The "rope and the snake" analogy explained by Srila Prabhupada.

The rope accepted as a snake may be an illusion to a particular person, but the rope is a fact, and the snake is also a fact.

Srila Prabhupada - "The rope-and-the-snake argument is generally offered by the Māyāvādī philosophers." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 9 text 34, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "Although illusory energy is also part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, illusory energy is differentiated from the Lord. The illusory energy is not, however, false, as claimed by the monist philosophers. The rope accepted as a snake may be an illusion to a particular person, but the rope is a fact, and the snake is also a fact. 

The illusion of water on the hot desert may be illusion for the ignorant animal searching for water in the desert, but the desert and water are actual facts. 

Therefore the material creation of the Lord may be an illusion to the nondevotee, but to a devotee even the material creation of the Lord is a fact, as the manifestation of His external energy. But this energy of the Lord is not all. 

The Lord has His internal energy also, which has another creation known to be the Vaikuṇṭhalokas, where there is no ignorance, no passion, no illusion and no past and present. 

With a poor fund of knowledge one may be unable to understand the existence of such things as the Vaikuṇṭha atmosphere, but that does not nullify its existence." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 9 text 10, Purport)

Misconceiving one thing for another thing is called illusion. For example, accepting a rope as a snake is illusion, but the rope is not false.

Srila Prabhupada - "Misconceiving one thing for another thing is called illusion. For example, accepting a rope as a snake is illusion, but the rope is not false. The rope, as it exists in the front of the illusioned person, is not at all false, but the acceptance is illusory. 

Therefore the wrong conception of accepting this material manifestation as being divorced from the energy of the Lord is illusion, but it is not false. And this illusory conception is called the reflection of the reality in the darkness of ignorance." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 9 text 34, Purport)

The Māyāvādīs proclaim that there is no separate existence outside the impersonal Brahman and that the feeling of separation is māyā, or an illusion, by which one considers a rope to be a snake. The rope-and-the-snake argument is generally offered by the Māyāvādī philosophers.

Srimad Bhagavatam - "The Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests Himself as one with the cause and effect within this body, but one who has transcended the illusory energy by deliberate consideration, which clears the misconception of a snake for a rope, can understand that the Paramātmā is eternally transcendental to the material creation and situated in pure internal energy. Thus the Lord is transcendental to all material contamination. Unto Him only must one surrender." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 22 text 38)

Srila Prabhupada - "This verse is specifically stated to defy the Māyāvāda conclusion of oneness without differentiation between the individual soul and the Supersoul. 

The Māyāvāda conclusion is that the living entity and the Supersoul are one; there is no difference. 

The Māyāvādīs proclaim that there is no separate existence outside the impersonal Brahman and that the feeling of separation is māyā, or an illusion, by which one considers a rope to be a snake. 

The rope-and-the-snake argument is generally offered by the Māyāvādī philosophers. Therefore these words, which represent vivarta-vāda, are specifically mentioned herein. 

Actually Paramātmā, the Supersoul, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is eternally liberated. In other words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is living within this body along with the individual soul, and this is confirmed in the Vedas. They are likened to two friends sitting on the same tree. Yet Paramātmā is above the illusory energy." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 22 text 38 Purport)

Simply by nondevotional speculation on the rope and the snake, one cannot approach the Absolute Truth. Therefore devotional service is stressed as more important than deliberation or mental speculation to understand the Absolute Truth.

Srila Prabhupada - "The Lord is always transcendental to the material manifestation, even though it appears that the Lord and the material manifestation are one and the same. According to the Vaiṣṇava philosophy, He is one and different simultaneously. 

The material energy is a manifestation of His external potency, and since the potency is identical with the potent, it appears that the Lord and individual soul are one; but actually the individual soul is under the influence of material energy, and the Lord is always transcendental to it. Unless the Lord is superior to the individual soul, there is no question of prapadye, or surrender unto Him. 

This word prapadye refers to the process of devotional service. Simply by nondevotional speculation on the rope and the snake, one cannot approach the Absolute Truth. Therefore devotional service is stressed as more important than deliberation or mental speculation to understand the Absolute Truth." (SB, 4 Ch 22 text 38, Purport)

A rope is one truth, but some mistake it for a snake, whereas others know it to be a rope. Similarly, devotees who know the Supreme Personality of Godhead do not see contradictions in Him, but nondevotees regard Him as the snake like source of all fear.

Srimad Bhagavatam - "A rope causes fear for a bewildered person who considers it a snake, but not for a person with proper intelligence who knows it to be only a rope. Similarly, You, as the Supersoul in everyone's heart, inspire fear or fearlessness according to one's intelligence, but in You there is no duality." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 9 text 37)

Srila Prabhupada - "In Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) the Lord says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham: 

"As one surrenders unto Me, I reward him accordingly." 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the reservoir of everything, including all knowledge, all truth and all contradictions. The example cited herein is very appropriate. A rope is one truth, but some mistake it for a snake, whereas others know it to be a rope. Similarly, devotees who know the Supreme Personality of Godhead do not see contradictions in Him, but nondevotees regard Him as the snakelike source of all fear. 

For example, when Nṛsiṁhadeva appeared, Prahlāda Mahārāja saw the Lord as the supreme solace, whereas his father, a demon, saw Him as the ultimate death." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 9 text 37 Purport) 

Although the idea that the rope is a snake is false, the snake is not false; one has experience of a snake in reality, and therefore he knows that although the representation of the rope as a snake is false or illusory, there is a snake in reality.

Srila Prabhupada - "The impersonalists try to prove that the varieties in the vision of the empiric philosopher are false. The impersonalist philosophy, vivarta-vāda, generally cites the acceptance of a rope to be a snake as an example of this fact. According to this example, the varieties within our vision are false, just as a rope seen to be a snake is false. 

The Vaiṣṇavas say, however, that although the idea that the rope is a snake is false, the snake is not false; one has experience of a snake in reality, and therefore he knows that although the representation of the rope as a snake is false or illusory, there is a snake in reality. 

Similarly, this world, which is full of varieties, is not false; it is a reflection of the reality in the Vaikuṇṭha world, the spiritual world." (SB, Canto 7 Ch 15 text 58, Purport)

Pūtanā Rākṣasī also was perplexed. She was not intelligent enough to understand that she was taking a sleeping snake on her lap; she thought the snake to be an ordinary rope.

Srimad Bhagavatam - "Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the all-pervading Supersoul, lying on the bed, understood that Pūtanā, a witch who was expert in killing small children, had come to kill Him. 

