Krsna's eternal Abode in the spiritual world, is where His dear devotees can choose to "always" think of Him and never forget Him.

Life in the temporary decaying material world is not easy for any of us, a pure selfless genuine devotee is extremely rare to find and associate with, but there are rare genuine devotees here, we just have to recognise them. 

However, in this degraded age of Kali-yuga, that is polluted by hypocrisy, envy, lust, exploitation, quarrel and the selfish accumulation of wealth by imposters and fools masquerading as religious and community leaders, there is always hope for the vigilant, honest, sincere, genuine followers of Krsna. Such watchful devotees can never be cheated 

The spiritual world of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, are Kṛṣṇa's eternal Abodes where voluntary co-operation and exchanges eternally go on between Krsna and His dear devotees, necessary to achieve "personal" selfless loving devotion to Krsna.

Krsna's eternal Abode in the spiritual world, is where His dear devotees can choose to "always" think of Him and never forget Him, with the only desire to selflessly contribute to His amazing Pastimes, based on a two-way relationship of reciprocation, cooperation and personal loving exchanges, that are eternally expanding, growing and enriching the relationship with Krsna in a unlimited variety of devotional ways. 

By choosing to voluntarily serve Krsna in the spiritual world, the devotees join a non-dictatorial "two-way street" of intentional personal convictions, participation and voluntary cooperation with Kṛṣṇa within His eternal Pastimes. 

Krsna always encourages His devotees to voluntary offer individual loving additions to the relationship that adds mystery and variegatedness to the devotees further spiritual participation and advancement in Krsna's sweet Pastimes.

However, it is always a fact that Krsna serves and loves His dear devotees far more than they can ever serve Him.

By looking hard enough and genuinely praying to Lord Kṛṣṇa and His established pure devotees like Srila Prabhupada for his wonderful guidance, the sincere devotee will only associate and seek out Krsna's genuine pure devotees, and will never bow down to Kali-yuga's bogus religious bullies who are deceitful dictatorial imposters polluting religion all over the world. (If the shoe fits)

Only then can aspiring devotee associate with the real caring genuine Vaisnava devotees of Krsna who humbly nurture and encourage the aspiring devotees to "voluntarily serve Krsna" the best way they can, instead of being forced or threatened to serve Krsna in a dictatorial forceful way. We must always remember, devotional service is voluntary.

Fortunately, for the genuine  devotees of Krsna (God) who seriously question anyone claiming to be a religious authority, there is always a clear roadway pathed out with devotional offerings, contributions and cooperation they voluntarily follow on their pathway back home back to Godhead.  

Only then will the present impersonal spiritual stagnation infesting human society around the world stop.

HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE

Srila Prabhupada - "In the spiritual world service there that is always voluntary. Some devotees want to serve Krsna as flower; so they become flower there. If I want to be a flower, I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna and become flower, voluntarily, and can change from flower to human body if I choose. That is spiritual life, there is no restrictions. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna as cow, or as calf, as bird, as plant, as water, as ground, as field, as a flagpole, as a chair, as a chariot, 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)

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, 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).

Srimad Bhagavatam explains the fall down of the individual jiva-soul from the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana, is found in the 4th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam where the Supreme Lord is disguised as a brahmana and reminds a fallen individual jiva-soul that previously they were with the Lord in His Abode in the spiritual world.

Srimad Bhagavatam - "The brāhmaṇa continued: My dear friend, even though you cannot immediately recognize Me, can't you remember that in the past you had a very intimate friend? Unfortunately, you gave up My company and accepted a position as enjoyer of this material world." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 28 text 53)

The individual jiva-soul's fall down to this temporary material world is from the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana which is their original position, and do not originate from the inactive impersonal brahmajyoti as many fools believe.

Srila Prabhupada - "Existence in the impersonal brahman (brahmajyoti) is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness. Those who are in the brahman effulgence are also in the fallen condition, so there is no question of falling down from a fallen condition. When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition. The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness." (Letter to Revatinandana dasa, Los Angeles, 13 June, 1970 and 1971 London)

An in depth explanation worth reading.

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

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 Krsna in the spiritual world? 

Srila Prabhupada – “Because you have got little freedom (free will), why one is not coming here but 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 material world. If Krsna did not want us to come here, why are we here?”

Srila Prabhupada – "Yes, you forced Krsna to allow you to come to the temporary material world, just like sometimes a child forces his father but 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?” Because you are Son of God (Krsna) you have got independence (free will) a quality you have acquired off your father (God). You have got little independence (free will), so God does not interfere with your free will, so if you persist that “I must go to the material world and enjoy independently, God says, “All right, you can go.” This is the position, if you persist then God will sanction and you go to the material world and enjoy." (Lecture Melb, Australia June 25, 1974)

Question - Is there a place in the spiritual world from where one can never fall down from?

Answer - It is not based on a "place you can never fall down from" that will keep you in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana (the Kingdom of God), it is based on free will and voluntary participation (your choice) and nothing else. If you were forced to stay there then how can there be love and voluntarily expressing your free will?

Remaining on the Vaikuntha planets  and Goloka-Vrindavana eternally is based on the conscious awareness of what the devotee wants as a unique selfless individual loving personal servant of the Lord.

Even in such selfless emotions of loving devotion, the individual jiva-souls never lose that unique distinctive ability of free will and self expression, where the individual devotee is personally always aware they are choosing how to selflessly serve Krsna and the servants of the Krsna.

The fact is, those individual jiva-souls who do not fall from Gods personal Kingdom (the Vaikuntha planets and GolokaVrindavana), is their responsibility and choice and not Gods (Krsnas), it is the individual jiva-soul's choice (free will) to stay or go and not only Krsnas.

The fact is 90% of all marginal living entities (individual jiva-souls) do not fall down from the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka Vrindavana because they "choose not to fall down."

That choice is always with the marginal living entities or individual jiva-souls 

How is this so?

The individual jiva-souls or marginal living entities, have 78.125% of Krsna's quantities which is having 50 of Krsna's 64 qualities. 

This puts them in the realm of having their own unique distinctive independence, individual identity, personality, character, allowing them to have the ability to choose for themselves of how they want to voluntarily contribute and cooperate and serve Kṛṣṇa.

This free will means the individual jiva-souls have the ability to agree or not agree with Krsna.

This sense of individuality allows the individual jiva-souls their right to choose Krsna's service, or choose to live separate from Krsna in the material world.

Remember Maya and the material energy does not exist in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, so Maya or material energy is unknown to the individual jiva-souls in the spiritual world.

Therefore, the expression of free will which is experiencing a unique distinctive sense of individual self worth and voluntary cooperation and participation in Krsna's servic is the eternal constitution of the individual jiva-souls (devotees) in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana.  

If all those qualities are taken away in the bogus name of surrender, then the individual jiva-souls lose their voluntary ability to give and accept love, they become no better than a dead stone, or a mindless puppet in the manipulative hands of the puppeteer.

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

No one can force you to stay in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, that choice to remain there is always a two-way decision between the individual jiva-souls and Krsna.  

For genuine loving exchanges, cooperation and reciprocation to truly exist between the individual jiva-souls and Krsna, the individual jiva-souls always have the the right to voluntary serve Krsna the way they choose, or even leave the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka Vrindavana at anytime and enter Maha-Visnu's temporary material world.

However, only a small minority of individual jiva-souls choose to leave (less than 10%), regardless of the claim by some Sages, Acharyas, Gurus, Sannyasis and scholars, that those in the spiritual world can never fall down. 

The fact is, to say those in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana can never fall down from the spiritual world is true, but only for those individual jiva-souls who choose not to fall down".

In other words, if the individual jiva-souls want to leave the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana, they certainly can leave.

To make a blanket comment that not even the leaves can fall down and leave the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka Vrindavana, does not take into consideration the free will of the individual jiva-souls eternally have in the spiritual world.

These comments from past Sages and Acharyas may have been said for many reasons to give faith among aspiring devotees and neophytes to encourage them to understand that their constitutional position is to never choose to leave the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana, and never foolishly enter the mundane temporary material.

However, to enter the temporary material world is ultimately the individual jiva-soul's choice, this can happen due to the individual jiva-soul's expression of their unique free will, and Krsna does not interfer with that even though Krsna has promised there is no return to the material creation once the individual jiva-souls return home, back to God. The fact is, there is return if the individual jiva-souls choose to return, this is Srila Prabhupada's point.

Acyutananda – "But in the Gita, it says, “Once coming to the spiritual world, one never returns again to the material world, they 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 in the spiritual world?”

Srila Prabhupada – "You have got little independence, you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God, God has got full independence, but you have got little independence, proportionately, because you are part and parcel, if he likes, he can return. That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that. Krishna-bahirmukha haïä bhoga väïchä kare. That misuse is the cause of our falldown." (Conversation, Mayapur, Feb 19, 1976)

For those who believe some past Acharyas, sannyasis, sages and Vedic scholars have said that no individual jiva-soul can ever fall down from the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana once there, have not understood the variety of living entities in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana. 

Only the individual jiva-souls have the free will to fall, or not fall down while other expansions like Visnu-tattva and Sakti-Visnu-tattva never fall down due to be direct expansions of Krsna.

They have not understood there are many different inhabitants of Vrindavana where most never fall down, such as the sakti-Visnu-tattvas Personalities [Radharani and Her expansions] and Visnu-tattva Personalities who are Krsna playing another part in His own creation.

Krsna and His unlimited Visnu-tattva Personalities expansions are direct expansions of Krsna, they never fall down because they are Krsna experiencing Himself in an unlimited variety of ways. So for both of them, there is no need for choices. 

However, the individual jiva-souls are not in the same category as the above expansions of Krsna due to being Krsna's independent separated expansions that allows them to have the free will to be with Krsna, or reject Him if they choose.

