Original painting that has been on the wall of ISKCON Melbourne since 1974.

This "original oil painting" of Lord Balarama has been on the wall in the Temple room at Melbourne ISKCON Australia since 1974.

In Christanity, Judaism and Islam they believe you are the material body and when a loved one dies, you will again met up with them in heaven. No, this is NOT true because the "material body" is NOT who we are, is it NOT our REAL identity.

We are NOT these material bodily vessels we are presently trapped in or confined to.

You often hear in Christanity that when a loved one dies you will again met up with them in heaven.

No, this is not true because the "material body" we are a passenger in, is NOT who we are, is it NOT our real identity.

No material outward bodily vessel is who any of us are, we are the soul within, the passenger inside the material bodily container.

Furthermore, such material bodily vessels we are temporarily in, are "fixtures" of the material energy and only vessels occupied by an individual jiva soul.

So lets go even deeper here to understand what this means.

The fact is, all material bodily vessels are created by Maha Vishnu and belong to him, He creates them as vessels for those jiva souls to possess who have "chosen" to enter the material creation to experience their independent desires not related to God or Krishna.

There are exceptions when a pure devotee of Krishna chooses to enter the material creation as part of Krishna lila or out of compassion to help the fallen souls.

Such material vessels are ALWAYS available for all visiting souls who enter Maha Vishnu's material dreams that are real but temporary.

The facilities of bodily costumes and their pathway from birth to death are provided by Maha-Vishnu, the jiva soul is simply the passenger.

The material bodies or vessels the jiva souls are contained in while in the material creation, all come from the dreams of Maha Vishnu.

All the material universes (Brahmandas) are the creation of Maha Vishnu. This is includes all "material bodily containers or vessels" He provides to the jiva souls who choose to enter those material universes.

Such material vessels or costumes are in a sense, rented from Maha Vishnu so the jiva soul can move around embodied in the material creation.

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

“This material world is created by the dreaming of Maha-Vishnu. The real, factual platform is the spiritual world, but when the spirit soul wants to imitate the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is put into this dreamland of material creation”. (Srimad Bhagavatam Csnto 4.29.83)

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

Srila Prabhupada - “Our contact with matter is just like dream. Actually we are not fallen. Therefore, because we are not fallen, at any moment we can revive our Krishna consciousness, we break the dream.” (Tokyo Japan 1972: Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.1)

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

"Space-time" is a fabric of the material creation that includes past, present and future that all exists simultaneously to Maha Vishnu because He sees all and knows all.

In other words the movement of time - "past, present and future" exists just like each part of the roadway still exists after one passes over it. 

This means that within the fabric of space-time, the material bodily vessel we are in, IS like the road that starts from birth, continues to childhood, youth, middle age, old age and death.

The jiva soul is simply the passenger ''on the roadway'' or in the "material bodily container" 

The jiva soul within the material body is NOT made of matter like the roadway and material body are.

Arjuna was shown past, present and future by Krishna as told in the Mahabharata chapter Bhagavad Gita. 

So yes, Maha Vishnu sees all His dreams of the vast material universes (Brahmandas) in full, meaning from it's beginning, the middle, and it's end as a temporary reality. 

Maha Vishnu's dreams are NOT like our illusionry dreams while we sleep, His material dreams are real but temporary.

From above the flow of material space-time, one can see the whole road way, "beginning, middle and end" as explained in Bhagavad Gita-

Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 11 Text 7 

"Whatever you wish to see can be seen all at once in this body. This universal form can show you all that you now desire, as well as whatever you may desire in the future. Everything is here completely".

Srila Prabhupada - ”No one can see the entire universe sitting in one place. Even the most advanced scientist cannot see what is going on in other parts of the universe. Krsna gives Arjuna the power to see anything he wants to see, past, present and future. Thus by the mercy of Krsna, Arjuna is able to see EVERYTHING” (Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 11 Text 7)*.

The foolish man who sentimentally and ignorantly prayed to Kṛṣṇa to be saved from drowning, but could not recognise that Kṛṣṇa WAS answering his prayers for help by sending so many to help him.

Don't be like the foolish man on the roof during a flood who IGNORANTLY prayed to Krsna in the following pastime.

A man was stuck on his rooftop during a great flood and prayed to Krsna to be saved. 

Soon a man in a rowboat came by and shouted to the trapped man on the roof, 

"Jump in, I can save you from this flood, I am here to help you."

The stranded man on the roof shouted back, 

"No, no, it's OK, I'm praying to Krsna and He is going to come personally and save me."

So the man in the rowboat went on.

Then a large houseboat came by. 

"The man in the houseboat also shouted, 

"Jump in, we have plenty of room here, we can save you from this flood, the flooding is getting worse, come with us."

To this the stranded man on the roof shouted again back, 

"No thanks, I'm praying to Krsna ONLY He can save me, I have this faith."

So the motorboat reluctantly went away too.

Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down to the man trapped on the roof, 

"Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety."

To this the stranded man again replied, 

"No thanks, I'm praying to Krsna and He is going to save me, I have faith that Krsna will personally come and save me."

So the helicopter reluctantly flew away as well.

Soon eventually the water rose higher and higher above the rooftop and the man drowned.

