We should NOT follow or believe blindly in what others say, no matter who they are. One must even research what a Guru or Spiritual Master says first before believing, such inquiry is the difference between a true religion and a mind controlling dangerous cult.

We should NOT follow blindly what others say, no matter who they are, without first doing a thorough historical investigation and research.

There was once a conversation where one Indian Doctor tried to explain the facts about who really built the first atomic bomb to those who had an incorrect opinion.

And yes, the answer is, it was German citizens, mostly Jews like Einstein and others who build the first workable atomic bomb, but it was in the United States and NOT in Germany as some incorrectly believe.

The fact is, the Nazis NEVER had the atomic bomb, not even close according to historical records, therefore the information many are propagating, no matter who they are, is just an opinion and incorrect.

Therefore the fact is Hitler NEVER had the atomic bomb, and was not even close to building it.

And the comment made that the 3 atomic bombs the Americas had were built in Germany, is just nonsense heresay and an opinion, but NOT fact.

And frankly it is a ridiculous comment for some to say Hitler "was a gentleman and he did not want to use atomic weapons" LOL.

Is killing 27 million Russians and 6 million Jews being a gentleman? 

The fact is, if Hitler had the atomic bomb he would of diffently used it! 

Hitler was NO gentleman!! 

So check everything anyone says to see if it is correct, even if it's one's own Guru! 

And to make out that because the United States used the Atomic Bomb makes them worse that Hitler is ridiculous, a stupid uneducated comment by those who say this, no matter who they are!

The fact is dropping the two Atomic bombs on Japan ended the war and saved the lives of over a million Allied troops who would of been killed if they had to invade the Japanese mainland.

Fortunately the Atomic bombs were CORRECTLY used against Japan that ended the War saving the lives of millions from having to invade Japan.

So the lesseon here is, do not follow blindly out fear, peer pressure and demands that you MUST never question your Guru no matter what he says. 

No, question EVERYTHING your Guru says if you do NOT want to be cheated or mislead, or allow others to force you to accept everything a Guru says with attempted forceful fear tactics, claiming you will go to hell for questioning your Guru, LOL. 

Sadly there are so many immature fanstical devotees out their who still try to scare others into submission.

And yes, they may of scared me as a young immature 20 year old as some did, but at 70 I would just laugh in the face of such a Guru if he demanded, or others demanded, that I follow his nonsense speculative opinions of world events.

The difference between real religion and following a dangerous mind controlling nonsense cult, is that a real Guru will ALWAYS encourage you to question EVERYTHING and find correct answers, and not forced to believe nonsensical heresay.

So do not let anyone intimidate you with their threats meant to FORCE you to accept and never question EVERYTHING.

A real Guru or Spiritual Master and his genuine diciples will never do that, they will always encourage a thorough investigation that can even prove their opinion on a certain issues do need correction.

The Spiritual Master knows everything about Spiritual matters but when commenting on material affairs in this world, it just maybe his opinion only and NOT fact.

This genuine inquiry can be applied to the question if Dinosaurs ever existed, if the Apollo missions went to the Moon between 1968 to 1972 and if the Moon is really further away from our Earth globe than the Sun is.

All these topics mentioned here have been proven beyond any doubt by bonafide Historians with overwhelming evidence.

For example, the Moon is 238,000 miles from earth and NOT further away than the Sun as some have claimed. I firmly believe all distances mentioned in the 5th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam is in code and NOT to be taken literally.

We are still in the very early pioneering years of ISKCON and even Prabhupada said he did jot know everything about Vedic Cosmology. 

This is why he sent Tamal Krishna Maharaj to South India to seek out a Vedic Brahmana who could teach us all about Vedic Cosmology.

One Brahmin was found but turned out to be useless.

Prabhupada then asked his scientist Sadaputa Dasa Phd to do a thorough research on Vedic Cosmology to give us correct answers, and also try and find the Book Surya Siddhanta commented on by his Spiritual Master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur.

Sadaputa did this however, found the Book in 1978, after Srila Prabhupada had left this world.

It was in Surya Siddhanta it meantioned the Moon is 250,000 miles from earth, close to modern scientific measurement of 238,000 miles.

These comments are in in Sadaputa prabhu's Cosmology Books

We can take good instructions from anyone if they have wisdom in them. Just like Gold and Diamonds are always valuable regadless if they are found in a clean or unclean place.