Although over 90% of the individual jiva-souls who eternally have free will, choose to never fall down from the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana. In other words, they never fall down because they choose not to.

Devotee - "Well, I believe you once said that once a conditioned jiva-soul becomes perfected and gets out of the material world and goes to Krsnaloka (Goloka-Vrindavana), there’s no possibility of falling back to the material world?"  

Srila Prabhupada - "No! There is possibility, but he does not come if he has learnt his lesson. Just like after putting your hand in the fire, you never put it in again if you are intelligent. So those who are going back to Godhead, they have to become intelligent." (Lecture CC, Ādi-līlā 7.108, San Francisco, California Feb 18, 1967)

However, there will always be a very small minority (less than 10%) of only the individual jiva-souls (not the Sakti-Visnu-tattva or Visnu-tattva "direct expansions"of Krsna) who will misuse their free will and leave the spiritual world.  

Free will is an eternal quality for the individual jiva-souls in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana. In fact, without having the choice to either forget or remember Krsna, then the individual jiva-souls would have no independent personality, and no ability to voluntarily contribute to their expanding relationship with Krsna. They would be simply mindless puppets always manipulated and controlled by the puppeter.  

Srila Prabhupada - "Tendency means the independence. 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. Therefore Krishna says, yathecchasi tathä kuru. “Now you do whatever you like." (Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada – "You have got little independence (free will), you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God, God has got full independence, but you have got little independence, proportionately, because you are part and parcel, if he likes, he can return. That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that. Krishna-bahirmukha haïä bhoga väïchä kare. That misuse is the cause of our falldown." (Conversation, Mayapur, Feb 19, 1976) 

HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE

Krsna has many different energies, the individual jiva-souls are one of Krsna's energies, matter is one and the consorts of the Lord are one. 

Technically, the individual jiva-souls are known as sakti tattva, meaning they are also the energies of the Lord. The word sakti means energy.  

So there are different categories of sakti-tattva, we are the individual jiva-souls known as the the marginal energy who have 78.125%% of Krsna's qualities, which means they have 50 of Krsna's 64 qualities. While the sakti-Visnu-tattvas and Visnu-tattvas are Krsna Himself playing different roles in His own pastimes. 

The sakti-Visnu-tattva (Radharani and Her expansions) and Visnu-tattva (direct expansions of Krsna) are the eternal inhabitants of Vrindavana who can never fall down or choose to forget Krsna because, as said above, they are direct expansions of Krsna Himself who unlimited expansions and associates.

For example, the Pancha-tattva headed by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu are a combination of sakti-Visnu-tattva and Visnu-tattva Personalities with only one being Visnu tattva.

Srila Prabhupada - "Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Śrī Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Śrī Gadādhara, and Śrīvāsādi. Śrīvāsādi means jīva-tattva. The jīva-tattva, śakti-tattva, viṣṇu-tattva, these are all tattvas. So Pañca-tattva. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is the supreme tattva, Kṛṣṇa. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. We are worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa combined." (Lecture CC Adi-lila 7.5, Mayapur, March 7, 1974)

HERE HERE

Sakti tattva is not exactly Visnu-tattva even though Sakti tattva is also called Sakti-Visnu-tattva. The correct understanding is that all of Krsna’s energies are under the broad category of Sakti-tattva. 

Srila Prabhupada - "There are Viṣṇu-tat jīva-tattva and śakti-tattva. Viṣṇu-tattva is the Supreme Absolute Truth, jīva-tattva is part and parcel (individual jiva-souĺs), and śakti-tattva is the energy of God." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 Ch 5 text 15, New Vrindaban, June 19, 1969)

Sakti tattva the energy of Krsna are eternally occupied with their service to the Lord, such expansions have only the desire to please Krsna or His Visnu expansion, they can never be covered by Maya and their concept of free will and independence is only to please Krsna or Visnu as they are indirect expansion of Godhead. 

The Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana are made up of many Sakti-visnu-tattvas such as gopis, gopas and many many others, and Visnu-tattvas. There is also jiva-tattvas or individual jiva-souls (part and parcels) playing many rolls in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrndavana as well, just like the Sakti-Visnu-tattvas are. 

As already explained, Sakti-Visnu-tattvas can never fall down and the jiva tattvas can never become Sakti tattva in the sense of loosing their independence as jiva tattva, even though technically all living entities are Sakti tattva or expansions of Krsna like the sun rays are expansions of the Sun. 

Srila Prabhupada - ''The words bṛhate namas te have been explained by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura: bṛhate śrī-kṛṣṇāya. 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṇa. There are many tattvas, such as viṣṇu-tattva, jīva-tattva and śakti-tattva, but above everything is the viṣṇu-tattva, which is all-pervading. 

This all-pervading feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is explained in Bhagavad-gītā (10.42), wherein the Lord says:

athavā bahunaitena

kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna

viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam

ekāṁśena sthito jagat 

"But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe." 

Thus Kṛṣṇa says that the entire material world is maintained by His partial representation as Paramātmā. The Lord enters every universe as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and then expands Himself as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu to enter the hearts of all living entities and even enter the atoms. 

Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). Every universe is full of atoms, and the Lord is not only within the universe but also within the atoms. Thus within every atom the Supreme Lord exists in His Viṣṇu feature as Paramātmā, but all the viṣṇu-tattvas emanate from Kṛṣṇa. 

As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (10.2), aham ādir hi devānām: Kṛṣṇa is the ādi, or beginning, of the devas of this material world, Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara. Therefore He is described here as bhagavate bṛhate.End of quote 

So there are differences between different energies or expansions of the Lord. 

We are also expansions. 

We are also expansions, the individual jiva-tattvas have minute independence and "a sense of individual self that is able to think and act for themselves serving Krsna separately from Krsna, who are also called the individual marginal living entities or jiva-souĺs,

The individual jiva-souls are different from the direct expansion of Kṛṣṇa like the Sakti-Visnu-tattvas (who are Radharani and Her expansions) and the direct Visnu-tattvas expansions of Kṛṣṇa.

The Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana have so many so many expansions of Krsna it is mind boggling.

Although the individual jiva-souls can play the roll of a gopa or gopi but can never be Sakti Visnu tattva or Visnu-tattva, who are both Krsna expanded as multiple personalities.

The individual jiva-souls like us on the other hand, can choose to forget Krsna at anytime and enter the mahat-tattva (the material creation belonging to Maha-Visnu) as nitya-baddha (becoming materially conditioned) and think they are a god.  

Our eternal constitution position and perpetual spiritual bodily form is already there on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana eternally fixed within the eternal presence of Kṛṣṇa beyond the mundane past, present and future of the material world.  

In the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana,  there is no concept of past and future time, there is only the awareness of the eternal presence of Krsna where our own unique personality voluntarily eternally serves there.

This is how we know the universe is not ''all'' one consciousness playing different roles (except for Krsna and His unlimited expansions))

Therefore we never loose our independence and sense of individual identity being a "person", even a blade of grass, leaf or chair is a Peron in Goloka. Of course in the material world our individuality becomes covered by many different species of material bodies but underneath it all the jivatma or jiva tattva is there as an individual.

It is important to understand we have a "sense of independence and individuality as jiva tattva" this is what "marginal" means.

To say you can never leave Goloka once there is true for most but not all because we can choose to miss use your free will.

Without having that choice Prabhupada says we are no better than a stone, we would not be able to give love or receive love. 

And yes, many devotees have found this subject’s true meaning in Sastra very difficult to understand and therefore call it inconceivable rather than attempting to understand it or believe others understand it.

Understand what?

That making "choices" (that allows one to increase their “unique” individual expression of love for Krsna) is always with the marginal living entity even in Vaikuntha and to take that ability away from the marginal living entity in Vaikuntha, the jivatma looses the individual ability to “give and accept love”.

This is because without free will we loose our sense of independence as a person and having a unique separate identity from all of other individual jivatmas, Visnu tattvas, and Krsna Himself.

These are important points to understand.

We, the jivatma souls are independent thinking souls eternally but simultaneously part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Krsna the cause of all causes meant to please the Lord as the unique “persons”.

Therefore, no one can force the jivatma to stay in Vaikuntha, that choice must be eternally yours (the jivatma).

Only Visnu-tattvas and Visnu-sakti-tattvas never fall down from the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana because they are direct expansions of Krsna playing different rolls in Krsna's pastimes and both have 93.75% of Krsna’s qualities which means they have 60 of Krsna's 64 qualities, making them direct expansions of Krsna Himself.

Some Visnu sakti tattvas are gopis including Radharani, gopas, parents, lovers etc many, many different personalities.

Krsna’s brother Balarama is Visnu tattva and many others are too playing different parts in Krsna Lila just like in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes where many are Visnu tattva playing a roll also.

It is only these resident's of Vrindavana who never fall down into forgetfulness.

The fact is, more than 90% of the individual jiva-souls (devotees) have chosen to stay in the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana (the Kingdom of God) and never enter the temporary material world seeking selfish desires. 

The individual jiva-souls in the spiritual world are not God (direct expansions of Krsna), they are volunteer servants of Krsna who have 78.125% of Krsna’s qualities, meaning they have 50 of Krsna's 64 qualities.

To be in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana does not always guarantee you will stay there forever, and never enter the temporary decaying material world, simply because the individual jiva-souls always have the free will to accept or reject Krsna.

Although, as already explained, 90% never choose to forget Krsna and enter the temporary material world because that is their desire and expression of free will.

Some past sages, Acharyas and scholars claim the individual jiva-souls can never fall down to the material world once they are in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana. 

Yes, that is true because the individual jiva-souls are not suppose to leave their real home by falling down from the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana and have chosen it to be this way.