Therefore, as if afraid of her, Kṛṣṇa closed His eyes. Thus Pūtanā took upon her lap Him who was to be her own annihilation, just as an unintelligent person places a sleeping snake on his lap, thinking the snake to be a rope." (SB, Canto 10 Ch 6 text 8)

Srila Prabhupada - "In this verse there are two perplexities. When Kṛṣṇa saw that Pūtanā had come to kill Him, He thought that since this woman was present with motherly affection, although artificial, He had to offer her a benediction. 

Therefore He looked at her with a little perplexity and then closed His eyes again. Pūtanā Rākṣasī also was perplexed. She was not intelligent enough to understand that she was taking a sleeping snake on her lap; she thought the snake to be an ordinary rope. 

The two words antakam and anantam are contradictory. Because of not being intelligent, Pūtanā thought that she could kill her antakam, the source of her annihilation; but because He is ananta, unlimited, no one can kill Him." (SB, Canto 10 Ch 6 text 8 Purport)

Srimad Bhagavatam - "A person who mistakes a rope for a snake becomes fearful, but he then gives up his fear upon realizing that the so-called snake does not exist. Similarly, for those who fail to recognize You as the Supreme Soul of all souls, the expansive illusory material existence arises, but knowledge of You at once causes it to subside." (SB, Canto 10 Ch 14 text 25)

Srimad Bhagavatam - "How can I blame her for my trouble when I myself am ignorant of my real, spiritual nature? I did not control my senses, and so I am like a person who mistakenly sees a harmless rope as a snake." (SB, Canto 11 Ch 26 text 17)

Bhrama refers to false knowledge or mistakes, such as accepting a rope as a snake or an oyster shell as gold.

Srila Prabhupada - "Bhrama refers to false knowledge or mistakes, such as accepting a rope as a snake or an oyster shell as gold. Pramāda refers to inattention or misunderstanding of reality, and vipralipsā is the cheating propensity. 

Karaṇāpāṭava refers to imperfectness of the material senses. There are many examples of such imperfection. The eyes cannot see that which is very distant or very small. 

One cannot even see his own eyelid, which is the closest thing to his eye, and if one is disturbed by a disease like jaundice, he sees everything to be yellow. 

Similarly, the ears cannot hear distant sounds. Since the Personality of Godhead and His plenary portions and self-realized devotees are all transcendentally situated, they cannot be misled by such deficiencies." (CC Adi 2.86, Purport)

To a person who is always absorbed in the thought of snakes, a rope always appears to be a snake, and similarly to a person bewildered by material qualities and devoid of knowledge of the Absolute, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears according to diverse bewildered conclusions.

Srila Prabhupada - "Ignorance and the jugglery of words are very common in human society, but they do not help one understand the inconceivable energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 

If we accept such ignorance and word jugglery, we cannot accept the Supreme Lord's perfection in six opulences. For example, one of the opulences of the Supreme Lord is complete knowledge. Therefore, how could ignorance be conceivable in Him? 

Vedic instructions and sensible arguments establish that the Lord's maintaining the cosmic manifestation and simultaneously being indifferent to the activities of its maintenance cannot be contradictory, because of His inconceivable energies. 

To a person who is always absorbed in the thought of snakes, a rope always appears to be a snake, and similarly to a person bewildered by material qualities and devoid of knowledge of the Absolute, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears according to diverse bewildered conclusions." (CC Adi 5.41, Purport)

By word jugglery Śaṅkarācārya has tried to prove that the individual identities of the living entities and the material world are illusory, and he has cited the examples of mistaking a rope for a snake or an oyster shell for gold. Thus he has most abominably cheated people in general.

Srila Prabhupada - "Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura comments that if one does not clearly understand the meaning of pariṇāma-vāda, or transformation of energy, one is sure to misunderstand the truth regarding this material cosmic manifestation and the living entities. 

In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (6.8.4) it is said, san-mūlāḥ saumyemāḥ prajāḥ sad-āyatanāḥ sat-pratiṣṭhāḥ. The material world and the living entities are separate beings, and they are eternally true, not false. 

Śaṅkarācārya, however, unnecessarily fearing that by pariṇāma-vāda (transformation of energy) Brahman would be transformed (vikārī), has imagined both the material world and the living entities to be false and to have no individuality. 

By word jugglery he has tried to prove that the individual identities of the living entities and the material world are illusory, and he has cited the examples of mistaking a rope for a snake or an oyster shell for gold. Thus he has most abominably cheated people in general." (CC Adi 7.122, Purport)

The example of misunderstanding a rope to be a snake is mentioned in the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, but it is meant to explain the error of identifying the body with the soul.

Srila Prabhupada - "The example of misunderstanding a rope to be a snake is mentioned in the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, but it is meant to explain the error of identifying the body with the soul. Since the soul is actually a spiritual particle, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke), it is due to illusion (vivarta-vāda) that a human being, like an animal, identifies the body with the self. 

This is a proper example of vivarta, or illusion. The verse atattvato ’nyathā-buddhir vivarta ity udāhṛtaḥ describes such an illusion. To not know actual facts and thus to mistake one thing for another (as, for example, to accept the body as oneself) is called vivarta-vāda. Every conditioned living entity who considers the body to be the soul is deluded by this vivarta-vāda. One can be attacked by this vivarta-vāda philosophy when he forgets the inconceivable power of the omnipotent Personality of Godhead." (CC Adi 7.122, Purport)

When a human being identifies himself with the material body, he may be said to be mistaking a rope for a snake, or an oyster shell for gold.

Srila Prabhupada - "Unintelligent persons who cannot understand this doctrine of byproducts cannot grasp how the cosmic manifestation and the living entity are simultaneously one and different from the Absolute Truth. Not understanding this, one concludes, out of fear, that this cosmic manifestation and the living entity are false. Śaṅkarācārya gives the example of a rope being mistaken for a snake, and sometimes the example of mistaking an oyster shell for gold is cited, but surely such arguments are ways of cheating. 

As mentioned in the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, the rope for a snake and the oyster for gold examples have their different applications and can be understood as follows. The living entity in his original constitutional position is pure spirit. 

When a human being identifies himself with the material body, he may be said to be mistaking a rope for a snake, or an oyster shell for gold. The doctrine of transformation is accepted when one thing is mistaken for another. Actually the body is not the living entity, but the doctrine of transformation accepts the body as the living entity. Every conditioned soul is undoubtedly contaminated by this doctrine of transformation." (Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Ch 20)

When, by mistake, we consider the rope to be a snake, that is our ignorance. But the very idea of a snake is not in itself ignorance.

