The individual jiva-souls are eternal spiritual living PERSONS who can NEVER be destroyed, terminated, divided into pieces or extinguished because they are indestructible for infinity.

The individual jiva-souls are eternal spiritual living PERSONS who can NEVER be destroyed, terminated, divided into pieces, extinguished or lose their unique individual identity as a "person" because they are indestructible for infinity.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (BG, Ch 2 text 12)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change." (BG, Ch 2 text 13)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain." (BG, Ch 2 text 20 “corrected” 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?" (BG, Ch 2 text 21)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones." (BG, Ch 2 text 22)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind." (BG, Ch 2 text 23)

All individual jīva-souls are ETERNAL persons, therefore there are no new jiva-souls being created because they have ALWAYS existed meaning they are beginningless and endless.

Srila Prabhupada – "There are no new souls, new and old are due to this material body, but the jiva-soul is never born and never dies, so if there is no birth, how can there be new souls?" (Letter to Jagadisa dasa 9th July 1970)

The eternal individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) have no origin or beginning point because they have ALWAYS existed for infinity as explained above.

So, clearly there is no origin or beginning point to Krsna's marginal energy (an unlimited number of individual jiva-souls), who have existed for as long as Krsna has existed and will continue to exist for eternity.

The individual jiva-souls can enter or possess and experience any material bodily container or vessel they choose over the infinity of its existence, but only temporarily.

This is because all outer material bodily vessels or containers (matter) that covers the eternal individual jiva-souls (anti-matter), eventually breaks down, decomposes (dies) and again merges back into the "oneness" of the material energy that all bodily vessels are made from in the material world.

However, the eternal individual jiva-souls are not affected by the decomposition and demise of the external temporary material bodily vessel they are in.

Also, each eternal individual jiva-soul (anti-matter) can NEVER become another individual jiva-soul, Krsna, Radharani, Visnu, Narayana and their expansions, or Siva and his expansions.

The individual jiva-souls are eternal persons who always have the choice (fee will) to express themselves in their own unique way in the spiritual world, or reject Krsna and enter the temporary material world if they choose.

The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are NOT complete in themselves unless they have their own unique independence (free will) to voluntarily choose to serve Krsna in their own unique way.

Therefore, without "free will or self expression," there can be no personal voluntary contributions or personal unique offerings to Krsna in a two-sided loving relationship.

Under these impersonal "one-sided" dictatorial conditions, the individual jiva-soul's existence would be no better than mindless drones devoid of any self-expression, personal voluntary contributions, reciprocating in a loving "two-way" relationship is spiritual suicide.

All marginal living entities (jiva-souls) in the spiritual world are eternal servants by choice who make their own independent decisions while serving Krsna, this makes them the unique contributing PERSON they are eternally, only then can an unlimited variety of intentional loving exchanges with Krsna be possible in a "two-way" reciprocal exhange. 

Srila Prabhupada - "In the spiritual world service is voluntary, some devotees want to serve Krsna as flower; so they become flower there if they want to be a flower and lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, then he becomes flower, voluntarily, and he can change from flower to human body also. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna as cow, as calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable yet a fact." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 text 1-4, Melb, Australia May 20, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "Love is a 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)   

Srila Prabhupada - ''Love means you take, and you give also. Suppose if you love somebody and you simply take from him, but you don't give. Oh, do you think it is very good? No. It is not good. That is not love. That is exploitation. If I go on simply taking from you, and if I don't offer you anything, that is simply exploitation."(Lecture BG, Ch 9 text 2-5, New York City, Nov 23, 1966)

Krsna does not force His dominance over the jiva-souls in the spiritual world like a puppet master impersonally controls his puppets with strings.

Free will exists with the jiva-souls for the purpose of allowing self-expression and voluntary personal contributions in their relationship with Krsna, making the relationship a "two-sided" loving affair instead of a "one-way" dictatorship.

The reason why "life" (the unlimited existence of individual jiva-souls) can NEVER be generated (created), is because the life force (that includes an unlimited collection of unique indestructible individual jiva-souls) have ALWAYS existed and were NEVER created.

Individual life (the jiva-souls) are beginningless and endless as Bhagavad Gita As It Is explains.

Dormant "Life" (the individual jiva-souls) are only "awakened" after the jiva-souls have fallen to the dormant (inactive) conditional state in the atom, and the impersonal brahmajyoti, they do not originate from there they are only awakened from their dormant state in the brahmajyoti.

Such a "fall down" to the dormant (inactive) brahmajyoti, is unnatural for the jiva-souls whose real "nature" is to be fully "active" in Kṛṣṇa's eternal pastimes.

"Individual life" therefore is never created, not even by Krsna because "life" has ALWAYS existed.

Once fallen to the material world of repeated birth and death, the individual jiva-souls can become frustrated with that constant suffering of birth, disease, old age and death and fall even further to the dormant (inactive) impersonal brahmajyoti, or can become dormant even in the atom.

When individual life (the jiva-souls) eventually awakens from their dormant impersonal existence in the brahmajyoti, or the material atom, some jiva-souls will WRONGLY believe life originated or is created (generated) from the an impersonal origin in the brahmajyoti.

However, the individual jiva-souls or life force has only been resting in a dormant inactive condition attained from a previous existence in the material world, a previous material universe long, long, long ago.

No individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) originate from the impersonal Brahmajyoti which is an inactive condition of consciousness the individual jiva-souls fall too as Prabhupada explains here-

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

Others may also WRONGLY believe the individual life force is an "all-one all-pervading energy or force" and only has form and individuality when contained in a material bodily vessel, just like water contained in a jar becomes separated from the ocean of water around it by being in the jar.

The eternal individual "life force" in the category know as the "jiva-souls" (marginal living entities), are NOT ultimately an "all-one-pervading" consciousness, they are eternal individual units (PERSONS).

The eternal "life force" in the category of jiva-souls (marginal living entities), are a collective of eternal spiritual individual living beings who each have their own eternal personality, individual identity and unique spiritual bodily form.

The belief that all jiva-souls ultimately merge into "one consciousnees" like rivers merge into the sea, and only become an individual when embodied, is called dangerous mayavadi impersonalism because it denies the "life force" is ultimately an unlimited collective of unique individual eternal jiva-souls.