The fact is, most (over 90%) never do fall down or leave the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana however, Srila Prabhupada has further explained that some individual jiva-souls do choose to leave or fall from the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana by rejecting Krsna's promises found in Bhagavad Gita As It Is where He says those in the spiritual world never fall down to the temporary material world again. 

Bhagavad Gita As It Is explains this, where Krsna promises the individual jiva-souls they would never enter to the temporary material world once they are in the spiritual world, this is Kṛṣṇa's promise.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend." (BG, Ch 18 text 65)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "That supreme abode is called unmanifested and infallible, and it is the supreme destination. When one goes there, he never comes back. That is My supreme abode." (BG, Ch 8 text 21)

However, because a loving relationship is a "two-way street between Kṛṣṇa and the individual jiva-souls," the individual jiva-souls can also choose to accept or reject the above promise from Krsna. 

A two-way street means one can do wrong or right otherwise free-will and voluntary exchanges have no meaning.  

In other words, if the individual jiva-souls (devotees) choose to remain in the spiritual world, or return again to the material world even after going back to the spiritual world, Krsna will not interfere with their choice regardless of Krsna's promise that they will never again fall to the temporary material world. This is because the individual jiva-souls always have a say too in their own destiny that is not only up to Krsna. 

The individual jiva-souls always have a choice to stay in the spiritual world with Krsna, or leave, that judgement is not only Krsna's decision because all relationships with Krsna are based on a two-way voluntary exchange between two, not just one! Which means the individual jiva-souls always have their free will.

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 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. If you make it one way only, that you can never fall down, then that is not independence, that is force." (Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

Krsna personally allows the individual jiva-souls to have free will just so they can voluntary contribute in their relationship with Kṛṣṇa so a diversity of possibilities are expressed in a "two-way" cooperative spirit eternally.

Therefore, even though Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, and all living entities are fully dependent on Krsna, the paradox here is the individual jiva-souls have their unique distinctive freedom too eternally.

Free will only has meaning when the individual jiva-souls can express themselves abundantly in a "two-sided" voluntary affair of loving exchanges and reciprocation with Krsna.

In other words, loving reciprocation is only possible in a "two-way" exchange with both the individual jiva-souls and Kṛṣṇa contributing to the relationship's expansion of nectarine mellows of devotional service. 

So, it must be clearly understood that the individual jiva-souls always have their free will too, which means they can choose to accept, or reject Krsna at anytime, including His promise that they will never again fall down from the spiritual world once there.

As said above, most individual jiva-souls (devotees) never fall down (over 90%) however, sadly that means less than 10% do fall down from the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana and again enter the material world.

Srila Prabhupada explains it is only a very small minority who foolishly make that choice below, less than 10%.

Dr. John Mize – "Did all the individual jiva-souls that were in the spiritual sky fall out of the spiritual sky at once or at different times, or are there any souls that are always good, they’re not foolish, they don’t fall down?"

Srila Prabhupada – "No, there are majority, 90%, they are always good, they never fall down." (Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)

We all eternally have "free will" in the spiritual world - meaning it is also the devotee's choice to stay there and not just left up to Kṛṣṇa to decide. 

You have to always choose to be with Krsna and serve Him in order to remain in the spiritual world, He can never force that relationship with Him, you must choose to be always Krsna conscious by never forgetting Krsna, it's also up to you too, otherwise free will has no meaning.

A loving relationship with Krsna is eternally a two-way voluntary exchange of cooperation and service, the more you love Kṛṣṇa the more He loves you, this is how one stays in the spiritual world and never falls down.

Free will is part of the Vedic teachings of Sanatan Dharma, otherwise we are mayavadis!! 

Free will is the most important part of Sanatan Dharma! Otherwise you just a mindless brain dead useless impersonal drone. 

Free will allows unique personal contributions.

Devotee - "Śrīla Prabhupāda? Why did God allow free will if He knew we would fall down to the material world?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "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 be, must have free will. But don't misuse your free will. But don't try to become stone. That is not life." (Lecture BG, Ch 15 text 15, Aug 5, 1976, New Mayapur - French farm)

Lets clear one thing up, falling into the material world has absolutely nothing to do with maya or the material energy because maya does not and can not exist in Vaikuntha.

The individual jiva-souls do not even know Maya or the material energy exists, however, they eternally have free will, which is the ability to choose for themselves. This unique quality is eternally part and parcel of the individual jiva-soul's constitutional makeup in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana.

The individual jiva-souls do not loose their independence and unique sense of being an individual contributing person on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana. The individual jiva-souls are eternally independent living entities from Krsna, yet always depend on Krsna via His many Visnu expansions who provide all facilities in the material creation.

In other words, the individual jiva-souls are always independent living entities in the spiritual world, yet simultaneously depend on Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, just like the Sun rays cannot exist without the Sun.

The fact is, because the individual jiva-souls can choose to be with Krsna, or reject Him, means there can be increasing endeavors of loving exchanges, cooperation and reciprocation due to free will.

This is one of the reasons why the material universe was created - to give "reality" to that choice of rejecting and forgetting Krsna, so the individual jiva-souls can go to another place outside the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana if they choose, and try to enjoy without being Kṛṣṇa conscious. The temporary material world is where one can forget Krsna.

The marginal living entities or individual jiva-souls, also must have the free will to choose to be with Krsna on Goloka-Vrindavan rather than being on the Vaikuntha planets with Visnu. The position of the individual jiva-souls in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana must be always be voluntary.

Who you love and who you choose to serve, must always be voluntary.

Many cannot understand these facts about the importance of free will, individuality, identity and the sense of self worth of being a unique person who can give selfless ever increasing love or service in their own way to Krsna.

These qualities are based on the importance of the individuals ability to have choices within their experiences as a individual person.

Once again to be truly free there must be the choice of Vaikuntha or its so called opposite where Krsna can be forgotten, the "material creation"

Without the individual jiva-souls having the choice to accept or reject Krsna, there can never be genuine voluntary love, Prabhupada has explained saying forcing one to love you is called rape.

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 be come 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."

Vipina Purandara - “Why doesn’t Krsna protect us from that desire?

Srila Prabhupada - “He’s protecting. He says, “You rascal, don’t desire. Surrender unto Me.” But you are rascal; you do not do this”.

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.)

It takes only free will to live separately from Krsna and this choice has nothing to do with maya or material energy as explained above - it is simple free will that allows us to be a independent person and enter the material creation too.

To do that one is given material bodies, a subtle and gross body that covers the spiritual form.

In the material world, the individual jiva-souls have to put up with the gross material body always being in a state of decay and then eventually being forced to take another gross material body.

Also once in the material creation, you're on you're own terms, you are responsible therefore karma begins as soon as you leave Vaikuntha. 

No individual jiva-soul originates from the dormant (inactive) impersonal brahmajyoti, they can often fall to there but they have not come from there as Srila Prabhupada tells us.

Srila Prabhupada - 'The next question, about the living entities falling down in this material world are not from the impersonal brahman. Existence in the impersonal brahman is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness. Those who are in the brahman effulgence they are also in the fallen condition, so there is no question of falling down from a fallen condition. When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition. The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness. So long one can maintain pure Krsna consciousness he is not fallen down. As soon as he becomes out of Krsna consciousness immediately he is fallen down." (Letter to Revatinandana dasa, Los Angeles, 13 June, 1970 and 1971 London)

Srila Prabhupada - “We have also come down from Vaikuntha some millions and millions of years ago.” (Lecture BG, Aug 6, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - "These spirit souls and all spirit souls are coming from Vaikuntha." (Letter to Jagadisa das, 1970)

Srila Prabhupada - “As living spiritual jiva-souls we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness has now become polluted by the material atmosphere." (The Hare Krsna Happening record album New York, Dec 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - ” So, even in the Vaikuntha, if I desire that ‘Why shall I serve Krsna? Why not become Krsna?’ I immediately fall down." (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)

Srila Prabhupada - "The actual constitutional position of every living entity is nitya-siddha (eternally liberated as Krsna’s servant), because God is eternal and His part and parcels, the living entities, they are also eternal. So that is nitya-siddha. Nitya-siddha, sädhana-siddha, krpa-siddha-there are different grades. They are all described in The Nectar of Devotion. So one can become sadhana-siddha. By following the rules and regulations and instructions of the spiritual master, he can also become siddha. He can become AGAIN nitya-siddha. So the Krsna consciousness movement is to make the nitya-baddhas AGAIN nitya-siddha, to bring them. It is a difficult task" (New York City lecture CC, July 13, 1976)

Srila Prabhupada - 'This material world is created by the dreaming of Mahā-Viṣṇu. The real, factual platform is the spiritual world, but when the spirit soul wants to imitate the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is put into this dreamland of material creation." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 29 text 83 Purport)

Once, an Indian political leader, Syamasundara Chakravarti, asked Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada.

“Why has the Lord granted such freedom to the jiva?”

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta told him, “”You are fighting for freedom. Don’t you know the value of freedom? Devoid of freedom, the soul is only matter.”

Freedom offers us the alternative to do right or wrong. Once, Gandhi told the British authorities, ”We want freedom.”‘ They replied, “You are not fit to have self-government. When you are fit, we shall give it to you.”

But finally, he told them, “We want the freedom to do wrong.” So, freedom does not guarantee only acting in the right way; freedom has its value independent of right and wrong.

Free will is only absolute with the Absolute Truth. Because we are finite our free will is infinitesimal. The possibility of committing a mistake is there. Our first choice was to dominate and so, gradually we have entered the world of domination.

As a result of this first action, everything else has developed.

So, in different ranks the species have been divided from the demigods down to the trees and stones. And watery bodies, gaseous bodies, anything that we find here has evolved in that way.