Srila Prabhupada - "Actually the example of the rope and the snake is not completely irregular. When we accept a rope to be a snake, it is to be understood that we have experienced a snake previously. 

Otherwise, how can the rope be mistaken for a snake? Thus the conception of a snake is not untrue or unreal in itself. It is the false identity that is untrue or unreal. When, by mistake, we consider the rope to be a snake, that is our ignorance. 

But the very idea of a snake is not in itself ignorance. When we accept a mirage to be water in the desert, there is no question of water being a false concept. Water is a fact, but it is a mistake to think that there is water in the desert." (Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Ch 20)

If a person mistakes a snake for a rope, he dies. Similarly, Pūtanā had killed so many babies before meeting Kṛṣṇa, and she mistook Him to be like them, but now she was accepting the snake that would kill her immediately.

Srila Prabhupada - "There are seven kinds of mothers, according to Vedic injunction: the real mother, the wife of a teacher or spiritual master, the wife of a king, the wife of a brāhmaṇa, the cow, the nurse and mother earth. Because Pūtanā came to take Kṛṣṇa on her lap and offer her breast milk to be sucked by Him, she was accepted by Kṛṣṇa as one of His mothers. That is considered to be another reason He closed His eyes: He had to kill a nurse or mother. 

But His killing of His mother or nurse was no different from His love for His real mother or His foster mother, Yaśodā. We further understand from Vedic information that Pūtanā was also treated as a mother and given the same facility as Yaśodā. 

As Yaśodā was given liberation from the material world, Pūtanā was also given liberation. When the baby Kṛṣṇa closed His eyes, Pūtanā took Him on her lap. She did not know that she was holding death personified. If a person mistakes a snake for a rope, he dies. Similarly, Pūtanā had killed so many babies before meeting Kṛṣṇa, and she mistook Him to be like them, but now she was accepting the snake that would kill her immediately." (Krsna Book 6)

When a person mistakes a rope for a snake he is filled with fear, but as soon as he understands that the rope is not a snake, he is liberated from fear.

Srila Prabhupada - "One who is always absorbed in meditation on Your original form of Kṛṣṇa easily crosses over the ocean of material nescience. But persons who do not know that You are the Supreme Soul remain within this material world in spite of their so-called meditation. 

If, by the association of Your devotees, a person comes to the knowledge that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Supersoul, then it is possible for him to cross over the ocean of material ignorance. For instance, when a person mistakes a rope for a snake he is filled with fear, but as soon as he understands that the rope is not a snake, he is liberated from fear. 

If one understands You, therefore, through Your personal teachings, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, or through Your pure devotees, as stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and all other Vedic scriptures—if one realizes that You are the ultimate goal of understanding—he need no longer fear this material existence." (Krsna Book 14)

Actually, when one mistakes a rope for a snake, the existence of the snake is only within the mind. The existence of māyā, similarly, is only within the mind.

Srila Prabhupada - "Instead of searching for the Supersoul anywhere else, a devotee only concentrates his mind on You within. Actually, one who is liberated from the material concept of life can search for You; others cannot. 

The analogy of thinking the rope to be a snake is applicable only to those who are still in ignorance of You. Actually, when one mistakes a rope for a snake, the existence of the snake is only within the mind. 

The existence of māyā, similarly, is only within the mind. Māyā is nothing but ignorance of Your personality. When one forgets Your personality, that is the conditioned state of māyā. Therefore one who is fixed upon You both internally and externally is not illusioned." (Krsna Book 14)

Mistaking the rope for a snake does not mean that the rope or the snake is false, and therefore this example, used by the Māyāvādīs to illustrate the falsity of the material world, is not valid.

Srila Prabhupada - "The Māyāvādī philosopher sometimes puts forward the argument of the snake and the rope. In the dark of evening, a curled-up rope is sometimes, due to ignorance, taken for a snake. 

But mistaking the rope for a snake does not mean that the rope or the snake is false, and therefore this example, used by the Māyāvādīs to illustrate the falsity of the material world, is not valid. 

When a thing is taken as fact but actually has no existence at all, it is called false. But if something is mistaken for something else that exists, that does not mean it is false." (Krsna Book 87)

This material world is an expansion of the material energy of the Lord. Therefore it is real. It is not false, as sometimes concluded from the example of the snake and the rope.

Srila Prabhupada - "The Vaiṣṇava philosopher acknowledges the full value of this material world and knows how to utilize it properly, whereas the Māyāvādī philosopher fails to do so, just as those who mistake a currency note for ordinary paper discard it and cannot utilize the money. 

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī therefore declares that if one rejects this material world as false, not considering the importance of this material world as a means to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such renunciation has very little value. A person who knows the intrinsic value of this material world for the service of the Lord, who is not attached to the material world, and who renounces the material world by not accepting it for sense gratification is situated in real renunciation. 

This material world is an expansion of the material energy of the Lord. Therefore it is real. It is not false, as sometimes concluded from the example of the snake and the rope." (Krsna Book 87)

The example of illusion is given generally: Just like in darkness, if you find some curling rope, you are afraid, "Oh, here is a snake!" Actually, that is not a snake. That means accepting the curling rope as a snake.

Srila Prabhupada - "And the next imperfection is to accept something in place of something. Just like we are accepting this body as myself, which I am not. Under this illusion. Everyone is under this illusion, nobody excepted. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). When you ask me, "Swamiji, what you are?", oh, I'll say, "I am Indian." What sort of Indian I am? 

Because my this body is Indian, made in India or got in India. But I am not this body. I am not this body. So this, this is illusion. So second imperfection. First imperfection, that we must commit mistake. The second imperfection is accepting something which is not real. This is called illusion. The example of illusion is given generally: Just like in darkness, if you find some curling rope, you are afraid, "Oh, here is a snake!" Actually, that is not a snake. That means accepting the curling rope as a snake. This is the example of illusion." (Lecture BG Ch 4 text 1 New York City, July 13, 1966)

That rope is false. That's all right. That rope is not snake, but there is real snake. Otherwise, how you get the conception of the snake?

Srila Prabhupada - "Just like the example is given... I have several times..., that the impersonalists, they describe this world as false, as false. But simply describing this world as false is not sufficient. What is the reality we must know. Generally the example is cited that in the darkness when you see a curling rope, you misunderstand it that it is a snake. But actually it is not the snake. Now, this conception of a snake comes where from? 