So, the conclusion is the eternal individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are spiritual living PERSONS who can never be destroyed, terminated, divided into pieces, extinguished or ever lose their individual identity and personality.

The individual jiva-souls are indestructible and were NEVER created, they have ALWAYS existed like Krsna has always existed as Bhagavad Gita As It Is explains above.

On the other hand in a paradox understanding, Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of ALL causes which means EVERYTHING rests in Him.

This includes His unlimited individual jiva-soul expansions, Lord Siva, His unlimited variety of Visnu-tattva expansions including Srimati Radharani and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. 

Paradoxically all Visnu-tattva expansions and Krsna are ALL one within Krsna as the same person and identity in different presentations (pastimes).

Then there if Lord Siva (Siva-tattva) in a league of his own who is also an expansion of Kṛṣṇa, but not like the Visnu-tattva and jiva-tattva's (jiva-souls) are. 

Lord Siva's sense of individual self is in-between Visnu-tattva and jiva-tattva (jiva-soul) in his own unique existence who caters for individual marginal living entities who are almost lost in the bowls of the material world without a gross material bodily vessel, and those who have further fallen to the hellish planetary systems

The eternal individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are also expansions of Krsna like EVERYTHING is, however, the jiva-souls are different from Kṛṣṇa and His Visnu-tattva direct expansions because they are separated with their own unique existence that allows self-expression and free will.

In other words, the jiva-souls have their own unique ability of self-expression based on free will alloewd and sanctioned by Krsna. 

Kṛṣṇa allows this to create diversity and a "two-way" relationship of voluntary loving contributions and exchanges in the mood of eternal separation from Him. 

These qualities will deny a complete dictatorship by Krsna that Kṛṣṇa also created because does not want a "one-sided" Kingdom of puppets, drones and "yes" living beings, he wants those who voluntarily choose to serve Him with their own unique contributions.

He wants the jiva-souls to choose for themselves how they want to love Him, or can even reject him if they want. Without these choices there is no question of real freedom or having free will in a two-way loving exchange.

The individual jiva-souls, unlike the direct Visnu-tattva expansions, are eternal separated expansions of Kṛṣṇa, with their own unique independent personality and identity yet are paradoxically fully dependent on Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes. 

This means each individual jiva-soul has their own unique personality, independent identity further means they can even reject Krsna at anytime and forget about Him completely.

From Krsna's point of view (through the eyes of God) He is always the cause of all causes but  "similtaneously one a different" from all that their is inbthe spiritual and material worlds.  

 "Achintya-Bheda-Abheda Tattva." 

This philosophy of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very difficult to understand, and is only properly realised by genuine devotees of Lord Krsna.*×*^

The reason why "life" (the unlimited existence of eternal individual jiva-souls) can NEVER be generated (created), is because the life force (an unlimited collection of unique indestructible individual jiva-souls) have ALWAYS existed and were NEVER created.

Individual life (the eternal jiva-souls) are beginningless and endless as Bhagavad Gita As It Is explains.

"Life" (the eternal individual jiva-souls) can only be awakened when the jiva-souls have fallen to the dormant (inactive) conditional state in the atom, and the impersonal brahmajyoti.

Such a "fall down" to the dormant (inactive) brahmajyoti, is unnatural for the jiva-souls whose real "nature" is to be fully "active" in Kṛṣṇa's eternal pastimes.

The eternal jiva-souls as individual persons, always have a choice (free will), to remain with Krsna in the spiritual world, or reject Him and enter the temporary material world 

"Life" therefore is never created, not even by Krsna because "life" has ALWAYS existed. 

Once fallen to the material world of repeated birth and death, the eternal individual jiva-souls can become frustrated with that constant suffering of birth, disease, old age and death and fall even further to the dormant (inactive) impersonal brahmajyoti, or can become dormant even in the atom. 

When individual life (the eternal jiva-souls) eventually awakens from their dormant impersonal existence in the brahmajyoti, or the material atom, some jiva-souls will WRONGLY believe life originated or is created (generated) from the an impersonal origin in the brahmajyoti.

However, the individual jiva-souls or life force has only been resting in a dormant inactive condition attained from a previous existence in the material world, a previous material universe long, long, long ago.

Others may also WRONGLY believe the individual life force is an all-one all-pervading energy and only has form or becomes an individual unite when contained in a material bodily vessel, just like water contained in a jar becomes separate from the ocean of water around it by being in the jar.

Their belief is called mayavadi impersonalism because they deny the "life force" is an unlimited collective of unique "individual eternal jiva-souls." 

The individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are eternal spiritual living PERSONS who can never be destroyed, terminated, divided into pieces or extinguished. 

The jiva-souls are indestructible and were NEVER created, they have ALWAYS existed like Krsna has always existed.

We are all "old souls" because the individual jiva-souls have perpetually existed and were NEVER created. 

The implications of existing for infinity is mind boggling because this means there is no death for the jiva-souls. 

It is only the outer material bodily containers or vessels that is temporary and eventually decompose (dies) and its material elements merge back into the material energy - the jiva-souls within are indestructible and never die, they are beginningless and endless.

The process of material life (the repeated cycle of birth and death) means the individual jiva-souls move through 8,400,000 species of life (material bodily vessels) in the material world of which the human form only numbers 400,000 and has a minimum expression of free will.

The other 8 million species are lower species where the embodied jiva-souls are trapped in material bodily lower forms who have no free will and only directed by the material bodily instincts of- 

eating,

sleeping,

mating,

defending.

There is no accumulation of Karma (reactions to one's good and bad deeds) in the lower 8 million species or while on the heavenly and hellish planets. 

Karma is only created while in human form in the material world on the middle planetary system known as Bhurloka. The individual jiva-souls burn off their accumulation of past karma (the results of good and bad activity) accumulated in the human bodily form of life.