Srila Prabhupada told us many years ago there are many great lessons we can learn from others regardless of who they are, just like Gold is ALWAYS Gold even if found in a unclean or clean place.

Legendary Actress Katharine Hepburn, in her own words: 

“Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus.

Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me.

There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.

The children were  well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns,  animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. 

By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It  would be a highlight of their lives.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armor." He was smiling and enjoying seeing his family happy.

The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy  eight children's tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family  to the circus." The ticket lady stated the price.

The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again stated the price.

The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any  sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped  the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

The man understood what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation.

He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with.

Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.

That day I learned the value to give.

The giver is bigger than the receiver. If you want to be large, larger than life, learn to Give. Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.

The importance of giving, blessing others can never be over emphasized because there's always joy in giving. Learn to make someone happy by acts of giving.”

~ Katharine Hepburn

(from Everything Good in the World)

All these Brahmanda universes are coming from the Bodily pores and breathing of Maha Vishnu, also known as Karanadaksayi Vishnu.

Deep inside each massive Brahmanda material universe coming from Maha Vishnu, is a secondary smaller universe where Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, Lord Brahma and many planetary systems are found.

Inside each massive Brahmanda universe is found a secondary smaller universe where Garbhodakashayi Vishnu and Lord Brahma reside.

In the painting below we see millions of Brahmanda massive single almost spherical shaped material universes that each house that secondary inner smaller universe.

All these Brahmanda universes are coming from the Bodily pores and breathing of Maha Vishnu (also known as Karanadaksayi Vishnu)

So it is clearly explained above that deep inside each Brahmanda, is a secondary smaller universe where Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, Lord Brahma and many planetary systems are found.

Garbhodakashayi Vishnu and Lord Brahma's inner secondary universe is therefore totally surrounded and encased by their outer Brahmanda, like a seed is surrounded by the outer shell layers of a Pine cone.

Also the outer Brahmanda is made up of seven material layers and surrounds each inner material universe deep inside of them.

This is inner material universe is where Garbhodakashayi Vishnu and Brahma reside, along with the many planetary systems.

In other words, Garbhodakashayi Vishnu and Brahma's inner smaller universe is encased in and surrounded by the outer massive Brahmanda universe that is made up of these 7 material layers.

These 7 material levels of material attributes that make up the Brahmanda, are collectively 44 quadrillion 444 Trillion, 444 billion miles in diameter however, if the measurement is taken from the outer edge of the smaller inner material secondary universe where Garbhodakashayi Vishnu and Brahma are, then the "full diameter" of the outer Brahmanda spherical universe is double that figure, which is 88 quadrillan, 888 trillion, 888 billion miles in diameter.

The inner material universes, that are found very deep within their Brahmanda, are very small in comparison to the outer massive Brahmanda surrounding it.

Some are just a mere 4 billion miles in diameter, like our single inner material universe according to the 5th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam.

Our small secondary material universe inside our Brahmanda has 14 Planetary Systems within it, and is surrounded on all sides by the massive spherical shaped larger outer material universal shell called a "Brahmanda". 

This Brahmanda outer shell that encases our smaller secondary universe, is made up of 7 layers of material energy.

Also our small Earth globe we live on is NOT Bhu-Mandala that is described in Srimad Bhagavatam to be almost 4 billion miles in diameter and 12.34 billion miles in circumference. Our Earth globe is way too small to be Bhū-maṇḍala according to Vedic Cosmologist and ISKCON scientist Sadaputa Dasa ACBSP who says -

"Bhu-Mandala" is actually almost the size of our entire small 4 billion mile diameter material universe that has 14 Planetary Systems within it, and is surrounded on all sides by a massive spherical shaped larger outer material universe called a "Brahmanda". 

This outer Brahmanda Universe is made up of 7 layers of material energy -

1 - Earth,

2 - Water,

3 - Fire,

4 - Air,

5 - Sky,

6 - Total material energy (Mahat-tattva)

7 - False Ego.

All together are a massive 44 Quadrillion 444 Trillion 444 Billion miles in diameter, and that size is possibly just measured from one side of our inner secondary universe situated in the center of the Brahmanda, meaning it is double that figure in diameter as explained above.

Our 4 Billion mile diameter inner secondary material universe is very small, it is just a spec deep with this Brahmanda Universal shell shaped spherical material universe that comes from Maha Vishnu along with Billions of others, all in different sizes too.

His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains our small Earth planetary global round sphere within our 4 Billion diameter secondary material universe, as a global sphere and NOT flat as primitive less intelligent minded people believe.

