Wednesday, April 22, 2026

The following Conversation took place in Melbourne, Australia on June 25, 1974 between Srila Prabhupada and his disciples in his room in Prabhupada House.

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 miss use your free will and desire to enjoy without Krsna. Many times I have explained, “don’t fall down in this way.” 

Devotee – “Srila Prabhupada, I can’t understand why we should have impure desires when we are already serving Krsna in the spiritual world?” 

Srila Prabhupada – “Because you have got little freedom (free will). Why one is not coming here to the Temple and instead goes to the liquor shop? It is his free will and desire. 

Devotee – “In the Srimad Bhagavatam, it says that Krsna did not want us to come to this temporary 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.” But he insists, “Oh, I must go, I must go.” “All right, you go at your risk and suffer, what can be done?” We can only suggest how the jiva-soul should act, then let them decide, we cannot force the individual to surrender again their will. ¹Because you are Son of God you have got independence, full independence (free-will), you have acquired this quality of your father, You have got full independence in the spiritual world. So God does not interfere with your independence, if you persist that “I must go and enjoy independently in the material world,” God says, “All right, if you want, you can go and enjoy.” This is the position, when you persist, God will sanction because He does not interfer with your free will and you come to the material world to try and and enjoy without Krsna." (Adapted from lecture BG, Ch 13 text 22-24 Melb Australia June 25, 1974)

So does a place in the spiritual world exist where the individual jiva-souls can never fall down from? 

Answer - No, remaining eternally in the spiritual world's of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana is always voluntary, is by choice therefore not necessarily an eternal established position. In other words, there is no place on the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka Vrindavana where the eternal individual jiva-souls never fall down from.

This is because each individual jiva-soul eternally have their unique freedom of self expression and freedom of activity (free will) allowing them to stay in the spiritual  where most do (over 90%), or enter the temporary material world at anytime (thet less that 10% choose to do). 

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. Just like a thief, he knows that his stealing 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)

Voluntary actions of choosing a service to Krsna, is only possible if the individual jiva-souls have free will.

Without free will nothing voluntary could be achieced by the individual jiva-souls because free will means being able to make your own choices, which includes accepting or rejecting Krsna or Visnu.

Srila Prabhupada - "In the spiritual world service there to Krsna is always voluntary. 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 because it is voluntary." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 text 1-4, Melb, May 20, 1975)

If the individual jiva-souls were forced to stay in the spiritual world without having the voluntary option to leave, then how can there be genuine loving exchanges and personal feelings? 

Only sentimental spiritually uneducated believe the eternal individual jiva-souls can never fall down from the spiritual world. They do not understand having free will means the individual jiva-souls always have a choice to be with Krsna, or reject Him.

Remaining on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana eternally, is the individual jiva-soul's choice as the unique individual independent persons they are eternally. 

The individual jiva-souls are unique persons as an eternal spiritual bodily form in their full potential in the spiritual world.

The Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana in the spiritual world, are the original infinite homes of the eternal individual jiva-souls. 

 The individual jiva-souls always communicate from their unique quality of free will, allowing them to make their own individual choices by voluntarily contributing to their unique relationship with Kṛṣṇa. 

These loving acts of cooperation can only be possible in a two-way reciprocal exchange with Krsna. 

The individual unique jiva-souls are eternal persons for all eternity and will always exist and never ceas to exist as Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 2 explains.

The spiritual world is not an impersonal collective of mindless puppets controlled by the strings of a puppet master, and denied independent contributions and self expression, no, Krsna's spiritual world is not impersonal like that.

The genuine way to become the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa, is only possible when the individual jiva-souls can express their own free will with individual contributions and service (freedom of self-expression), instead of being a non-contributing mindless puppet controlled by a puppet master which is impersonalism. 

Surrender to Krsna and His devotees that have no individual unique contributions and self expression, means loving exchanges in a two-sided relationship will never exist because such bogus so called surrender is impersonalism.

Such mindless impersonal surrender of your free will and intelligence is the real hell.

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." (Lecture SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)

As said above, appearing in that "fallen condition" as a bodiless "spiritual spark" is the unnatural condition of the jiva-soul, who in their full potential is a PERSON as a spiritual bodily form originally like Krsna's form. Therefore, the full potential and original feature of all eternal marginal living entities (individual jiva-souls), is a two-arm form like Krsna's Bodily form.

