Friday, May 31, 2024

Free will expressed in a "two-way" exchange of loving reciprocation, is the real basis and meaning of personalism that is meant to always offer voluntary loving service to Krsna eternally.

On the Vaikuntha planets of Viṣṇu/Narayana, and Krsna’s central Abode of Goloka Vrindavana, personal voluntary contributions (service) expressed through free will, are ALWAYS encouraged by Krsna to create diversity and a two-way reciprocal relationship of loving exchanges.

Although, it must be remembered that the eternal individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) can NEVER exist independently from Krsna who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes.

The eternal individual jiva-souls can always express their independent free will separate from Krsna for the purpose of allowing a "two-way" voluntary exchange of loving co-operation.

Such free will encourages unique individual contributions and personal offerings from the eternal jiva-souls.

On the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, personal voluntary expressions of loving exchanges expressed through free will are ALWAYS encouraged by Krsna this adds flavour, variety and mystery to the association.

This means the Kingdom of God is NOT a "one-sided" dominating impersonal domain devoid of free will that does not allow personal contributions or offerings to God (Krsna), meant to expand, enrich and flavour the relationship eternally.

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, and not just one!

Free will expressed in a "two-way" exchange of loving reciprocation, is the real basis and meaning of personalism. 

The eternal individual jiva-souĺs have THEIR choices too, EVEN if that choice means rejecting Krsna! 

If that choice to even be able to reject Krsna is denied, then it means the eternal individual jiva-souls do NOT have free will.

Free will only has meaning when the individual jiva-souls can express themselves in a "two-sided" unconditional 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 eternal 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 individual "marginal living entity (jiva-soul)," and is the foundation for ALL relationship with Krsna.

Srila Prabhupāda – ''Love means a relationship between "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)

Just like the Sun-disc and the sun-rays CANNOT exist separately from each other, similarly Krsna cannot exist separately from His devotees (His parts and parcels the eternal individual jiva-souls)

Each eternal individual jiva-soul (marginal living entity) is a one of a kind independent person with their own unique personality different from other personalities including Kṛṣṇas.

Therefore, no two eternal individual jiva-souls are the same, and no jiva-soul can EVER become God (Krsna or Visnu).

Loving devotional service to Krsna is ALWAYS based on a "two-way" voluntary exchange of personal feelings manifesting as loving acts of reciprocation between Kṛṣṇa and His devotees.

Each individual jiva-soul can always voluntarily contribute their own unique expressions (offerings) of devotional service to Krsna as the real meaning of surrendering to Krsna's will that does not deny the "free will" of each eternal jiva-soul.

On the other hand, actions expressed in a "one-way" domineering forceful mood from a "so called God" in his dictatorial mindless Kingdom, will never allow a personal voluntary "two-way" contribution of loving exchanges, emotions, feelings and unique offerings involving the eternal individual jiva-souls, making the relationship oppressive dangerous impersonalism.

Personalism means a "two-way" relationship based on "free will" that includes voluntary loving feelings and emotions that expand, enrich and multiplies the affection, sentiment and exchanges between the eternal individual jiva-souls and 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 by 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, 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 of the jiva-soul's full potential. The human form is the full manifestation of the soul."

Hari-sauri dasa - "So 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, then 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 Ch 1-4 Melb, Australia May 20, 1975)

All the individual personal contributions from the eternal jiva-souls are forever expanding their unique ability of self expression on the Vaikuntha planets serving Visnu, and in Goloka Vrindavana serving Krsna.

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

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

It must be clearly understood for love to truly exist, each eternal individual jiva-soul MUST have the 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, service, personalism or free will.

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

HERE HERE HERE HERE 


This quality or attribute of free will is part of the jiva-soul's marginal constitutional nature, as an independent free thinking part and parcels expansion of the Krsna.

Krsna allows this freedom that all jiva-souls have because without free will loving exchanges 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)

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 personality in the spiritual worlds.

This means the jiva-souls can even choose to leave the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana if they want.

Free will always allows this and if it didn't then there is no question of loving exchanges.

Being a marginal living entity (jiva-soul) means free will.

The choice to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana IS possible because Krsna allows a "two-way" relationship, this means one can accept or reject Krsna if they choose to do so.

There is no such thing as permanently staying in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana simply because the the jiva-souls can leave anytime they like, and Krsna does not interfere with the jiva-souls free will.

If Krsna did interfere then there is no such thing as free will.

Sadly in the mundane material creation, so many terrible things are constantly happening but taken for granted due to ignorance.