The important thing to understand is the individual jiva-souls are beginningless and endless just like Kṛṣṇa is.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (BG, Ch 2 text 12)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change."(BG, Ch 2 text 13)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed." (BG, Ch 2 text 14)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation."(BG, Ch 2 text 15)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both." (BG, Ch 2 text 16)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul." (BG, Ch 2 text 17)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “The material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is sure to come to an end; therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata." (BG, Ch 2 text 18)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain." (BG, Ch 2 text 19)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain." (BG, Ch 2 text 20 “corrected” 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?" (BG, Ch 2 text 21)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones." (BG, Ch 2 text 22)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind." (BG, Ch 2 text 23)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same." (BG, Ch 2 text 24)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body." (BG, Ch 2 text 25)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "If, however, you think that the soul [or the symptoms of life] is always born and dies forever, you still have no reason to lament, O mighty armed." (BG, Ch 2 text 26)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament."  (BG, Ch 2 text 27)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when annihilated. So what need is there for lamentation?" (BG, Ch 2 text 28)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all." (BG, Ch 2 text 29)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the material body can never be slain. Therefore, you need not grieve for any living being." (BG, Ch 2 text 30)

All individual jīva-souls are ETERNAL  spiritual persons (anti-matter). 

Therefore, there are no new jiva-souls being created because they have ALWAYS existed, meaning the individual jiva-souls are beginningless and endless.

Srila Prabhupada – "There are no new souls, new and old are due to this material body, but the jiva-soul is never born and never dies, so if there is no birth, how can there be new souls?" (Letter to Jagadisa dasa 9th July 1970)

The jiva-souls are eternal individual spiritual living PERSONS (anti-matter) who can NEVER be destroyed, terminated, divided into pieces or extinguished because they are indestructible will ALWAYS exist for infinity.

The individual jiva-souls can enter or possess and become any material bodily container or vessel they choose over the infinity of its existence, but only temporarily.

This is because all outer material bodies (matter) that covers the eternal individual jiva-souls, eventually breaks down, decomposes (dies) and again merges back into the "oneness" of the material energy that all bodily vessels are made from in the material world. 

However, each eternal individual jiva-soul (anti-matter) can NEVER become another individual jiva-soul, Krsna, Radharani, Visnu, Narayana and their expansions, or Siva and his expansions.^×^.

The first covering of our Brahmanda material universe that surrounds and encases a secondary material universe inside it, is the material element "earth" as described in Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 6 Ch 16 Text 37.

Although, in Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 3 Chapter 26 Text 52 there is an apparent contradiction, it says that "water" is the first element. Other references say the seven layers of the Brahmanda begins with the earth element.

Srimad Bhagavatam - ''Every universe is covered by seven layers—earth, water, fire, air, sky, the total energy and false ego, each ten times greater than the previous one. There are innumerable universes besides this one, and although they are unlimitedly large, they move about like atoms in You. Therefore You are called unlimited [ananta]." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 16 Text 37)

Srila Prabhupāda - "This verse describes the coverings of the universe (saptabhir daśa-guṇottarair aṇḍa-kośaḥ).

1 - Earth,

2 - Water,

3 - Fire,

4 - Air,

5 - Sky,

6 - Total material energy or maha-tattva,

7 - False ego.

Beginning with the covering of earth, each covering is ten times greater than the previous one. Thus we can only imagine how great each universe is, and there are many millions of universes." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 16 Text 37 Purport)

Srila Prabhupāda - "As confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā-

athavā bahunaitena

kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna

viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam

ekāṁśena sthito jagat.

"But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe." (BG, Ch 10 text 42 Purport )

The entire material world manifests is only one fourth of the Supreme Lord's energy. Therefore He is called ananta''.

Srila Prabhupada - "The extent of the cosmic phenomenon or our individual universe is calculated to be diametrically four billion miles in size. Then the outer covering known as the ''Brahmanda shell'' begins. The first covering of Earth is calculated to extend forty billion miles, (10 times the size of the inner universe) and the subsequent coverings of the universe are respectively of water, fire, air, sky, total material energy, false ego one after another, each extending ten times further than the previous. 

The fearless devotee of the Lord penetrates each one of them and ultimately reaches the absolute atmosphere where everything is of one and the same spiritual identity. Then the devotee enters one of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, where he assumes exactly the same form as the Lord and engages in the loving transcendental service of the Lord. That is the highest perfection of devotional life. Beyond this there is nothing to be desired or achieved by the perfect yogī." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 2 Text 28 Purport) 

Srimad Bhagavatam - "The first layer is of earth, and it is ten times greater in size than the space within the universe; the second layer is water, and that is ten times greater than the earthly layer; the third covering is fire, which is ten times greater than the water covering. In this way each layer is ten times greater than the previous one." (SB, Canto 3 Ch 29 Text 43)

Srimad Bhagavatam explains there are an unlimited number of individual Brahmanda universes coming from Maha-Visnu that make up the entire material creation (1/4 of the Spiritual Sky). 

All smaller material universes inside their greater Brahmanda universe are of different sizes, some, like ours, are only 4 billion miles in diameter. 

The 4 billion miles (500,000,000 yojanas) diameter of our material universe houses 14 planetary systems inside it and is considered a small universe when compared to other material universes deep inside their Brahmanda universal shell.

Our small single material universe inside our Brahmanda greater universe with its 14 planetary systems therefore, can be called Bhu-Mandala.

Sadaputa dasa ACBSP (Richard L. Thompson) earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Cornell University. He is the author of several books on Vedic Cosmology and explains what Bhu-Mandala is-

Sadaputa dasa - "In Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhu Mandala - the “earth mandala” (not to be confused with our small earth globe), is a disk 500 million yojanas in diameter. The yojana is a unit of distance about 8 miles long, so the diameter of Bhu-Mandala is about 4 billion miles which is the size of our single material universe found deep inside a secondary Brahmanda universe. Bhu-Mandala is marked by circular features designated as islands (Dvipas that can also mean planets) and oceans. Bhu-Mandala is far too big to be our small earth global sphere. Of course, Bhu-Mandala is earth centered, its innermost island, Jambudvipa, contains Bharata-varsha, which Srila Prabhupada has repeatedly identified as the planet earth." (Vedic Cosmology by Sadaputa dasa ACBSP (Richard L. Thompson Ph.D.)

Srila Prabhupada - "We have to imagine that these universes (Brahmandas), which according to our limited knowledge are expanded unlimitedly, are so great that the gross and subtle ingredients—the five elements of the cosmic manifestation, namely earth, water, fire, air and sky, along with the total material energy and false ego, are NOT only within the universe but cover the universe in seven layers, each layer ten times bigger than the previous one.