Srila Prabhupada - "On the ground our earth looks flat but when you go up you will see our Earth planet is a ball, a global sphere" (Lecture New York 1966.)

Srila Prabhupada - "Within this material energy there are innumerable universes, in every universe there are innumerable material planets, and the earth globe is one of these planets. Thus we can understand what an insignificant part of the entire cosmos is this globe on which we live''. (Light of the Bhāgavata 47)

Also the Sanskrit word "Dvīpa" does NOT only mean Island, the word has two meanings -

1 - "Islands" or "continents"

2 - Round planetary globes or spheres situated in the ocean of outer space.

Srila Prabhupada - "The planets are called dvīpas. Outer space is like an ocean of air. Just as there are islands in the watery ocean, these planets in the ocean of space are called dvīpas, or islands in outer space" (Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 20.218, Purport)

Furthermore, the word "Bhu-gola" is not only a description of our Earth globe, but also describes the shape of the massive outer Brahmanda universe, that surrounds and incases our smaller inner universe, with its 14 planetary systems in it, that exists deep inside the surrounding outer Brahmanda universe.

As explained, there are billions of these greater Brahmanda universes that all originate from the breathing and pores of the sleeping Maha Vishnu as seen in painting below.

Deep within each Brahmanda, also known as a celestial egg ("Bhu-gola") as seen in painting below, there is an inner smaller secondary universe.

The sizes of both the outer Brahmandas and there inner secondary universe vary in size based on how many heads the Brahma in each universe has.

Our universe inside our Brahmanda is considered small because Brahma has only 4 heads.

In other universes within other Brahmandas, their Brahma may have hundreds of heads, even thousands or even a million, yes, it is almost inconceivable to understand.

Our small universe deep inside our surrounding Brahmanda, is described as being 500,000,000 yojana (4 billion miles) in diameter.

And is often called "Bhu-gola" because it is also a round spherical universe inside the greater spherical Brahmanda.

"Bhu-gola" simply means almost spherical or globe. So there are three earth (Bhu-gola)  descriptions

1 - The greater earth (Brahmanda) (Bhu-gola)

2 - The inner earth inside our Brahmanda is called "Bhu-gola" universe with its 14 Planetary Systems also called "Bhu-Mandala" 

3 - And "Bhu-gola" also refers to our small earth global sphere we live on within our middle planetary system called Bhuloka as well.

"Bhu-gola" describes the Earth globe as a round spherical planet, which is just a spec in one of the 14 planetary systems within our small universe also often called the Bhu-Mandala universe situated deep within the surrounding Brahmanda outer shell.

"Bhu-Mandala" is described in the 5th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam as our inner material universe 4 billion miles in diameter inside our Brahmanda.

In this way, our small "Bhu-Mandala" universe with its 14 planetary systems, that is also described as "Bhu-gola", is surrounded by the greater "Bhu-gola" (Brahmanda) universe that encases our 4 billion mile diameter Bhu-mandala or Bhu-gola universe.

Therefore we can see that "Bhu-gola" can mean - 

1 - Our "Brahmanda universe" 

2 - The "inner secondary material universe inside the Brahmanda", 

3 - Our "Earth planet" within one of the 14 planetary systems that all exist within the inner secondary universe.

All the above are spherical or global in shape.

As explained, the size of our inner material universe deep inside our surrounding Brahmanda universe, is 500,000,000 yojana in diameter (4 billion miles).

I yojana = 8 miles

500,000,000 yojanas = 4 billion miles

So our Earth global sphere (7,917.5 miles in diameter) we humans live on and is NOT 4 billions miles in diameter as some foolishly claim.  

Therefore our Earth planet CANNOT be Bhu-mandala according to the figures in the 5th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam! 

There it says Bhu-Mandala is 4 billions miles in diameter (500,000,000 yojanas) and is far too large of a description to be our small Earth Planet we live on.**

All material bodily categories within the 8 million 400, thousand species of life in the material creation already exist within the dreams of Maha-Visnu and always remain His property.

The visiting jiva-souls to the material creation are all coming from the spiritual worlds and must aquire a material body off the owner, Maha-Visnu, that matches their desires to enjoy separate from Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes.

The Brahma-Samhita explains this- 

“This material world is created by the dreaming of Maha-Visnu. 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." (Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 4 Chapter 29 Text 83)

The temporary material creation is created by Maha-Visnu, an expansion of Krsna.

