The marginal living entities, marginal potency or jiva-souls are ALWAYS found throughout the entire Spiritual Sky in four different ways.
1 - The jiva-souls associating with Krsna in Goloka-Vrindavana as a friend and four other different ways explained below.
2 - The jiva-souls serve Visnu/Narayana as the Supreme God on the Vaikuntha planets with great devotion and all in reverence worship.
3 - Being embodied (covered) in a temporary material bodily vessel in the material creation.
4 - And attempting to cease one's existence by extinguishing their individuality in the dormant "inactive" impersonal Brahmajyoti.
Entering the Impersonal Brahmajyoti or Brahman to Vaiṣṇavas is considered Spiritual suicide.
However, such merging is only temporary even though the jiva-soul can stay there hovering inactively for a very, very, very long time, so long they even foolishly believe it is their origin.
The dormant jiva-souls in the Brahman effulgence eventually fall out of that inactive condition (impersonal Brahmajyoti) because the nature of the jiva-soul is to be ALWAYS active and have a reciprocal relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
As said above, the jiva-souls can stay in the impersonal Brahmajyoti or Brahman for so long that when they again awaken from their impersonal inactive slumber, they wrongly believe the impersonal Brahmajyoti is their origin.
Srila Prabhupada - ''The next question, about the living entities falling down in this material world are NOT from the impersonal brahman. Existence in the impersonal brahman is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness." (Los Angeles 13 June, 1970)
Srila Prabhupada - "Those who are in the brahman effulgence they are also in a 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, that non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness. So long as one can maintain pure Krsna consciousness, he does not fall down. As soon as he becomes out of Krsna consciousness, immediately he has fallen down." (Letter to Revatinandana, Los Angeles 13 June, 1970)
The jiva-soul's forget that they fell to that dormant none active condition in the impersonal brahman in the first place a long, long, long time ago, that can equal quadrillions of life times of Lord Brahma who lives for 311 trillion and 40 billion human years.
The jiva-souls are NOT exactly generated (originate) from some imaginary place or plane in outer space (tatastha-sakti) or originate from the impersonal Brahmajyoti.
The fact is all jiva-souls are eternal without beginning or end as Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 2 text 20 (1983 edition) explains has NO origin and were never created.
The marginal plane (also called tatastha-sakti along with many other names) is NOT some place of origin for the jiva-souls, rather, tatastha-sakti is another name for the jiva-souls describing their position in "the conditioned state" in the material creation or while dormant in the impersonal Brahmajyoti.
What "condition" of existence does tatastha-sakti mean the jiva-souls are in?
Srila Prabhupada - "So this material world is the taṭastha "conditioned" characteristics, and the spiritual world or Vaikuntha is the "personal" characteristics. So our effort is to get out of this taṭastha-śakti "conditioned" characteristics and to enter the personal or permanent characteristics (Vaikuntha), that is called spiritual elevation." (Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.354-358 — New York, Dec 28, 1966)
Srila Prabhupada - "Because the individual soul is apt to fall down sometimes under the clutches of māyā, it is called taṭastha-śakti.
Just like in the seaside the shore, the beach, sometimes you see it is covered by water and sometimes it is land. Similarly, when we are covered by māyā, that is our jīva-bhūta stage, and when there is no more covering, that is brahma-bhūta stage. When we are Kṛṣṇa conscious, then we are brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20), and when we are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, we are materially conscious, that is māyā." (Lecture on BG 7.4-5 - Bombay, March 30, 1971)
The idea that the jiva-souls originate from tatastha-sakti is incorrect because the "marginal plane," that are the individual jiva-souls, is NOT a place but rather an over all discription of one of Krsna's eternal energies.
There is NO origin for the jiva-souls, they are beginningless and endless.
In fact the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) have no point of origin that some sangas and their Gurus misunderstand and wrongly believe, so claiming the jiva-souls originate from the impersonal Brahmajyoti.
The marginal plane or marginal living entities (individual jiva-souls) are expansions of Krsna who have ALWAYS existed throughout the entire Spiritual Sky WITHOUT beginning or end, just like the Sun-rays always exist together with the Sun-disc.
The point made here is the jiva-souls are the same age as Kṛṣṇa (beginningless), meaning there was no starting point to the jiva-soul's existence, nor will there be an end.
The implications of living for infinity is mindblowing if you seriously think about it however, there is also a choice of where to spend eternity, the permanent spiritual worlds, or the impermanent material worlds.
Also the jiva-souls (marginal living entities) can NEVER exist independently from Krsna even though they can express their independent free will that Krsna provides for the purpose of allowing a "two-way" voluntary exchange of loving expressions, emotions and unique personal offerings.
