopis often experienced in Vṛndāvana.
Krsna is never cruel to His devotees, such love felt in separation from Krsna is understood by advanced devotees as the highest love for Kṛṣṇa.
As also said above, being able to offer individual contributions to Krsna or Visnu will enhance, increase, expand and perpetually uplift the relationship between Krsna and the jiva-souls.
This can only exist if the jiva-souls are allowed to express their own independent individuality and unique free will without interference (forced surrender) from Krsna.
Although there is a different selfless standard on the level of the gopis, as said above their greatest intense love for Kṛṣṇa is experienced in separation.
Srila Bhaktivenode Thakura also prays in the same way as the gopis feeling intense separation from Kṛṣṇa.
Others rightly claim also if Krsna did force His will on the jiva-souls then there can never be genuine loving exchanges because denying free will is also denying the jiva-souls to voluntary contribute their own choices of service.
I always try to remember that the love the gopis and Radharani have for Kṛṣṇa, is way above our understanding, they are in a league of their own very few can understand.
Srila Prabhupāda - "Unless there are "two persons", where is the question of love? Love means two persons, then there is exchange. When these things are transacted, 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." (Evening Darsana, Aug 9, 1976, Tehran)
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)
Having "free will" is the eternal constitutional make up of every "marginal living entity," and the foundation for all jiva-soul's relationship with Krsna.
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)
In the spiritual world or kingdom of God (Goloka-Vrindavana), loving service can never be a "one-way or one-sided" affair, no, real love or service is always an exchange of voluntary loving exchanges between two in a two-way relationship.
Surrendering one's free will to Krsna so He can have completely control over your every thoughts and actions is spiritual suicide. In other words, trying to extinguish you individuality by allowing Krsna to do all your thinking and actions for you, is dangerous impersonalism.
Srila Prabhupada - "Krsna does not want to become a lover by force, on the point of revolver. "You love me, otherwise I shall kill you! That is not love." (July 8, 1976 Washington, D.C United States).
As said above, such impersonalism that demands one should be just like a mindless puppet in the hands of the puppet master, where the puppeteer controls his mindless puppets by moving the strings has no sense of life, freedom or independence, similarly if Krsna had full control over the individual jiva-soul's ability to make their own choices, it would deny the jiva-souls from experiencing their own personal sense of being independent and being able to make their own decisions, choices and personal unique contributions.
Sadly, this type of bogus surrender, where immature religious leaders demanded you "surrender" your free will and let Krsna flow through you and do all your thinking for you, was once a serious problem in many religious cults when trying to understand what "real" surrender to Krsna (God) really is. This kind of mindless surrender denying who you real are as a person is actually impersonalism.
The fact is, if Krsna had full dictatorial control over the jiva-souls in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, then that one-sided relationship is only empty impersonalism, slaverly and devoid of real love. Only a fool would want to be Krsna's mindles slave by attempting to extinguish their individuality, free will and independence thoughts that makes them the person they are who can choose to contribute to their relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
Such a nonsense "one-sided" dictatorial relationship on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, would simply make the jiva-souls no better than mindless lifeless dead stone Prabhupada has warned, just like a lifeless puppet controlled by strings!
Therefore the eternal individual jiva-souls in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, always have their own independent free will that is part and parcel of their unique individual marginal identity (as jiva-soul)
This freedom of having free will, allows the jiva-souls to each make their own unique personal offerings and voluntary contributions to Visnu or Krsna, where each jiva-soul can offer or serve Krsna in their own unique personal way.
In other words, each individual jiva-soul has their own special unique (personal) association and relationship with Krsna that no other jiva-soul has like theres. These loving exchanges are based on a "two-way" character building exchange between Krsna and the jiva-souls.
However, in the temporary material creation, it is different because those who have entered the material creation have previously chosen to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan by rejecting Visnu on the Vaikuntha planets or Krsna in Goloka-Vrindavana.
So, why then does Krsna allow the eternal individual jiva-souls to have their independent freedom to even leave the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavan if they choose?
Devotee – "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 here, why are we here?" Why doesn’t Krsna save me from coming to the material world?"
Srila Prabhupada - "That means you lose your independence, that is force, in Bengali it is said, "If you catch one girl or boy, 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, 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).<<>>
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