The material creation is a 1/4 of the Spiritual Sky (Brahmajyoti or Spiritual Sky) as seen in painting below.

However, the vast majority of the Spiritual Sky or Brahmajyoti (3/4),  seen in painting, is made up of the perpetual Vaikuntha Planets, that is the abode of the 4 armed expansion of Krsna, Visnu or Narayana, the Goddess Luxmi and all the inhabitants who have a similar 4 armed spiritual body like Visnus. 

And Goloka-Vrindavana, the abode of the 2 armed Krsna, His consort Radharani and all their family and friends in their own individual spiritual bodies, each completely different from all other bodies including Krsnas. 

Surrounding the Vaikuntha planets in the Spiritual Sky is this central massive lotus like planet Goloka Vrindavana. Krsna is always the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes. 

The painting below shows the perpetual Vaikuntha Planets, Goloka-Vrindavana, and the temporary material creation.  

And in the bottom right hand cornor in painting, we see the small material temporary creation.

This material creation (1/4 of the Spiritual Sky) is always in a state decay and decline.

The material worlds (massive Brahmanda universes) are created by Krsna's Visnu-tattva expansion, Maha-Visnu, who manifests billions of individual Brahmanda universes from His breathing and from the pores of His skin.

There is also a secondary smaller material universe found deep inside each of the billions of massive Brahmanda universes, also seen in painting below.

Maha-Visnu expands as Garbhodakashayi Visnu into each of the "secondary universes" that are inside each Brahmanda greater universe.

From Garbhodakashayi Visnu, Lord Brahma is born from His navel and then builds or creates the different material planetary systems.

There are 14 Planetary Systems in our 4 billion mile diameter universe inside our Brahmanda; however, each secondary universe within their Brahmanda has a different number of planetary systems in them.

In this way, Garbhodakashayi Visnu has His own secondary universe deep inside the Brahmanda universe.

As explained, Garbhodakashayi Visnu, seen in painting below, is an expansion of Maha-Visnu. 

There are billions of Brahmanda universes, each with a secondary universe deep inside them.

This means there are billions of Garbhodakashayi Visnus, Brahmas, and demigods, but there is only one Maha-Visnu in the material creation (1/4 of the Spiritual Sky)

Karanodakshayi Visnu is another name for Maha-Visnu. As explained, all the billions of Brahmanda universes originate from the pores of Maha-Visnu's skin and His breathing.

Deep inside each Brahmanda, Maha Visnu expands further as Garbhodakashayi Visnu, who resides in His own universe, surrounded and encased by the larger Brahmanda universe. 

From Garbhodakashayi Visnu, Lord Brahma appears and creates the planetary systems in each universe within their Brahmanda.

All the billions of Brahmanda universes originate from Maha Visnu, all in different sizes based on the number of heads Lord Brahma has. 

Some have 4 heads, 10 heads, 100 heads, 1000, heads, 10,000 heads, and even a million heads.

The size of our Brahmanda with its inner secondary universe within it, is 44 quadrillion 444 trillion 444 billion miles in diameter, or twice that figure if measured from the outer edge of the inner secondary material universe inside the Brahmanda.

As said above, all Brahmanda universes and their inner secondary universe are in different sizes.

In other words, deep inside each Brahmanda universe, there is another smaller universe where Maha-Visnu expands as Garbhodakashayi Visnu. 

And from Garbhodakashayi Visnu, Lord Brahma appears from a lotus flower growing from His navel, who then creates the many planetary systems in each universe.

Maha-Visnu expands again as a third Visnu known as the Supersoul or Paramatma, who accompanies each marginal living entity (jiva-soul) who chooses to enter the material dreams of Maha-Visnu in His material creation.

He is known as Ksirodakashayi Visnu.

Therefore, NO jiva-souls originate from or are created by Maha-Visnu or Garbhodakashayi Visnu.

We must remember that the jiva-souls (jiva tattva) were NEVER created, nor will they ever will cease to be.

So it is nonsense to believe, as some foolishly claim, that the jiva-souls originate from a clear state of inactive consciousness in the Brahmajyoti or from the dormant impersonal Brahman.

Such an idea is nonsense.

All fallen jiva-souls who enter the material creation, and then after being frustrated with material existence and attempt to end their existence by becoming dormant in the Brahmajyoti, all originally came from their real home in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana.  