Unless there is a real snake, how you can see that it is a snake? That rope is false. That's all right. That rope is not snake, but there is real snake. Otherwise, how you get the conception of the snake? Just try to follow it. Without having the real snake, you cannot get this conception of snake." (Lecture BG, Ch 4 text 9-11 New York City, July 25, 1966)

This is called illusion, pramāda. The best example is to accept a rope as a snake.

Srila Prabhupada - "Every one of us know how we commit mistake, blunder. Even great men, they also commit blunder, you see. Just like there are so many instances amongst the politicians, a little mistake or a blunder, great blunder. So mistake, "To err is human," mistake is there. Similarly, accepting something as fact which is not fact. How it is? 

Just like everyone in the conditioned life, they think that "This body is my self." But I'm not this. I'm not this body. So this is called illusion, pramāda. The best example is to accept a rope as a snake. Suppose in the darkness there is a rope like this, and you are..., "Oh, here is a snake." This is the best example of illusion. Accepting something which is not that." (Lecture BG, Ch 7 text 1 Los Angeles, Dec 2, 1968)

We, Vaiṣṇava philosopher, we say, "No, there is snake, and there is rope. But when we accept the rope as snake, that is māyā."

Srila Prabhupada - "We accept something for something. The example is given: there is a rope, and due to my ignorance or insufficient knowledge, I take it as a snake. This is my insufficient knowledge. The snake is fact, and the rope is fact. But when we take the rope as snake, that is ignorance, or the snake as rope, that is ignorance. 

The Māyāvādī philosopher says that "We are accepting snake..., er, rope as a snake. But there is no snake." But we, Vaiṣṇava philosopher, we say, "No, there is snake, and there is rope. But when we accept the rope as snake, that is māyā." 

Similarly, there is spiritual world and there is material world. But when we accept the material world as everything, that is māyā. That is illusion." (Lecture SB, Canto 3 Ch 26 text 30 Bombay, Jan 7, 1975)

You cannot say, because it is rope, therefore there is no snake. No. Snake is there. Otherwise, how it comes to the idea of snake?

Srila Prabhupada - "Everyone wants to be happy, peace and pleasure. But wherefrom this idea comes? The Vedānta-sūtra says janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) it also comes from Parabrahman. So if Parabrahman has no such tendency how to enjoy, wherefrom this so-called love in this material world between young boy and young girl comes? 

There cannot be any existing. It is only perverted reflection of that pleasure potency of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. It is only perverted reflection. It is not false. It is temporary, perverted. Just like the example is sometimes given to mistake a rope as snake. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they give. They say it is māyā. But it is not māyā. When you mistake a snake as..., mistake a rope as a snake, that is not māyā. That is illusion. 

You can call it māyā. But the snake is there. You cannot say, because it is rope, therefore there is no snake. No. Snake is there. Otherwise, how it comes to the idea of snake? The snake is a fact, but you are mistaking the rope as snake. That is your mistake. But snake is not illusion; snake is a fact." (Lecture Jakarta, Feb 26, 1973)

That is reality of a snake; otherwise how this imagination comes to me? I have got an idea of snake. Now, in darkness there is a rope. So I may falsely take it as snake. That's doesn't matter.

Śyāmasundara dasa - "He says that even illusions are genuinely real objects which are uncreated by the human mind. In other words, if I think I see a snake and it is actually a piece of rope, but if I think it is a snake, then it really is a snake.

Srila Prabhupāda - "That is reality of a snake; otherwise how this imagination comes to me? I have got an idea of snake. Now, in darkness there is a rope. So I may falsely take it as snake. That's doesn't matter. But snake is there, that is our argument." (Philosophy Discussion on Evolutionists Thomas Huxley, Henri Bergson, and Samuel Alexander)

Just like the rope. Somebody is taking it is snake. He is frightened. And one knows this is rope, he is not frightened.

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, Kṛṣṇa is everything. Without Kṛṣṇa, there cannot be anything. Janmādyasya yataḥ. The example is given: 

Just like the rope. Somebody is taking it is snake. He is frightened. And one knows this is rope, he is not frightened. So actually the one thing—God is one—He is distributed in so many manifestations. So one realizes that it is God. By His energy He is manifested in so many forms. So why he should be frightened?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa - "That's a uttauttama-adhikārī.

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes." (Morning Walk July 24, 1975, Los Angeles)×^^×

Many scholars, historians and religionists have still not properly understood the eternal infinite position of the marginal living entities (jiva-souls), as being Krsna's eternal servant in their ORIGINAL infinite position and home in Goloka Vrindavana and the Vaikuntha planets.

Of course, taking birth in the temporary mundane material creation is achieved by first choosing to leave one's real perpetual home in the spiritual world.

This means the individual jiva-souls (jiva-tattva) NEVER originated from an "inactive" clear sheet of "dormant" consciousness either, meaning they NEVER originated from an impersonal origin in the Brahman or Brahmajyoti effulgence.

Srila Prabhupāda - "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)

Goloka-Vrindavana and Vaikuntha (The Kingdoms of God) are the original home of the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) where there is NO repeated birth and death, decay or impermanence. 

This is because the individual jiva-souls do NOT occupy a material bodily vessel in the spiritual worlds that is always in a constant state of decay and in need of round the clock maintenance in the material creation.

The fact is, the individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) were NEVER created and will NEVER cease to be, they have ALWAYS existed as Bhagavad-Gita As It Is tells us!

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 - "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, 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 - “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, 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 material body." (BG, Ch 2 text 25, 1983 edition)

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, 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 - "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, 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)

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 jiva-souls therefore are eternal spiritual living PERSONS and can never be destroyed, terminated or extinguished, the jiva-souls are indestructible. 

Also just like the Sun-disc and the sun-rays cannot exist without each other, similarly Krsna and the jiva-souls cannot exist without each other "Nectar of Devotion" tells us. 

An important point said above is the "jiva-souls" were NEVER born or NEVER created, nor will they ever die, only the material bodily vessel they are in decays, wears out and eventually ceases to function (dies) forcing the jiva-souls to take another material bodily vessel while in the material creation.

The individual jiva-souls are the passengers temporarily occuping the material body and will ALWAYS exist even when that material body eventually wears out and decomposes.

This also means the jiva-souls never came from an "inactive clear sheet of consciousness" that impersonalist preach. 

The jiva-souls also never originated from tatastha-sakti that some religious groups wrongly preach simply because the jiva-souls have no origin or beginning point, they are beginningless and endless.

