Srila Prabhupada - "Sakti means the energy of Krsna." (SB, Canto 4 Chapter 6 text 43)
Krsna has many different energies.
1 - Jiva-tattva (marginal living entities or jiva-souls) are one,
2 - Matter is one,
3 - And the different consorts and direct expansions of Krsna (the internal potency) are one.
Love can never exist when there is just "one," even with Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes.
Even for Kṛṣṇa there must be a "two-way" exchange of loving reciprocation for genuine love to truly exist.
This is why Krsna divided Himself into two just so He could experience loving exchanges with a women. And that women is Srimati Radharani.
Srimati Rādhārāṇī is the manifestation of the pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is Krsna's direct expansion.
Krsna created Radharani just so He could experience the loving effection and association with a women because real loving relations can only be experienced when there are two in the relationship.
The marginal living entities or potency (the individual independent jiva-souls) are also sakti-tattva living entities who are part and parcel of the energy of Krsna.
The jiva-souls full potential is associated with Krsna's internal energy explained here by Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada - "The Supreme Lord is the seer of all worlds, both material and transcendental. In other words, the Supreme Lord is the ultimate beneficiary and enjoyer of all worlds, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (5.29).
The spiritual world is the manifestation of His internal potency, and the material world is the manifestation of His external potency.
The living entities are also His marginal potency, and by their own choice they can live in either the transcendental or material worlds.
The material world is not a fit place for living entities because they are spiritually one with the Lord and in the material world the living entities become conditioned by the laws of the material world.
The Lord wants all living entities, who are His parts and parcels, to live with Him in the transcendental world, and for enlightening conditioned souls in the material world, all the Vedas and the revealed scriptures are there—expressly to recall the conditioned souls back home, back to Godhead.
Unfortunately, the conditioned living entities, although suffering continually the threefold miseries of conditioned life, are not very serious about going back to Godhead.
It is due to their misguided way of living, complicated by sins and virtues.
Some of them who are virtuous by deeds begin to reestablish the lost relation with the Lord, but they are unable to understand the personal feature of the Lord.
The real purpose of life is to make contact with the Lord and be engaged in His service. That is the natural position of living entities.
In all circumstances, neither the material ingredients nor the spiritual parts and parcels are independent of the Personality of Godhead Vāsudeva, for all things, whether products of the external, internal or marginal potencies of the Lord, are simply displays of the same effulgence of the Lord, just as light, heat and smoke are displays of fire." (SB 2.2.14, Purport)
Srila Prabhupada - "The ingredients, namely earth, water, fire, air and sky, as well as the conception of material identity, intelligence and the mind, are produced of the external energy of the Lord.
The living entity who enjoys the interaction of the above gross and subtle ingredients, as set up by eternal time, is an offshoot of internal potency, with freedom to remain either in the material world or in the spiritual world.
In the material world the living entity is enticed by deluding nescience, but in the spiritual world he is in the normal condition of spiritual existence without any delusion.
The living entity is known as the marginal potency of the Lord. But in all circumstances, neither the material ingredients nor the spiritual parts and parcels are independent of the Personality of Godhead Vāsudeva, for all things, whether products of the external, internal or marginal potencies of the Lord, are simply displays of the same effulgence of the Lord, just as light, heat and smoke are displays of fire.
None of them are separate from the fire—all of them combine together to be called fire; similarly, all phenomenal manifestations, as well as the effulgence of the body of Vāsudeva, are His impersonal features, whereas He eternally exists in His transcendental form called sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), distinct from all conceptions of the material ingredients mentioned above.
Because they are between the internal and external potencies, the eternally transcendental living entities are called the marginal potency of the Lord." (SB 2.5.14, Purport)
Srila Prabhupada - "Because they are between the internal and external potencies, the eternally transcendental living entities are called the marginal potency of the Lord.
Factually, the living entities are not meant to be so conditioned by material energy, but due to their being affected by the false sense of lording it over the material energy, they come under the influence of such potency and thus become conditioned by the three modes of material nature.
This external energy of the Lord covers up the pure knowledge of the living entities eternally existing with Him, but the covering is so constant that it appears that the conditioned soul is eternally ignorant.
Such is the wonderful action of māyā, or external energy manifested as if materially produced.
By the covering power of the material energy, the material scientist cannot look beyond the material causes, but factually, behind the material manifestations, there are adhibhūta, adhyātma and adhidaiva actions, which the conditioned soul in the mode of ignorance cannot see.
The adhibhūta manifestation entails repetitions of births and deaths with old age and diseases, the adhyātma manifestation conditions the spirit soul, and the adhidaiva manifestation is the controlling system.
These are the material manifestations of cause and effect and the sense of responsibility of the conditioned actors.
The omnipotent Personality of Godhead has primarily three potential manifestations (potencies), namely
internal,
external,
marginal,
With unlimited expansions of these three energies." (SB 2.5.19, Purport)
Srila Prabhupada - "Neither I nor all the sages born before you know fully the omnipotent Personality of Godhead. So what can others, who are born after us, know about Him?