Those who choose to leave the spiritual world must go to Maha-Visnu on their way to the material creation to obtain a suitable material bodily vessel for their existence in the material creation.

The fallen jiva-souls first take shelter within Maha-Visnu’s Body after leaving Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, they are then given assistance by Maha-Visnu's glance, who plants the fallen jiva-souls into the material creation within different material bodily vessels based on their desires.

All material bodily vessels are created by the dreaming Maha-Visnu and are provided to all visiting jiva-souls who enter Maha-Visnu's material creation.

Every material bodily combination is already within Maha-Visnu’s dreams, and the jiva-souls are given a material body that matches their desires.

And then desire and karma lead them to future material bodies that number in the billions of different bodies within the 8 million 400 thousand species of life within the material creation.

From Maha-Visnu's point of view, the movement through material past, present, and future all exist simultaneously.

Srila Prabhupada – “This material creation is the spirit soul’s dream. Actually, all existence in the material world is a dream of Maha-Visnu, as the Brahma-Samhita describes- 

“This material world is created by the dreaming of Maha-Visnu. 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." (Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 4 Chapter 29 Text 83)

Srila Prabhupada – “Everything happening within time, which consists of past, present, and future, is merely a dream. This is the secret in understanding in all the Vedic literature.” (Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 4.29.2b)

Srila Prabhupada – “Our contact with matter is just like dream. Actually we are not fallen. Therefore, because we are not fallen, at any moment we can revive our Krsna consciousness, we break the dream.” (Tokyo Japan 1972 lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam)

Srila Prabhupada – “Factually all of material existence is only a dream. Thus, there is no question of past, present, or future. Persons who are addicted to karma-kanda-vicara, which means ‘working for future happiness through fruitive activities’, are also dreaming. Similarly, past happiness and present happiness are merely dreams.” (Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 4.29.2b)**^^

Why must the jiva-souls (marginal living entities) have their free will?

In Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana (the Kingdoms of God) there are ALWAYS loving exchanges, cooperation, personal unique individual contributions and reciprocation going on between Krsna and His devotees.

These loving exchanges are only possible because there is free will.

If association with Krsna was a "one way" forced dominating relationship that denied voluntary personal offerings from His devotees (jiva-souls), then that is NOT love at all, it is selfishness and exploitation which are also the qualities of impersonalism.

Real love is only experienced in a "two way" relationship of loving exchanges with Krsna.

"Loyalty" and "surrender" in the Spiritual Planets in God's Kingdom, are ALWAYS expressed on a "two-way street" that can ONLY be experienced when "two" are having loving respectful reciprocal exchanges of feelings.

Loyalty and acts of loving devotional service are only fully possible in the Spiritual Worlds where the relationship with Krsna is ALWAYS expressed in a "two-way" contributing exchange.

Without this basic rule in the Spiritual Planets, there can NEVER be genuine love within one's relationship with Krsna.

The Spiritual World's of Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana are NOT a dictatorial "one-way" directive, or a domineering demanding place where God or Krsna does all the thinking and decision making for everyone, NO, the Spiritual Planets are NOT full of "mindless drones" and impersonal like that.

The fact is, in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana there are ALWAYS loving exchanges, cooperation, personal unique individual contributions and reciprocation going on between Krsna and His devotees eternally.

Srila Prabhupada - "Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force, no, Krsna does not want to become a lover like that, ‘You love me, otherwise I shall kill you!" (Washington DC July 8, 1976)

And "loyalty" is ALSO a "two-way" street!

Krsna will NEVER "force" us to do what we do not "choose" to do because we are NOT Krsna's mindless drones of "yes" men or women. 

Srila Prabhupada - "Krsna does not want to become a lover by force, from the point of revolver. ‘You love me, otherwise I shall kill you!’ That is not love; that is threatening. Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force; that is rape. Why one is called lover, another is called rape?” (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)

Surrendering to Krsna and His pure devotees is NOT impersonal, it does NOT mean you have to give up your intelligence, free will, personality, individuality and the awareness of being an independent unique contributing person you are eternally.

The Spiritual Worlds are NOT an impersonal domineering mindless totalitarian placeof forced loyalty for the individual jiva-souls with their relationship with Krsna. 

No, the Kingdom's of God (Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana) are not like that, there is ALWAYS loving respectful nurturing exchanges of feelings and service based on reciprocation between Krsna and His devotees.

Devotee - "Srila Prabhupada why do we have free will?"