Srila Prabhupada - "So this material world is the taṭastha or conditioned characteristics, and the spiritual worlds are the personal eternal non-conditioned characteristics (Vaikunthaloka)."  (New York City, Dec 28, 1966)

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 - "So that means all jīva-souls there 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. The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness." (Letter to Revatinandana, Los Angeles 13 June, 1970) 

The jiva-souls in their full spiritual potential have the same bodily features as Krsna, 

sat,

cit,

ananda,

vigraha. 

Which means-

eternity, 

knowledge, 

bliss,

Bodily FORM.

The jiva-souls did NOT originate from any impersonal, or dormant bodiless state in the impersonal Brahmajyoti because they have no origin, the jiva souls are beginningless and endless.

This obviously means all of us have already experienced an unlimited number of material bodily vessels, from the very rich to the very poor, from the most famous to the infamous, etc.

The full potential and original infinite feature of all marginal living entities (jiva-souls) is having a two armed, two legs bodily form like Krsna's Body.

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 - “They are 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, 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)

Krsna NEVER interferes with the jiva-soul's "free will", even when they choose to reject Him.

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

Srila Prabhupada - "Free will" means that you can act wrongly. That is free will. Unless there is chance of doing wrong or right, there is no question of free will. Where is free will then? If I act only one sided, that means I have no "free will." Because we act sometimes wrongly, that means free will."

Hayagriva dasa - "A man may know better but still act wrongly."

Srila Prabhupada -"Yes," but that is "free will." He misuses his. Just like a thief, he knows that his stealing, it is bad, but still he does it. That is free will. He cannot check his greediness, so in spite of his knowing that he is doing wrong thing—he will be punished, he knows; he has seen another thief, he was punished, he was put into prison— everything he knows, but still he steals. Why? Misuse of free will. Unless there is misuse of free will, there is no question of free will." (Discussions on Rene Descartes Philosophy)

Srila Prabhupada - ''As soon as we try, "Oh, this material world is very nice," "Yes," Kṛṣṇa says, "yes, you can go, otherwise what is the meaning of free will? Every living entity has got a little free will. And Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He gives him opportunity, "All right, you enjoy like this." It is free will." (Morning Walk Cheviot Hills May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

It is NOT Maya and her material energy that causes the jiva-souls to fall down from Vaikuntha because there is no material nature (Maya) on the Vaikuntha planets or on Goloka Vrindavana that can force the jiva-souls to leave Krsna or Visnu. 

Maya's temptation and Her material energy do NOT exist on the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka Vrindavana however, free will DOES eternally exist there as part and parcel of the make up of all jiva-souls.

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

Srila Prabhupada – ''Regarding your questions about how and from where did the conditioned souls fall, your first question if someone has a relationship with Lord Krsna on Krsnaloka, does he ever fall down? The souls are endowed with minute independence as part of their nature and this minute independence may be utilized rightly or wrongly at anytime, so there is always a chance of falling down by misuse of one’s independence." (Letter to Jagadisa dasa, 25th April 1970)

Srila Prabhupada – "Where are the spirit souls coming from, these spirit souls and all spirit souls are coming from Vaikuntha, but in these material worlds they are taking various grades of bodies according to their material activities." (Letter to Jagadisa dasa 9th July 1970)

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly or one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that you cannot become fall down, that is not independence. That is force. Therefore Krsna says, yathecchasi tathä kuru. “Now you do whatever you like." (BG lecture, Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

Srila Prabhupada - "In the broader sense everyone comes from Krsna Loka. When one forgets Krsna he is conditioned, when one remembers Krsna he is liberated." (Letter to Mukunda, June 10, 1969)

Srila Prabhupada - "We cannot say therefore that we are not with Krsna,  as soon as we try to become Lord, immediately Maya covers us. Formerly we were with Krsna in His lila or sport. But this covering of Maya may be of very, very, very, very long duration; therefore many creations are coming and going." (Letter to Madhudvisa Swami Melb. Australia June 1972)

Acyutananda - ''In the Bhagavad Gita Krsna says, "Once coming to the spiritual world, one never returns to the material world."

Srila Prabhupada - ''But if he likes, he can return, that is voluntary." 

Acyutananda - ''He can return?''

Srila Prabhupada - ''Yes, that independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that. Krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare. That misuse is the cause of our falldown."(Morning Walk Feb 19, 1976, Mayapur)

Devotee - "Srila Prabhupada why did Krsna give us free will if He knew we could fall down to the material world?"

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." (Aug 5, 1976, New Mayapur France).×××.

To believe our material universe, and the individual "life force" began with a "big bang" 13.8 billion years ago, is silly nonsense according to Bhagavad Gita As It.

In Bhagavad Gita As It Is it states "life" is beginningless and endless and NEVER came into being as uneducated scientists, scholars and some gurus and sannyasis foolishly believe, because "individual life" has existed for ALL infinity.

The modern material scientists, cosmologists, Astrophysicists, Archologist and Historians have got it all wrong, they have very little understanding of the material universe, and have no idea what "individual life" really is. 

"Life" is NOT an "all-one pervasive" consciousness either, only having form when embodied in a material bodily container, no! ALL "life" is made up of eternal "individual spiritual beings" (anti-matter) who each have eternal spiritual bodily FORM who ARE beginningless and endless.

The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) were NEVER created, they are eternal PERSONS like Krsna without beginning or end. 

Krsna and the jiva-souls are just like the Sun-disc and the sun-rays that ALWAYS eternally exist together, therefore, the "sun-rays,"(compared to the individual jiva-souls), ALWAYS exist in the presents of  "Sun-disc." (compared to Krsna)

The jiva-souls are eternal spiritual living PERSONS and can never be destroyed, terminated or extinguished, the jiva-souls are indestructible.

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 - "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, 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 - “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, 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 material body." (BG, Ch 2 text 25, 1983 edition)

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, 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 - "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, 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)

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)<^^>

 

There are no new eternal individual jiva-souls being created. All jiva-souls are beginningless and endless and have been that way for infinity.

Srila Prabhupada – "Regarding your questions where are the individual spirit souls coming from? These spirit souls and all spirit souls are coming from Vaikuntha, but in the material world they are taking various grades of material bodies according to their material activities. There is no new soul. New and old are due to this material body, but the soul is NEVER born and NEVER dies, so if there is no birth, so how there can be new soul?" (Letter to Jagadisa dasa 9th July 1970)

The individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are eternal spiritual living PERSONS as a spiritual bodily FORM 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 as Bhagavad Gita As It Is explains- 

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 persons as a spiritual bodily form, 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 are eternal spiritual living PERSONS as a spiritual bodily FORM who can never be destroyed, terminated, divided into pieces or extinguished because they are indestructible and therefore will always exist.^^**

What are the modern day scientist up too?