A good example that Krsna and the jiva-souls have always existed together for the same time is the Sun-disc and the sun-rays CANNOT exist separately from each other.
Similarly the marginal living entities cannot exist separately from Krsna because they are His eternal parts and parcels He always maintains, just like the Sun-disc maintains the sun-rays.
Each individual "jiva-soul" (marginal living entity) is a one of a kind independent PERSON with their own unique personality different from other personalities including Kṛṣṇas.
No two individual jiva-souls are the same, and no jiva-souls can EVER become God (Krsna or Visnu).
Loving devotional service to Krsna is ALWAYS based on a "two-way" voluntary exchange of personal feelings, manifesting as loving acts of reciprocation between Kṛṣṇa and His devotees.
The jiva-souls relationship with Krsna is very personal and never impersonal or dictorial.
Such devotees (jiva-souls) "voluntarily" contribute their own unique expressions (offerings) of devotional service to Krsna in the spiritual worlds as the real meaning of "surrendering to Krsna's will" that does NOT deny the "free will" and individual expression of each jiva-soul.
As explained above, just like with the Sun-disc and the Sun-rays (sunshine) there is no separation between the two, similarly Krsna (compared to the Sun-disc) and His marginal living entities or jiva-souls (compared to the Sun-rays) can NEVER be separated.
The jiva souls were NOT generated (created) from some nonsense "clear sheet of consciousness" either as some gurus preach, because, as explained above, they have ALWAYS existed everywhere in all aspects of the Spiritual Sky.
Sarva-gatah means life (including the jiva-souls) are everywhere.
What is the original form of the jiva-soul?
Devotee – "Is the original body of the jiva-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 Krishna, two hands, two legs."
Hari-sauri – "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 - "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 as a flower, I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, he becomes flower, voluntarily, and he can change from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction.
If some devotee wants to serve Krishna 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 6.1.1-4 - Melbourne, May 20, 1975)
As already explained, the jiva-souls (marginal living entities) can NEVER exist independently from Krsna, even though they CAN express their independent free will that Krsna provides for the purpose of allowing a "two-way" voluntary exchange of loving expressions, emotions and unique personal offerings between the jiva-souls and Kṛṣṇa.
There are five relationships the jiva souls (marginal living entities) have with Krishna explained below.
Srila Prabhupada - ''Love means you take and you give also. Suppose if you love somebody and you are simply taking 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 in return, that is simply exploitation." (Lecture on BG Ch 9 text 2-5, New York, Nov 23, 1966)
Srila Prabhupada - "We have got the propensity to love. Love means somebody else. Love cannot be one or love cannot be executed only by one. 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 SB Canto 1 Ch 2 text 6, Delhi, Nov 12, 1973)
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 SB Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)
A devotee has a relationship with Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes, in five different ways-
1. One may be a devotee in a passive state;
2. One may be a devotee in an active state;
3. One may be a devotee as a friend;
4. One may be a devotee as a parent;
5. One may be a devotee as a conjugal lover.''
Srila Prabhupada explains these 5 relationships in detail in His Books like "Nectar of Devotion".
A "PASSIVE" relationship (number one in above list) with Krsna in Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana, is an almost "inactive" position the jiva souls can CHOOSE according to their desires (free will) such as-
A cloud in the sky,
The Sky
A blade of grass,
A tree,
A rock or stone,
A fence,
A chair or bench,
A flag pole and a flag
A roadway,
A Chariot, etc
The point is, EVERYTHING is alive in Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana, unlike the mundane dead material creation.
This means EVERYTHING from the shoes on your feet, to the clothes you wear, are all individual jiva souls who have "shape shifted" as that form because they have chosen to play that particular role in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana.
This is called a "passive" relationship with Krsna.
The ORIGINAL eternal form of the jiva-soul is a body like Krsnas Prabhupada has said, two arms, two legs etc like Krsna has in Vṛndāvana.
This means the 4 armed bodily form the jiva-souls have in the Vaikuntha Planets that looks like Visnu - Narayana Form is NOT the original form.
This also means ALL marginal living entities (jiva-souls) originate from Goloka-Vrindavana which is an eternal fully Kṛṣṇa Consciousness "active" abode Kṛṣṇa's eternal pastimes) meaning there is no origin.
Many jiva-souls CHOOSE to have a passive (inactive or idle) relationship with Krsna but it is NEVER impersonal.
This means they do not react visibly to something that might be expected of them, like outwardly manifesting emotions or feelings as a blade of grass or a chair that Krsna sits on.
Or like a flower or tree is only seen moving in the wind and outwardly showing no effection or passion, even though "inwardly" the jiva-soul, as that blade of grass or tree, is ecstatically and blissfully fully aware of Krsns’s personal presence, and Krsna is fully aware of those personalities as a blade of grass, a flower, a chair or a tree.