Srila Prabhupada - "If you have no free will, then you are a stone. The stone has no free will. You want to be stone? Then you MUST have free will! But don't misuse your free will. But don't try to become stone either. That is not life". (August 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)

Vipina Purandara - “Why doesn’t Krsna protect me from thinking independently from Him?"

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? (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)

Krsna does NOT want those who are denied being able to voluntarily choose for themselves how to offer their own unique personal contributions, giving their best, or even reject Krsna if they choose.

There is always a choice and must be that way for love to really exist.

The Spiritual world's of Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana are "personal Kingdoms" based on loving exchanges and cooperation between Krsna and His loving devotees, it is NEVER a "one-way" demanding forceful relationship.      

Ultimately we are all Krsna's servant as His parts and parcels, and His very dear friends however, that does not mean we have to give up our "free will", "individuality" and "sense of independent self" to be Krsna's friend and servant.

The jiva-souls always have freedom (free will) fully acted upon in the Spiritual Planets of Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana.

However, in the material creation free will is greatly restricted and certainly does NOT exist in the lower species of life where the embodied jiva soul is directed to act by the instinct of eating, sleeping, mating and defending of their material body.

Only in the human species does a limited expression of free will exist, but is greatly influenced by the conditions and Karma of the material bodily vessel the fallen jiva soul is trapped in.

So yes, the conclusion is, of course there is ALWAYS free will in Goloka Vrindavana and Vaikuntha as part and parcel of the constitutional make up of every marginal living entity (individual jiva-soul)

And yes, Krsna ALWAYS allows the jiva-souls to have their freedom because if He didn't allow free will, then genuine meaningful loving exchanges will NEVER exist. This is why Krsna ALWAYS allows free will.

Srila Prabhupada has made it clear, it is only by Krsna’s sanction and approval the jiva-souls have their freedom (free will) to begin with but MUST be this way.

So why must the jiva-souls (marginal living entities) have free will?

The fact is, as said above, if Krsna denied the jiva-souls their free will, then they would NEVER be able to experience love or know what love is in a personal way because ultimately love can only exist in a "two-way" exchange of feelings, it can NEVER be "one-way".

A relationship expressed in a "one-way" forceful demand to just only obey without allowing exchanges in a "two-way" contributing relationship, is NOT love at all, it is selfishness and exploitation which is really impersonalism as already explained.

Therefore without free will, without the jiva-soul's in their full spiritual potential have their freedom to voluntary contribute their own personal offerings by having independent choices, even though fully dependent on Krsna, the jiva-souls can NEVER experience wonderful loving exchanges, reciprocation and experience their own personal unique offerings of individual contributions to Krsna.

As Prabhupada says, without "free will" we are no better than dead stone!

Here here

“Free will” or the ability to “choose” is eternally part and parcel of the jiva souls (marginal living entities) natural constitution and ALWAYS exists without beginning or end in ALL the Spiritual Planets.

However, free will in its full potential, is ONLY fully experienced in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, which is the jiva souls original perpetual home.

As Srila Prabhupada has explained, the relationship between Krishna and the individual soul is NEVER a "one way" domineering relationship that denies personal contributions and choices that can only exist in a "two way" relationship.

No, love is ALWAYS based on the reciprocation between two because love can only exist when there are two as Prabhupada explains-

Srila Prabhupāda – ”Unless there are two persons, where is the question of love? Love means two persons, then there is exchange, then there is love. I must deal with you open-hearted, you must deal with me open-hearted, then there is love. So if you want to love Kṛṣṇa, God, then these things must be there”. (August 9, 1976, Tehran)

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

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

Ultimately each individual soul is a unique PERSON who can choose for themselves how to voluntarily serve Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, or ignore Him if they choose. 

As Prabhupada explains, Krishna never forces you to surrender to Him, never forces you to love Him, that MUST be voluntary.

Srila Prabhupada – “Krishna NEVER forces you to love Him, that MUST be voluntary. (Melbourne June 25, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada – “Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force, no, Krishna does not want to become a lover like that.” (July 8, 1976)

Devotee – "In Srimad Bhagavatam, it says that Krishna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krishna did not want us to come, why are we here?” 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).

The jiva souls in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana are forever expanding their expression of individual offerings with personal contributions based on free will and selfless loving exchanges and reciprocation with Krishna, it is NEVER a one sided master/slave relationship with God or Krishna in GolokaVrindavana or Vaikuntha.