Today, in January 2024, NASA after 50 years, are on their way back to the Moon in a Vulcan rocket.

The first US moon landing mission in decades launches with NASA science. United Launch Alliance's next-generation Vulcan rocket launches on its debut flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on January 8, 2024.

It is going to be very, very hard today in 2024 to take the Moon hoaxers seriously, including the silly idea the Moon is further away from Earth than the Sun is. 

Sadly, any movement who preaches that nonsense will always remain a dubious cult on the fringes of society! 

And if the shoe fits, so be it. 

Sentimental followers who blindly believe any Guru's words without inquiry and deep research out of fear of offending him and his disciples, are cheating themselves and misleading others.*.

Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes and expands Himself into innumerable categories of living entities known as-

1 - Visnu-tattva (direct expansions of Krsna beginning with Balarama)

2 - Visnu-"sakti"-tattva (internal intimate potency of Kṛṣṇa headed by Srimati Radharani and Her eternal associates.

3 - Siva-tattva, (Lord Siva) mysterious independent expansion of Krsna in a league of his own who is not Visnu-tattva or jiva-tattva. 

4 - Jiva-tattva [jiva-souls] "separated expansions" with unique individuality and an independent personality separate from Krsna's Personality, who can accept or reject Krsna if they choose and therefore called "marginal living entities."

Krsna is likened to the original candle who lights all other candles (Visnu-tattva full expansions) of the same luminosity. 

Furthermore, Krsna as His original Vrindavana Form has 64 qualities of which 4 of those are unique to only Kṛṣṇa all the time, and He never leaves Vṛndāvana.

Krsna’s first Visnu-tattva expansion is Balarama and from Him, all other Visnu-tattva expansions manifest and represents Kṛṣṇa outside Vrindavana in the Vaikuntha planets, and material world.

No Visnu-tattva expansion has those 4 extra qualities always like Kṛṣṇa does, they only manifest 60 of Krsna's 64 qualities all the time which is having 93.75% of Krsna's attributes.

Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes and expands as innumerable categories of different living entities known as Visnu-tattva, Visnu-"sakti"-tattva, Siva-tattva and jiva-tattva. 

Krsna’s first expansion is Balarama and from Him all other Visnu-tattva expansions manifest. Those living entities who are almost equal to Krsna are called "Visnu-tattva."

Others living entities like the individual jiva-tattva (jiva-souls) are more independent from Krsna who have their own unique personality and character separate from Krsna's Personality. 

Another living entity category, Siva-tattva (Siva), is neither Visnu-tattva or jiva-tattva but is in a league of his own. All the variety of living entities are Krsna's expansions, each having a portion of Krsna's 64 qualities however, only Kṛṣṇa has all 64 qualities in full.

Visnu-tattva and Visnu-"sakti"-tattva expansions have 60 of Krsna's 64 qualities, which is 93.75% of Krsna's 100% attributes. 

Siva-tattva (Lord Siva) expansion have 55 of Krsna's 64 qualities, which is 85.938% of Krsna's 100% attributes.

Jiva-tattva (jiva-soul) expansion have 50 of Krsna's 64 qualities, which is 78.125% of Krsna's 100% attributes.

Being all-powerful, Krsna can expand Himself into unlimited forms with the same power and characteristics He possesses, without diminishing Himself in anyway.

Although Krsna in His original Form has 64 qualities, 4 of those are unique to only Him because no other Visnu-tattva expansion has those 4 extra qualities all the time.

Krsna expands Himself to enjoy in a variety of ways through relationships with His innumerable devotees.

Krsna's Visnu-tattva expansions manage the decaying impermanent material creation such as Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakashayi Visnu, and Paramatma (Supersoul). All Visnu/Narayana Forms have unlimited different names who are all the Supreme Personality of Godhead also.

They live on the eternal blissful Vaikuntha planets in different roles, and also come to the material creation too under unlimited different names like Narsingadeva, Ramachandra, Varaha etc. 

The individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) can choose to live in three basic existences. 

1 - The individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) can choose to remain fully "active" in the anti-material eternal Spiritual Sky (Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana with Visnu or Krsna).

2 - Or, they can choose to enter the temporary material creation (unlimited Brahmanda impermanent material universes where repeated birth and death take place). 

3 - Or, after some time, they can enter the temporary impersonal "inactive" formless Brahmajyoti. However, the jiva-souls cannot remain "inactive" in that condition forever,  therefore they eventually leave that "inactive existence" and again take birth in the material world. This is because the eternal nature of the jiva-souls are ALWAYS being "active" (ultimately in the service of the Lord in the spiritual world) and NOT inactive or dormant which is an unnatural conditional state of the jiva-souls.  

All these are possible because the individual  jiva-souls have "free will" as part of their "eternal" independent constitutional make-up.

The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) were NEVER created, they are eternal PERSONS without beginning or end just like Krsna. Therefore, just like the "sun-rays" (compared to the individual jiva-souls), they ALWAYS exist simultaneously with the "Sun-disc," (compared to Krsna)

The jiva-souls are eternal spiritual living PERSONS and can never be destroyed, terminated or extinguished, the jiva-souls are indestructible.

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 - "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, 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 - “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, 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 material body." (BG, Ch 2 text 25, 1983 edition)

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, 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 - "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, 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)

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)

As said above, Visnu-tattva expansions on the Vaikuntha planets are known as Lord Visnu, and Lord Narayana and unlimited other names that describes their particular pastimes.

On the Vaikuntha planets the jiva-souls have an all-in-reverence relationship with Lord Visnu, those who voluntarily choose to go there see Lord Visnu as the all powerful God and controller of everything.

Each Lord Viṣṇu on their Vaikuntha planet, has a different name based on the pastimes going on in there. On the Vaikuntha planets, there is complete reverence and deep respect and humility with an overwhelming mood of awe and dedicated in their love for Lord Visnu (God)

Unlike the jiva-souls in Goloka-Vrindavana who never see Krsna as God or even care, the jiva-souls on the Vaikuntha planets always see Visnu/Narayana as the all worshipable Supreme Personality Lord or God.

However, Krsna in His original form remains aloof from the affairs of not only the material temporary decaying creation but also the perpetual Vaikuntha planets in the spiritual world that surround His personal abode of Goloka-Vrindavan.

This is because He is for ever enjoying loving pastimes with His friends, family, uncles, aunties, boy friends, girl friends and all other associates in Goloka-Vrindavana who Krsna sees all equal to Him. 