Even the first incarnation of the Lord, namely Śeṣa, has not been able to reach the limit of such knowledge, although He is describing the qualities of the Lord with ten hundred faces.
The omnipotent Personality of Godhead has primarily three potential manifestations, namely internal, external, and marginal potencies, with unlimited expansions of these three energies.
As such, the potential expansions can never be calculated by anyone because even the Personality of God Himself, as the incarnation of Śeṣa, cannot estimate the potencies, although He has been describing them continuously with His one thousand faces." (SB 2.7.41, Translation and Purport)
Technically the category known as the "internal potency" is headed by Srimati Radharani and Her associates that are both Visnu-tattva and jiva-tattva.
The jiva-souls or marginal potency are also not in the sakti category called the material energy or matter.
So, there are also different categories of "sakti-tattva" including the living entity expansions of Krsna's energies.
We are the jiva-soul expansions of Krsna known as the ''marginal living entities or marginal potency who are endowed with free will and basic independence.
While other living beings under the category of sakti-tattva are direct expansions of Krsna's Personality "permanently" called His internal energy or potency headed by Radharani and includes the Visnu-tattva direct expansions.
The jiva-souls on the other hand, can independently choose for themselves to enter the material creation, Radharani and the Visnu-tattva expansion never make that choice, they can never fall down.
Krsna's internal potency is Srimati Radharani.
The marginal potency (jiva-souls) are also part of the internal potency (expansions of Krsna) but in a different category called the marginal energy which means they have a tendency to be covered by matter.
The jiva-souls also have their own independent personality separate from Krsna's Personality and are not full expansions of Krsna (God) like the Visnu-tattva and other sakti-tattvas are.
There is also Siva-tattva who is neither jiva-tattva or Visnu-tattva.
Lord Siva is in a league of his own.
Many sakti-tattvas including the Visnu-tattva expansions are Krsna playing in another role.
Sakti-tattva refers to all different expansions of Krsna each known in the following way-
1 - Visnu-tattva direct expansions of Krsna (God) like Lord Visnu, Narayana, Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakashayi Visnu, Paramatma etc.
2 - Visnu-(sakti)-tattva is Radharani and of Her associates, friends, family members and servants etc
3 - Siva-tattva in a league of his own between Visnu-tattva and jiva-tattva.
4 - Jiva-tattva (the marginal living entities or jiva-souls) are independent beings who are not God (Krsna or Visnu). They have their own independence and unique individual personality seperate from Krsna's Personality.
The individual jiva-souls are independent living entities voluntarily serving in the spiritual worlds (The Kingdom of God) who are part and parcel of internal potency or energy regadless of being independent and sometimes falling down to the temporary material energy.
The jiva-souls or marginal living entities have their own unique personality and sense of self and as said above, have their own separate personality and identity, yet are simultaneously fully dependent on Krsna as His parts and parcels.
The reason why Krsna gave the jiva-souls their "free will" is so they can choose for themselves how to love Him (serve) in their own unique way without any pressure or force from Krsna.
The jiva-souls in the spiritual world are not programmed mindless drones who only obey and never contribute anything by thinking for themselves as the independent individuals they are eternally, as some nonsense religious dictatorial cults claim.
Only by having "free will" can genuine loving exchanges and reciprocation take place, without free will the jiva-souls are no better than dead stone Prabhupada has warned us.
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Furthermore, Krsna never interfers with the "free will" of the jiva-souls because if He did and never allowed them to have the freedom to make their own decisions and choices in the spiritual world, then that would mean loving exchanges of voluntarily service would never exist.
If one is forced to worship Krsna or Visnu then that is not love, it is tyranny, bullying, slavery and ultimately impersonalism.
This kind of impersonalism is the worst kind of mayavadi teachings.
That "impersonal" version of Krsna's abode of Goloka-Vrindavana or the Vaikuntha Planets, where it is demanded with physical or verbal force the jiva-souls surrender their "free will" to Krsna and let Him flow through you, taking over your individual existence and doing all your thinking for you (that many nonsense sangas propagate) is dangerous impersonal religious and political nonsense.
Their bogus version of Vaisnavism and Krsna Consciousness must be rejectd.
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Having "free will" allows the jiva-soul to be the individual independent PERSON they are eternally in God's perpetual Kingdom, where they can ALWAYS choose to voluntarily contribute the very best of their own personal unique offerings to Krishna.
This is the REAL Goloka Vrindavana and Vaikuntha Planets.
Srila Prabhupada - "We have got the propensity to love. Love means somebody else. Love cannot be with just one, or love cannot be executed only one, there must be another one. I love somebody; somebody loves me, there must be lover, there must be beloved, and the transaction, then love." (Lecture on SB, Canto 1 Ch, 2 text 6, Delhi, Nov, 12, 1973)
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 - 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."