The activating principle in any form of embryological development is the soul, and from the soul, everything has evolved.” End of quote

Srila Prabhupada makes our original position with Krishna very clear.

And yes, maya cannot be blamed for our fall down from Vaikuntha in any way because she, in her role as the personification of material energy, does not exist in Vaikuntha, nothing material can exist there.

But free will does and always will exist in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana.

Therefore we are responsible for our choices and actions.

Srila Prabhupada on the other hand chose to come here to serve Krsna's plan and attract the fallen individual jiva-souls in the material world and take them back home back to Godhead.

Many pure devotees like Srila Prabhupada also come here to preach Krsna Consciousness.

There are three ways to come here, as a devotee who preaches, as a devotee who plays the part as a great demon like Jai and Vijai the gate keepers of Vaikuntha.

And those who "choose" to just forget and give up Krishna's association and do their own thing. 

Also one can never have material desires in Vaikuntha because Maya does not exist there. 

Maya cannot be blamed for tempting us and causing our fall down from Vaikuntha in any way because she, in her role as the personification of material energy, does NOT exist in Vaikuntha.

Nothing material can exist there.

But free will, independence and individuality does and always will exist in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana. We therefore leave because of free will and the ability to choose to accept or reject Krsna. 

As an individual ''person'' endowed with independent thought and identity, we are able to make such chooses. 

What does the majority of people think being a "PERSON" really means after you surrender to Krsna? 

Do they think it is becoming some "yes man or women" of Krsna in His Kingdom where one becomes a mindless none thinking denier of the "individual self" who has unique qualities that makes you an individual?

Do they think surrender means we give up our individuality? Sadly, so many have no idea what real "personalism" is which is a word tied to individuality.

The idea of "don't think just do what your told" is impersonalist nonsense because it denies ''you'' to use your own abilities and talents to contribute something unique to your personality that no one else may have.

So no, you do not give up your independent individuality and sense of self worth and esteem to be fully surrendered and "dependant" on Krsna, maintaining that individuality is part of surrendering.

In fact in Goloka your individual independence and dependence on Krsna go together side by side increasing simultaneously at the same time and is always expanding in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana.

It takes spiritual intelligence to understand what real surrender is, and that includes understanding you are eternally an independent individual person with your own sense of individual self separate from all other individual jiva-souls.

Although Krsna always accompanies all the individual jiva-souls as a friend and witness to their individual choices and actions because we are eternally parts and parcels of the Lord.

The individual jiva-souls are unique individual contributing "persons" as a spiritual bodily form, endowed with independent quality of free will that allows them to eternally voluntarily contribute to their relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or totally ignore Him due to free will..

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, 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 on Rene Descartes philosophy 1976)

Srila Prabhupada - "The individual jiva-soul's position in the spiritual world is always voluntary, 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, 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, May 20, 1975)

The individual jiva-souls are not part of an "all one programmed none thinking impersonal collective" within God's Kingdom, no, that is a description of what hell is like.

Impersonalism also means foolishly believing that in the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, the individual jiva-souls give up their independence, individuality, unique personality and free will and become part of an all one collective consciousness. 

Living an impersonal existence is to be devoid of individual thought that does not allow personal contributions that makes you who you really are, as a person as spiritual form, as Krsna's eternal volunteer servant who contributes their best to Krsna.

On the other hand personalism means the individual jiva-soul are able to eternally grow and flourish as an independent living being giving  their own personal contributions of devotional service to Krsna.

To deny the individual jiva-souls their individuality, independence, voluntary contributions, free will and having a unique personality that allows them to personally offer unique distinctive contributions as service to Krsna, only leaves an impersonal mindless non-contributing hell to the real devotees of Krsna.

Many aspiring seekers of truth have an impersonalist idea about what the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana are really like.

Only when the individual jiva-souls choose to no longer desire to serve Krsna, do they fall down to the temporary material world and become under the influence of Maya.

Paramahamsa - "But ultimately if we come to Krsna, there’s no return to the material world?

Srila Prabhupada - "There is return if one desires, that is voluntary, return is always possible."

Paramahamsa - "If we want."

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes."

Paramahamsa - "So we can come to the spiritual world and return to the material world?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes."

Paramahamsa - "Fall down?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, as soon as we think, oh, this material world is very nice, yes, Krsna says, alright you go and enjoy otherwise what is the meaning of free will? Every living entity has got a little free will. And Krsna is so kind, He gives him opportunity, "All right, you enjoy separately." It is free will. Just like one goes to the prisonhouse, not that government welcomes, "Come on, we have got prisonhouse. Come here, come here." He goes out of his free will; again comes out, again goes. Like that."

Paramahamsa - "So our desire to enjoy, we achieve these material bodies; and our desire to achieve Krsna brings us to our natural position."

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes." (Morning Walk at Cheviot Hills Golf Course, May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

The individual jiva-souls are always responsible for their choices and actions.

So the conclusion is found in Srimad Bhagavatam that explains the fall down of the individual jiva-souls from the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana. 

This is found in the 4th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam where the Supreme Lord is disguised as a brahmana.

The brāhmaṇa said - "My dear friend, even though you cannot immediately recognize Me, can't you remember that in the past you had a very intimate friend? Unfortunately, you gave up My company and accepted a position as enjoyer of this material world." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 28 text 53)

By Krsna's (God's) grace and will, He has allowed His individual jiva-souls or marginal living entities (His devotees) to have their own unique distinctive personality, character and freedom of expression (free-will).

This allows Krsna's devotees (the individual jiva-souls) to paradoxically appear independent and separate from Krsna's Personality and absolute control. However, the genuine devotees of Krsna know that is never the case, and never possible. 

The pure devotees of Krsna understand that Krsna is the source of all that there is, simply because "everything" there is eternally belongs to Him as an individual Person as a spiritual Form, who is similtaneously an all pervasive energy meaning Krsna is one yet different from His creation.

Also, what happens similtaneously with His individual devotees when they eternally experience their unique distinctive freedom of expression, is Kṛṣṇa always remains the cause of all causes, meaning, as said above, is behind the individual devotee's expression of free will always.

In other words, everything the individual jiva-souls (devotees) choose to do, or choose not to do, must be first sanctioned by Krsna. In this way, not a blade of grass in Krsna's creation can move without the will of Krsna.

The devotee's (the individual jiva-soul's) free will explained above is actually a paradox in Krsna's creation of the spiritual and material worlds, where He already knows everything - their past, present and future, because He alone also allows the individual jiva-souls (His devotees) to eternally have a minuscule expression of the same free will and independence that He eternally has.

Krsna can sanction this, or anything He wants in His creation, after all, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, who can do what ever He wants. 

Kṛṣṇa can causelessly appear before any of us at anytime He chooses, but generally wants His pure devotees to bring us to Him, that is why He sent Srila Prabhupāda all over the world to bring us all back home, back to Godhead.

Krsna therefore has allowed this unique distinctive independent expression His devotees have so they can voluntarily choose to play their part in a "two-sided" devotional relationship with Krsna, based on cooperation, personal contributions and reciprocation. 

Such a "two-sided" loving  relationship between Krsna and His devotees creates diversity, mystery, loving exchanges and unique contributions (offerings) 

This allows the individual jiva-souls (devotees) to choose their own unique contributions they want to offer to Krsna.

Krsna permits this to happen so that offerings coming from His devotee's (the individual jiva-soul's) are always voluntary, that further expand the relationship by creating suprise and mystery within Krsna's eternal Abode.

We must also understand that Krsna (God) is eternally simultaneously one with His creation, and different from it, He is everything and in everything, and is similtaneously an individual Person as an eternal spiritual Bodily Form

Krsna has allowed the individual jiva-souls (devotees) to have their own unique distinctive personality and character separate from Krsna's Personality, Bodily Form and absolute control.

Although Krsna is always the cause of all causes and all that there is, meaning He is behind everything as explained above. 

As also said above, Krsna allows His creation to be this way so the free will His devotees express, creates diversity and the unique contributions offered from His devotees.

This allows them to express their own independent unique character and personality that is eternally existing in a "two-sided" cooperative voluntary reciprocal relationship with Krsna. 

Krsna (God) is the source of all things, nothing can operate or exist separate from Krsna, as said above, not even a blade of grass can move without the will of Kṛṣṇa, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes. 

So, how are the individual jiva-souls (devotees) able to freely express themselves and make their own choices when everything is under Krsna's absolute control, including free will and past, present and future? 

Their are many who do not understand the ultimate goal of "devotional service" or the real meaning of "surrender." 

Both the above does not mean to be Krsna's mindless slave, puppet and "yes" men and women. They foolishly believe that when one enters the Kingdom of God (the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana) and surrender to Krsna, they have to give up their free will and now be always told what to do and think, without any need to provide personal contributions, endeavours and offerings chosen uniquely by each individual devotee.

This so called mindless "surrender" is really practising impersonalism, which is the pathway leading to spiritual suicide, it extinguishes the devotees individual identity, personality, and the God given ability to express themselves in the way they choose serving Krsna in the spiritual world.  

Therefore, freedom of self-expression (free-will) must exist in the spiritual world so the devotees (the eternal individual jiva-souls) have a "two-sided" cooperative reciprocal forever expanding relationship with Krsna. 

Such unique distinctive independence eternally experienced by the individual jiva-souls, is allowed by Kṛṣṇa to permit and encourage voluntary self-expression in a service the devotees choose to do, and not chosen for them by Krsna.××.

Difference between matter (material energy) and anti-matter (spiritual energy) according to vedic teachings.

 Matter is described as having no consciousness, whereas spirit (Krsna and the individual jiva-souls) are inherently conscious. 

