Srila Prabhupada - "Free will means that you can act wrongly or rightly, that is free will."

Srila Prabhupada - "Free will means that you can act wrongly or rightly, 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 we have free will." (Discussions on Rene Descartes philosophy)

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence (free will) means one can use it properly or one can misuse it, that is independence, that is the meaning of free will. If you make it one way only so you cannot fall down, that is not independence (free will), that is force." (Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

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

Srila Prabhupada - "Because you are son of God you have independence (free will), you have acquired the quality of your father, so God does not interfere with your independence (free will). If you persist that “I must enjoy independently," God says, "All right, that is your free will, you can go and enjoy or suffer." This is the position, if you persist, God sanctions. And you can come here to the material world and enjoy or suffer." (Melb, Australia June 25, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada - "As soon as we try, "Oh, this material world is very nice," "Yes," Kṛṣṇa says, "yes, you can go and enjoy or suffer." 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 go and enjoy or suffer, it is your choice, your free will." (Morning Walk Cheviot Hills May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence (free will) means one can use it properly, or one can misuse it. That is independence has to be there if free will truly exists. If you make it one way only, that is not independence (free will), that is force.” (Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)

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 He save us from thinking like that and coming to the material world?"

Srila Prabhupada - "That means you lose your independence (free will), that is force. In Bengali it is said, "If you catch one girl or boy and demand, 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)

Krsna will always sanction free will because without free will, the devotees could never voluntary contribute in their own unique way in their relationship with Kṛṣṇa. 

Free will then actually makes the relationship with Krsna more personal because it allows "two-way" exchanges and loving reciprocation but also allows the devotee to reject Krsna if they choose making them responsible for their good and bad actions.

The reality is there really is no death of the jiva-soul, only the material  body dies while the soul lives on into eternity, always getting unlimited chances in unlimited material bodily vessels to improve themselves and eventually get it right and return home back to Godhead.

Remember, for the eternal individual jiva-souls there is neither birth or death - so there is really no death of who we really are.

Free will and personalism go hand in hand in a two-sided affair of loving co-operation and exchanges with Krsna.

On the other hand, a "one-way" suppressive God only denies individual contributions and offerings, leaving only impersonalism.

The eternal individual jiva-souls only have free will because Krsna allows it to be part of our personality that allows voluntarily loving exchanges and unique contributions in a "two-way" exchange. 

Krsna therefore allows free will meant to expand loving expressions but can also be misused leading to suffering.

Without free will there can only be impersonalism because individual participation and voluntary contributions would never exist.

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)

The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) can never lose their "free will" in the Vaikuntha planets or Krsna's central planet of Goloka-Vrindavana.

This means the eternal individual jiva-souls in the spiritual world always "voluntarily" express themselves and serve in their own unique way with the personal offerings and contributions they choose to offer to Krsna as Prabhupada explains here.

Srila Prabhupada - “The individual jiva-soul's position in the spiritual world is voluntary, some devotees want 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)

For a "voluntary" relationship with Krsna (God) to exist, the eternal individual jiva-souls must have the free will to independently express themselves otherwise how can "voluntary" service participation be possible?

Nothing can be achieved voluntarily without having free will or the freedom of self expression.

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

Free will means there is always a choice otherwise you have no freedom of voluntary service.

Srila Prabhupada - "Because you are Son of God you have independence, you have acquired the quality of your father, so God does not interfere with your independence. If you persist that “I must enjoy independently,” God says, “All right, you can go.” This is the position, if you persist, God sanctions. And you can come here and enjoy." (Melb, Australia June 25, 1974)

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 - "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 you have no free will. Because we can act sometimes wrongly or rightly, that means you have free will."

Hayagriva - "A person may know what is right, but still act wrongly."

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, that is one's expression of free will, if they can misuse their free will, it means they have free will. A thief may know that stealing is wrong, that it is bad, but still does it, That is them expressing their free will. They cannot check their greediness, so in spite of knowing it is the wrong thing to do, they still will be punished, they know because they have seen other thieves being punished and put in prison,  everything is known and can be rightly or wrongly acted upon, but still one chooses to steal. Why? Due to misuse of free will. In fact, unless there is misuse of free will, there is no question of free will. (Discussions on Rene Descartes philosophy)

The eternal individual jiva-souls are independent living entities with their their own unique sense of self that is separate from Krsna's Personality, yet are simultaneously always dependent on Krsna as His parts and parcels just like the sun-rays are always dependent on the sun-disc.

The reason why Krsna gives the individual jiva-souls their independence or "free will," is to allow them to voluntarily choose for themselves how they want to serve Krsna in their own unique personal way. 

This brings variety, mystery, suprise and individual contributions to the relationship, making it a two-sided respectful association between Kṛṣṇa and the individual jiva-souls.