The jiva-souls in Goloka-Vrindavana see Krsna as the most amazing, caring, selfless "Person" they know, and love Him dearly, but have no idea He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes, nor do they care. 

Amazingly, no one in Goloka-Vrindavana sees Krsna as God the Supreme controller of all things, He is just their best wonderful friend, parent, lover etc they feel safe to be with and always remember.

Krsna’s first expansion is Balarama, His elder brother in Goloka-Vrindavan. From Balarama comes all other Visnu-tattva expansions.

Srila Prabhupada - "Balarāma executes the orders of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the work of creation, and in the form of Lord Śeṣa He serves Kṛṣṇa in various ways. According to expert opinion, Balarāma, as the chief of the original quadruple forms, is also the original Saṅkarṣaṇa. Krsna's first expansion Balarāma expands Himself in five forms-

(1) Mahā-saṅkarṣaṇa, 

(2) Kāraṇodakaśāyī, 

(3) Garbhodakaśāyī, 

(4) Kṣīrodakaśāyī, 

(5) Śeṣa. 

These five plenary portions are responsible for both the spiritual and material cosmic manifestations. In these five forms Lord Balarāma assists Lord Kṛṣṇa in His activities. The first four of these forms are responsible for the cosmic manifestations, whereas Śeṣa is responsible for personal service to the Lord. Śeṣa is called Ananta, or unlimited, because He assists the Personality of Godhead in His unlimited expansions by performing an unlimited variety of services. 

Śrī Balarāma is the servitor Godhead who serves Lord Kṛṣṇa in all affairs of existence and knowledge. Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, who is the same servitor Godhead, Balarāma, performs the same service to Lord Gaurāṅga by constant association." (CC Adi 5.10, Translation and Purport)

Srila Prabhupāda - "Lord Nityānanda is Balarāma, who is the origin of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa’s first expansion is Balarāma, a portion of whom is manifested as Saṅkarṣaṇa, who then expands as Pradyumna. In this way so many expansions take place." (CC Introduction)

Although Krsna expands into many forms identical to Himself, He remains the one individual original independent entity who is simultaneously one and different with His spiritual worlds and material creation, meaning  all-pervasive and similtaneously a PERSON in Bodily Form.

Krsna eventually expands as Maha-Visnu (Karanodakshayi Visnu) and creates the material worlds which are actually the dreams of His expansion Maha-Visnu.

The material bodily vessels the jiva-souls possess when they choose to enter the temporary material creation, are chosen from the dreams of Maha-Visnu.

The material creation takes up 1/4 of the Spiritual Sky, everything going on within the unlimited Brahmanda universes existing there, are the dreams of Maha-Visnu according to Srimad Bhagavatam.

Every bodily material vessel in the material creation must be first "hired" from Maha-Visnu.

Srila Prabhupada - "We are not the owner of this body, not the owner of the senses. The senses are "hired" from the Supreme Lord. This is very subtle understanding, one should know the proprietor of the senses is God." (March 1966 NY City USA)

Srila Prabhupada - "The "immediate" expansions of the Lord are called svāṁśa or "personal direct" expansions (Visnu-tattva). The "separated" expansions of the Lord are called vibhinnāṁśa - jiva-tattva or independent jiva-souls like us." (BG, Ch 10 text 37, Purport)

Each individual jiva-soul in the spiritual world can "choose" to "voluntarily" serve Krsna in an unlimited variety of ways as an unlimited varieties of bodily forms, or even reject Krsna if they choose to do so, and enter or return to the impermanent material world. 

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

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

Srila Prabhupada – "Everything happening within time, which consists of past, present and future, is merely a dream. This is the secret in understanding in all the Vedic literature." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 29 text 2b)

Srila Prabhupada – "Our contact with matter is just like dream. Actually we are not fallen. Therefore, because we are not fallen, at any moment we can revive our Krsna consciousness, we break the dream." (Tokyo Japan 1972, SB Canto 2 Ch 9 text 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." (SB, Canto 4 Ch 29 text 2b)

Maha-Visnu is laying down sleeping and in that sleep He dreams the material creation.

Everything past, present and future is eternally their in Maha-Visnu's dreams of the material world, therefore, jiva-souls who choose to enter His material creation, live there in a material bodily vessel that comes from Maha-Visnu's dreams that are simultaneously the jiva-soul's desires (dreams) too.

Everything conceivable are in the dreams of Maha-Visnu that can for fill any desire the jiva-souls have, everything there is in the material world comes from Maha-Visnu's dreams.

When Maha-Visnu dreams, He creates the material universe known as the Maha-tattva which takes up 25% of the spiritual sky or brahmajyoti.

Within that 25% of the spiritual sky we find billions of individual independent massive single universes called "Brahmandas." Deep inside each Brahmanda universe, Maha-Visnu expands into a "secondary universe" as Garbhodakashayi Visnu. 

And from Garbhodakashayi Visnu, a Lord Brahma appears and builds the many planetary systems in his material universe. 

There are unlimited Garbhodakashayi Visnus and Lord Brahmas in the material world but only one Maha-Visnu. 

Maha-Visnu has created unlimited Brahmanda material universes, each with a secondary material universe deep inside it where Garbhodakashayi Visnu and Lord Brahma reside.

As said above, there are unlimited Garbhodakashayi Visnus and unlimited Lord Brahmas, but only one Maha-Visnu.

The size of each planetary system within each material universe inside their Brahmanda, vary in size, some larger, some smaller than others. In our material universe deep inside our Brahmanda, we have 14 planetary systems and is considered a small universe.

Other universes inside their Brahmanda, have many, many more planetary systems.

The size of each Brahmanda and their inner material universe inside it, depends on the how many heads their Lord Brahma has.

Some Lord Brahmas, like ours, has only 4 heads, while other Brahma's within their material universe may have 10, 20, 50, 500, 1000, 100,000 or even a million or more heads.

All inconceivable to the mundane mind.

All the billions of Brahmanda universes coming from the Body of the sleeping Maha-Visnu as seen in painting below, have a secondary inner universe deep inside them with their own Garbhodakashayi Visnu and Lord Brahma.

Srimati Radharani and Krsna are eternally in their abode known as Goloka Vrindavana.

When Krsna wants to enjoy and experience loving exchanges with a women, He expands His potency or energy from within Himself that gives Him enjoyment. This potency He expands as is a PERSON in the form of a woman and Her name is Srimati Radharani.

Radharani is not a different person from Krsna, or, rather, she is both one with and different from Him. How could two people be one person or one person be two?

A simple example will illustrate how this is so. 