Srila Prabhupada - "The spirit soul's form is expressed as hands, legs, heads, everything, we cannot see these facts; therefore we foolishly believe the jiva-souls have no form." (Lecture BG, Ch 2 text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

Srila Prabhupāda - "The individual spirit soul has eternal form but with our material eyes we foolishly believe it has no form." (Lecture BG, Ch 2 text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada – "Man is made after the shape of God, so God is also like human form. Here you see Krsna, two hands, two legs." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 text 1-4, Melb, May 20, 1975)

Selfless emotions of loving devotion to Krsna does not mean the individual jiva-souls lose their unique free will and ability of unique self expression, no, the genuine devotee is always personally aware of how they want yo voluntarily selflessly serve Krsna via the servants of the servants of Krsna. 

Therefore, the responsibility of not falling from Krsna's personal Kingdom is the responsibility of the individual jiva-souls, not Kṛṣṇas.

It is their choice (freewill), to choose one way or the other and not by forced surrender. 

This means the individual jiva-souls can always agree or disagree with Krsna. Having free will only has meaning when this is possible.

This independent separate sense of individuality means the jiva-souls can voluntarily choose Krsna, or reject Krsna. 

Remember, Maya (the material energy) does not exist in the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana, so maya is unknown to the eternal individual jiva-souls. 

Therefore, free will, individuality, expressing independent personal thoughts, having a unique sense of individual self worth, allows the individual jiva-souls to express themselves in their own unique way, by having the personal unique ability to voluntary express themselves as the separated individuals they eternally are in the spiritual world. 

All these qualities make up the individual unique personalities of jiva-souls in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana. 

If all those qualities are taken away, then the individual jiva-souls lose the ability to give and accept love, the jiva-souls become no better than a stone or mindless impersonal drones, only taught to obey and forced to act and agree without inquiry and personal contributions.

Srila Prabhupada - “Because you are Son of God you have got independence (free-will), you have acquired this quality from your father, so God does not interfere with your independence." (Melb, Australia June 25, 1974) 

No one can force the individual jiva-souls to stay in the Vaikuntha planets, or Goloka-Vrindavana, that choice must always be voluntary and the choice of the individual jiva-souls. 

For love to truly exist, there must be loving exchanges between two in a two-sided reciprocal cooperative relationship.

In this way love is always expressed between two and is never possible with just one.

The individual jiva-souls always have the right to leave the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana at anytime if they choose however, most stay in the spiritual world, over 90% never fall down to the material world because they choose not to fall down. 

And the fact is, only a very small minority do choose to leave the spiritual world (less than 10%)

To say those who enter the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana will never ever again fall down to the material world, is true but only for those jiva-souls who choose not to fall down.

In other words, if the jiva-souls choice to leave, they certainly can leave at anytime otherwise free will has no meaning. 

To make a blanket comment that "not even the leaves fall and leave the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka Vrindavana seems to not take into consideration the free will of the individual jiva-souls. 

These comments from some past sages and acharyas who claim the individual jiva-souls can never fall down once in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana may have been said for many reasons, to give faith among aspiring devotees and neophytes to encourage them to understand that their natural constitutional position is to never choose to leave the spiritual world, their real eternal home. 

And never choose to desire to enter the material world once they have returned to the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana. 

However, to come to the material world is ultimately the individual jiva-souls choice due to free will and Krsna does not interfere.

Even though Krsna has promised there is no return to the material creation once in the spiritual world, but there is if the eternal jiva-souls want to return and reject Krsna’s promise. 

The fact is there is if the individual jiva-soul wants to return to the material world, this is Prabhupada's point here- 

Srila Prabhupada - ” So, even in the Vaikuntha, if I desire that ‘Why shall I serve Krsna? Why not become Krsna?’ I immediately fall down. That is natural. A servant is serving the master, but sometimes he may think that, “If I could become the master.” They are thinking like that; they are trying to become God, that is delusion. You cannot become God, that is not possible, but he’s wrongly thinking he can."

Vipina Purandara - “Why doesn’t Krsna protect us from those desires?

Srila Prabhupada - “He’s protecting, Krsna says, “You rascal, don’t misuse your desires (free will) surrender unto Me, but rascals only choose to misuse their free will."

Vipina Purandara - “Why doesn’t He save me 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 Krishna 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 promises the individual jiva-souls that once they are in the spiritual world, the jiva-souls never again enter the material world however, love is always a two-way street and not a one-sided decision made by only Krsna. 

Therefore, Krsna's promise only has meaning if the individual jiva-souls choose to accept that promise as explained below.

Acyutananda – “But in Bhagavad Gita Krsna it says, “Once coming to the spiritual world, he 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 your little independence (free will) that you can violate at anytime. Because you are part and parcel of God, you have also got independence, not like God, only proportionately, therefore if you like, you can voluntary return to the material world if you choose. 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)=^*^=




























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).*//*