Matter can also be viewed as "dormant consciousness," existing within the atom, while spirit (individual units [personalities] of anti-matter) is "developed consciousness."

Both matter and anti-matter are energies of God (Krsna). 

Matter is considered inferior energy (aparā prakṛti), which is temporary and unconscious. 

Spirit (anti-matter) is superior energy (parā prakṛti), which is eternal, blissful, and the active principle that allows matter to function.

Spirit (anti-matter) is permanent and indestructible, surviving even when the physical body (matter) is destroyed. 

Matter is temporary, subject to constant decay, and vanishes over time. 

Matter is often referred to as "separated energy"—the place where we do not directly perceive God—while spirit (anti-matter) is "non-separated energy" where God (Krsna) is directly perceived.  

Matter cannot produce anything on its own; it only develops or moves when the "superior energy" (spirit or anti-matter) is present. All "matter" is moved by "Anti-matter." 

From a higher perspective, there is no difference because both originate from the same source, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who can convert one into the other.

A common comparison is that of a driver and a car. The car (matter) without a driver (anti-matter or spirit) is just a "parked car" that cannot function.

For Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, there is no difference between material energy and spiritual energy. For Kṛṣṇa, it is all the same because He has got one energy.

Srila Prabhupada - "All the senses, both of the Lord and of the devotees, are without material contamination. They are so because they are beyond the material cause and effects, as clearly mentioned herein (sad-asataḥ param). The illusory, material energy cannot work there, being ashamed before the Lord and His transcendental devotees. In the material world the sense activities are not without grief, but here it is clearly said that the senses of the Lord and the devotees are without any grief. There is a distinct difference between the material and spiritual senses. And one should understand it without denying the spiritual senses because of a material conception." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 7 text 47, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "A diseased person cannot enjoy anything; he has to restrain his enjoyment in order to get rid of the disease. Similarly, our material condition is a diseased condition. If one wants to enjoy real sense enjoyment, then one must get free of the entanglement of material existence. In spiritual life we can enjoy sense enjoyment which has no end. The difference between material and spiritual enjoyment is that material enjoyment is limited. Even if a man engages in material sex enjoyment, he cannot enjoy it for long. But when the sex enjoyment is given up, then one can enter spiritual life, which is unending. In the Bhāgavatam (5.5.1) it is stated that brahma-saukhya, spiritual happiness, is ananta, unending. Foolish creatures are enamored by the beauty of matter and think that the enjoyment it offers is real, but actually that is not real enjoyment." (SB, Canto 3 Ch 20 text 35, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "The difference between the pleasure and pain of this material world and that of the spiritual world is that in the spiritual world the effect is qualitatively absolute. Therefore one may feel sorry in the absolute world, but the manifestation of so-called pain is always full of bliss. For instance, once Lord Kṛṣṇa, in His childhood, was chastised by His mother, Yaśodā, and Lord Kṛṣṇa cried. But although He shed tears from His eyes, this is not to be considered a reaction of the mode of ignorance, for the incident was full of transcendental pleasure. When Kṛṣṇa was playing in so many ways, sometimes it appeared that He caused distress to the gopīs, but actually such dealings were full of transcendental bliss. That is the difference between the material and spiritual worlds. The spiritual world, where everything is pure, is pervertedly reflected in this material world. Since everything in the spiritual world is absolute, in the spiritual varieties of apparent pleasure and pain there is no perception other than eternal bliss, whereas in the material world, because everything is contaminated by the modes of material nature, there are feelings of pleasure and pain." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 3 text 15, Purport)  

Srila Prabhupada - "The Supreme Personality of Godhead is viśuddha-vijñāna-ghana, concentrated transcendental knowledge; therefore, even though He accepts karma-kāṇḍīya materialistic yajñas, He always remains in a transcendental position. Therefore, the mention of aneka-guṇa refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead's many transcendental qualities, for He is not affected by the material qualities. The different kinds of material paraphernalia or physical elements are also gradually transformed into spiritual understanding because ultimately there is no difference between material and spiritual qualities, for everything emanates from the Supreme Spirit. This is realized by a gradual process of realization and purification. One vivid example of this is Dhruva Mahārāja, who took to meditation in the forest to achieve material benefit but ultimately became spiritually advanced and did not want any benediction for material profit. He was simply satisfied with the association of the Supreme Lord. Āśaya means "determination." Generally a conditioned soul has the determination for material profit, but when these desires for material profit are satisfied through performance of yajña, one gradually achieves the spiritual platform." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 21 text 34, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "The entire cosmic manifestation is but an expansion of the Lord's energy; everything rests in Him, yet He exists separately, beyond creation, maintenance and annihilation. The varieties of creation are performed by His external energy. Because the energy and energetic are one, everything is one (sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma). Therefore without Kṛṣṇa, the Parabrahman, nothing can exist. The difference between the material and spiritual worlds is that His external energy is manifested in the material world, whereas His spiritual energy exists in the spiritual world. Both energies, however, belong to the Supreme Lord, and therefore in a higher sense there is no exhibition of material energy because everything is spiritual energy. The energy in which the Lord's all-pervasiveness is not realized is called material. Otherwise, everything is spiritual." (SB, Canto 7 Ch 9 text 30, Purport) 

Srila Prabhupada - "One who thinks that there is a difference between Lord Viṣṇu's body and His soul dwells in the darkest region of ignorance. There is no difference between Lord Viṣṇu's body and Viṣṇu's soul, for they are advaya-jñāna, one knowledge. In this world there is a difference between the material body and the spiritual soul, but in the spiritual world everything is spiritual and there are no such differences. The greatest offense of the Māyāvādī philosophers is to consider Lord Viṣṇu and the living entities to be one and the same." (CC Adi 7.115, Purport) 

Srila Prabhupada - "According to the Vedānta-sūtra (janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1)), since creation, maintenance and annihilation exist in the Supreme Absolute, whatever we find within this material world is already in the spiritual world. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa Himself. How is He stealing, and how is He fighting? It is not as a thief or an enemy but as a friend in a loving condition. He steals as a child not because He is in want but out of a natural instinct. In this material world also, small children, without enmity or bad will, sometimes go to a neighboring house and steal, and sometimes they fight. Kṛṣṇa also, like other children, did all these things in His childhood. Without the existence of the stealing propensity and fighting propensity in the spiritual world, they cannot exist here in this material world. The difference between the material and spiritual worlds is that stealing in the spiritual world is done in friendship and love, whereas fighting and stealing within this material world are executed on the basis of enmity and envy. Therefore we should understand that in the spiritual world all these activities exist, but there is no inebriety, whereas in the material world all activities are full of miserable conditions." (CC Adi 14.42, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "Texts 245 to 257 are all questions and answers between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya. In these exchanges there is an attempt to show the difference between material and spiritual existence. Education in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is always transcendental and is the best of all forms of education." (CC Madhya 8.245, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - In this connection, two words the revealed scriptures often apply to the Lord—saguṇa ("with qualities") and nirguṇa ("without qualities")—are very important. The word saguṇa does not imply that when the Lord appears with perceivable qualities He must take on a material form and be subject to the laws of material nature. For Him there is no difference between the material and spiritual energies, because He is the source of all energies. As the controller of all energies, He cannot at any time be under their influence, as we are." (Sri Isopanisad 5, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "I have come to you country by aeroplane not to see your country. I have come for Kṛṣṇa's business: to see if I can induce you to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise we have no concern with this aeroplane or motorcar or anything. We take advantage. Similarly, when we take advantage of this body for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it is very nice. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. That is also renouncement. He has no attachment. He simply uses things. Then that thing becomes spiritual. Actually it is spiritual, and when it is not used for spiritual purpose or Kṛṣṇa's purpose, it is material, the same thing. What is the difference between material and spiritual? That is, a picture is there. There are so many pictures. People may say that "Here is the same picture. Why these people are worshiping and offering ārati and chanting?" But this picture is spiritual because it enhances or enthuses a spiritual consciousness. Therefore it is spiritual. Of course, it is not very easy to understand immediately, but on the ultimate issue, everything is created by Kṛṣṇa, or God, so by seeing everything, if you remember Kṛṣṇa, then that is spiritual. That is spiritual. So anyway, for ordinary man this does not happen." (Lecture BG, Ch 2 text 11, Mauritius, Oct 1, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "So therefore we must know even the senses which we have got for which we are so much proud and by the enjoyment of the senses we are trying to be happy, those senses belong to the Supreme Lord. Therefore the best thing is we should apply the senses in the service of the proprietor. We should not apply the senses for our individual satisfaction. That is the difference between material plane and spiritual plane. That's all. You haven't got to stop your senses, stop your desires. No. Simply, simple thing is that instead of supplying them for your personal desires, you should dovetail it to the supreme desire. That's all. That is our perfect life. That is our perfect life." (Lecture BG, Ch 2 text 55-56, New York City, April 19, 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - "Just try to understand that there is department of welfare and there is department of police. It does not mean that welfare department is very favorite to the government and police department is not favorite. Do you think it is like that? For the government, both the departments are equal. Just try to understand. So the material energy is working in a different way, that does not mean that material energy is not liked by Kṛṣṇa. It has got the same importance as the spiritual energy. But the material energy is engaged in a thankless task for punishing the conditioned soul. Just like the police department. So for Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference between material energy and spiritual energy. For Kṛṣṇa it is all the same because He has got one energy. If you have understood the difference between material nature and the spiritual nature, then try to understand that as you have got experience of this material nature, there is another nature, another sky, another planetary system, everything another. That is all made of spiritual nature." (Lecture BG, Ch 4 text 7, Montreal, June 13, 1968)

Srila Prabhupada - "Just like a big machine, computer, or any other machine, it is combination of matter, but it cannot work independently until and unless there is touch of the spiritual nature, a human being. The big airplane is floating in the... (break) ...I mean to say, mechanical arrangement. But unless there is the pilot, it cannot work. Similarly, you try to understand that this material nature, cosmic manifestation, however wonderful it may be, unless there is direction of the Supreme Being, it is useless. So if you have understood the difference between material nature and the spiritual nature, then try to understand that as you have got experience of this material nature, there is another nature, another sky, another planetary system, everything another. That is all made of spiritual nature." (Lecture BG, Ch 4 text 10 Festival at Maison de Faubourg, Geneva, May 31, 1974)

Devotee - "This process is generally known as yajña or activities simply meant for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, the more the activities of the material world are performed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness or for Viṣṇu only, the more the atmosphere becomes spiritualized by complete absorption. Brahman means spiritual. The Lord is spiritual and the rays of His transcendental body are called brahmajyoti, His spiritual effulgence. Everything that exists is situated in that brahmajyoti. And when the jyoti is covered by the illusion of māyā or sense gratification it is called material."