In this way, each and every universe is very securely packed, and there are numberless universes. All these universes float within the innumerable pores of the transcendental body of Mahā-Viṣṇu. It is stated that just as the atoms and particles of dust are floating within the air along with the birds and their number cannot be calculated, so innumerable universes are floating within the pores of the transcendental body of the Lord. For this reason, the Vedas say that God is beyond the grasp of our knowledge." (Krsna Book 87)

We cannot see from one material universe to another, this is because our individual secondary universe is surrounded and encased by the 7 material layers of the Brahmanda greater universe that are the outer layers surrounding the inner secondary material universe within it.

It is impossible to see the millions of other Brahmanda universes outside our inner secondary universe inside the massive Brahmanda because of those 7 vast material layers that only rare mystic yogis and advanced devotees like Arjuna can see and pass through. So, of course Krsna and Arjuna did not encounter such limitations that we experience with the combination of these elements earth, water, fire - all gross material elements as Bhagavad Gita explains.

Srila Prabhupada - "The Lord is not visible to the eyes of ordinary men, those who are beyond the covering layers because of their transcendental devotional service can still see Him." (Krsna Book 87)

We cannot see through the Brahmanda's 7 material layers that surrounds and encase our secondary smaller material universe within it Srila Prabhupada explains.

Srila Prabhupada - "Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna crossed over the great region of darkness covering the material universes. Arjuna then saw the effulgence of light known as the brahmajyoti. The brahmajyoti is situated ''outside the covering of the material universes'', and because it cannot be seen with our present eyes, this brahmajyoti is sometimes called avyakta." (Krsna Book, 89)

Srila Prabhupada - "Each universe is covered by various layers of material elements (The 7 layers of the outer Brahmanda covering), and therefore although the universes are clustered together, we CANNOT see from one universe to another. In other words, whatever we see is within this one universe. In each universe there is one Lord Brahmā, and there are other demigods on other planets, but there is only one sun." (SB, Canto 5 Ch 21 Text 11, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī confirms that a part of the material nature, after being initiated by the Lord, is known as the mahat-tattva. A fractional portion of the mahat-tattva is called the false ego. A portion of the ego is the vibration of sound, and a portion of sound is atmospheric air. A portion of the airy atmosphere is turned into forms, and the forms constitute the power of electricity or heat.

Heat produces the smell of the aroma of the earth, and the gross earth is produced by such aroma. And all these combined together constitute the cosmic phenomenon. The extent of the cosmic phenomenon or our individual universe is calculated to be diametrically four billion miles in size. Then the outer covering known as the Brahmanda shell begins. 

The first covering of earth is calculated to extend forty billion miles, (10 times the size of the inner universe) and the subsequent coverings of the universe are respectively of water, fire, air, sky, total material energy, false ego one after another, each extending ten times further than the previous. 

The fearless devotee of the Lord penetrates each one of them and ultimately reaches the absolute atmosphere where everything is of one and the same spiritual identity. Then the devotee enters one of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, where he assumes exactly the same form as the Lord and engages in the loving transcendental service of the Lord. That is the highest perfection of devotional life. Beyond this there is nothing to be desired or achieved by the perfect yogī." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 2 Text 28)

Srimad Bhagavatam - "Every universe (that is deep within the massive surrounding Brahmanda universe that comes from the Body of Maha-Visnu ) is covered by seven layers- 

earth, 

water, 

fire, 

air, 

sky, 

the total energy, 

false ego. 

Each ten times greater than the previous one. There are innumerable universes besides this one, and although they are unlimitedly large, they move about like atoms in You. Therefore You are called unlimited [ananta]." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 16 Text 37)

Srila Prabhupada - "The Brahma-saṁhitā (5.48) says-

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya

 jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ

viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo

 govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

The origin of the material creation is Mahā-Viṣṇu, who lies in the Causal Ocean. While He sleeps in that ocean, millions of universes are generated as He exhales, and they are all annihilated when He inhales. This Mahā-Viṣṇu is a plenary portion of a portion of Viṣṇu, Govinda (yasya kalā-viśeṣaḥ). 

The word kalā refers to a plenary portion of a plenary portion. 

From Kṛṣṇa, or Govinda, comes Balarāma; from Balarāma comes Saṅkarṣaṇa; from Saṅkarṣaṇa, Nārāyaṇa; from Nārāyaṇa, the second Saṅkarṣaṇa; from the second Saṅkarṣaṇa, Mahā-Viṣṇu; from Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; and from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu controls every universe.

This gives an idea of the meaning of ananta, unlimited. What is to be said of the unlimited potency and existence of the Lord? This verse describes the coverings of the universe (saptabhir daśa guṇottarair aṇḍa-kośaḥ). 

The first covering is earth, the second is water, the third is fire, the fourth is air, the fifth is sky, the sixth is the total material energy, and the seventh is the false ego. 

Beginning with the covering of earth, each covering is ten times greater than the previous one. Thus we can only imagine how great each universe is, and there are many millions of material universes. 

As confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (10.42)-

athavā bahunaitena

kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna

viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam

ekāṁśena sthito jagat

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

The entire material world manifests only one fourth of the Supreme Lord’s energy. Therefore He is called ananta." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 16 Text 37 Purport)

There are seemingly contradictions in the 5th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, for example in some passages it says the first layer is earth and in aother places it says the first layer is water.

The names of the material layers within the surrounding Brahmanda that encases universe within it built by Lord Brahma sometimes change, for example, the maha tattva is a layer in one purport that also means "total material energy" and "ether also means sky."

Srimad Bhagavatam's 5th Canto explains there are 7 material layers (elements) that make up our outer layers of the Brahmanda that encases and surrounds our single inner material universe that is deep within the Brahmanda, 8 layers including our 4 billion miles diameter secondary material universe within our greater massive Brahmanda. 

The diameter of our secondary material universe inside the Brahmanda is 500,000,000 yojanas or 4 billion miles, and the circumference of the secondary material universe is 12.6 billion miles where the 14 planetary systems are also found.

