Sunday, April 19, 2026

Real love or service between Krsna and His individual jiva-souls (devotees), can only exist when He allows a "two-way" relationship based on "voluntary" loving exchanges and reciprocation.

Srila Prabhupada - "Love cannot be one or executed only by one, there must be two." (SB, Lecture Canto 1 Ch 2 text 6, Delhi, Nov 12, 1973)

In Krsna's creation the individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are independent living beings with their own unique personality separate from Krsna's Personality, yet simultaneously fully dependent on the Krsna because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes.

This means the individual jiva-souls always have their own unique expression of free will which is part and parcel of their eternal spiritual constitutional make up sanctioned by Krsna so they can always express themselves in their own unique individual way.

Each individual jiva-soul has their own unique personality, with the natural capacity to voluntarily make their own choices based on their free will that Krsna allows. This also includes having the free will to reject Krsna if they choose. 

Without having this choice, there is no meaning to free will or loving voluntary exchanges and cooperation with Krsna. 

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." (Discussions with Srila Prabhupada on Rene Descartes philosophy 1969)

Srila Prabhupada - "Every individual jiva-soul is awarded a portion of independence because each is part and parcel of God. Thus he has the quality of independence (free will), but in minute quantity, that is his individuality." (Dialectical Spiritualism: A Vedic View of Western Philosophy)

In other words, Krsna does not force the individual jiva-souls to love Him by demanding they only do what He wants. 

Krsna also allows the individual jiva-souls to decide for themselves what they choose to offer Him which is always based on voluntary reciprocal loving exchanges.

Love or service is not a "one-way street" of dictatorial domination, no, loving reciprocation can only exist in "two-way" exchanges.

This means the individual jiva-souls can always voluntarily offer their own unique independent contributions they choose to Krsna that He never interferes with. Such unique offerings by the individual jiva-souls, add mystery, awe and integrity to one's relationship with Krsna.

If Krsna forced the individual jiva-souls to only do what He thinks and wants, then that is not love, that is domination, exploitation and mindless enslavement.

Real love is only possible when there is "free will" which can only be expressed in a "two-way" exchange with Krsna, where each individual jiva-soul voluntarily makes their own independent choices that may agree, or disagree with Krsna.

The concept of "freedom" cannot exist unless "free will" is granted to the individual jiva-souls. This means genuine loving devotional service can only exist on a "two-way street" where the individual jiva-souls also have the choice to reject Krsna if they choose because love can never be forced.

Our relationship with Krsna is eternally based on voluntary loving exchanges and reciprocation, it is not a one-way street of being told what to do and how to act that only denies personal contributions.

So, it is important to understand that love only exist when based on a "two-way" exchange of mutual respect and service and never a forced one-way dictatorship, not even by Krsna.

In this way, the individual jiva-souls are not "mindless" drones or yes men or women in the spiritual worlds of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana who are denied to express themselves voluntarily.

No, Krsna does not allow this kind of mindless unproductive impersonalism in His spiritual abode.

If Krsna forced the individual jiva-souls to only think and do what He dictates, then voluntary loving exchanges could never exist. As said above, real loving exchanges can only exist on a "two-way" street, and never in a "one-way" dictatorship. 

Krsna does not want a "mindless" relationship based on forced surrender, surrounded by pawns who are programmed to only obey and never think for themselves by offering their own unique voluntary offerings and contributions. 

The individual jiva-souls are eternal persons as a spiritual bodily form, who each have their own unique identity, personality, character and thoughts independent from Krsna's Personality.

As said above, the individual jiva-soul's relationship with Krsna is unique and very intimate and personal however, they always have their own choice of how they want to express themselves. 

This "open-ness of individual expression within," allows the individual jiva-soul to experience their own sense of self, of being an independent person able to thoughtfully think for themselves and offer their own contribution to Krsna if they choose to do so.

In this way, the individual jiva-souls are always expressing their own personal contributions unique to them. This further  means no two individual jiva-souls are the same. 

As emphasised above, real love or service can only exist in a two-way voluntary exchange based on reciprocation and mutual respect.

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)

Therefore, Krsna never forces the individual jiva-souls to surrender to Him, if He did, then that is not voluntary love, it is forced surrender that only leads to exploitation and abuse.

This impersonal (emotionless) version of Krsna Consciousness above must be rejected as Prabhupada explains.

Srila Prabhupada - "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." (Washington DC July 1976)

Srila Prabhupāda – "Unless there are "two persons," where is the question of love? Love means two persons, not one, then there is exchange, then there is love. I must deal with you open-hearted, you must deal with me open-hearted, then there is love. So if you want to love Kṛṣṇa, God, then these things must be there." (Aug 9, 1976, Tehran)

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly, or one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that is not independence, that is force." (Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)

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

Ultimately, each individual jiva-soul is a unique person with their own bodily form, personality, character and independent thoughts separate from Krsna's Personality as already explained above. 

The individual jiva-souls have always been able to choose for themselves of how they want to voluntarily serve Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, the best way they can, or ignore Him if they choose.

This is the full expression of free will Krsna allows for the purpose of having a "two-way" open exchange with His individual jiva-souls. 

Krsna knows loving exchanges can never exist with just one, there must be two. 

This is why Krsna divided Himself into two - Srimati Radharani and Krsna, because for even Krsna to experience intimate loving exchanges, there must be two, so He created His eternal consort Srimati Radharani.

Loving expressions and devotional service only has meaning when there "two" sharing a voluntary relationship, love is not possible with only one.

Srila Prabhupada - "The individual jiva-soul's position in the spiritual world is voluntary, they can choose to become a flower, tree, cloud, blade of grass, flagpole, chariot to a human looking spiritual body - all voluntary, there is no restriction. They can serve Krsna as cow, as calf, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact." (Lecture SB, Melb Australia May 20 1975) 

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

As Prabhupada has explained, Krsna never forces the individual jiva-souls to surrender to Him, never forces them to love Him, that must be voluntary otherwise love can never exist unless there are "voluntary" reciprocal exchanges.

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, Nove 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 one, personally. There must be another one. I love somebody; somebody loves me, there must be lover, there must be beloved, and the transaction, then love." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 Ch 2 text 6, Delhi, Nov 12, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - "The impersonalist philosophy is one, but how can love exist with just one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience that love means one? No, love means two. There must be two to have exchanges of loving emotions and feelings, 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/girl, or My dear friend, My dear servant..." (Lecture SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974).*//*

























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