After the jiva-soul left the material body, he was taken to Yamaraj the Lord of death and discussed his situation with Yamaraj. 

The jiva-soul who was in the material bodily vessel (now deceased) said to Yamaraj the Lord of death-

"I had faith in Kṛṣṇa but He didn't save me, He let me drown. I don't understand why!"

To this Yamaraj replied, 

"Kṛṣṇa answered your prayers, He sent you a rowboat, a houseboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect from Him? 

Kṛṣṇa tried to help you but you were so foolish you could not see that it was Kṛṣṇa all along who was trying to help you".

Yes, it is not that Krsna has to personally appear to save His you, He can come in many different ways or send many different living entities to help you like the next story where Krsna helped Srila Prabhupada.

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

The infected finger got worse over a few days and eventually Prabhupada asked us to bring him a Doctor who could administer penicillin to clear up the infection.

Within a day after the Doctor gave Prabhupada penicillin, his finger was healing nicely, and eventually completely healed.

One young immature devotee could not understand why Krsna did not directly heal Prabhupada's finger.

This young devotee saw Prabhupada was constantly chanting Hare Krsna, translating Srimad Bhagavatam's 3rd Canto, and preaching to the devotees.

So this young boy asked Prabhupada -

''Srila Prabhupada, you are always chanting Krsna's name, working late at night translating Sastra into English and preaching to the devotees, why didn't Krsna directly come and heal your finger that caused you so much discomfort and pain? After all you are Krsna's pure devotee''

Srila Prabhupada smiled and answered and showing great faith in Lord Krsna and great compassion to this young devotee-

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

So the lesson learnt here is Krsna does not have to personally appear and wave some magic wand to heal a person, it does not work that way, the fact is Krsna is more inclined to help those He is seeing doing everything they can to help themselves.

Yes, God (Krsna) helps those who helps themselves, this is the secret of advancing in spiritual life.

Krsna is very pleased when we do our best to look after our health and deal with sickness, diseases and pandemics intelligently. 

By using vaccines like vaccines for the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020/21 that has killed many devotees including sannyasis and Gurus, is a good way to protect yourself and those around you.

Srila Prabhupada - "Regarding your question, we must utilize our intelligence fully for serving Krsna. Serving Krsna does not mean that we sit idly and say that Krsna will take care of all our business. No, that is not depending on the Lord; rather it is laziness. Depending on Krsna means to act always in Krsna Consciousness, realizing that Krsna is the ultimate Controller of all results. I hope you understand this properly" (Letter to Bhagavan, 22 September, 1969)

It's not the critic that counts.

In the sacred arena of Street Sankirtan sadly many devotees have been persecuted, thrown in jail, put in psychiatric asylums and even murdered around the world.

This poem is dedicated to them -

“It's not the critic that counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or whether the doer of the deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and often comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause.

And who, if at best in the end, knows the triumph of higher treatment and high achievements.

And at worst, if fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his soul shall never be with those cold and timid ones who know neither victory nor defeat”

(Taken from Theodore Roosevelt the 26th President Of The United States, from 1901-1912)

In regards to this quote, Srila Prabhupada told us we can take "good instructions" from anyone, from a Brahmana (Priest or teacher), a sudra (Labourer) or even an untouchable or the most fallen, if it is good instructions. (Quoting the 20th Century Indian Caste System)

This is because wise words like Gold, can NEVER be contaminated no matter who says them.

In other words, if Gold is found in a unclean place, or even in stool, it is still pure Gold.

And so are good instructions.

PHOTOS - The first photo is of Hladini devi dasi ACBSP a great devotee of Lord Krishna who was murdered in Africa in 1990 while preaching the Sankirtan Movement of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and trying to protect other devotees from being persecuted.

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

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

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

Emotions expressed in a "one way" mood without the contribution of loving exchanges only experienced in a "two way" relationship, is NOT love at all, it is selfishness and exploitation which are also the qualities of impersonalism.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Srila Prabhupada - “That means you lose your independence. That is force, in Bengali it is said, ‘If you catch one girl or boy, ‘You love me, you love me, you love me.’ ” Is it love? “You love me, otherwise I will kill you!’ Is that love? (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)

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

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

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

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

Regarding Free will.

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

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

Srila Prabhupada has made it clear, it is only by Krishna’s sanction and approval the jiva souls have their freedom (free will) to begin with, so how to understand this? 

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

Emotions expressed in a "one way" mood without any exchange between two, is NOT love at all, it is selfishness and exploitation which is really impersonalism.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Devotee – "In Srimad Bhagavatam, it says that Krishna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krishna did not want us to come, why are we here?” Why doesn’t He save me from thinking like that?”

Srila Prabhupada - “That means you lose your independence. That is force, in Bengali it is said, ‘If you catch one girl or boy, ‘You love me, you love me, you love me.’ ” Is it love? “You love me, otherwise I will kill you!’ Is that love? So Krishna does not want to become a lover like that, on the point of revolver. ‘You love me, otherwise I shall kill you!’ That is not love; that is threatening. Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force; that is rape. Why one is called lover, another is called rape?” (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C).

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

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

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

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