Or even choose not to serve Krsna if they want within His eternal Kingdom's known as the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana?
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)
The fact is, the spiritual world's of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana are the natural eternal home of the individual jiva-souls from where they have originated from without having any beginning point or cessation to their existence.
The original home of the individual jiva-souls is Krsna's eternal personal active devotional Kingdom of God based on voluntary contributions (selfless service), based on loving exchanges, reciprocation and cooperation with Krsna and never a "one-way" street of dictatorial demands or forced service.
Ultimately, we are all Krsna's voluntary servants when acting in our original possition, and are very dear to Kṛṣṇa however, that does not mean we have to give up our free will, our independent sense of unique personality or individuality to be Krsna's eternal friend and servant.
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)
Free will in its full natural potential only fully exists in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana (the perpetual Kingdom of God).
Therefore, the individual jiva-souls who choose to leave Krsna's Abode and enter the temporary material world, experience their free will to be greatly restricted.
Free will only minutely exists in the material world restricted to the human species, a variety of 400 thousand material bodily forms who are responsible for their own good and bad actions known as Karma, and never in the other 8 million species of life who act only on instincts and environmental influences rather than karmic reactions-
eating,
sleeping,
mating,
defending
As already explained, free will exists fully in Krsna's Personal Abode of Goloka-Vrindavana and in Visnu's unlimited Vaikuntha planets, but not in the temporary material world.
The individual jiva-souls in their subtle material bodies also never create karma in both the heavenly or hellish planetary, in both places they only experience their good or bad karma until exhausted then they again take birth on in the middle planetary system (Bhurloka or Earthly planetary system)
In the spiritual world, free will, or being allowed by Kṛṣṇa to voluntarily express one's self as they choose, is the natural constitutional make up of every individual jiva-soul (marginal living entity) within the Kingdom of God.
Krsna always allows the individual jiva-souls to have free will in the spiritual world because if He didn't, then how can the individual jiva-souls (His devotees) voluntarily express themselves and choose how to love and serve Kṛṣṇa in their own unique way?
For real loving exchanges to exist with Krsna, He allows voluntary reciprocation and unique personal contributions from His devotees (the individual jiva-souls) making the relationship a "two-sided" selfless loving affair. In this way genuine love is can be exist with just one, it is always a "two-way" exchange of feelings, emotions and cooperation.
Loving reciprocation is only possible in a "two-way" exchange between two individuals with each contributing to the relationship's expansion of nectarine mellows of service.
The word "reciprocation" only has meaning when there are two involved in a cooperative relationship based on loving exchanges between two. Reciprocation has no meaning with just one.
Therefore impersonalism is understood in this way - the puppeter has total mind control over his puppets with his manipulating strings that control their every actions, they only act accordingly to what the puppeter does with his strings, the puppets have no thoughts of their own or or have any sense of an individual existence. Similarly, the individual jiva-souls are not like that, they are Krsna's mindless emotionless puppets or drones.
Those who surrendering to a God in an impersonal way only become mindless puppets who are manipulated to only do what the puppeteer demands, without personal contributions of voluntary offerings. The fact is, this kind of surrender that denies free will is dangerous mayavadi philosophy that foolishly leads to spiritual suicide.
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 girl, My dear friend, My dear servant please come back home." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)
The Kingdom of Kṛṣṇa is not a one-sided totalitarian dictatorship, it is nothing like that, Kṛṣṇa's genuine devotees think for themselves by planning in so many ways how to please Krsna, by voluntarily choosing to contribute to Krsna in their own unique way and surprise Krsna with their many provisions and offerings.
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." (Philosophy Discussions, Rene Descartes)
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)
If Krsna denied the individual jiva-soul's their free will, then they could never experience a two-way cooperative loving exchange of devotion with Krsna, therefore never knowing or experiencing what love really is.
As explained above, loving exchanges is only possible on a "two-way" path where voluntary reciprocation and cooperation always exists between Krsna and His devotees (the individual jiva-souls), it is never a one-way or one-sided dictatorial dominating cold impersonal affair in Krsna's Abode (the Kingdom of God).
Without having loving reciprocal exchanges between "two persons" that are always voluntary, creative and unique from the individual jiva-soul's point of view, then how can loving emotions, personal contributions and unique loving service be expressed individually by each devotee?