Real love or Bhakti is reciprocal, as said above, it is NEVER a "one way street" where surrender to Krishna takes away one's sense of self, individuality and personal contributions.

This is important to understand because each individual jiva-soul has their own independent personality, sense of self and unique personality and characteristics that THEY only have and no other jiva soul has, that is part and parcel of each individual marginal living entities make up as the independent unique "person" they are eternally.

Srila Prabhupada - “Because you are Son of God you have got independence, full independence, therefore you have acquired the quality of your father. "So God does not interfere with your independence”. (Conversation Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974)...**

Why a leading ISKCON Guru and GBC member and other devotees have decided that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the right choice for them.

By Indradyumna Swami, ISKCON Guru and GBC.

In light of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the development of COVID-19 vaccines, many of my students have inquired whether they should get vaccinated or not.

As a result, I wish to share my views on this matter with my students and those who look to me for advice. 

Of course, the final decision whether or not to get vaccinated rests with each individual.

After consulting several devotee doctors who have literally saved my life on five separate occasions (three instances of deadly forms of cancer and two instances of septicemia), I decided to get vaccinated and did so March 2, 2021. 

These devotee doctors are highly educated, caring and experienced medical professionals. 

As I am a layman in medical matters, I prefer to put my faith in such devotee doctors rather than in the unfounded anti-vaccination theories that abound.

I am no stranger to vaccines, or to put it bluntly: I am alive today because I got vaccinated.

As a young boy, I was vaccinated with a precursor to the current vaccination for meningitis. 

When meningitis raged through my neighborhood and school, I contracted a less severe case of the disease because I had been vaccinated. 

As a result, I survived. Three boys in my school who did not get vaccinated were not as fortunate. They died.

When poliomyelitis (polio), a crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease, broke out in the 1950s, my parents had me vaccinated for that too. 

Steven Rushmore, a friend who lived down the street, didn’t get vaccinated. His parents were skeptical of the vaccine. 

Steven subsequently contracted polio and was left permanently paralyzed.

In 1995, I was on my way to preach in Mozambique while that country was in the grip of yellow fever. I was advised to get vaccinated, but the vaccination sounded scary. 

Being uncertain, I consulted my godbrother, Pusta Krishna Prabhu (Paul Dossick, MD, FACS), who had been Srila Prabhupada’s personal secretary. 

I asked Pusta Krishna if Srila Prabhupada had ever gotten vaccinated against yellow fever in order to preach in Africa. 

Pusta Krishna confirmed that Prabhupada had. So I did too. Pusta Krishna also mentioned that Prabhupada had gotten vaccinated against the flu on several occasions.

For me, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 was a matter of common sense. Yes, there may be mild reactions to the vaccine and even severe reactions in rare cases, but these are the exceptions to the rule. 

What is much more dangerous is that COVID-19 has taken the lives of more than 2.5 million people in the past year. 

And there are more than 110 million people who have become infected with COVID-19. 

Who can imagine how high the final death toll may be? Just in the United States alone in 12 months, COVID-19 has killed 525,000 people! 

That is more American deaths than were killed in World War I, World War 2, Korea, Vietnam and Gulf wars combined over the same period of time!

I agree with the doctors and scientists that if a significant percentage of us get vaccinated, we will be able to get back to living a “normal life.” 

And when normal life resumes, Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana movement can get back into full swing, curing people of the real disease, forgetfulness of Krishna. END.

Srila Prabhupada pastime -

In early February 1973 in Sydney Australia, Srila Prabhupada developed an infection on his finger from a paper cut while opening mail. 

The infected finger got worse over a few days and eventually Prabhupada asked for a doctor who could give him penicillin.

We did this and a doctor came and gave him penicillin that healed his infected finger in a day.

However, one young immature devotee was confused. He saw that Prabhupada was always constantly chanting Hare Krishna, translating Srimad Bhagavatam's 3rd Canto and preaching to the devotees. This devotee could not understand why Krishna did not personally protect His pure devotee.

So this young boy asked Prabhupada, 

''You are always chanting Krishna's name, working late at night translating Sastra into English and preaching to the devotees, why didn't Krishna personally heal your finger that caused you so much discomfort?''

Srila Prabhupada smiled and answered the boy showing great faith in Lord Krishna,

''Oh yes Krishna was so kind He immediately helped me, it was Krishna who sent the penicillin that healed my finger''.

