Friday, April 12, 2024

Srila Prabhupada explains without "free will" the eternal individual jiva-souls are no better than dead stone!

Without "free will" the eternal individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) could can never experience unique individual self expression or voluntary contributions and offerings with Krsna in a "two-way" relationship of loving exchanges.  

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)

"Free will" means voluntarily contributing to one's eternal relationship with Krsna making the relationship always a "two-way" reciprocal exhange. 

Free will also means the eternal individual jiva-souls can choose to reject Krsna at anytime, otherwise "free will" has no meaning. 

The individual marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are eternally part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa who are known as Krsna's separated expansions (a paradox) 

The eternal individual jiva-soul (marginal living entities) natural constitution is they ALWAYS exists without beginning or end on the spiritual planets but some (less than 10%) choose to enter the material world. 

As said above, free will in its full potential ONLY exists on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavan, which are the eternal individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) original perpetual home.

As Srila Prabhupada explains, the relationship between Krsna and the individual jiva-soul is never a "one-way" domineering relationship that denies voluntary personal contributions and offerings.

No, loving exchanges and reciprocation are ALWAYS based on a relationship between two because loving exchanges can only exist when there are two as Prabhupada explains-

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

Ultimately, each individual jiva-soul is a unique person as eternal spiritual bodily form, who can choose for themselves to voluntarily serve Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, or ignore Him if they choose. As Prabhupada explains, Krsna never forces you to surrender to Him, never forces you to love Him, that must be voluntary.

For free will to truly exist these options must always be there.

Srila Prabhupada – "Krsna NEVER forces you to love Him, that MUST be voluntary. Love is reciprocal, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force, no, Krishna does not want to become a lover like that." (July 8, 1976)

Devotee – "In Srimad Bhagavatam, it says that Krsna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krsna did not want us to come, then why are we here? Why doesn’t Krsna 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 from them, 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. Real 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 rapist?" (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C).

The individual jiva-souls on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana, are forever expanding their unique expressions due to their individuality, with personal offerings (contributions) based on free will (freedom of expression) with selfless loving exchanges and reciprocation with Krsna, it is NEVER a one-sided master/slave impersonal relationship with the Krsna (God).

Real love, bhakti or service is reciprocal, as said above, it is NEVER on a "one-way street" of domination where this impersonal "surrender" to Krsna takes away the individual jiva-soul's free will, sense of independent self, individuality, voluntarily expressing one's unique personality by offering their personal contributions to Krsna.

This is important to understand because each individual jiva-soul has their own autonomous personality separate from Krsna's Personality, having their own unique characteristics THEY each only have that no other individual  jiva-soul also has.

Each eternal individual jiva-soul is a unique individual meaning no two jiva-souls are the same.

All these qualities are part and parcel of each individual marginal living entities (jiva-soul's) constitutional make up in the spiritual world as the independent unique separated "PERSON" they are eternally.

The paradox is the jiva-soul's have their independence but are simultaneously dependent of Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes. 

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)

Having the qualities of being an eternal PERSON like Krsna as a spiritual bodily form, also includes the jiva-souls having their FREE WILL as part and parcel of their constitutional make up as said above.

Krsna does not want to be surrounded by mindless drones who have no idea how to voluntarily make their own offerings and contributions in their relationship with Krsna.

Each eternal individual jiva-soul always has their unique idependent individuality, as part of their constitutional make up, to make personal contributions to expand and enriche the relationship of loving exchanges between Krsna and His devotees.

Sadly, many foolishly believe extinguishing your individuality and free will and just becoming Krsna's yes men/women is the real meaning of surrender. They are wrong! 

Their belief is-

"Hand over and "surrender" your individuality and free will by letting Krsna's will flow through you and control your every actions and thoughts like a puppet master controls a puppet."

Such dictatorial impersonal loveless so called surrender always ends in spiritual suicide.

Real surrender on the other hand, is to use your free will to voluntarily choose to serve Krsna with personal contributions in a "two-way" relationship of cooperation, recognition, reciprocation and loving exchanges. This is the difference between PERSONALISM and IMPERSONALISM.

Love is NEVER a "one-way street," the individual jiva-soul's MUST have their free will too, which is only possible in a "two-way" exchange of voluntary offerings and service.

The "spiritual world's of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana are NOT a dictatorial "one-way" impersonal directive, or a domineering demanding totalitarian that denies personal contributions, where God (Krsna/Visnu does all the thinking and decision making for you, no, the spiritual planets are NOT impersonal or emotionally dead like that.

The fact is, on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana (the Kingdom of God) there are ALWAYS loving exchanges, cooperation, personal unique individual contributions based on "free will", and loving enriching reciprocation going on between "two," between Krsna and His devotees because without these attributes there can never be loving exchanges.

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." (Washington DC July 8, 1976)

Therefore "loyalty" is ALWAYS a "two-way" street where the jiva-souls have their own unique individual personality seperate from Krsna's Personality, allowing them to add their own personal unique expressions into the relationship with Krsna that expand and forever enhances and enriches one's friendship with Krsna. 

Krsna will NEVER "force" the individual jiva-souls to do what we do not "choose" to do on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana because they have contributions too and are NOT Krsna's mindless pawns, puppets and Krsna's emotionless "yes" Men/Women.  

Srila Prabhupada - "Krsna does not want to become a lover by force, from 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. Why one is called lover, another is called rapist?” (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)

So, clearly surrendering to Krsna and His pure devotees is NOT impersonal, it does NOT mean giving up your intelligence, free will, individuality and the awareness of being an independent unique contributing person you are eternally.

The spiritual world's of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana are NOT an impersonal domineering mindless place for the individual jiva-souls, where Krsna does all the thinking  for them in their relationship with Krsna. 

No, the Kingdom of God is not impersonal like that in anyway, there is ALWAYS voluntary loving exchanges going on based on reciprocation between Krsna and His devotees in a two-way exchange.

Srila Prabhupada - “The jiva-soul's position in the spiritual world is voluntary. Some devotee wants to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want that "As 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, Australia May 20, 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)

One's relationship with God (Krsna) in His Kingdom is NEVER a "one-sided" master/slave mindless none contributing dictatorship as explained above, Prabhupada is telling us here.

The jiva-souls on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana are forever voluntarily expanding the expression their individuality with an increasing variety of personal devotional offerings based on personal contributions and free will.

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)

Srila Prabhupada - "Their (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)."*÷*






No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.