Without free will and being encouraged to contribute one's own personal offerings based on the individual jiva-souls unique independent choices and personal offerings, one is no better than dead stone Prabhupada has warned us.
Even though the individual jiva-souls are eternally fully dependent on Krsna, they are also able to voluntarily express themselves independently from Krsna, as an individual contributing person, this gives them an independent unique voice as the independent persons they are within Krsna's spiritual world.
In the spiritual world's of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, there are no mindless puppet like impersonal personalities who are only told what to do, think and serve, which denies the individual devotees from offering their own unique voluntary contributions.
The impersonal (mindless) collective of individual jiva-souls who are denied their free will, only exist in a bogus loveless emotionless Kingdom of God where they are always controlled, manipulated and denied the self-expression to voluntarily contribute in the unique way they choose that only exists in the real Kingdom of Kṛṣṇa (God).
Such mindless so called devotees who deny their free will, are non-contributing emotionless puppets that can never experience wonderful loving reciprocal exchanges and voluntary cooperation unique to each individual jiva-soul, they are unable to freely express themselves within God's "real" Kingdom (the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana).
Without free will and voluntary participation in Krsna's Abode, loving exchanges can never exist.
Srila Prabhupada - "The individual jiva-soul's position in the spiritual world is always voluntary, no one is forced to do something they do not choose to do or agree to do, some devotees want to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna," he becomes flower, voluntarily, and he can change his form from flower to human form if they choose, 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 a chair, as a flag pole, as a blade of grass, as a cloud in the sky, as a tree, as water, as ground, as a pathway, as a 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)
The fact is, free will or the ability to voluntarily choose what to offer to Krsna as a personal offering is eternally part and parcel of the individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) natural constitution and always exists fully in the spiritual world's of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana but not in the material world.
Therefore, freedom or "free will" means the individual jiva-soul always voluntarily choose how to serve Krsna, or even reject Him if they choose, there is always their choice. Krsna does not force the individual jiva-souls to surrender to Him, if He did, then that is not love, it is exploitation and force.
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." (Washington DC July 1976)
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 is bad but he 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 this because he has seen other thieves get punished and put in 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." (Excerpt from: Philosophy Discussions with Rene Descartes)
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)
The individual jiva-souls are unique independent living entities in the spiritual world who have their own personality, free will, unique character and a sense of independent self separate from Krsna's Personality, yet simultaneously eternally dependent on Krsna because He is the creator of all that there is.
In other words, Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes which includes the individual jiva-soul's free will that He allows just to create diversity and two-way exchanges.
Krsna gives the individual jiva-souls their independence and "free will" so they can voluntary choose how to serve Him in their own unique personal way and not as He demands, or they can even reject Him if they choose. Without having this choice then genuine love can never exist.
This freedom allows the individual jiva-souls to always voluntary contribute their own unique offerings out of unconditional personal love, without the need of any pressure or force from Krsna or His devotees.
There are always words of encouragement and suggestions from Krsna and His devotees however, they all must lead the devotee to discover their own unique personality and independent nature.
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, there must be another one. I love somebody; somebody loves me, there must be lover, there must be beloved, and the transaction, then there is love." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 Ch 2 text 6, Delhi, Nov 12, 1973)
Srila Prabhupada - "So how can there be love with just one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience? Love means one? No. "Love means two". There must be two, the lover and the beloved. Kṛṣṇa is already lover. He's so lover of you 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)
Real love or service can only exist when free will allows the individual jiva-souls to voluntarily participate in the loving devotional exchanges of their choice, and contribute to the relationship with Krsna in their own unique way.
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)
Can we predict that returning back home back to Godhead (the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana) will be permanent and never again will we fall down to the material world?
Syamasundara dasa - "Can we predict that 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 dasa - "And some come back?"
Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, otherwise there is no meaning of independence. 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." (Discussions on Henri Bergson philosophy).
Krsna always loves (serves) His pure devotees far more than they can ever serve Him and will never leave them even when they foolishly choose to leave Him and enter the temporary material world.
Thank you Srila Prabhupada for inspiring these realizations based on your wonderful teachings.*^^*.
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