Blog

In Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana (the perpetual Kingdoms of God), there are ALWAYS voluntary loving exchanges, respectful cooperation and personal unique contributions of offerings, based on "free will" going on, that are always expanding and enriching one's friendship with Krsna.

"Loyalty" or devotion to Krsna is a "two-way" street that can ONLY genuinely exist in a positive way in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana (the Kingdom of God) and NOT in the temporary decaying material creation where free will is greatly restricted.

Proper devotional service can only happen when the individual jiva-souls voluntarily contribute their own unique expressions of loving service also while in their relationship with Krsna.

Without this basic rule of having loving exchanges in the Spiritual Planets, then there can NEVER be genuine love or service within one's relationship with Krsna.

A relationship expressed in a "one-way" domineering mood without allowing and encouraging personal contributions only stagnates any relationship making it cold and impersonal.

A healthy relationship is based on a voluntary "two-way" mutual respectful exchange, that expands, enriches and forever increases loving affection and sentiment.

This can ONLY be experienced in a "two-way" exchange of feelings and NOT in a "one-way" dictatorship.

A one-way totalitarian dictatorial leadership is NOT love at all, it is forced surrender, selfishness and impersonalism.

The Spiritual Worlds of Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana are NOT a dictatorial "one-way" impersonal directive, or a domineering demanding dictatorship that denies personal contributions, where God or Krsna does all the thinking and decision making for everyone.

No, the Spiritual Planets are NOT impersonal, where personal individual contributions are denied and therefore emotionally dead, devoid of loving exchanges.

The fact is, in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana (the Kingdoms of God) there are ALWAYS loving exchanges, cooperation, personal unique individual contributions based on "free will", and loving enriching reciprocation going on between Krsna and His devotees because without these attributes there can NEVER be love.

Srila Prabhupada - "Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force, no, Krsna does not want to become a lover like that at the point of a gun" (Washington DC July 8, 1976)

Therefore "pure devotional service" is ALWAYS a "two-way" street where the jiva-souls have their own unique individual personality separate from Krsna's Personality.

Where they can express their own personal unique contributions, and add them into the relationship with Krsna in Vrindavana, that expands and forever enhances and enriches one's friendship with Krishna.

This is why the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) ALWAYS have their free will in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana.

Krsna will NEVER "force" the jiva-souls to do what they do not "choose" to do in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana.

This is because the jiva-souls are NOT Krsna's mindless "yes" men or women who are controlled in every way like a puppet master impersonally controls his puppets with the movement of strings.

Srila Prabhupada - "Krsna 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.)

So clearly serving Krsna and His pure devotees is NOT impersonal, it does NOT mean giving up your intelligence, free will, individuality, ability to voluntary make personal contributions and having the awareness of being an independent unique contributing PERSON in Krsna's (God) Kingdom eternally.

So clearly the Spiritual Worlds are NOT a "one-way" impersonal domineering mindless totalitarian place for the individual jiva-souls in their relationship with Krsna.

Krsna's Kingdom is not like that in anyway, everything that the jiva-souls do there is voluntary.

There is ALWAYS voluntary loving exchanges of feelings, emotions based on respect going on there in a caring mood of reciprocation between Krsna and His devotees.

Srila Prabhupada - “The jiva-soul's position in the spiritual world is voluntary.

Some devotee want to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want, they can be a flower and lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, he becomes flower voluntarily, and can also change from being a flower to having human bodily form like Krsnas.

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". (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.1-4 - Melbourne, May 20, 1975)

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)

One's relationship with God (Krsna) in His Kingdom is NEVER a one sided master/slave mindless none contributing dictatorship as Prabhupada has told us above.

The jiva-souls in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana are forever voluntarily expanding the expression of their individuality with an increasing variety of personal devotional offerings based on THEIR "free will".

Srila Prabhupada - ''We have got the propensity to love. Love means somebody else. Love cannot be one or love cannot be executed only one, personally. There must be another one. I love somebody; somebody loves me, there must be lover, there must be beloved, and the transaction, then love''. (Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 2 text 6, Delhi, November 12, 1973)

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

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 - ''Their (impersonalist) philosophy is oneness. So how there be love with just one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience that love means one? No. Love means two. There MUST be two, the lover and the beloved. Kṛṣṇa is already lover. He loves you so much that He's trying to get you back. That is Kṛṣṇa's attempt. "Please, My dear boy, or My dear friend, My dear servant..." (Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 2 Chapter 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)

Real love or Bhakti is reciprocal, it is NEVER a "one-way sided affair" where surrender to Krsna takes away the jiva-soul's sense of self, free will, individuality and their personal voluntary contributions of offerings to Krsna.

Each individual jiva-soul has their own independent personality (yet dependent on Krsna), separate from Krsna's Personality, which means having their own sense of self, "unique identity" and ability to make their own personal contributions.

These personal attributes each individual jiva-soul possess, they are part and parcel of each jiva-soul's eternal constitutional make up, making them the unique "PERSON" they eternally are.

"Free will" in its full potential, is ONLY fully experienced in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, which are the jiva-soul's original perpetual homes.

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 - "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.

8Unless there is misuse of free will, there is no question of free will. (Excerpt from: Philosophy Discussions with Srila Prabhupada – Rene Descartes)

Vipina Purandara - “Why doesn’t Krsna 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.)

Krsna does NOT want followers who deny others their right of self expression of choosing for themselves on how they want to serve Krsna, by voluntarily offering their own unique personal contributions.

Or EVEN rejecting Krsna if they choose to do so as Prabhupada explains.