Many jiva-souls therefore choose to be passive "living" objects in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana that do not involve visible reaction or active participation
This is playing a passive or seemingly inactive role in God's Kingdom but the ecstasy of serving Krsna is always there.
Therefore, one should NOT confuse a "passive relationships" in Vaikuntha or Goloka-Vrindavana with impersonal mundane "inactive nonsense" of the Mayavadis.
The fact is, Krsna's abode is full of diversity where the jiva-souls can voluntarily express various kinds of pure loving service to Krishna, from "active" service of being a Cow herd boy, to "inactive" service like being a flag on top of a flag pole or the pole.
These relationships with Krsna are also based on reciprocation and loving exchanges too, even if the jiva-souls manifest themselves as a cloud in the sky, or a bench for Krsna to sit on, or a plate for Krsna to eat off.
Just like we enjoy relationships with our families and society, so does Krsna.
However, all of His relationships are eternal in Goloka Vrindavana as their Spiritual forms, completely free of material contamination and conditioning.
Each of Krsna’s jiva-tattva-soul devotees interacts with Him by their "free will" in one of five primary relationships as said above.
All jiva-souls are EQUALLY intimate with Krsna because in the Spiritual World because He treats them all equally with loving exchanges and responds to them individually based on their love for Him.
All relationships with Krsna are equally blissful, just like one may like a carnation flower while others like rose flower.
Loving relationships with Krsna, the jiva-souls can CHOOSE from different types.
These five are -
1 - Neutrality,
2 - Servitude,
3 - Friendship,
4 - Parental affection,
5 - And conjugal love.
Srila Prabhupada - "The jiva soul's position in the spiritual world is voluntary. Some devotee wants to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want to be as a flower, I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, he becomes flower, voluntarily, and he can change from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krishna 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 6.1.1-4 - Melb, May 20, 1975)
More intimate love of Krsna reaches its summit in romantic exchanges with Krsna, each devotee can CHOOSE to experience one of these main moods-
Devotees in the mood of "neutrality" CHOOSE to witness and support Krsna’s pastimes by their presence as plants, animals, streams, and so on, as well as normally inanimate objects like houses—all of which are fully conscious and alive in Goloka Vrindavan.
Devotees in the "service mood" CHOOSE to work in different ways for Krsna, pack His lunch, wash His clothes, and perform other acts of loving service for Him.
Devotees in the "fraternal mood" CHOOSE to serve Krsna by being His friends.
They are sometimes boastful, considering themselves equal to Krsna because they have no idea Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes, nor do they care.
In Krsna's company the cow herd boys and girls enjoy games in the beautiful country forest settings of Vṛndāvana.
Devotees who CHOOSE to be in the "parental mood", see themselves as Krsna’s provider and protector.
Krsna behaves with them like a dependent child. His mother cuddles Him, carefully prepares His meals, and thinks only of His protection. His father sees that He has all the comforts of a normal home.
Devotees who CHOOSE to be in the "conjugal" (of whom many are also Visnu-tattva and NOT just jiva-souls) position, or romantic, mood offer service as Krsna’s girlfriends, relating with Him in the intimacy of lover and beloved.
Srila Prabhupada - "Regarding your question about our relationship with Srimati Radharani, She is the internal energy, we are marginal energy.
Marginal means sometimes internal, sometimes external.
When we are under the internal energy, that is our normal life, and when we are under the external energy, that is our abnormal life. Therefore, we are called marginal energy; we can be either this way or that way.
But being qualitatively one with the purusa, our tendency is to remain in the internal energy. Being in the external energy is our artificial attempt." (Letter to Lilavati, Allston, Mass 25 April, 1969)
Srila Prabhupada - "When Kṛṣṇa kills the demons outside Vṛndāvana, He is not the original Kṛṣṇa; He is Vāsudeva. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). When Kṛṣṇa is acting universally, that is Vāsudeva. Original Kṛṣṇa is ALWAYS in Vṛndāvana."
Jayatīrtha - "If the original Kṛṣṇa is always in Vṛndāvana, then why do the gopīs and Rādhārāṇī feel separation from Him?"
Srila Prabhupada - "That is here, in this material world. In the spiritual world Kṛṣṇa does not leave."
Jayatīrtha - "Oh."
Srila Prabhupāda - "And even in the material world, Kṛṣṇa superficially has gone to Mathurā, but He has captured the heart of the gopīs. So He is not leaving. Gopīs are enjoying Kṛṣṇa by separation. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's feeling, how He is appreciating Kṛṣṇa by separation." (Morning Walk, July 17, 1975, San Francisco)
From your aspiring servant Gauragopala Dasa ACBSP.*^*.
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