Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Have we fallen from higher to lower or do we come from the very bottom of plant then to animal?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Naturally fallen from higher to lower. Then you make progress, again come to this human being. This is a via media with good consciousness. If you utilize your good consciousness then you go still higher, you go to God. But if you don't use your higher consciousness then again go to down. This is going on, cycle of birth and death. This human form of life is meant for self-realization, God realization. If you don't use properly our this life for God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness and go back to the kingdom of God, then we have to suffer again in the 8,400,000 species of life cycle, one after another. That is our choice.
(Lecture on Bhagavad-Gita--------Los Angeles).
Hṛdayānanda: (translating) He wants to know if the greatest offense is to disobey the guru.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the first offense. Guror avajñā, śruti-śāstra-nindanam. Śruti-śāstra-nindanaṁ guror avajñā. If you accept guru and again disobey him, then what is your position? You are not a gentleman. You promise before guru, before Kṛṣṇa, before fire, that "I shall obey your order; I shall execute this," and again you do not do this. Then you are not even a gentleman, what to speak about devotee. This is common sense.
(Lecture on Bhagavad-Gita------Mexico).
Professor (Hṛdayānanda): He wants to know if we are born good and then we learn the bad thing?
Prabhupāda: No, so long we have got this material body—you are born good or bad, but when you do not get this material body—you remain in your spiritual body—that is good.
(Room conversation---------Caracas).
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 any time, so there is always the chance of falling down by misuse of one's independence. But those who are firmly fixed up in devotional service to Krsna are making proper use of their independence and so they do not fall down.
Regarding your second question, have the conditioned souls ever seen Krsna? Were they with the Lord before being conditioned by the desire to lord it over material nature? Yes, the conditioned souls are parts and parcels of the Lord and thus they were with Krsna before being conditioned. Just as the child must have seen his father because the father places the child in the womb of the mother, similarly each soul has seen Krsna or the Supreme Father. But at that time the conditioned souls are resting in the condition called susupti which is exactly deep sleep without dream, or anesthetized state, therefore they do not remember being with Krsna when they wake up in the material world and become engaged in material affairs. I hope this will satisfy your questions.
(Letter to Jagadisa--------Los Angeles).
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