Srila Prabhupāda - "Now, this is the difference between material and spiritual. Try to understand. Just like in the sunshine there is cloud. That cloudy atmosphere is not very good. But when there is bright sunshine you say, congratulate your friend, "Oh, today is very nice day." The sunshine is always there. The cloud also is an interaction of the sunshine. The cloud is nothing but due to excessive heat it absorbs water from the sea or anywhere else and it becomes gas and it stands in the sunshine. But it does not cover all the sunshine." (Lecture BG, Ch 4 text 19-25, Los Angeles, Jan 9, 1969)

Devotee - "Śrīla Prabhupāda is there is actual difference between the material energy and the spiritual energy?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, difference, there are many differences. The same example, electricity. So many things are working, difference of energy. Even the dictaphone is working, electricity. By the same energy, electricity. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). He's the origin of everything." (Lecture BG, Ch 4 text 24, Aug 4, 1976, New Mayapur France) 

Srila Prabhupada - "The normal condition is the finger is to work for my body. Similarly, we, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, when we are engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, that is our normal condition, our healthy life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "These foolish creatures, mūḍhāḥ, who are thinking that 'We shall work for sense gratification,' they are mūḍhas." Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). The animals cannot understand this constitutional position of the living entity. Because this material world means all the living entities, they have come here for satisfying their senses. And in different grades of life they are satisfying their senses. Either as Brahmā or the worm in the stool, they are satisfying their senses, different senses. That is material life. And when one understands that "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. My duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa," that is normal life. That is actually spiritual life. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). When we forget to serve Kṛṣṇa, that is material life. And when we serve Kṛṣṇa with love and affection, understanding that we are very intimately related, part and parcel, that is spiritual life.This is the difference between material life and spiritual life. When one works for his own sense gratification, that is material life. And when works for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction, that is spiritual life." (Lecture BG, Ch 7 text 5, Bombay, Feb 20, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada - "So there are hundred and thousands of forms in the material world. But in the spiritual world the form is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. Every form is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. That is the difference between material world and spiritual world. Material world means... Although the varieties are there in the spiritual world... There are also trees, as we have got here trees. But there the forms are spiritual form, and here they are material form." (Lecture BG, Ch 9 text 1, Melb, Australia April 19, 1976)

Srila Prabhupada - "Material form and spiritual form, what is the difference? The difference is that just like a living being. I can ask any of my disciple to do something. He'll do it. But this microphone, it has also a form, but if I want microphone, "Please do this," he cannot, it cannot do because it is material. It can mechanical, give some mechanical service, one only, but it cannot do any other thing. A man can speak or he can dance or he can become a thief, he can become so many—because he's living. That is the difference between material form and spiritual form." (Lecture BG, Ch 9 text 1, Melb, Australia April 19, 1976)

Srila Prabhupada - "So what is the difference between this material world and the spiritual world? In the material world we are conditioned, and in the spiritual world we are liberated. This is the difference. In material... What is conditioned life? Conditioned life means subjected to the rules and regulation of the material nature. That is conditioned life. Just like we have got this body. This is also a condition of the material nature. We have got different types of bodies, why? Because we are conditioned. According to our karma we have got different types of body, 8,400,000's of bodies. So liberated life means not to go under the condition of this material nature. That is liberated life. In the conditioned life there are four defects. Out of many other conditions, so far our knowledge is concerned, that is defective. Why? Because we commit mistakes. Every one of us, we commit mistake, we are illusioned, our senses are imperfect, and we have a tendency to cheat. This is four defects of conditioned life. But the liberated life they have no such conditions." (Lecture BG, Ch 9 text 2, Melb, Australia April 20, 1976)

Srila Prabhupada - "So whatever you see, that is simply expansion of the energy of God. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaṁ jagat. Akhilaṁ jagat, whole universe, whatever you are seeing, that is expansion of the energy. But the Māyāvāda philosophy, they cannot understand. They are less intelligent. Therefore they say, "If God had expanded everywhere, then where is God, personal?" No, that is not the fact. The fact is God is person. He is situated in one place but His energy... (child crying) His energy has expanded. Whatever you see in this material world or spiritual world... Material world... The difference between material world and spiritual world means in the material world we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Material means... When we forget God, that is material. And when we know God, existence of God, then that is spiritual. This is the difference between material and spiritual." (Lecture BG, Ch 9 text 5, Melb, Australia April 24, 1976)

Srila Prabhupada - "What we are seeing in this material world? Something material and something spiritual. Material means which has no sense or which has no moving power, and spiritual means which has got sense and which has got moving power. That is the difference between material and spiritual. So if we try to understand simply our body, actually that is meditation. Meditation means to understand, "what is this body and what I am." If you know these things..." (Lecture BG, Ch 13 text 2, Melb, Australia April 4, 1972)

Srila Prabhupada - "Stena eva sa ucyate (BG 3.12). Everything belongs to God. Therefore everything should be employed in the service of God. This is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy. We do not take anything which has no connection with Kṛṣṇa. We take everything... Just like we are using this microphone. We do not think it is material. Because it is being used for Kṛṣṇa's purpose, therefore it is spiritual. That is the difference between material and spiritual. When you accept it as your own or for your own sense gratification, that is material. And if you accept everything as Kṛṣṇa's and you simply take Kṛṣṇa's prasādam, then it is spiritual." (Lecture BG, Ch 13 text 6-7, Bombay, Sep 29, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - "This is the difference bhakti and karma. Karma means to fulfill my desires, and bhakti means to fulfill Kṛṣṇa's desires. That is the difference. Now you make your choice, whether you want to make your desires fulfilled or if you want to make Kṛṣṇa's desire fulfilled. If you make your decision to make Kṛṣṇa's desire fulfilled, then your life is successful. That is our Kṛṣṇa conscious life. "Kṛṣṇa wants it; I must do it. I will not do anything for me." That is Vṛndāvana. All the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, they are trying to fulfill Kṛṣṇa's desire. The cowherds boys, the calves, the cows, the trees, the flowers, the water, the gopīs, the elderly inhabitants, mother Yaśodā, Nanda, they are all engaged in fulfilling Kṛṣṇa's desire. That is Vṛndāvana. So you can turn this material world into Vṛndāvana provided you agree to fulfill the desires of Kṛṣṇa. That is Vṛndāvana. And if you want to fulfill your own desires, that is material. This is the difference between material and spiritual." (Lecture BG, Ch 16 text 4, Hawaii, Jan 30, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "Just like light is required by a person who wants to go through the darkness but go to the light. Suppose here is light and there is tunnel, and in the tunnel you require some light, to go to the other part of the light. Similarly, this world, this material world, is full of darkness. That is the difference between material world and spiritual world. Material world means darkness wherein you cannot understand what is God, what you are. That is material world. They are very busy in this material world, but they do not know where they are going." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 Ch 2 text 3, Rome, May 27, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada - "Material world means sense enjoyment, and spiritual world means not sense enjoyment for personal sense enjoyment, but enjoyment of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the... We have to learn, one after another, what is difference between material and spiritual. That is explained in Caitanya-caritāmṛta very nicely in two lines, ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā tāre bali kāma (CC Adi 4.165). Lusty desires, or kāma, materialism, what is that? Now, ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā, when one wants to fulfill his own desires of the own senses, that is called kāma. And kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare prema nāma. The same thing, when you want to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, then you become devotee." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 Ch 2 text 7, Hyderabad, April 21, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada - "Material advancement means expanding the sense gratificatory process. That is material. The more you expand how to satisfy your senses, that is material. And the more we expand how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, that is spiritual. That is the difference between material and spiritual. It does not mean that material stone, material, and spiritual means it becomes zero. They are thinking like that. Śūnyavādi. They think spiritual means just the opposite number of material. "So material, we have got variegated experience, solid experience, so make it zero." That is not spiritual. That is simply negation." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 Ch 3 text 20, Los Angeles, Sept 25, 1972)

Srila Prabhupada - "So spiritual life means anxiety-less. This is the difference between material life and spiritual life. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), in the Bhagavad-gītā it is described what is spiritual life. As soon as you are identified with the Absolute Truth, Brahman, then symptoms will be prasannātmā, jubilation: "Oh, I do not belong to this material world. I belong to the spiritual world. I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Why should I suffer so many things?" That is jubilation. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). The prasannātmā means na śocati na kāṅkṣati. He has no lamentation, no hankering. Here people are always full of anxieties because they have got hankering, "I want this. I want that." And there is lamentation. What they possess, if it is lost, they cry, "Oh, my things are lost." And what they do not possess, they hanker. So their anxiety is there, either he possesses or not possesses. This is material anxiety. If you have no money, then you will hanker after money, "How to get money, how to get money, how to get money?" And when you get money, then how to utilize it, how to, where to keep it, in the bank, or in the house, or who will take away? Somebody will take away. So where is anxiety-less? You possess or not possess, the real disease is anxiety. So when one becomes brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20), self-realized, identified with the Absolute Truth, then he has no more anxiety." (Lecture SB, Canto 1 Ch 15 text 29, Los Angeles, Dec 7, 1973) 