Hayagriva - "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." (Excerpt from: Philosophy Discussions with Srila Prabhupada – Rene Descartes)
The individual jiva-souls are independent living entities in the spiritual worlds and have their own unique personality and sense of self that is separate from Krsna's Personality, yet are simultaneously dependent on Krsna as His eternal parts and parcels.
The reason why Krsna gave the jiva-souls their independence and free will, is so they can choose for themselves how to serve Him in their own unique personal way.
This means the jiva-souls can always contribute their own unique offerings without any pressure or force from Krsna.
Real love or service can only exist when free will allows the jiva-souls to voluntarily participate in loving devotional service and contribute to the relationship with Krsna in their own unique way.
Surrender to Krsna in the spiritual world does not mean giving up your "free will" and allowing Krsna to control your every actions, deeds and thoughts.
No, the jiva-souls in the spiritual world are not programmed mindless impersonal drones or slaves who only obey and never contribute to the relationship with Krsna by thinking and acting or themselves.
Only by having "free will" can genuine loving voluntary exchanges and reciprocation take place.
As said above, without free will the jiva-souls are no better than dead stone.
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)
Srila Prabhupada - "Love means you take and you give also. Suppose if you love somebody and you simply take from him, but you don't give. Oh, do you think it is very good? No. It is not good. That is not love. That is exploitation. If I go on simply taking from you, and if I don't offer you anything, that is simply exploitation." (Class on BG, Ch 9 text 2-5, New York, Nov, 23, 1966)
Srila Prabhupada - "We have got the propensity to love. Love means somebody else. Love cannot be one or love cannot be executed only one, personally. There must be another one. I love somebody; somebody loves me, there must be lover, there must be beloved, and the transaction, then love." (SB, Canto 1 Ch 2 text 6, Delhi, November 12, 1973)
Srila Prabhupada - "Their (impersonalist) philosophy is oneness. So how there be love with just one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience that love means one? No. Love means two. There must be two, the lover and the beloved. Kṛṣṇa is already lover. He loves you so much that He's trying to get you back. That is Kṛṣṇa's attempt. "Please, My dear boy, or My dear friend, My dear servant." (SB, Canto 2 Ch, 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)
Only immature devotees and yogis pray to just be an atom in the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa no matter who they are.
The majority of jiva-souls are perpetually situated in either Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana and choose to never fall to the material creation.
Where as some sakti-mtattva and Vishnu-tattva Personalities are eternal inhabitants of Vrindavana (internal potency) who never fall down.
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the jiva souls have.
Shiva is in a league of his own with 84.375% of Krishna’s qualities which is having 55 of Krishna's 64 attributes.
Srila Prabhupada - ''There are Viṣṇu-tattva, Jīva-tattva and Sakti-tattva. Viṣṇu-tattva is the Supreme Absolute Truth, jīva-tattva is part and parcel, and Sakti-tattva is the energy of God''. (Lecture on SB 1.5.15, New Vrindaban, June 19, 1969)
All personalities or living entities are the Sakti (energy) of Krishna.
1 - As explained above, the jiva-tattva expansions are also Sakti-tattva but only have 50 of Krishna's 64 attributes which is 78.125% of Krishna's qualities. The jiva-tattva souls (marginal living entities) are MINOR independent expansions of Krishna with their own personality that is separate from Krishna's Personality.
The jiva tattva souls have their own separate identity, individuality, personality, and having their own independent expression (their own unique character).
This means the jiva-souls do NOT share Krishna's personality like the Vishnu-tattva and Sakti-Vishnu-tattva Forms do because they each have their own unique independent personality to express themselves in their own unique way.
2 - Lord Shiva is in a league of his own with 84.375% of Krishna’s 100% qualities which is having 55 of Krishna's 64 attributes.
3 - The Sakti-Vishnu-tattvas and Vishnu-tattvas are DIRECT expansions of Krishna and have 93.75% of Krishna's qualities, which is 60 of Krishna's 64 attributes.
Sakti-Vishnu-tattva expansions of Krishna are eternally engaged in their service to the Lord because such expansions have only the desire to please Krishna or Vishnu and can NEVER be covered by Maya.
This is because they ARE Krishna playing a different role within His own pastimes.
Therefore obviously their concept of free will and independence is only to please Krishna or Vishnu BECAUSE they ARE direct expansions of Godhead too.
As said above, Vishnu-tattvas and Sakti-Vishnu-tattva ARE Krishna just playing a different role in His own pastimes.
This is important to understand, and explains why Vishnu-tattva and Sakti-Vishnu-tattvas living entities can NEVER fall down from Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan.
Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana are made up of many Sakti-Vishnu-tattvas and Vishnu-tattvas servants too all playing different roles, such as gopis, gopas and many, many others there.
There are also unlimited jiva-tattvas playing many different roles in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrndavana as well, as servants and friend of the Lord.