The Kingdom of God is never a one-sided affair where the master always controls the servants, denying the servants their freedom of individual expression and personal contributions. 

Krsna's Kingdom's of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana are not impersonal like that.

Therefore, the marginal living entities (the individual jiva-souls) can always contribute their own unique offerings without any pressure or force from Krsna, or can even reject Krsna if they choose. 

Free will means one can act rightly or wrongly otherwise there is no free will.

Srila Prabhupada - "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 we have free will." (Discussions on Rene Descartes philosophy)

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence (free will) means one can use it properly or one can misuse it, that is independence, that is the meaning of free will. If you make it one way only so you cannot fall down, that is not independence (free will), that is force." (Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

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

Srila Prabhupada - "As soon as we try, "Oh, this material world is very nice," "Yes," Kṛṣṇa says, "yes, you can go and enjoy or suffer." 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 go and enjoy or suffer, it is your choice, your free will." (Morning Walk Cheviot Hills May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

Real loving exchanges or service can only exist when free will is expressed and allows the individual jiva-souls to voluntarily participate in unique loving devotional exchanges with Krsna by contributing to the relationship they have with Krsna otherwise the concept of "love" has no meaning.

Srila Prabhupada - ''Love means you take and you give also, a two-way relationship. Suppose if you love somebody and you simply take from them, but never give back, do you think that is very good? No, it is not good, that is not love, it is exploitation. If I go on simply taking from you and don't offer you anything, then 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 by one, there must be another one, there must be two. I love somebody; somebody loves me, there must be lover, there must be beloved, and the transaction, only then is there love." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 C 2 text 6, Delhi, Nov 12, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - "The impersonalist philosophy is oneness, so how can there be love with just one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience? Does love mean one? No. Love means two, there must be two, the lover and the beloved. Kṛṣṇa is already the lover, He loves you so much He is always trying to get you back, "Please, My dear boy or girl, My dear friend, My dear servant, please come come back to your real home in the spiritual world." (Lecture SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)

Surrendering to Krsna in the spiritual world does not mean giving up your intelligence and free will and allowing Krsna to control all your every actions, deeds, words and thoughts, no, the individual jiva-souls in the spiritual world are not programmed "mindless" drones programmed only to obey and never independently contribute to the relationship with Krsna in their own unique way by thinking for themselves.

The individual jiva-souls can never lose their free will on the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana, or the individual ability of self expression of offering their own personal contributions to Krsna that are "unique" to each individual jiva-soul.

Only by having free will can voluntary genuine loving exchanges and reciprocation take place, and without free will the jiva-souls are no better than dead stone Prabhupada has warned us.

Furthermore, Krsna never interferes with the free will of the individual jiva-souls because if He did and never allowed them to have their free will and make their own choices in the spiritual world, then that also would mean loving exchanges of voluntarily reciprocation and contributions with Krsna would never exist.

If one is forced to worship God then that is not love, it is tyranny, bullying and impersonalism.

The "impersonal version" of God's spiritual Kingdom where the individual jiva-souls are forced to surrender their free will and instead allow their bogus version of God to take over their individual existence by doing all the thinking and actions for them is dangerous impersonalism.

Having genuine free will on the other hand, allows the individual jiva-souls to be themselves, which is an independent unique contributing person who can always voluntarily choose their own personal offerings to Krsna.

Voluntary service is the bases of real surrender in Goloka Vrindavana and the Vaikuntha planets which are the permanent eternal home and permanent origin of the marginal living entities (jiva-souls)

The eternal individual jiva-souls on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana, are forever voluntarily expanding the expression of their unique individual contributions with an increasing variety of personal devotional offerings based on free will, it is never a nonsense one-sided master/slave mindless relationship with Krsna as Prabhupada explains.

Krsna does not control the "surrendered" jiva-souls by force like a puppet master controls every movement of his puppets with the manipulations of strings, denying self expression, individual contributions and voluntary service.

However, Krsna does control His pure devotees but only with loving reciprocal exchanges. The individual jiva-souls allows this two-way voluntary expression because loving exchanges can only exist in a two-sided relationship. Only then can unconditional love for Krsna exist and have meaning.  

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; no, that is rape. Why one is called lover, another is called rape?" (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)

If the jiva-souls had no free will in the spiritual world then they are no better than dead stone Prabhupada tells us.

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)

Srila Prabhupada - "As living spiritual individual jiva-souls we are all originally Kṛṣṇa conscious entities, but due to our association with matter since time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by material atmosphere. When the superior energy is in contact with inferior energy, it becomes an incompatible situation. But when the supreme marginal potency is in contact with the spiritual potency, Harā, it becomes the happy, normal condition of the living entity. This transcendental vibration of chanting-

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

This is the sublime method for reviving our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally Kṛṣṇa conscious entities, but due to our association with matter since time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by material atmosphere.