Like the unnatural painful cycle of birth, disease, old age and death the jiva-souls experience while covered by a material body foolishly taken for granted.

Frustration in the constantly changing (decaying) material creation, will always be experienced by those foolish jiva-souls who do choose to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana and enter the material creation.

This is because the material creation is ALWAYS in a constantly progressive state of decay, decline and forgetfulness where one's material body will always wear out, breaks down and die (no long capable to support life).

But the eternal individual jiva-soul, covered by the material temporary body, is eternal and therefore is NEVER subjected to decay or decline, but sadly IS forced to continuously change 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 individual jiva-soul's choices and suffering.

No, Krsna is NOT responsible for the suffering of the individual jiva-souls who have chosen to enter the material world, even though the massive Brahmanda material universes and their inner secondary material universe are Krsna's creation, built by His expansions Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakashayi Visnu and Brahma.

The suffering in the material world happens because at one point in the spiritual world, 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, personal offerings and loving exchanges. 

Therefore, as a result of mistakingly misusing their free will, the individual jiva-soul is forced by their own actions, to enter the temporary material world 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 Brahmanda 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.

As said above, Krsna will NEVER interfere with the eternal individual jiva-soul's free will because if he did, the jiva-souls would have no independent sense a contributing personality, or the ability to accept, experience and respond with genuine unique loving exchanges and personal service.

Without an independent sense of "unique self" of having personal individual abilities that allows one to "choose" for themselves how to voluntary serve Kṛṣṇa by contributing in their own way, based on loving exchanges and reciprocation, then how can there be genuine love?

These individual unique qualities are the characteristics that make the jiva-soul (marginal living entity) the individual PERSON they are eternally.

Love or service in the spiritual worlds are NEVER a "one-way street", love can ONLY exist when "two" are exchanging loving feelings to each other.

Only then when there is reciprocation and exchanges of loving service between Kṛṣṇa and His devotee, does love truly exist.

Only when "two" are voluntarily involved in reciprocating with each other can love exist. In this way, real love or service is ALWAYS based on a "two-way exchange of feelings."

As said above, that means offering individual contributions that will enhance, expand and perpetually uplift the relationship between Krsna and His marginal living entities (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.

As already explained 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 individual jiva-souls to voluntary contribute as a person with their unique individuality.

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 is the foundation for ALL eternal individual 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 has complete control over the jiva-soul's every thought and actions, just like a puppet master has absolute control over his puppets, to a Vaisnava, is dangerous impersonalism.

Srila Prabhupada - "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).

Such impersonalism is just like a puppet master controls his mindless puppet by moving the strings. 

The puppet 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 an independent self, and being able to make their OWN decisions and choices of offering their own personal unique contributions.

Sadly this type of bogus surrender, where immature leaders demand you surrender your free will and let Krsna flow through you and do all the thinking for you is Impersonalism.

This is a serious problem for some trying to understand what "surrendering" to Krsna (God) really means. 

The fact is, if Krsna had full dictatorial control over the jiva-souls in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, then how could they independently offering anything?

Such a "one-sided" relationship is only empty impersonalism that is 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 "unique" PERSON they are eternally.

Therefore all individual jiva-souls CAN voluntary make their own choices and contribute to the relationship they have with Krsna in their own unique way.

Such a nonsense "one-sided" dictatorial relationship in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana would simply make the eternal individual jiva-souls no better than "mindless" lifeless dead stone Prabhupada has warned, just like a lifeless Puppet controlled by strings!

Therefore, the individual jiva-souls on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavan ALWAYS have their own independent "free will" that is part and parcel of their unique separate individual marginal identity (As an eternal individual 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.

This is REAL freedom.

In this way each individual jiva-soul has their own special unique (personal) association and relationship with Krsna that no other jiva-soul has like theirs.

These loving exchanges are based on a "two-way" relationship 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 in Vaikuntha or Krsna in Goloka Vrindavana.

So why then does Krsna allow the jiva-souls to have their independent freedom to even leave Vaikuntha or 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, why are we here? Why doesn’t He save us 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, ‘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)

First of all we read from above by Prabhupada, Krsna gives the jiva-souls "free will" in the Spiritual Worlds that allows them to make their own choices there. 

Having free will also makes the jiva-souls fully responsible for all their choices and actions. 

Rejecting Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan and therefore having to enter the material creation, (but only less than 10% make such a choice) was a mistake by those jiva-souls because the material creation is NOT the real home of the individual jiva-souls.

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 or attribute of free will is part of the jiva-soul's marginal constitutional nature, as an independent free thinking part and parcels expansion of the Krsna.