Some roles in both Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana are very difficult to know if the pastimes are played out by a Sakti-Vishnu-tattva, Vishnu-tattva or Jiva-tattva personalities.
Vishnu-tattvas ARE Krishna's direct stand-out expansions such as Narayana, Vishnu, Ramachandra, Narsinga deva etc.
But there are other Vishnu-tattva and Sakti-Vishnu-tattva expansions too who also play the role of cowherd boys (gopas) or gopis (girls).
In Goloka Vrindavana, no one knows who is who except Krishna, who is jiva-tattva, who is Sakti-Vishnu-tattva or who is Vishnu-tattva.
In fact the inhabitants in Vrindavana do not even know this little boy Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the cause of ALL causes, nor do they care.
As already explained, Sakti-Vishnu-tattva and Vishnu-tattva expansions, can never fall down because they ARE Krishna playing another role and in His own pastimes, and may not even outwardly show they are Vishnu tattva or Sakti-Vishnu-tattvas in the play they are in.
This is very advanced knowledge and difficult to even begin to properly comprehend for most of us.
And yes, in some Vishnu-tattva and Sakti-Vishnu-tattvas roles, the Lord outwardly seems to forget they are Krishna's expansion in that role or pastime they are in but only in play. After all, Krishna can do ANYTHING He likes, He is not bound by even His own rules.
Krishna is the ORIGINAL Form of God from whom ALL His Vishnu/Narayana and Vishnu-tattva forms expand from, and that number is in the Trillions.
The only difference between Srimati Radharani and Krishna, and Lord Balarama and Krishna, is Lord Krishna IS the ORIGINAL Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes and has 4 MORE qualities or attributes than both Radharani (His direct Sakti-Vishnu-tattva expansion) and Balarama (Vishnu-tattva expansion) yet both none different than Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes.
However, because they are not the original (first) form of God with the full 64 qualities, then not even Srimati Radharani, Krishna's eternal consort and other half, or Balarama, Krishna's older brother are greater than Krishna.
Vishnu-tattva and Sakti-Vishnu-tattvas do not have all of the last 4 of Krishna's unique 64 qualities in full.
Because thave ONLY 60 of Krishna's 64 qualities, which is 93.75% of Krishna's 100% attributes but again, regardless of this, they ARE still none different from Krishna.
Let's make this easy to understand that Krishna is the original Lord of all-
Lord Krishna has 64 qualities which is "exactly" 100% of those unique set qualities.
1 - Vishnu-tattva has 60 of Krishna's 64 qualities (the full 100%) which is 93.75%
2 - Sakti-Vishnu-tattva also has 60 of Krishna's 64 qualities (the full 100%) which is 93.75%
3 - Shiva-tattva has 54 of Krishna's 64 qualities which is 84.375% of Krishna's full qualities.
4 - Jiva-tattva has 50 of Krishna's 64 qualities which is 78.125% of Krishna’s full qualities.
Also the jiva-tattva souls, that have 78.125% of Krishna's qualities, can NEVER become Sakti-vishnu-tattva or Vishnu-tattvas entities who have 93.75% of Krishna's qualities.
Or become Shiva tattva who has 84.375% of Krishna’s 64 qualities, which is 54 qualities of Krishna's 64 attributes.
And the jiva-tattvas can never lose their separate individual unique identity, personality or independence they have eternally from Krishna either.
All living entities are "sakti-tattva" expansions of Krishna are His energy fully dependent on Krishna like the sun-ray expansions of the Sun that emanate from the Sun, are fully dependant on the Sun.
The Sun has no meaning without the Sun-rays, and the Sun-rays have no meaning without the Sun disc.
In other words, as explained in "Nectar of Devotion" the living entities have no meaning without Krishna, and Krishna has no meaning without the living entities.
Being part and parcel of the Lord, as explained above, the marginal living entities (jiva-tattva) souls ALWAYS have "their own" independence, personality and sense of self separate from Krishna's Personality, making them an independent free thinking individual that expresses their own unique character serving Krishna in a two exchange of mutual respect.
Srila Prabhupada - ''The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṇa the maintainer of all and cause of all causes. We are "separate and none separate" from Krishna simultaneously. 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-
"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 (Paramatma) 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. (Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 8 Chapter 3 text 17)
As explained above the jiva-tattva souls have 78.125% of Krishna's qualities and are called the ''marginal energy or potency''.
The marginal living entities (jiva tattva souls) are different living entities than the more direct internal potency expansions of the Lord who are the Sakti-Vishnu-tattvas and Vishnu tattvas however, all can play the part of gopis, cowherd boys in Krishna lila in Vṛndāvana.
Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana have so many direct expansions of Krishna's internal potency that it is mind boggling.
The jiva-tattva souls can also play the role of a gopa or gopi too just like a Sakti-Vishnu-tattva and Vishnu-tattva can however, they can NEVER become Sakti-Vishnu-tattva or Vishnu-tattva (God).