This is always possible because there is always a choice, and that is why free will happens to ALWAYS exists in God's Kingdom (otherwise we are no better than dead emotionless stone.

The Spiritual world's of Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana are Visnu's and Krsna's personal Kingdoms, based on voluntary association, loving exchanges and cooperation that never denies personal contributions.

Therefore serving Krsna is NEVER a "one-way" demanding forceful relationship.

Ultimately we are all Krsna's servant and very dear friends however, that does not mean we have to give up our "free will" and "individuality" to be Krsna's friend and servant.

Therefore of course free will ALWAYS exists in Goloka Vrindavana and Vaikuntha that is part and parcel of the constitutional make up of every marginal living entity (individual jiva soul) as said above.

And yes, Krsna ALWAYS allows free will because if He didn't, then loving exchanges can NEVER exist.

Srila Prabhupada has made it clear, it is only by Krsna’s sanction and approval the jiva-souls have anything including their free will.

However, free will is necessary because it allows the jiva-souls to voluntarily make their own unique contributions based on their own choices that having free will can only allow.

Without free will the jiva-souls are no better than dead stone as Prabhupada says above.

The fact is if Krsna denied the jiva soul's there free will then there really is no life, one is simply like a mindless puppet always controlled by the strings of the puppet master.

Without free will the jiva souls can NEVER experience loving exchanges or emotions because ultimately love is always a "two-way" exchange of personal feelings only experienced when there are personal voluntary contributions by the jiva-souls experienced in a two-way exchange.

Genuine loving devotional service can NEVER be experienced in a "one-way" totally controlled environment run by Krsna or anyone. For love to truly exist there must be a two-way exchange of feelings.

Such impersonal emotionless control of any individual is slavery.

Emotions expressed in a "one-way" mood without any exchange of feelings between ,"two" is NOT love at all, it is selfishness, and dangerous impersonalism.

Therefore, without the free will of being allowed to contribute their own personal offerings, based on independent choices, the jiva-souls will NEVER experience wonderful loving exchanges, reciprocation and have the choice to choose their own personal unique offerings to Krsna.

As emphasised above, “free will” or the ability to “choose” is eternally part and parcel of the jiva-soul's (marginal living entities) natural constitution.

And ALWAYS exists without beginning or end in ALL the Spiritual Planets, but greatly restricted in the material creation.

Having free will in its full potential ONLY exists in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, which is the jiva-souls original perpetual home.

The relationship between Krsna and the individual jiva-soul is never a "one-way, one-sided" domineering relationship that denies personal contributions and choices from the jiva-souls.

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

Srila Prabhupāda – ”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 voluntarily serve Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, or ignore Him if they choose.

Krsna never forces you to surrender to Him, never forces you to love Him, that MUST be voluntary.

Srila Prabhupada – “Krsna NEVER forces you to love Him, that MUST be voluntary. Love is reciprocal, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force, no, Krsna does not want to become a lover by force like that.” (July 8, 1976)

Devotee – "In Srimad Bhagavatam, it says that Krsna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krsna 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 and demand ‘You love me, you love me, you love me, is it love? “You love me, otherwise I will kill you!’ Is that love?

So Krsna 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 the expression from their individuality with personal offerings based on free will and selfless loving reciprocation with Krsna (God), it is NEVER a one sided master/slave relationship with the Krsna is Goloka Vrindavana.

Real love, bhakti or service is reciprocal, as said above, it is NEVER a one-way street or a one-sided affair of domination where "surrender" to Krsna takes away one's free will, sense of self, individuality and the ability to offer personal contributions to Krsna.

This is important to understand because each individual jiva-soul has their own autonomous personality separate from Krishna's Personality.

They have their own sense of independent self, their own unique characteristics that THEY only have and no other jiva-soul has.

Each jiva-soul is a unique individual with their own personality separate from all other personalities including Krsna's Personality

This also means no two-jiva souls are the same.

All these qualities are part and parcel of each individual marginal living entities make up in the Spiritual Worlds as the independent unique jiva-soul ("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)

Having the attributes of being an eternal PERSON also includes having free will as part and parcel of the jiva-souls constitutional make up as previously explained.

Krsna does not want to be surrounded by mindless drones who have no individual offerings to contribute, or can think and decide for themselves on on what to offer Krsna.

Each "jiva-soul" always has their individual rights based on free will included in their constitutional make up.

This allows all marginal living entities (jiva-souls) to make their own personal unique choices that expands and enriches the relationship of loving exchanges with Krsna.

Real surrender is to use your free will and CHOOSE how to serve Krsna in your own unique way, NOT give up your free will of attempting personal contributions.

Such nonsense bogus surrender of attempting to give up your free will in the name of "surrender", is impersonalism.

Such cold hearted impersonalism will only destroy who you really are as a unique individual PERSON, who can contribute as that person, and NOT as some mindless devotee drone in a collective.

Love is NEVER a one-way or one-sided affair in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana, the jiva souls MUST always have their free will too, making the relationship a "two way" exchange of voluntary offerings.

Please read the main article above with Prabhupada's quotes on "free will".

Srila Prabhupada clearly says without "free will" you are no better than dead stone, and to give up your free will is impersonalism.

We must use our "free will" to think of ways to expand one's loving exchanges and devotion with Krsna, this is REAL personalism.

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)

Sadly in today's society exists a very subtle expression of impersonalism.

The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are PERSONALIST with their own individual character, unique identity and spiritual body (vigraha).

And to be a personalist you MUST have "free will", otherwise you are just a mindless programmed puppet in a collective of puppets, all manipulated and forced to dance by strings moved by the puppet master, such an existence is impersonalism.