Srila Prabhupada - "The extent of the cosmic phenomenon or our individual universe is calculated to be diametrically four billion miles in size. Then the outer covering known as the Brahmanda shell begins. The first covering of Earth is calculated to extend forty billion miles, (10 times the size of the inner universe) and the subsequent coverings of the universe are respectively of water, fire, air, sky, total material energy, false ego one after another, each extending ten times further than the previous" (SB, Canto 2 Ch 2 Text 28 Purport)*

The individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are ALWAYS independent voluntary contributing unique "persons" in Kṛṣṇa's pastimes.

The individual jiva-souls are eternal spiritual living PERSONS who can NEVER be destroyed, terminated, divided into pieces, extinguished or lose their unique individual identity as a "person" because they are indestructible for infinity.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same." (BG, Ch 2 text 24)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (BG, Ch 2 text 12)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change." (BG, Ch 2 text 13)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain." (BG, Ch 2 text 20 “corrected” 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?" (BG, Ch 2 text 21)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones." (BG, Ch 2 text 22)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind." (BG, Ch 2 text 23)

All individual jīva-souls are ETERNAL persons, therefore there are no new jiva-souls being created because they have ALWAYS existed meaning they are beginningless and endless.

Srila Prabhupada – "There are no new souls, new and old are due to this material body, but the jiva-soul is never born and never dies, so if there is no birth, how can there be new souls?" (Letter to Jagadisa dasa 9th July 1970)

The individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) have no origin or beginning point because they have ALWAYS existed for infinity as explained above.

So, clearly there is no origin or beginning point to Krsna's marginal energy (an unlimited number of individual jiva-souls), who have existed for as long as Krsna has existed and will continue to exist for eternity.

The individual jiva-souls can enter or possess and experience any material bodily container or vessel they choose over the infinity of its existence, but only temporarily.

This is because all outer material bodily vessels or containers (matter) that covers the eternal individual jiva-souls, eventually breaks down, decomposes (dies) and again merges back into the "oneness" of the material energy that all bodily vessels are made from in the material world.

However, the eternal individual jiva-souls are not affected by the decomposition and demise of the external temporary material bodily vessel they are in.

"Surrender" does not mean one needs to extinguish their unique identity, individuality and personality to become Krsna's servant, such impersonalism makes one 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!" (Aug 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)

All jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are independent unique individuals who can voluntarily choose how to contribute in their own unique way in their service to Krsna. 

Srila Prabhupada - "In the spiritual world service is voluntary, some devotees want to serve Krsna as flower; so they become flower there. If I want that, to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, then he becomes flower, voluntarily, and he can change his, from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna as cow, as calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 text 1-4, Melb, Australia May 20, 1975)

In the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, Visnu and Krsna only expect voluntary personal offerings from the jiva-souls because such willing service initiates loving reciprocal exchanges between the Lord and His devotees in a "two-sided" loving exchange. The unique quality of free will allows individual acts of self-expression that leads to personal offerings.

Real love or service is based on a "two-way" exchange where the student Vaisnava is carefully nurtured to eventually achieve the personal goal of voluntary loving contributions that are the foundations of pure devotional service.

Such loving exchanges can only be fully expressed when the jiva-souls realize they each have their own independent characteristics and unique personality separate from Krsna's Personality, endorsed by free will. 

Without free will, one would never have the vision to intelligently contribute in their relationship with Kṛṣṇa in their own unique way, and increase and expand one's awareness of who they are as a contributing independent individual marginal living entity (jiva-soul). Having "free will" therefore is the eternal constitutional make up of EVERY "marginal living entity (jiva-soul)," and the foundation for ALL jiva-soul's contributing relationship with Krsna.

Loving devotional service is ALWAYS based on a "two-way" voluntary exchange of personal feelings manifesting as loving acts of reciprocation between Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, who voluntarily contribute their own unique expressions (offerings) of devotional service to Him as the real act of surrendering to Krsna's will.

On the other hand, actions expressed in a "one-way" domineering mood that do not encourage personal voluntary contributions, is dangerous impersonalism.

Personalism is only possible in a "two-way" exchange of feelings and emotions that expands, enriches and multiplies loving affection, sentiment and exchanges between the jiva-souls and Krsna.

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." (BG, Ch 9 text 2-5, New York City, Nov 23, 1966)

The individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) can NEVER exist independently from Krsna however, they MUST have their freedom and independence also (a paradox) to be a contributing individual unique independent person, otherwise the jiva-souls are no better than impersonal puppets controlled by a puppet master.

Therefore, the jiva-soul's independent personality, identity and free will allows diversity and independent self expression, allowing the individual jiva-souls to make their own contributions or offerings, and even allows them to reject Krsna if they choose.

All these conditions must be allowed to exist otherwise loving exchanges with Krsna can NEVER exist.

Krsna will always allow a separate existence for His marginal living entities (jiva-souls) endorsed by having free will. This allows them to have their own unique personality for the purpose of creating a "two-way" voluntary exchange of individual loving expressions that encourage unique contributions and personal offerings.

Free will allows the eternal individual jiva-souls to independently express themselves separately from Krsna and gives them their own unique personality that allows self expression and voluntary contributions.

These independent unique qualities gives the jiva-soul's existence  personal responsibility, purpose, creativity, hope, identity, a unique stand alone personality, allowing personal contributions of self-expression that makes the individual jiva-souls the independent PERSONS they are eternally. 

These qualities establish the jiva-souls (marginal living entities) as independent PERSONS, as a spiritual bodily form whose eternal home are the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, within Krsna's eternal endless pastimes. 

In the spiritual world personal voluntary expressions of loving exchanges expressed through free will, are ALWAYS encouraged by Krsna in His eternal relationship with the jiva-souls, this adds variegatedness, flavour, variety and mystery to the relationship between the individual jiva-souls and Krsna.

The Kingdom of God therefore, is NOT a "one-sided" dominating impersonal domain devoid of free will (freedom of self-expression), that does not allow personal independent contributions or offerings to God (Krsna), meant to expand, enrich, flavour and add mystery to the relationship.

Genuine loving relations and service are ALWAYS based on voluntary reciprocal exhanges and contributions between TWO, not just one (impersonalism)! 