This is because the Sakti-Vishnu-tattva and Vishnu-tattva ARE Krishna Himself who has directly expanded as His own multiple personalities playing different roles in His own pastimes.
The jiva-tattvas ALWAYS have the ability to make their own choices how to serve the Lord in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan as their spiritual identity (svarupa) or even not serve Him if they choose.
The jiva souls can also play the role of Lord Brahma in the material creation but never Vishnu or Lord Shiva.
The marginal living entity (jiva-tattva souls) ALWAYS remain jiva-tattva with ONLY 78.125% of Krishna’s 100% qualities, and can NEVER become God - Vishnu-tattva and Sakti-Vishnu-tattva, or Shiva-tattva.
The jiva-tattvas, unlike Sakti-Vishnu-tattva and Vishnu tattvas, can 'choose' to forget Krishna if they desire and therefore enter the material creation of Maha Vishnu and foolishly think they are an independent god.
The Vishnu-tattvas and Sakti-Vishnu-tattva ARE direct expansion of Krishna's internal energy (they ARE Krishna playing a different role in His own pastimes) who only act out the will of Krishna because they ARE an expansion of Krishna's Personality.
Krishna actually plays out different roles, like Maha Vishnu and Garbhodakashayi Vishnu who create and manage the material creation on behalf of Krishna.
Our eternal constitution position and eternal spiritual body is in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana situated in the "eternal presence" of the Spiritual world.
We just have to wake up from this temporary material dream and return back home back to Godhead, our real home.
Do the jiva souls have the "free will" to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana?
It says in Bhagavad Gita that once reaching Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana, the jiva soul never again falls to the material creation.
However, Prabhupada was asked about this and if the jiva soul's can leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana if they choose to do so and he said "yes" they can if they desire to do so.
The reason why, Prabhupada explains, is the jiva souls have their "free will" eternally, meaning ultimately it is THEIR choice to stay or go.
This further clearly means not even Krishna's promise of never falling down can be enforced by Krishna because of free will.
This is important understanding because sadly many great scholars and devotees cannot understand "free will" as explained here by Srila Prabhupada -
Acyutananda – “In the Gita, it says, “Once coming to the Spiritual World, he never returns. He can return?”
Srila Prabhupada – “If he likes he can return”.
Guru-kripa – “How is it that one can become envious of Krishna?”
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 independence too, proportionately, because you are part and parcel, so if he likes, he can return. That independence has to be accepted. We can misuse that. Krishna-bahirmukha haïä bhoga väïchä kare. That misuse is the cause of our falldown”. (Conversation, Mayapur, February 19, 1976)
Paramahamsa - “But ultimately if we come to Krsna, there’s no return.
Srila Prabhupada - “There is return, that is voluntary. Return there is”.
Paramahamsa - “If we want”.
Srila Prabhupada - “Yes”.
Paramahamsa - “So we can come to the spiritual world and return?”
Srila Prabhupada - “Yes”.
Paramahamsa - “Fall down?”
Srila Prabhupada - “Yes. As soon as we try, “Oh, this material world is very nice,” “Yes,” Krsna says, “yes, you go.” 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 like this." 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. Therefore, mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te: "Anyone who surrenders unto Me, maya does not interfere anymore."
Paramahamsa - ''So our desire to enjoy, we achieve these 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)
Srila Prabhupada - ''So, even in the Vaikuntha, if I desire that ‘Why shall I serve Krishna? Why not become Krishna?’ I immediately fall down. That is natural. A servant is serving the master, but sometimes he may think that, “If I could become the master.” They are thinking like that; they are trying to become God. That is delusion. You cannot become God. That is not possible. But he’s wrongly thinking”.
Vipina Purandara - “Why doesn’t Krishna 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.)
By misusing one's free will causes the jiva soul to live separately from Krishna by entering the material creation.
And this choice has nothing to do with maya or material energy as explained above.
As Prabhupada has explained, it is one's free will that allows the jiva souls to reject Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada - “Regarding your questions concerning the spirit souls falling into Maya’s influence, it is not that those who have developed a passive relationship with Krsna are more likely to fall into nescient activities. Usually anyone who has developed his relationship with Krsna does not fall down in any circumstance, but because the independence is always there, the soul may fall down from any position or any relationship by misusing his independence. (Letter to Jagadisa 02/27/1970)
Srila Prabhupada - “The relationship with Krishna is never lost, it is simply forgotten by the influence of maya, so it maybe regained or revived by the process of hearing the Holy Name of Krsna and then the devotee engages himself in the service of the Lord which is his original or constitutional position. The relationship of the living entity with Krsna is eternal as both Krsna and the living entity are eternal; the process is one of revival only, nothing new'' (Letter to Jagadisa 02/27/1970)
Srila Prabhupada - "In the broader sense everyone comes from Krishna Loka. When one forgets Krishna he is conditioned, when one remembers Krishna he is liberated". (Letter to Mukunda, June 10, 1969)
Returning home back to Godhead is not necessarily permanent Prabhupada explains as follows because the jiva-souls have "free will" eternally.