Srila Prabhupada - "The same earholes, you hear some radio message, some materialistic news, some advertisement, so many things you can hear. And in the same earholes, you can hear Hare Kṛṣṇa. So the hearing is there. But when you hear something for your sense gratification, that is material, and when you hear something about Kṛṣṇa, that is spiritual. This is the difference between material and spiritual. The things are already there. You have got your ears; you have got your tongue; you have got your hand; you have got your leg; you have got your eyes; everything is there. You can utilize it for material purpose and for spiritual purpose. How you can utilize? If you change your consciousness, then you can realize. So if you change your consciousness to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and utilize the senses for that purpose ... Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Just like you are American and I am Indian. We are not concerned about hearing about Indian and American." (Lecture SB, Canto 2 Ch 3 text 20, Los Angeles, June 16, 1972) 

Srila Prabhupada - "Aparā - These are My inferior energies." Itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parā: "Beyond this, there is another prakṛti, another nature. That is parā, superior." The superior? How I can understand this inferior and superior? Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho (BG 7.5), that "Superior energies are jīva, living entity." Just like here the matter is there, and the living entity is there, but the living entity is controlling the matter, controlling the matter, not the matter is independent. The matter independently cannot become this here tape recorder. When the superior energy, living entity, collects them, applies his intelligence and converts into a tape recorder, it works. It is nothing but a lump of matter, only tin and some metal and some paper and something like that. So this superior energy, when it acts on it, then it can work. Therefore, similarly, here this whole material world is made of the inferior energy. Both the energies are of Kṛṣṇa. They are emanating from Kṛṣṇa. But one is inferior energy; the other is superior energy. That's all. This is the difference between material world and the spiritual world." (Lecture SB, Canto 2 Ch 9 text 13, Melb, Australia April 12, 1972) 

Srila Prabhupada - "What is that material world? Material world means forgetting Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is covered. Kṛṣṇa is there, Kṛṣṇa is aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu, but they have no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Whole world, you analyze, there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no (indistinct). Rather they are declining, "There is no God." "God is dead." "I am God." "You are..." Because they have no information, no information of, that is material world. That is the difference between material world and spiritual world. Spiritual world means there is full consciousness of the existence of God, and material world means to full forgetfulness of God. This is the difference between material world and the spiritual world. So if you bring, in the material world also, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it is spiritual world. How it is possible? Yes, it is possible. Just like you put one iron rod in the fire. It will become gradually warm, warmer, warmer, then the iron rod will be red hot and if that redness you will touch anywhere, it will burn you. It is no more iron rod, it is fire. So you keep yourself always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then even if you possess this material body, you will be in the spiritual world. This is called jñānam. Jñānam ātma-darśanam, jñānaṁ niḥśreyasāya." (Lecture SB, Canto 3 Ch 26 text 2, Bombay, Dec 14, 1974) 

Srila Prabhupada - "So ānanda cinmaya rasa pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ. Kṛṣṇa is enjoying, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), by expanding His ānanda-cinmaya-rasa, transcendental bliss and spiritual, cinmaya, not material. And so unless we do not know the difference between the material and spiritual, we should not try to understand Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency. If we try to understand Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potencies, then we will misunderstand that "Kṛṣṇa is also like us. He is enjoying amongst the young girls. Let us imitate it." That is falldown. Yes. That is called sahajiyā. But Kṛṣṇa's this enjoyment is not material. They are all spiritual. They are explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that when the gopīs came to Kṛṣṇa, they came in their spiritual body. The material body was lying down with their husband. The husband could not know that "My wife has gone to Kṛṣṇa." These are explained in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam." (Lecture SB, Canto 3 Ch 26 text 29, Bombay, Jan 6, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has described this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, "not of this material sky." Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. Hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, this is not a material sound. And in the Vedānta it is stated, śabdād anāvṛtti. By chanting the spiritual sound... The impersonalists, they chant oṁkāra. Praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu. All Vedic mantras are preceded by the spiritual oṁkāra. That oṁkāra... Kṛṣṇa says, akṣarāṇām akāro 'smi. Vedeṣu, praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu, A, U, M, These are described in the Bhagavad-gītā. So either you vibrate oṁkāra or Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, they belong to the spiritual world. This sound does not belong to this material. Material sound, if you chant once, twice, thrice, you will feel disgusted. But spiritual sound, if you chant twenty-four hours, you will never feel disgusted, but you will feel more and more spiritual bliss. That is the difference. Actually, you see these boys and girls and others, they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa practically from early in the morning, 5:00 till 10:00, daily, but nobody is feeling any disgust. They like to chant. That is the difference between material sound and spiritual sound." (Lecture SB, Canto 3 Ch 26 text 47, Bombay, Jan 22, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "So it is recommended that mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes (SB 5.5.2). Mahat-sevā, we have described the symptoms of mahātmā. The sum and substance of mahātmā is mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). That is mahātmā. Otherwise durātmā. Simply putting on a saffron dress and having a big beard, he's not mahātmā. Mahātmā is he who is cent percent engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim (BG 9.13). He's not in the control of this material nature. He's completely under the direction of spiritual nature. Daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. And what is the sign? What is the difference between a person under material nature and spiritual nature? The difference is that one who is under spiritual nature, he is cent percent engaged in the service of the Lord. This is the sign." (Lecture SB, Canto 5 Ch 5 text 4, Vrndavana, Oct 26, 1976)

Srila Prabhupada - "So what is difference between material energy and spiritual energy? Material energy means one works for his own sense gratification, and spiritual energy means one works for sense gratification of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. There must be some sense gratification, working. But when we work for our personal sense gratification, that is called māyā. He cannot personally be satisfied without Kṛṣṇa. Just like in this body, different parts of the body, they cannot enjoy independently. If you get nice cake, you have to put it to the stomach; then you'll get energy. And if you want... This finger caught the cake and want to utilize themself, that is not possible. It must give it here. And then the energy will be distributed. This is the difference. The materialistic persons, they are simply taking things for enjoying themselves. That is māyā. They cannot enjoy them. But if you take through Kṛṣṇa, then it is spiritual life. That is the difference between material and spiritual." (Lecture SB, Canto 5 Ch 5 text 5, London, Sept 3, 1971)

Srila Prabhupada - "There is no question of mixing up. Therefore because it is not the question of mixing up, amalgamation, separate identity, but it is light, that is all right. But not that they have lost their individuality. Sanātana. Kṛṣṇa says, "They are individual parts sanātana, eternally." Not that now they are separated, and after liberation they will mix up. No. This is wrong conception. Therefore mixing up means... Just like we are here, mixed together. We have got individuality, but for a certain purpose we are sitting together very peacefully, and the real purpose is to learn how to serve Kṛṣṇa. So when we agree to serve Kṛṣṇa, then that is mixing up of the devotees. Tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa, that is mixing up. When you assemble together with the same purpose... That's why we can understand nation. What is that nation? Everyone is individual, but the purpose is how to improve the condition of the politics, or the combination of men. Similarly when you agree... Here in the material world we are individual, and in spiritual world we are also individual, but what is the difference between material world and spiritual world? In the material world we are individual to serve my own senses. Therefore there is fight. Everyone is trying to satisfy his own senses. I am trying to satisfy my senses, you are trying... So there is clash. That is material world. And the spiritual world: when all of them agree to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa. There is like Vṛndāvana." (Lecture SB, Canto 5 Ch 5 text 18, Vrndavana, Nov 6, 1976)

Srila Prabhupada - "Sarva yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrti..., ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). Still, he is nava-yauvanaṁ ca. Nava-yauvanam means it begins from the sixteenth year. He looked like that, a boy of sixteen to twenty years old, and... This is only description of His transcendental body, sac-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). This is the difference between material body and spiritual body. It doesn't matter. The Māyāvādīs, they cannot think of, that material body can be so beautiful, neither they can think of, that the Supreme to possess a body... But He possesses body. The description of the body is there. But it is not like our body. Therefore nirākāra means His body, ākāra, or form, is not like ours. That is to be understood." (Lecture SB, Canto 5 Ch 5 text 31, Vrndavana, Nov 18, 1976)

Srila Prabhupada - "The difference between material world and spiritual world is that here in this material world these three qualities are acting. Therefore we find so many different varieties of men. There are three qualities: the quality of goodness, the quality of passion, and the quality of ignorance—sattva, rajas, tamas. Now, these qualities, again mixed up, they create several varieties of... Just like three multiplied by three becomes nine. Nine multiplied by nine becomes eighty-one. Eighty-one multiplied by eighty-one, it becomes so many varieties. Expert color men, they take three colors—that blue, red, and yellow—and mixes the color, and varieties of color is manufactured. Similarly, these three guṇas, originally they are coming from the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (Lecture SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 text 41-42, Surat, Dec 23, 1970)

Srila Prabhupada - "The nature of this material world is that it becomes manifest at a certain time and again it disappears. That is the difference between material world and spiritual world. Spiritual world is eternal. There is no question of occasional appearance and occasional disappearance." (Lecture SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 text 41-42, Surat, Dec 23, 1970)