The sun cannot exist without the sunshine, nor the sunshine without the sun. We say, "the sun is in my room"—even though the sun itself is ninety-three million miles away—because the sun appears in the form of its energy.

Therefore the energy (the sunshine) and the energetic (the sun) are simultaneously one and different. 

Similarly, Radha and Krsna are simultaneously one and different. Krsna, the self-effulgent Lord, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Srimati Radharani is His supreme pleasure energy. Together They constitute the complete Absolute Truth.

Who is qualified to understand all that is discussed here?

One cannot understand anything about Radha and Krsna through mental speculation.

Krsna and His potencies are achintya, inconceivable, and ananta, unlimited. He is the very source of the mind itself, and therefore He is beyond the mind.

The limited mind cannot understand the unlimited Personality of Godhead. The Vedic literature explains this very logically - that 

"That which is transcendental to material nature is inconceivable, whereas speculative arguments are all mundane. Since mundane arguments cannot touch transcendental subject matters, one should not try to understand transcendental subjects through mundane arguments."

When ordinary mundane intellectuals try to explain or interpret the identity or pastimes of Radha and Krsna, Krsna's unlimited nature bewilders them, and therefore they misconstrue everything.

Thus they sometimes consider Radha and Krsna to be like an ordinary boy and girl of the material world. But although they often pose as scholars, they do not know what they are talking about.

One should therefore strictly avoid the confused mundane ideas of such blundering intellectuals. 

If one wishes to understand Radha and Krsna, one must understand Them by hearing submissively from a bona fide authority, a genuine spiritual master. 

The original authority on Krsna is Krsna Himself. Everyone is first an authority regarding his own self, and this is also true regarding Krsna.

Moreover, since Krsna is unlimited, no one else can understand Him fully. Krsna's disciple Arjuna confirms this as follows in Bhagavad Gita As It Is-

svayam evatmanatmanam

vettha tvam purusottama

bhuta-bhavana bhutesa

deva-deva jagat pate

"Indeed, You alone know Yourself by Your own potencies, O origin of all, Lord of all beings, God of gods, O Supreme Person, Lord of the universe!" (BG, Ch 10 text 15)

Although Krsna is inconceivable to mental speculation, those to whom He reveals Himself can understand Him. Krsna first gave such transcendental knowledge to Brahma, the first created living being.

Brahma later transmitted this knowledge to his son Narada, who transmitted it to Vyasa, the author of Bhagavad Gita As It Is. 

In this way, the knowledge has descended from master to disciple, through a chain of the Bhakti tradition, down to the present day.

A spiritual master in this disciplic line is a bona fide authority regarding Krsna. He is the proper person from whom to receive transcendental knowledge.

What pleases Krsna?

According to Srila Prabhupada, Krsna is the reservoir of all pleasure, and therefore He is all-attractive. Yet Krsna Himself derives pleasure from the service rendered by His devotees. The servants of the servants of the servants of Krsna.

Such devotional service attracts even Him. Krsna Himself, while speaking to a friend, confirms this as follows in Srimad Bhagavatam-

Krsna - "My dear Uddhava, you may know from Me that the attraction I feel for devotional service rendered by My devotees is not to be equaled even if one performs mystic yoga, philosophical speculation or ritualistic sacrifices, studies Vedanta, practices severe austerities or gives up everything in charity. These are, of course, very nice activities, but they are not as attractive to Me as the transcendental loving service rendered by My devotees." (SB Canto 11, Ch 12 Text 1)

Krsna is full in six opulence's- 

beauty, 

wealth, 

fame, 

strength, 

knowledge,  

renunciation. 

No amount of material opulence, therefore, can attract Him. Just as one could not attract a millionaire by offering him a few dollars, one cannot attract Krsna merely by one's limited material opulence. 

Nevertheless, pure devotional service attracts even Krsna. This is the unique transcendental excellence of devotional service.

Srimati Radharani is the embodiment of pure devotional service. No one can be a greater devotee than She. 

The very name Radharani comes from the Sanskrit word aradhana, which means worship. Her name is Radharani because She excels all in worshiping Krsna.

Although Krsna is so beautiful that He can attract millions of Cupids and is therefore called Madana-mohana, "the attractor of Cupid," Radharani can attract even Krsna! 

She is therefore called Madana mohana mohini "the attractor of the attractor of Cupid." 

One time Krsna, to play a joke on the gopis or cowherd girls of Vrndavana, was hiding beneath a bush, but finally they spotted Him from a distance. 

Krsna then changed Himself into His four-armed form of Narayana. When the gopis approached and found Narayana instead of Kṛṣṇa, they were not very interested in Him; only Krsna's original two-armed form attracted them.

They therefore offered their respectful obeisance's unto Lord Narayana and prayed that He would bestow upon them the benediction of Krsna's eternal association. Then they went on searching for Krsna.

When Srimati Radharani passed by, however, Krsna tried to maintain His disguise as Narayana but was unable to do so; he kept slipping back into His original two-armed form. This illustrates the great influence of Srimati Radharani's pure transcendental love.

Krsna says in Bhagavad Gita As It Is that as one surrenders unto Him, He reciprocates accordingly. 

Therefore the more Radharani tries to please Krsna, the more He desires to please Her, thus in turn increasing Her enthusiasm to increase His pleasure.

Therefore although the Lord is unlimited, both He Himself and His pleasure potency are always increasing. 

The all-blissful reciprocation between the Lord and His pleasure potency is expressed in the transcendental pastimes of Radha and Krsna, which are described in detail in "KRSNA BOOK, the Supreme Personality of Godhead" by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

The reciprocation of loving exchanges between Radha and Krsna and all marginal living entities is the essence of spiritual love.

In the spiritual world, love between Krsna, and among all His pure devotees is based on selfless loving reciprocal exchanges of service, voluntary personal offerings to Krsna that are unique to each individual devotee.

Such loving co-operation and selfless devotion among devotees, brings out the very best and full potential of each devotee's spiritual personality and unique character.

In this way, the pure devotees are always trying to please beautiful Krsna in so many ways in service and in playful sport in the mood of Krsna Consciousness.

And Krsna is so kind He always reciprocates in so many amazing ways more than one can ever realize.

All the devotees serve Krsna selflessly and unconditionally in their own unique way in the mood of loving co-operation without any desire for personal gain.

Srila Prabhupada - "Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force! 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 - ''Because you are Son of God you have acquired the quality of your father. You have got little independence. So God does not interfere with your little independence. If you persist to go off and enjoy independently then God says, "All right, you can go." (Melb, Australia June 25, 1974).*^*.