That "choice" to stay or go is also the jiva souls choice too because of "free will", it is not just a "one way" dictatorial decision made by Krishna.
No, real loving exchanges and relationships can ONLY exist on a "two way" street, and that is only possible when there is "free will".
So this means one can also use their "free will" to reject Krishna if they choose, that choice has to be there Prabhupada explains.
Srila Prabhupada - “Unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom.” (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)
A devotee once ask Srila Bhaktisiddhanta why was the jiva soul granted free will if they could also misuse it?
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta answered-
“You are fighting for freedom. Don’t you know the value of having free will? Devoid of freedom the soul is only matter".
Furthermore freedom (free will) offers one the alternative to do either right or wrong Gandhi once told the British authorities.
”We want that freedom too”.
The British authorities replied-
“You are not fit to have self-government or your freedom. When you are fit, we shall give it to you.”
Gandhi replied,
“We want the freedom to do right or wrong”.
So, freedom does not guarantee only acting in the right way; and that choice must be there to do wrong too.
Freedom means being able to choose "right or wrong".
The possibility of also rejecting Krishna must ALWAYS be there even in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana because of "free will" Otherwise one is simply a mindless slave or servant.
Our first choice AFTER rejecting Krishna in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, is to dominate and imitate Krishna, therefore it is that choice that causes the jiva soul to enter the material world of domination.
And such choices have nothing to do with the influence of Maya or the material energy that does not exist in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana.
As a result of this "choice", everything else in the material creation has developed.
So our Srila Prabhupada has explained that the "original position" of the jiva soul is with Krishna in a servitor relationship based on voluntary loving exchanges.
As explained above, Maya can NEVER be blamed for the fall down of the jiva soul from Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana in any way because Maya, in her role as the personification of material energy, does NOT exist in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, nothing material can exist there.
But "free will" does eternally exist there and has ALWAYS existed in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana!
Therefore the jiva souls are always responsible for their choices and actions in both the Spiritual Planets and the material creation.
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)
For loving exchanges to truly exist with Krishna, the marginal living entity (jiva-soul) MUST have the right to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana at anytime if they choose, therefore returning to Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana is not necessarily permanent Prabhupada explains here-
Srila Prabhupada – “You have got little independence therefore you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God you have got independence, proportionately, therefore if he likes he can return. That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We CAN misuse that. (Conversation, Mayapur, February 19, 1976)
Syamasundara - "But can we predict returning back home back to Godhead will be permanent? Can we predict that? Just like many prisoners leave the prison, however some do come back?''
Srila Prabhupada - "No, there is no permanent effect because we have got little independence. There is nothing permanent because you can misuse your independence at any time".
Syamasundara - "And some come back?"
Srila Prabhupada - "Yes. Otherwise there is no meaning of independence. Independence means you can do this, you can do that. "All right. Whatever you like."
Devotee - "Then he is so many times falling down, again and again, so will he eventually permanently come back?"
Srila Prabhupada - "He has got independence, therefore there is always the possibility he can misuse his independence, he CAN fall down. That's why when a man is released from the prison house, that does not mean permanently because he can come back again, the general law is NOT to come back, but if he likes, he can come back, otherwise what is the meaning of independence? Just like one becomes free from the prison house, naturally he should not go there again". (Discussions with Syamasundara > Henri Bergson)
For those who believe no one can ever fall down from Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana have NOT understood these clear points explained by Prabhupada.
In Bhagavad Gita As It Is Krishna promises the jiva-souls they will NEVER fall down from Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana to the material creation, and yes, Krishna will always keeps His promise!
Therefore Krishna's promise of NEVER falling down to the material creation once there, is from Krishna's point of view, however do the jiva souls have to accept Krishna's promise as final?
In other words, does this mean the jiva-souls have no "free will" in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana?
And therefore have no choice to leave Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana even if they want to leave?
The fact is, Krishna's promise of NEVER falling down to the material creation once there in Vaikuntha, is from Krishna's point of view and His promise, however, does the jiva souls also have to accept His promise as final?
In other words, does this mean the jiva-souls have no "free will" to "choose" to leave Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, even if they want to leave?
There must be choice otherwise there is no question of loving voluntary exchanges that contribute and expand a relationship.
Krishna's promise, confirmed by many past Acharays and Vaishnavas whose opinions agree that once reaching Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, the jiva-soul will never again fall down to the material World, is true for almost all jiva souls, BUT NOT ALL OF THEM!
Those great souls who quote Krishna's promise from Bhagavad Gita ARE right for the majority of jiva-souls, which is over 90% in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana because they "choose" NOT to fall down and leave the Spiritual Planets to enter the material creation.
In other words, they do not CHOOSE to misuse their "free will".