Srila Prabhupada - "Here there is difference between the man, woman, cows, or trees, or flowers. No. In the spiritual world there is no such difference. The flower is also devotee, living. The flower wants to serve Kṛṣṇa as flower. The calf wants to serve Kṛṣṇa as calf. The gopīs want to serve Kṛṣṇa as gopī. They are all the same, but according to the varieties—yesterday I was speaking of the variety—varieties of desires to serve Kṛṣṇa... So that is spiritual world. And material world? The same varieties are there, imitation, but everyone wants to satisfy sense gratification. There is no desire for serving Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference between material world and the spiritual world. In the spiritual world all the varieties are there, and they are all spirit. There is no touch of matter. They are all conscious. When the flower is there in the hand of Kṛṣṇa, in the lotus hand, he is conscious. He is enjoying that "I wanted to serve Kṛṣṇa as flower; now I am enjoying." That is spiritual. They are all conscious." (Lecture SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 text 49, New Orleans Farm, Aug 1, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "So these bad habits, kāma krodha-kāma means lust; krodha means anger—so if they are also coming from God, then how we can neglect it? How we can reject it? So there is no need of rejecting. That is the Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura's... You cannot reject. That is not possible. As you are a living being, there must be kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya. You cannot reject it. You cannot make it zero. That is impersonalism. But it has its proper use. That you have to know. Unless you know the proper use of everything, everything... Proper use means it must be used for Kṛṣṇa. Then it is proper use. Otherwise it is misused. There is no such thing as bad. Everything is good when it is used for Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference between material and spiritual. Spiritual, everything is good, and material, everything is bad. You cannot make any distinction. When a thing is used materially it is bad. Therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali samāna. Dvaite—means in this world of duality—everything is bad. They have invented some artificial meaning, "This is good, this is bad," but actually everything is bad in the material world. There is nothing good. And just the opposite: in the spiritual world, everything is good." (Lecture SB, Canto 7 Ch 9 text 1 Mayapur, Feb 10, 1977)

Nanda-kiśora dasa - "Swamijī, what is the material mind, intelligence, and false ego? What is that mind, that material mind? In other words, is there a spiritual mind and material mind?

Srila Prabhupāda - "What is the difference of your material life and spiritual life?"

Nanda-kiśora dasa - "One is for Kṛṣṇa, and one is for denial of Krsna?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "That is the difference between material mind and spiritual mind. Because you are thinking that you are this material body, this is material conception. Therefore everything is material—mind, intelligence, and identification, everything material. Similarly, if you think, that thinking means mind, that you are Kṛṣṇa's, then everything is spiritual. That we have to practice. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness." (Lecture SB, Canto 7 ch 9 text 11, Montreal, Aug 17, 1968)

Srila Prabhupada - "Whatever you see in this material world, same prototype of things are there in the spiritual world. Then what is the difference? The difference is, here everything is polluted, but in the material world..., in the spiritual world, there is no influence of the material qualities. Nirguṇa. This is nirguṇa. Here everything... Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ (BG 3.27). Guṇaiḥ karmāṇi is here. We should understand what is the difference between material and spiritual." (Lecture SB, Canto 7 Ch 9 text 51, Vrndavana, April 6, 1976)

Pradyumna dasa - "Any activities done in devotional service or in Kṛṣṇa consciousness are directly under the control of spiritual energy. In other words, energy is a sort of strength and this strength can be..."

Srila Prabhupāda - "This is spiritual energy. Just like Arjuna is fighting. That energy is inspired by Kṛṣṇa. So Arjuna took it, "I must fight. Kṛṣṇa wants it. I must satisfy Kṛṣṇa." This is spiritual energy. Just see. The other party, they are also fighting in the same energy, but they have no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is nothing wonderful. Simply you have to divert the energy for Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everyone has got energy, but when it is enacted for one's sense gratification, that is material. And when it is enacted for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that is spiritual. Try to understand the difference between material and spiritual." (The Nectar of Devotion, Vrndavana, Oct 29, 1972)

Srila Prabhupada - "This is called material world, and because it is never eternally sustained, therefore it is called māyā. It is not false, as the Māyāvādī philosophers says, "It is false." It is not false. Lord Viṣṇu is taking so much care to create this material world. How you can say it is false? It is not false? It is fact, but it is temporary. This is the difference between the material world and the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is no creation and no destruction. In the material world, there is creation and destruction." (Lecture CC Adi-lila 1.11, Mayapur, April 4, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "Spiritual life and material life is that when you want to enjoy, when we want to be lord of these material resources, that is material life. And when you want to become servant of God, that is spiritual life. They..., there is not much difference between the activities of material life and spiritual life." (Lecture CC Madhya-lila 20.354-358, New York City, Dec 28, 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - "We, just like we keep so many animals, Kṛṣṇa is also enjoying with the calves. Sometimes with other animal also. Same thing is there. It is simply imitation here. Otherwise, everything is there in the spiritual world. We are mistaking, here, karma-phala-vadya (?). But here is no inebrieties, in the spiritual world. Here it is full of inebrieties. You'll see that Kṛṣṇa is enjoying with the gopīs but there is no inebriety. There is no pregnancy, there is no abortion. That is the beauty. And the material world the love turns into lusty desires and it entails so many difficulties. Yan-maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tucchaṁ kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham (SB 7.9.45). Here sex life means entailed with so many sufferings. But there is no sex life in the spiritual world but the pleasure is there. That is the difference between material and spiritual." (Varaha dvadasi, Lord Varaha's Appearance Day Lecture, Bhuvanesvara, Jan 31, 1977)

Srila Prabhupada - "Those who are learned, they do not care for this body, either dead or alive. It is dead matter. So why should you lament for the dead matter?

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

(BG 2.11)

This is spiritual life. When we are not at all concerned with this body, material body, that is the beginning of spiritual life. And so long we are interested with the dead lump of matter without any information of the spirit soul within it, that is material life. This is the difference between material life and spiritual life." (Varaha dvadasi, Lord Varaha's Appearance Day Lecture, Bhuvanesvara, Jan 31, 1977)

Srila Prabhupada - "So long we remain forgetful where our service should be given, that is called material life. When we come to that consciousness, that "I have to serve Kṛṣṇa," that is spiritual life. That is difference between material life and spiritual life." (Lecture, Sydney, April 2, 1972)

Srila Prabhupada - "Everyone is busy how to gratify senses. This is material. And yoga means to control the senses, to understand my spiritual position, my constitutional position. Just like a boy who is accustomed to playing only, he cannot concentrate in his study, in understanding his future life, or in elevating himself, a higher position. Similarly, if we are engaged like child without knowing the future of life, simply playing with the senses, that is called material life. The difference between material life and spiritual life is that if somebody is simply engaged in sense gratification business, that is called material life." (Lecture Seattle, Oct 18, 1968)

Srila Prabhupada - "There is the spiritual platform, everything identical. Just like you get some thousand miles away in the radio: this sound and the person who is transmitting the sound is identical, although materially we cannot derive the same benefit. That is the difference between material sound and spiritual sound. The spiritual sound, there is no such difference. Nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). So it is a fact that by sound vibration, Kṛṣṇa, you immediately contact Kṛṣṇa." (Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die', Boston, May 7, 1968)

Srila Prabhupada - "These five things, primary principles of philosophical speculation or philosophical understanding, are very clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: īśvara, jīva, prakṛti, kāla, and activities. So out of these five, īśvara, the Lord, the jīva, the living entities, the nature, prakṛti, and the time factor, as well as the..., they are eternal. They are not temporary. But the material energy is temporary. Actually, what is the difference between material energy and spiritual energy? The difference is material energy, the consciousness is different, and in the spiritual energy, the consciousness is Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference." (Pandal Lecture at Cross Maidan, Bombay, March 26, 1971)

Srila Prabhupada - "So what is the difference between this material world and the spiritual world? The difference is that in the material world you have to change your body, although you are eternal. Nityaḥ śāśvato na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). You are not destroyed after the annihilation of this body, material body, but you transmigrate to another body." (Lecture at Upsala University, Stockholm, Sep 9, 1973)

Srila Prabhupāda - "Material life means when you desire to gratify your senses, that is material life. And when you desire to serve God, that is spiritual life. That is the difference between material life and spiritual life. Now we are trying to serve our senses. Instead of serving the senses, when we serve God, that is spiritual life. What is the difference between our activities and others' activities? We are using everything: table, chair, bed, this tape recorder, typewriter. So what is the difference? The difference is that we are using everything for Kṛṣṇa." (Talk with Bob Cohen, Feb 27-29, 1972, Mayapur)

Srila Prabhupāda - "Anyone who is Kṛṣṇa conscious let us live together. We are also living together in a house—we are eating, we are sleeping, doing this, but everything in a society of devotees. Just like if you want to do some business if you become a member of the association, stock selling exchange, you can do better business." 

Guest - "(laughs) But not all the time."

Srila Prabhupāda - "No, no I say.... Not all the time because it is material, this is material. They cannot do all the time because this is temporary. You can work as a stock exchange broker for a few hours then it will be havoc(?). But it is not like that. If you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra 24 hours, you'll never be worried. You'll never be tired. That is the difference between material and spiritual activities." (Lecture Nov 4, 1973, Delhi)

Srila Prabhupāda - "That pure energy is spiritual energy, and from that spiritual energy the material energy comes out. That I have already said: From the soul the matter grows. So that is spiritual energy. The basic energy is spiritual. And because the spiritual energy is the cause and the material energy is the effect, therefore in one sense we can say there is no difference between material energy and spiritual energy. Because spiritual energy is the cause, and material energy effect. Effect may be presented in different forms. Just like cotton is the cause of thread. And the thread is transformed into cloth. But you cannot take cotton for cloth. The cotton is there in the cloth in a different, transformed, transform, but you cannot accept, when you require a cloth, you cannot take cotton. This is a crude example. So the cause of physical elements is spiritual energy, and the spiritual energy is... Both spiritual... Spiritual energy is coming from God." (Room Conversation with Robert Gouiran, Nuclear Physicist from European Center for Nuclear Research, June 5, 1974, Geneva)/÷/