We must never forget that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes and nothing can happen unless it is first sanctioned by Krsna.

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 the individual eternal jiva-souls 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 first. 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 Him first, including FREE WILL.

This is because Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes meaning 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, free will actually makes the relationship with Krsna PERSONAL expressed in a "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 denies personal contributions, goes hand in hand with impersonalism.

As said above, Srila Prabhupada in his discussion with Syamasundara dasa, is simply making the point that EVERYTHING is under the control of Krsna as said above- 

"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 eternal jiva-souls, are forever expanding their unique ability of self expression in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana.

This allows them to always make voluntary offerings to Krsna and Viṣṇu that forever increase and expand the loving emotions of cooperation in a 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" as a perpetual spiritual bodily form with their own unique individual quality of self expression existing always in both the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana.

It must be clearly understood for love to truly exist, each eternal individual jiva-soul MUST have their free will to make their own choices (freedom of voluntary unique self expression) even if it means leaving Krsna if they choose, otherwise there can be no question of genuine love, service or 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 1974)

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." (Dialectical Spiritualism: A Vedic View of Western Philosophy)

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)

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)*

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