However, as Prabhupada explains, not all jiva souls make that choice to stay, less than 10% DO misuse their free will and fall down (reject Krishna) and enter the material creation.
And at the same time there are jiva souls returning back home back to Godhead from the material creation continuously.
The fact is, as part of their perpetual constitution, each individual jiva-soul is endowed with their own "free will" that allows independent thinking.
This also further explains why it is the jiva soul's choice to stay or leave Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, and not just Krishna making decisions for them.
In other words, Krishna's promise is NOT binding or absolute law with the living entities (jiva-tattva) because they have their own independent "free will" too that allows them to make THEIR own choices.
Srila Prabhupada explains Krishna's promise and gives the proper explanation in full, saying only a small minority of jiva-souls choose to be rebellious and leave Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, and as already explained, Prabhupada puts that figure at less than 10%.
Dr. John Mize – “Did all the 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”.
Dr. John Mize – “So we’re among the 10%.
Srila Prabhupada – “Yes. Or less than that. In the material, whole material world all the living entities they are… Just like in the prison house, there is some population, but they are not majority. The majority of the population, they are outside the prison house. Similarly, majority of living being, part and parcel of God, they are in the spiritual world. Only a few fall down”.
Dr. John Mize – “Does Krishna know ahead of time that a soul is going to be foolish and fall?”
Srila Prabhupada – “Krishna? Yes, Krishna may know because He is omniscient”.
Dr. John Mize – “Are more souls falling all the time?”
Srila Prabhupada – “Not all the time. But there is the tendency of fall down, not for all, but because there is independence… Everyone is not liking to misuse the independence. The same example: Just like a government constructing a city and constructs also prison house because the government knows that somebody will be criminal. So their shelter must be also constructed. It is very easy to understand. Not that cent percent population will be criminal, but government knows that some of them will be. Otherwise why they construct prison house also? One may say, “Where is the criminal? You are constructing…” Government knows, there will be criminal. So if the ordinary government can know, why God cannot know? Because there is tendency”.
Dr. John Mize – “The origin of that tendency (to fall from Goloka) is?”
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.” (Bhagavad Gita as it is. lecture, Mayapur, June 20, 1973)
Many also do not understand the variety of living entities in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana of whom many never fall down, only a very small minority in the category of jiva-tattva souls choose to fall down while the majority of other jiva tattvas choose to stay also because of their "free will".
The majority of jiva souls do not even know the material creation exists nor cares.
However, there are other categories of living entities who never fall down from Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana
The fact is, there are many different inhabitants of Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana too who are NOT jiva-tattva.
They never fall down by choice because they are more direct expansions of Krishna, known as Vishnu-tattva and Vishnu-sakti-tattvas who ARE an expansion of Krishna's Personality playing another role in His own pastimes.
Many inhabitants in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana are Vishnu-tattva and Vishnu-shakti-tattva and not just jiva tattva.
Therefore they NEVER fall down because they ARE an expansion of Krishna's Personality, unlike the jiva-tattva souls who each have their own independent personality.
The Vishnu-tattvas and Sakti-Vishnu-tattvas living entities are Krishna's internal potency where Krishna expands Himself and plays many different roles, many times in disguise, as intimate Personalities in Krishna's own pastimes.
Srila Prabhupada has also explained that because the jiva-tattva souls have their independence, there will ALWAYS be a very small minority of ONLY the jiva tattva souls, less than 10% (not referring to the Sakti-Vishnu-tattva or Vishnu-tattva internal potency) who misuse their free will and "choose" to leave the Spiritual World.
"Free will" for the jiva tattva souls is eternal in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan too, because without this freedom to be able to choose to either forget or remember Krishna, then the jiva soul would have no free will, their individuality, and no independent personality, and no ability to love.
The jiva-soul would simply be mindless pawns of ''yes men and woman'' like mechanical drones in a factory, or like a dead stone Prabhupada has told us.
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)
Srila Prabhupada - ''As soon as we try, "Oh, this material world is very nice," "Yes," Kṛṣṇa says, "yes, you can go." Otherwise what is the meaning of free will? Every living entity has got a little free will. And Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He gives him opportunity, "All right, you enjoy like this." It is free will''. (Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course, May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)
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 you cannot 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 - ''Love means you take and you give also. Suppose if you love somebody and you are simply taking from him, but you don't give. Oh, do you think it is very good? No. It is not good. That is NOT love that is exploitation. If I go on simply taking from you, and if I don't offer you anything in return, that is simply exploitation. (Lecture on Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 text 2-5, New York, November 23, 1966)
Srila Prabhupada - ''We have got the propensity to love. Love means somebody else. Love cannot be one or love cannot be executed only by one. There must be another one. I love somebody; somebody loves me, there must be lover, there must be beloved, and the transaction, then love''. (Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 2 text 6, Delhi, November 12, 1973)
Srila Prabhupada - ''Their (impersonalist) philosophy is oneness. So how there be love with just one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience that love means one? No. Love means two. There MUST be two, the lover and the beloved. Kṛṣṇa is already lover. He loves you so much that He's trying to get you back. That is Kṛṣṇa's attempt. "Please, My dear boy, or My dear friend, My dear servant..." (Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 2 Chapter 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)
There are personal intimate relationships the jiva souls (marginal living entities) have with Krishna.