The lesson here is, it's not that Krishna has to personally appear and wave some magic wand and heal his pure devotee, no, it does not work that way, the fact is Krishna wants us to do everything we can to help ourselves, then He will give us what we lack as Bhagavad Gita tells us.

''God helps those who helps themselves''

This is the secret of spiritual life.

Why I Decided to Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19 

By Nrsimhananda Prabhu ACBSP

At the age of 73 years, I am in the so-called “high risk category” for COVID-19 so I decided to get vaccinated.

My vaccination story, however, begins in the 1950s when I was a child and another virus was overtaking America and the world.

As a small boy, I saw scary magazine photos of young children lying inside riveted, cylindrical devices called “iron lungs” (now relics of the past). 

Polio, an infectious viral disease affecting the central nervous system, was crippling kids like me or paralyzing their diaphragms so that many couldn’t breath without this “iron lung.”

At the height of the polio outbreak of my childhood, the disease was infecting nearly 60,000 children annually. 

Spread virally like COVID-19 today, polio proved fatal for two out of three victims afflicted with paralysis.

Dr. Jonas Salk and Dr. Albert Sabin were virologists who developed separate vaccines to combat the dreaded polio virus, One vaccine was made from killed virus and the other from live virus. 

Though millions of parents rushed to get their young children vaccinated, teenagers weren’t interested.

In those days a rock’n’roll singer named Elvis Presley made a guest appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the most popular TV show of the time. 

Unknown to his TV audience of millions, Elvis wasn’t there just to perform. Before singing “Hound Dog,” Elvis rolled up his sleeve and got vaccinated.

Despite the literally crippling effects of the virus and the promising results of vaccination, many Americans simply weren’t getting vaccinated. In fact, before Elvis famously appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, immunization levels among U.S. teens were at an abysmal 0.6 percent. 

After Elvis got his jab on the The Ed Sullivan Show, vaccination rates among U.S. youth soared to 80 percent after just six months.

As a veteran of many surgeries from bunions to open heart, I have experienced the benefits of medical science, whether allopathic, Ayurvedic, Chinese or herbalogic. 

Many devotees are still with us due to Krishna’s mercy and the sophistication of medical science. Prabhupada told us to use “whatever works.”

Nearly all public health authorities, epidemiologists and virologists recommend getting vaccinated against COVID-19. 

Our ISKCON devotee doctors advocate getting vaccinated as well. Why should I dismiss the judgment of hundreds of devotee doctors who are members of the Bhakti Vedanta Medical Association? 

Or the learned conclusions of the Chief Physician of the Bhaktivedanta Hospital & Research Institute in Mumbai? 

Or the decisions of a majority of GBC members who have gotten vaccinated or are planning to get vaccinated despite the absence of any official GBC policy recommending vaccination against COVID-19?

I have been the beneficiary of the good intentions and talents of medical professionals. 

There is always a chance of an adverse reaction, but the risk is statistically insignificant. 

Srila Prabhupada got vaccinated. His actions speak louder than any words.

What does the vast material universe look like according to Vedic Cosmology which exists as 1/4 of the spiritual sky (all that there is)?

Garbhodakashayi Visnu seen in painting below, has His own "secondary universe" that exists deep inside each massive Brahmanda universe (universal egg) that originates from the Body of Maha-Visnu, from the pores on His skin and via His breathing.

Garbhodakashayi Visnu is an expansion of Maha-Visnu, who is an expansion of Balarama, who is Krsna's first expansion. 

In this way Garbhodakashayi Visnu has His own material universe deep inside each of the Brahmanda universal shells created by Maha-Visnu  

There are billions of Brahmanda universes and inside each one is a secondary universe each with their own Garbhodakashayi Visnu and Brahma.

This means there are billions of Garbhodakashayi Visnus, Brahmas and demigods, but there is only one Maha-Visnu, who creates all the impermanent decaying material universes (Brahmandas) where the jiva-souls experience repeated birth and death. 

The material creation is 1/4 of the spiritual sky where everything is temporary and experienced through the movement of material time (past, present and future)

Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana on the other hand, make up 3/4 of the permanent spiritual sky that is permanent and situated in the "eternal presence" beyond movement of material time's past, present and future.

The spiritual worlds of Goloka-Vrindavana and Vaikuntha never experience impermanence or decay, or repeated birth and death like those jiva-souls in the material creation do.

In Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana the jiva-souls live eternally as a bodily form of their choice within the "eternal presence" of Krsna Consciousness.*.