Krsna allows this freedom that all jiva-souls have because without free will loving exchanges 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)

Having "free will" is the constitutional make up of all marginal living entities (jiva-souls) and is the bases of expressing PERSONALISM. 

This quality of free will is ALWAYS part and parcel of the individual jiva-soul's eternal character and personality in the spiritual world.

This means the jiva-souls can even choose to leave the Vaikuntha Planets or Goloka-Vrindavana if they want.

Free will always allows this and if it didn't then there is no question of loving exchanges.

This is why it is foolish that big, big gurus, sannyasis and scholars in some religious cults wrongly claim once entering the spiritual world the individual jiva-souls can never again leave or fall down again.

No, they CAN fall down again and again and again if they choose to do so! Remaining in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana is also voluntary and the fact is over 90% of eternal individual jiva-souls "choose" to never again fall down.

But less than 10% do choose return to the material world. 

And as said above, such choices or fall downs have nothing to do with Maya (material energy) because Maya does not exist in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana.

It is simply the misuse of free will that is the cause of fall down.

The choice to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana is possible because Krsna allows a "two-way" relationship, this means one can accept or reject Krsna if they choose to do so.

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 free will. 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)

Syamasundara - "But can we predict returning back home back to Godhead will be permanent? Can we predict that? Just like many prisoners leave the prison, however some do come back?''

Srila Prabhupada - "No, there is no permanent effect because we have got little independence. 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 and free will. 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 - "He has got independence, therefore there is always the possibility he can misuse his independence, he CAN fall down. That's why when a man is released from the prison house, that does not mean permanently because he can come back again, 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." (Talk with Syamasundara on Henri Bergson philosophy)

Even though Krsna has promised there is no return to the material creation once returning to the spiritual worlds, the fact is there IS return if the jiva-souls want to return as Prabhupada explains here-

Acyutananda – "In Bhagavad Gita Krsna says, once coming to the spiritual world, the individual jiva-soul never returns to the material world, so He can return?"

Srila Prabhupada – "If he likes he can return, that is voluntary." 

Guru-kripa – "How is it that one can become envious of Krsna?"

Srila Prabhupada – "You have got little independence, you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God. God has got full independence, but you have got independence too, proportionately, because you are part and parcel, so if he likes, he can return, there is always a choice. That independence has to be accepted. We can misuse that. Krsna-bahirmukha haïä bhoga väïchä kare. That misuse is the cause of our falldown." (Mayapur Feb 19, 1976)

Paramahamsa - "But ultimately if we come to Krsna, there’s no return?

Srila Prabhupada - "There IS return, that is voluntary. Return there is."

Paramahamsa - "If we want."

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes."

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

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes."

Paramahamsa - "Fall down?

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, as soon as we think, “Oh, this material world is very nice,” Yes, Krsna says, “yes, you go and enjoy the material world, otherwise what is the meaning of free will? Every living entity has got a little free will. And Krsna is so kind, He gives him opportunity, "All right, you enjoy like this, you choose." Just like some of our students sometimes go away, again come back. It is free wwill. Or just like one goes to the prisonhouse, not that government welcomes, "Come on. We have got prisonhouse. Come here, come here." He goes out of his free will; again comes out, again goes back. Like that."

Paramahamsa - "So because of our desire to enjoy separate from Krsna, we achieve these temporary material bodies; and our desire to achieve Krsna brings us to our natural position."

Srila Prabhupada - ''Yes." (Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course, May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

Devotee - "Well, I believe you once said that once a conditioned soul becomes perfected and gets out of the material world and he goes to Krsnaloka, there’s no possibility of falling back to the material world?"

Srila Prabhupada - "No! There is possibility, but he does not come IF he is intelligent. Just like after putting your hand in the fire, if you are intelligent you will never put it in again. So those who are going back to Godhead, they MUST become intelligent." (Talk with Syamasundara Dasa)

Srila Prabhupada - "As soon as we try, "Oh, this material world is very nice," "Yes," Kṛṣṇa says, "yes, you can go and enjoy." 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 Cheviot Hills May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

All eternal individual jiva souls have these 3 basic qualities as part of their constitutional makeup.

1 - An independent separate sense of self worth able to contribute to their relationship with Kṛṣṇa, 

2 - Eternal individuality and a unique independent identity.

3 - Their own personal unique character and personality. 