Srila Prabhupada - "The impersonalist philosophy is oneness, so how there be love with just one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience that love means one? No, love means two, there MUST be two." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence (free will) means one can use it properly, or one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that you cannot ever fall down, that is not independence. That is force."(Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

Free will only has meaning when the jiva-souls can express themselves in a two-sided relationship by contributing to the relationship's expansion of nectarine mellows.

Srila Prabhupāda - "Love means a relationship between "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." (Aug 9, 1976, Tehran)

PHOTO - June 29, 1974 Melbourne Australia with Srila Prabhupāda at Rathayatra (50 years ago).

Tatastha-sakti refers only to those marginal living entities (jiva-souls) who are already in a fallen conditional state outside of the spiritual world's of the Vaikuṇṭha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana.

Tatastha-sakti only refers to those individual jiva-souls who have ALREADY fallen to the material world, or further fallen to the impersonal (inactive) brahmajyoti. 

Those individual jiva-souls who fall to this tatastha-sakti designation, means they have fallen to the material world. 

They have chosen to leave the Vaikuntha planets or Krsna's central planet of Goloka Vrindavana to enter the material world. 

Furthermore, tatastha-sakti also includes those individual jiva-souls who become frustrated within the temporary nature of material existence, due to the constant suffering of repeated birth and death, causing them to attempt to extinguish their individual existence and unique personality (attempted spiritual suicide), by entering a dormant (inactive) state of consciousness (being almost dead) within the impersonal brahmajyoti.

But ultimately, entering the impersonal brahmajyoti is also only a temporary solution to the jiva-soul's suffering on its endless journey.

This is because the individual jiva-soul's dormant (inactive) existence in the impersonal brahmajyoti is NOT eternal.

Eventually after a long, long, long, long period of inactivity, ALL individual  jiva-souls AGAIN take birth in the material world and again become active.  

Entering the fallen state in the impersonal brahmajyoti is temporary because the original nature of the individual jiva-souls is to be always active in Kṛṣṇa's pastimes.

By rejecting Krsna's pastimes the jiva-souls still remain active but now follow their own self centred desires becoming active within the 8 million 400 thousand species of life (material bodily vessels) within the material world of which only 400 thousand are human species.

This means 8 million species of life have no free will in the material world but exist on the basis of instinct - 

eating, 

sleeping, 

mating,

defending. 

Tatastha-sakti does not describe those individual jiva-souls in their original eternal "none-fallen" position on the Vaikuntha planets or in Goloka Vrindavana, tatastha-sakti therefore describes the none-Krsna conscious condition of the fallen jiva-souls in both material existence and the impersonal brahmajyoti.

Srila Prabhupada - "So this temporary material world is the taṭastha (materially conditioned) characteristics, and the spiritual world is the permanent (personal) characteristics. So our effort is to get out of this taṭastha (materially conditioned) characteristics and enter the permanent (personal)  characteristics. That is called spiritual elevation." (Lecture, CC Madhya-lila 20.354-358, New York City, Dec 28, 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - "Because the individual soul is apt to fall down sometimes under the clutches of māyā, it is called taṭastha-śakti. Just like in the seaside the shore, the beach, sometimes you see it is covered by water and sometimes it is land. Similarly, when we are covered by māyā, that is our jīva-bhūta stage (which means struggling under the laws of material nature), and when there is no more material covering, that is brahma-bhūta stage (realizing you are the jiva-soul above material influence). When we are Kṛṣṇa conscious, then we are brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20), and when we are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, we are materially conscious (jiva-bhuta), that is māyā."(Lecture BG, Ch 7 Text 4-5 Bombay, March 30, 1971)

So, clearly the marginal living entities or jiva-souls are not called tatastha-sakti in the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka Vrindavana as Prabhupada explains above because the word tatastha-sakti is a "conditioned fallen" designation of the jiva-souls. 

In the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana the individual jiva-souls are NOT in a "conditioned fallen state, they are in their natural full spiritual potential as Krsna's eternal servant and therefore NOT called tatastha-sakti.

As said in the beginning, tatastha-sakti refers to the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) in their "fallen conditional state" in both the material creation and when dormant in the (impersonal) Brahmajyoti.

Revatīnandana Dasa - "Srila Prabhupāda you very clearly explained to me once in a letter that if the jiva-soul then goes into the brahmajyoti, he is considered still fallen. Still fallen. Does that means the whole brahmajyoti is composed of fallen souls? You see my question? If I go there, I'm a jīva-soul, and I go to the brahmajyoti I'm still fallen."

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes."

Revatīnandana Dasa - "That means all jīva-souls there in the impersonal Brahman (Brahmajyoti) are also fallen souls?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, existence in the impersonal brahman is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness, those who are in the brahman effulgence are also in the fallen condition, so there is no question of falling down from a fallen condition. When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition (Goloka Vrindavana and Vaikuntha). The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness."(Letter to Revatinandana, LA 13 June, 1970 and 1971 London)

The full potential and original feature (bodily spiritual non-material form) of all eternal marginal living entities (jiva-souls), is a "two-arm form" like Krsna's Body. 

All individual jīva-souls (marginal living entities) are eternal PERSONS without any beginning or end to their existence, this means there are no new jiva-souls ever being created because they have ALWAYS existed.

Srila Prabhupada - "There are no new souls, new and old are due to this material body, but the jiva-soul is never born and never dies, so if there is no birth, how can there be new souls?" (Letter to Jagadisa dasa 9th July 1970)

The individual jiva-souls therefore are eternal spiritual living PERSONS who can never be destroyed, terminated, divided into pieces or extinguished because the individual jiva-souls are indestructible. 

The individual jiva-soul's being "generated" from the "marginal plane or energy" does NOT mean the jiva-souls “originated” from a beginning source because the jiva-souls were NEVER created.