A devotee has a relationship with Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes, in five different ways-
1. One may be a devotee in a passive state;
2. One may be a devotee in an active state;
3. One may be a devotee as a friend;
4. One may be a devotee as a parent;
5. One may be a devotee as a conjugal lover.''
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains these 5 relationships in detail in His Books like "Nectar of Devotion".
A "PASSIVE" relationship (number one in above list) with Krishna in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, is an almost "inactive" position the jiva souls can CHOOSE according to their desires ("free will"), such as -
A cloud in the sky,
The Sky
A blade of grass,
A tree,
A rock or stone,
A fence,
A chair or bench,
A flag pole and a flag
A roadway,
A Chariot, etc
The point is, EVERYTHING is alive in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana, unlike the mundane dead material creation.
This means EVERYTHING from the shoes on your feet, to the clothes you wear, are all individual jiva souls who have shape shifted as that form because they have chosen to play that particular role in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana.
This is called a "passive" relationship with Krishna.
The ORIGINAL eternal form of the jiva soul, is a body like Krishnas Prabhupada has said, two arms, two legs etc like Krishna has in Vṛndāvana.
This means the 4 armed bodily form the jiva souls have in the Vaikuntha Planets that looks like Vishnu/Narayana Form is NOT the original form.
This also means ALL marginal living entities (jiva-souls) originate from Goloka-Vrindavana.
And many jiva souls CHOOSE to have that passive (inert, inactive or idle) relationship with Krishna but it is NEVER impersonal.
This means they do not react visibly to something that might be expected of them, like outwardly manifesting emotions or feelings.
Like a blade of grass or a tree is only seen moving in the wind and outwardly showing no effection or passion.
Even though "inwardly" the jiva soul, as that blade of grass or tree, is ecstatically blissfully completely aware of Krishna’s personal presence, and Krishna is fully aware of those personalities as the the blade of grass and tree they are.
Many jiva souls are therefore passive living objects in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana that do not involve visible reaction or active participation
This is playing a passive or seemingly inactive role in God's Kingdom.
However one should NOT confuse a "passive relationships" in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana with impersonal mundane "inactive nonsense".
The fact is, Krishna's abode is full of diversity where the jiva souls can voluntarily express various kinds of pure loving service to Krishna, from active service of being a Cow herd boy, to inactive service like being a flag on top of a flag pole.
These relationships with Krishna are also based on reciprocation and loving exchanges too, even if the jiva souls manifest themselves as a cloud in the sky, a bench for Krishna to sit on, or a plate for Krishna to eat off.
Just like we enjoy relationships with our families and society, so does Krishna.
However, all of His relationships are eternal in Goloka Vrindavana with their "Svarūpa Spiritual form:, and completely free of material contamination.
Each of Krishna’s jiva-tattva devotees interacts with Him by their "free will" in one of five primary relationships as said above.
All jiva souls are EQUALLY intimate with Krishna because in the Spiritual World all relationships with Krishna are equally blissful, just like one may like a carnation flower while others like roses.
Although advanced loving relationship with Krishna number from one to five.
These five are -
1 - Neutrality,
2 - Servitude,
3 - Friendship,
4 - Parental affection,
5 - And conjugal love.
More intimate love of God reaches its summit in romantic exchanges with Krishna.
Each devotee eternally feels one of these main moods -
Devotees in the mood of "neutrality" CHOOSE to witness and support Krishna’s pastimes by their presence as plants, animals, streams, and so on, as well as normally inanimate objects like houses—all of which are fully conscious and alive in Goloka Vrindavan.
Devotees in the "service mood" CHOOSE to run errands for Krishna, pack His lunch, wash His clothes, and perform other acts of loving service for Him.
Devotees in the "fraternal mood" CHOOSE to serve Krishna by being His friends.
They are sometimes boastful, considering themselves equal to Krishna because they have no idea Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes, nor do they care.
In Krishna's company the cow herd boys and girls enjoy games in the beautiful country forest settings of Vṛndāvana.
Devotees who CHOOSE to be in the "parental mood", see themselves as Krishna’s provider and protector.
Krishna behaves with them like a dependent child. His mother cuddles Him, carefully prepares His meals, and thinks only of His protection. His father sees that He has all the comforts of a normal home.
Devotees who CHOOSE to be in the "conjugal" (of whom many are also Vishnu-tattva and NOT just jiva souls) position, or romantic, mood offer service as Krishna’s girlfriends, relating with Him in the intimacy of lover and beloved.***.