Only then can when these qualities exist can there be meaningful reciprocal loving exchanges between Krsna and His marginal living entities (jiva-souls)

It is a fact that sadly, some eternal individual jiva-souls make the wrong choices in the spiritual world Prabhupada has told us, giving the figure of less than 10% who choose to leave and enter the material world.  

As said above, this has nothing to do with Maya or material energy because Maya does not exist there in the spiritual world but free will does.

Srila Prabhupada also explains that over 90% of individual jiva-souls choose to NEVER rebel or leave the spiritual world. 

But sadly less than 10% do rebell and enter the temporary decaying material creation, where one is forced to accept the cycle of repeated birth and death.

Dr. John Mize – “Does Krsna know ahead of time that a soul is going to be foolish and fall?”

Srila Prabhupada – “Krsna? Yes, Krsna may know because He is omniscient”.

Dr. John Mize – “Are more souls falling all the time?”

Srila Prabhupada – “Not all the time. But there is the tendency of fall down, not for all, but because there is independence… Everyone is not liking to misuse the independence. The same example, just like a government constructing a city and constructs also prison house because the government knows that somebody will be criminal. So, their shelter must be also constructed. It is very easy to understand. Not that cent percent population will be criminal, but government knows that some of them will be. Otherwise why they construct prison house also? One may say, “Where is the criminal? You are constructing…” Government knows, there will be criminal. So, if the ordinary government can know, why God cannot know? Because there is tendency."

Dr. John Mize – “The origin of that tendency (to fall from Goloka) is…?"

Srila Prabhupada – “Yes."

Dr. John Mize – "From where does that tendency come?"

Srila Prabhupada – "Tendency means the independence. 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. Therefore Krsna says,yathecchasi tathä kuru. "Now you do whatever you like." (BG As It Is lecture, Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

While in the material creation, their actions, good and bad, come under the laws of material nature called karma, and they have to answer for all they do, good or bad.

Therefore, the full freedom or free will that exists in Goloka Vrindavana and Vaikuntha, certainly does NOT exist in the material creation. 

Choosing to reject Krsna means the eternal individual jiva-souls are FULLY responsible for their own actions, life after life in the material creation. 

Krsna is NOT responsible for the choices each jiva-soul makes, they are.

All the suffering the jiva-souls experience in the material creation is caused by them leaving Krsna in the first place and then reaping the reactions of their own mistaken choices of actions within a temporary material bodily vessel or container within the material creation.

In other words, the individual jiva-soul is punished or rewarded (karma) for what ever actions, good or bad, they have "chosen" to act out in this life that may not be payed for until the next life, or even the life after that.

No one understands how Karma fully works because no one knows how many births we have had in the material creation over billions of years!!

This is important to understand and realize, we are all responsible for our own actions and pay for them with the kind of materialbody we get.

We CANNOT blame God (Krsna) for our suffering in the material worlds. 

Without "free will" in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, freedom to uniquely serve and love Kṛṣṇa in one's own way from one's heart (personality) will NEVER exist.

This means the jiva-souls must always have an independent sense of self worth, individuality, and their own unique character and perpersonality

As said above, only then can reciprocal love between two exist with Krsna and His marginal living entity (jiva-soul) exist.

Srila Prabhupada has said without free will and the ability to reciprocate as an independent individual servant of Lord Krsna, then we are all no better than a dead stone.

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 eternal 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, 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 an 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 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 spiritual life, an individual spiritual force?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, life 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 material 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 life 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 to realize Krsna. If you take it in that way, that Krsna is within every atom and therefore sanctions 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)

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.

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 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 independent from Krsna, not without the sanction of Krsna. Without Him, we cannot do anything, therefore Krsna 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 (free will) in the sense that we may deny or affirm, but unless Krsna sanctions our desires, 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.

This is because Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes. Nothing can happen without the sanction of Krsna. 

"Not a blade of grass can move without His sanction."

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

In this way, free will and personalism go hand in hand in a "two-way" relationship of loving co-operation and exchanges, just like a "one-way" suppressive dictatorship denying personal contributions and impersonalism also go hand in hand.

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 as explained above, without free will the spiritual world 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 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.

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)

Cintamani (or the Cintamani Stone), is a wish-fulfilling jewel in Goloka Vrindavana.

Cintamani is ALWAYS aspired to achieve by great devotes because they ONLY desire to please Krsna.

To say you have no desires in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana is Impersonalism or Mayavadi nonsense.

One NEVER loses "desires" in the Spiritual Worlds because THOSE desires are forever expanding 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.×^

Compiled by Gauragopala Dasa Acbsp (initiated by Srila Prabhupada on July 10th 1972).













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