The jiva-souls are therefore  beginningless and endless and as old as Kṛṣṇa as Bhagavad Gita As It Is teaches.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be." (BG, Ch 2 text 12, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change." (BG, Ch 2 text 13, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed." (BG, Ch 2 text 14, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both." (BG, Ch 2 text 16, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul." (BG, Ch 2 text 17, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain." (BG, Ch 2 text 19, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain." (BG Ch 2 text 20 "corrected" 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?" (BG, Ch 2 text 21, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones." (BG, Ch 2 text 22, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind." (BG, Ch 2 text 23, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same." (BG, Ch 2 text 24, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body." (BG, Ch 2 text 25, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again.Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament."  (BG, Ch 2 text 27, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all." (BG, Ch 2 text 29, 1983 edition)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the material body can never be slain. Therefore, you need not grieve for any living being." (BG, Ch 2 text 30, 1983 edition)

Srila Prabhupada - "God is also human form. "Man is made after the shape of God." So Kṛṣṇa is also like human form, two hands, two legs." The human form is also the full manifestation of the jiva-soul." (Melb, Australia May 20, 1975)

Srila Prabhupada - "The spirit soul is NOT formless; it has got form, the spirit soul always has form and is expressed as hands, legs, heads, everything. But with our material eyes at the present, our gross eyes, we cannot see these facts; therefore we foolishly believe the jiva-souls have no form." (Lecture BG, Ch 2 Text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

Devotee - "What is the form of the spiritual body. If the spirit soul is non-material, what is the form?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "There is form, just like this material body is compared with the dress. Now, just like in your present material form you have got hand; therefore your coat has got hand. You have got legs; therefore your pant has got legs. Therefore it is to be assumed that the spirit soul always has got form, and is expressed as hands, legs, heads, everything. The spirit soul is not formless; it has got form. But with our material eyes at the present, gross eyes, we cannot find it; therefore we say and foolishly believe it has no form." (Lecture BG, Ch 2 Text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

As said above, the original feature of the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) is like Krsna's Bodily form, they do NOT originate from the impersonal Brahmajyoti or tatastha-sakti as some foolishly believe.

Devotee - "Is the original body of the spirit soul a human form?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Yes, human form. God is also human form. "Man is made after the shape of God." I think there is in the Bible. Is it not? So God is also like human form. Here you see Krsna, two hands, two legs."

Hari-sauri dasa – "How do we understand, then, that there are peacocks and flowers and trees in the spiritual world? Are these not eternal forms?"

Srila Prabhupada – [describing material form first] "Yes, they are more covered, just like if you cover your body with blanket, the hands and legs are invisible. But you are not the blanket. So the trees and plants, they are more covered. They are not in full manifestation. The human form is the full manifestation of the soul."

Hari-sauri dasa - "Are they covered in the spiritual world?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Not in the spiritual world, there that is voluntary, some devotee wants to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna and become flower, voluntarily, and can change from flower to human body if one desires. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna as cow, as calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 Text 1-4 Melb, May 20, 1975)

Devotee - "If jiva-soul is non-material, what is the form?

Srila Prabhupāda - "There is form, just like this body is compared with the dress. Now, just like in your present material form you have got hand; therefore your coat has got hand. If you have got... You have got leg; therefore your pant has got leg. Therefore it is to be assumed that the spirit soul has got form, and it has developed into hands, legs, heads, everything. It is not formless; it has got form. But with our material eyes at the present, gross eyes, we cannot find it; therefore we say it has no form."(Lecture BG, Ch 2 Text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

Srila Prabhupāda - "The impersonal conception of the Supreme is so detrimental to the path of devotional service that it is very difficult to associate with the stubborn non-devotees, who always think in terms of material conceptions. Impersonalists always think backwards. 

They think that because there is form in matter, spirit should be formless; because in matter there is sleep, in spirit there cannot be sleep; and because the sleeping of the Deity is accepted in arcanā worship, the arcanā is māyā. All these thoughts are basically material. To think either positively or negatively is still thinking materially. Knowledge accepted from the superior source of the Vedas is standard." (SB, Canto 3 Ch 9 Text 21, Purport)

Srila Prabhupāda - "This material body we are in is existing on the spiritual body. Just like your shirt. The shirt is existing on your actual hand. The shirt has got a hand because you have got hand. So matter is impersonal. But because the superior prakṛti, jīva, he is person, therefore the matter appears like a person. 

Because I have got hands and legs, therefore this cloth has got hands and legs. Otherwise the cloth has no hands and legs; it is impersonal. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. This body is just like dress. Just like your coat has got hand, your pant has got leg, but either the pant or coat has no leg, no hand. 

So, because you have got leg and hand, the coat has got leg and hand. Everyone can understand this. It is very easy. So the original (and eternally), the spirit soul has got form. 

Therefore the cloth has been cut into form. It is very easy to understand. It Otherwise how you get the form? And in this form the spirit soul is trying to enjoy this material world. But it is not puruṣa. It cannot enjoy. That is false. That is illusion." (Lecture SB, Canto 3 Ch 26 Text 3, Bombay, Dec 15, 1974)

Hayagrīva dasa - "Aquinas believed that God is the only single essence that consists of pure form. He felt that matter is only a potential and, in order to be real, must assume a certain shape or form. 

Being in the material universe have to acquire an individual form in order to actualize themselves. When matter unites with form, the form gives an object its individuality and personality. Actually it is the spiritual form that gives an object its individuality and personality.

Srila Prabhupāda - Yes, matter has no form but the jiva-soul has got form. Though matter is covering the actual form of the jiva-soul, the matter then appears to have form. Just like the original cloth has no form, but when the tailor cuts the cloth according to the body of the person, then the shirt and coat takes a form. 

The matter itself has no form. When you take clay, it has no form, but if you make it like a doll, like a man or woman, then it has a form. When you change the clay, and you manufacture a fort, then the fort has form. So, form and formlessness is of the matter, but in the spiritual world everything has got form. The spirit soul has got form. God has got form. This is the truth." (Discussion on Thomas Aquinas philosophy) 

Srila Prabhupāda - "In the material world any form-man or beast or anyone—in the outward, external covering is matter, but within the matter there is the soul. The soul has form and God has form. That is real form. And the material form is simply shirting and coating over the spiritual body."(Discussion on Thomas Aquinas philosophy) 

Srila Prabhupada - "The individual jiva-souls are always called marginal energy whether he is in the spiritual world or in the material world. There are instances where marginal energy jiva-souls have fallen from the spiritual world, just like Jaya and Vijaya. So the potency to fall under the influence of the lower energy is always there. And thus the individual jiva-soul is called as Krsna’s marginal energy."(Letter to Rayarama, Dec 2, 1968)

The individual jiva-souls are ALWAYS eternally spiritual living beings in both the spiritual world and material world. 