In this polluted concept of live, we are all trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities. This illusion is called māyā, or hard struggle for existence over the stringent laws of material nature. This illusory struggle against the material nature can at once be stopped by revival of our Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind. This consciousness is the original energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived. And the process is recommended by authorities for this age. 

By practical experience also, we can perceive that by chanting this mahā-mantra, or the great chanting for deliverance, one can at once feel transcendental ecstasy from the spiritual stratum.

When one is factually on the plane of spiritual understanding, surpassing the stages of sense, mind and intelligence, one is situated on the transcendental plane. This chanting of-

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare is directly enacted from the spiritual platform, surpassing all lower states of consciousness namely sensual, mental and intellectual.

There is no need of understanding the language of the mantra, nor is there any need of mental speculation nor any intellectual adjustment for chanting this mahā-mantra. It springs automatically from the spiritual platform, and as such, anyone can take part in this transcendental sound vibration, without any previous qualification, and dance in ecstasy. We have seen it practically. Even a child can take part in the chanting, or even a dog can take part in it.

The chanting should be heard, however, from the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord, so that immediate effect can be achieved. As far as possible, chanting from the lips of a nondevotee should be avoided, as much as milk touched by the lips of a serpent causes poisonous effect.

The word Harā is a form of addressing the energy of the Lord. Both Kṛṣṇa and Rāma are forms of addressing directly the Lord, and they mean "the highest pleasure, eternal." Harā is the supreme pleasure potency of the Lord. This potency, when addressed as Hare, helps us in reaching the Supreme Lord.

The material energy, called mayā, is also one of the multipotencies of the Lord, as much as we are also the marginal potency of the Lord.

The "marginal living entities" (individual jiva-souls) are described as a superior energy than matter. When the superior energy is in contact with inferior energy, it becomes an incompatible situation.

But when the supreme marginal potency is in contact with the spiritual potency, Harā, it becomes the happy, normal condition of the living entity.

The three words, namely Harā, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, are transcendental seeds of the mahā-mantra, and the chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy, Harā, for giving protection to the conditioned soul.

The chanting is exactly like a genuine cry by the child for the mother. Mother Harā helps in achieving the grace of the supreme father, Hari, or Kṛṣṇa, and the Lord reveals Himself to such a sincere devotee. No other means, therefore, of spiritual realization is as effective in this age, as chanting the mahā-mantra. (Purport to Hare Krsna Mantra, the cover of the "Happening Record Album" recorded Dec 1966 New York City, USA)

Devotee – "When we are in the spiritual sky and serving Krsna, we have a perfect relationship with Krsna, what causes us to fall down in the material world, because we’re already serving Krsna?"

Srila Prabhupada – “Because you desire to fall down, here it is explained that "Don’t fall down."

Devotee – "Srila Prabhupada, I can’t understand why we should have an impure desire when we are already serving…"

Srila Prabhupada – "Because you have got little freedom (free will) Why one is not coming here and going to the liquor shop? It is desire and the expression of free will.".

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?"

Srila Prabhupada – "Yes, you forced Krsna to allow you to come, just like sometimes a child forces his father. Father says, "My dear son, do not do this, do not go there to the material world.” But he insists, "Oh, I must go. I must go." So God says "All right, you go at your risk and suffer, what can be done?" So because you are son of God, you have acquired the quality of your father, so God does not interfere with your independence (free will)." (Lecture Melb, Australia June 25, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada - "Unless there is chance of doing wrong or right, there is no question of "free will". Where is free will if I can act only one sided? That means I have no free will. Because we can act wrongly (sometimes), that means we have free will." (Discussions with Srila Prabhupada on Rene Descartes philosophy).

The eternal individual marginal living entities (jiva-souls) never lose their freedom of self expression (free will) over their eternal existence which is beginningless and endless as Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 2 explains.

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)

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)

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)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation."(BG, Ch 2 text 15)

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)

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)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “The material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is sure to come to an end; therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata." (BG, Ch 2 text 18)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "If, however, you think that the soul [or the symptoms of life] is always born and dies forever, you still have no reason to lament, O mighty armed." (BG, Ch 2 text 26)

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)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when annihilated. So what need is there for lamentation?"(BG, Ch 2 text 28)

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)

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)

All individual jīva-souls are eternal persons as a spiritual bodily form, therefore there are no new individual jiva-souls being created because they have always existed meaning they are beginningless and endless like Krsna.

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)

Free will has nothing to do with the material bodily vessel the eternal jiva-soul is covered by in the material world, free will is a symptom of the eternal individual jiva-soul whose REAL home is in the spiritual world's of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana.

Free will is the constitutional makeup of the pure individual jiva-souls in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, where nothing material exists and the eternal jiva-souls have no external covering (material bodily vessel).

The individual jiva-souls in the spiritual world ARE an eternal spiritual bodily form in their full potential.