However, in the material world the eternal spiritual jiva-soul is covered by a temporary subtle and gross material bodily container or vessel that decomposes forcing the individual eternal spiritual (anti-matter) jiva-soul to constantly change material bodies.

Remember, maya or the material energy, does NOT exist on the Vaikuntha planets or in Goloka-Vrindavana, so Maya is unknown to the jiva-souls (marginal living entities) in both the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavana.

In the spiritual world the jiva-souls ARE their eternal spiritual bodily form voluntary serving Krsna or Visnu in unlimited ways and unlimited forms they can choose to serve Krsna as.

Srila Prabhupada - "Some devotees want to serve Krsna as a flower so they become a flower and lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, voluntarily, and can change from flower to human body, that is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna as cow, as calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, as a field as a chair Krsna sits on, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact."(Lecture SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 Text 1-4, Melb, Australia May 20, 1975)

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

However, having free will, individuality, independence, experiencing a unique sense of individual self, and the ability to express all these qualities is eternally the constitutional makeup of all marginal living entities (jiva-souls) on the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana..×=×..

Vyasa puja offering to my eternal spiritual Master Srila Prabhupada August 27, 2024.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krsna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatî Gosvâmî. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanya deva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.

Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivas adi gaura bhakta vrinda.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Thank you Srila Prabhupada for showing us over the years, that we are all Krsna's eternal contributing servants in our full spiritual potential. 

The following offering to you are my personal realizations inspired by your wonderful writings and lectures.

The individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) have their our own unique individual identity and personality that is beginningless and endless as confirmed in Bhagavad Gita As It Is.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same." (BG, Ch 2 text 24)

"Surrender" does not mean one needs to extinguish their unique identity, individuality and personality to become Krsna's servant. Such impersonalism makes one 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!" (Aug 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)

All jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are independent unique individuals who can voluntarily choose how to contribute in their own unique way in their service to Krsna. 

Srila Prabhupada - "In the spiritual world service is voluntary, some devotees want to serve Krsna as flower; so they become flower there. If I want that, to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, then he becomes flower, voluntarily, and he can change his, from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna as cow, as calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is inconceivable, yet a fact." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 text 1-4, Melb, Australia May 20, 1975)

In the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, Visnu and Krsna only expect voluntary personal offerings from the jiva-souls because such willing service initiates loving reciprocal exchanges between the Lord and His devotees in a "two-sided" loving exchange. The unique quality of free will allows individual acts of self-expression that leads to personal offerings.

Real love or service is based on a "two-way" exchange where the student Vaisnava is carefully nurtured to eventually achieve the personal goal of voluntary loving contributions that are the foundations of pure devotional service.

Such loving exchanges can only be fully expressed when the jiva-souls realize they each have their own independent characteristics and unique personality separate from Krsna's Personality, endorsed by free will. 

Without free will, one would never have the vision to intelligently contribute in their relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or increase and expand one's awareness of who they are as a contributing independent individual marginal living entity (jiva-soul). Having "free will" therefore is the eternal constitutional make up of EVERY "marginal living entity (jiva-soul)," and the foundation for ALL jiva-soul's contributing relationship with Krsna.

Loving devotional service is ALWAYS based on a "two-way" voluntary exchange of personal feelings manifesting as loving acts of reciprocation between Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, who voluntarily contribute their own unique expressions (offerings) of devotional service to Him as the real act of surrendering to Krsna's will.

On the other hand, actions expressed in a "one-way" domineering mood that do not encourage personal voluntary contributions, is dangerous impersonalism.

Personalism is only possible in a "two-way" exchange of feelings and emotions that expands, enriches and multiplies loving affection, sentiment and exchanges between the jiva-souls and Krsna.

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." (BG, Ch 9 text 2-5, New York City, Nov 23, 1966)

The individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) can NEVER exist independently from Krsna however, they MUST have their freedom and independence to be a contributing individual, otherwise the jiva-souls are no better than impersonal puppets controlled by a puppet master.

Therefore, the jiva-soul's independent personality, identity and free will allows diversity and independent self expression, allowing the individual jiva-souls to make their own contributions or offerings, and even allows them to reject Krsna if they choose.

All these conditions must be allowed to exist otherwise loving exchanges with Krsna can NEVER exist.

Krsna will always allow a separate existence for His marginal living entities (jiva-souls) endorsed by having free will. This allows them to have their own unique personality for the purpose of creating a "two-way" voluntary exchange of individual loving expressions that encourage unique contributions and personal offerings.

Free will allows the individual jiva-souls to independently express themselves separately from Krsna and gives them their own unique personality.

This gives the jiva-soul's existence personal responsibility, purpose, creativity, hope, identity, a unique stand alone personality, allowing personal contributions of self-expression that makes the individual jiva-souls the independent PERSONS they are eternally. 

These qualities establish the jiva-souls (marginal living entities) as independent PERSONS, as a spiritual bodily form whose eternal home are the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, within Krsna's eternal endless pastimes. 

In the spiritual world personal voluntary expressions of loving exchanges expressed through free will, are ALWAYS encouraged by Krsna in His eternal relationship with the jiva-souls, this adds variegatedness, flavour, variety and mystery to the relationship between the individual jiva-souls and Krsna.

The Kingdom of God therefore, is NOT a "one-sided" dominating impersonal domain devoid of free will (freedom of self-expression), that does not allow personal independent contributions or offerings to God (Krsna), meant to expand, enrich, flavour and add mystery to the relationship.

Genuine loving relations and service are ALWAYS based on voluntary reciprocal exchanges and contributions between TWO, not just one (impersonalism)! 

Srila Prabhupada - "The impersonalist philosophy is oneness, so how there be love with just one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience that love means one? No, love means two, there MUST be two." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence (free will) means one can use it properly, or one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that you cannot ever fall down, that is not independence. That is force." (Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

Free will only has meaning when the jiva-souls can express themselves in a two-sided relationship by contributing to the relationship's expansion of nectarine mellows.

Srila Prabhupāda - "Love means a relationship between "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." (Aug 9, 1976, Tehran)

Thank you Srila Prabhupada for your wonderful guidance.

Your fallen yet inspired servant Gauragopala Dasa (initiated 10th July 1972)