Vyasa puja offering to Srila Prabhupada on the 125th anniversary of his wonderful appearance 1st September 1896, celebrated on August 31st 2021.
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī.
You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanya deva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi gaura bhakta vṛnda
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare
Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving us so much vast knowledge and wisdom explaining the real meaning of surrender, devotion and love.
You have taught us the following:
Śrīla Prabhupāda: 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)
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom. – (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)
Ultimately each individual soul is a unique PERSON who can choose for themselves how to voluntarily serve Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, or ignore Him if they want.
As Prabhupāda explains, Kṛṣṇa NEVER forces the jīva soul to surrender to Him, never forces them to love Him, that MUST be voluntary in a "two-way" exchange otherwise love can NEVER exist without voluntary reciprocal exchanges.
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. Unless there is misuse of free will, there is no question of free will. (Excerpt from: Philosophy Discussions with Srila Prabhupada – Rene Descartes)
Srila Prabhupada: The jiva-soul's position in the spiritual world is voluntary. Some devotee wants to serve Kṛṣṇa as flower; they become flower there. If I want that "As a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa," 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 Kṛṣṇa as cow, he serves Kṛṣṇa 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)
Śrīla Prabhupāda: "Unless there are ‘two persons’, where is the question of love? . . . Love means ‘two persons’, . . . then there is exchange, . . . then there is love.”– (August 9, 1976, Tehran)
Devotion, surrender and genuine loving selfless service can only exist when ‘two’ are involved in a ‘two-way’ trade off based on a reciprocal relationship of loving exchanges.
The experience of loving exchanges between the devotee, guru and Kṛṣṇa can NEVER exist in a selfish, inconsiderate ‘one-way’ forceful domineering impersonal way.
In other words, loving expressions and exchanges can NEVER exist in a dictatorial forceful one-sided relationship of just being told what to do, without the jīva souls having their own personal voluntary contributions and offerings in Goloka Vṛndāvana and Vaikuṇṭha too.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: “Kṛṣṇa NEVER forces you to love Him, that MUST be voluntary.”– (Melbourne, June 25, 1974)
This is because loving devotion, obedience, trust and loyalty between Kṛṣṇa and His devotee is NEVER a "one-way affair" in the spiritual planets, it is ALWAYS a "two-way" voluntary loving affair of intimate exchanges.
Of course in the material creation under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, the conditioned soul is being trained up to always remember Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore such strict (sometimes even forceful) instructions by the genuine spiritual master are meant to help the embodied jīva soul wake up from their material conditioning and realize that real freedom is always voluntarily serving Krsna.
This should be understood properly by realizing the difference between the restricted material creation where free will almost does not exist and one’s full freedom in the spiritual worlds.
Loving devotional service can only truly exist when the conditioned jīva souls are trained up to eventually reach their full potential and original position as Kṛṣṇa’s pure devotee, where they naturally express their constitutional nature as Krsna's "marginal living entity", who always reciprocates with Kṛṣṇa in a "two-way" exchange of loving intimacy.
Only then can love or service be genuinely expressed in a natural two-way relationship of based on reciprocal exchanges between Kṛṣṇa and the individual jīva souls.
A relationship ‘between two’ can ONLY experience love, and that is why Kṛṣṇa gave the jīva souls their freedom (free will) in the first place.
The full expression or potential of the individual jīva souls (marginal living entities) is only fully expressed, experienced and realized in the spiritual worlds by expressing their free will in full, and NOT while in a temporary material bodily vessel in the restricted temporary material worlds (Brahmanda universes).
Surrendering to Kṛṣṇa is enriched and further enhanced by the jīva soul’s personal unique loving voluntary contributions of unique service Prabhupāda taught us.
Such unique voluntary service increases, enriches and magnifies the relationship of loving exchanges and reciprocation eternally between Kṛṣṇa and the jīva souls in a two-way exchange of feelings.
Kṛṣṇa gave the jīva souls their freedom (free will) for this purpose of establishing a ‘two-way’ voluntary relationship so they can express personal unique loving feelings experienced differently with each individual jīva soul.
The fact is, real freedom, or experiencing the full potential of one's (the jīva souls) personality, is ONLY fully experienced in Goloka Vṛndāvana and Vaikuṇṭha where no one is forced to do anything.
This is because our loving relationship with Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world is NEVER founded on a demanding forceful relationship with Kṛṣṇa where one is always told what to do, and just obey without personal voluntary contributions (offerings) and intelligent inquiry.
The fact is, mindless impersonal surrender to a so called God or Spiritual Master without being encouraged or nurtured to participate in a relationship with personal contributions or offerings, only exists in a ‘one-sided’ impersonal dominant relationship, where the jīva soul’s personality and character are artificially restricted and suppressed, is Mayavadi nonsense.
This means their natural constitution of independent self-expression of choosing their own personal contributions to offer to Kṛṣṇa, is replaced by that "one-way dictatorship" of being told what to do and what to offer and how to think. No, the spiritual worlds are NOT loveless and impersonal like that.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Love means two persons. . . 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 – (Evening darśana, August 9, 1976, Tehran)
Love or genuine selfless service is ALWAYS based on a ‘two-way’ exchange of feelings, this means each jīva soul provides their own individual contributions of personal inputs to express their own independent individuality and free will.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa 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.)
Serving Kṛṣṇa is NOT impersonal in anyway, meaning it is NEVER a "one-sided" domineering forceful relationship of always being told what to do and think.
Surrender to Kṛṣṇa does NOT mean giving up your intelligence, free will, individuality and the awareness of being an independent unique PERSON you are eternally, who can choose to voluntarily serve Kṛṣṇa with personal contributions, or even ignore Kṛṣṇa if they want.
Such a choice must ALWAYS be there in the Spiritual Worlds for free will to truly exist because part of having free will means being able to reject Krsna too as Prabhupada explains above.
Goloka Vṛndāvana and Vaikuṇṭha are NOT totalitarian (oppressive) abodes for the individual jīva souls in their relationship with Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu.
No, the Kingdom of God is not like that, there are ALWAYS loving exchanges of feelings, respect and service based on reciprocation and cooperation between Kṛṣṇa and His dear devotees.
Without this free will and the ability to reciprocate, the jīva soul or marginal living entity is no better than dead stone that can never receive or give love.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: 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)
The spiritual worlds of Vaikuṇṭha and Goloka Vṛndāvana are personal Kingdoms based on loving exchanges and cooperation between Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, it is NEVER a one-way demanding forceful Kingdom.
Ultimately we are all Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servants and very dear friends, however, that does not mean we have to give up our free will and individuality under the heading of surrender that some foolish immature devotees believe.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Love is reciprocal, voluntary, good exchange of feeling. Then there is love. Not by force, no, Kṛṣṇa does not want to become a lover like that, ‘You love me, otherwise I shall kill you!’ – (Washington, DC, July 8, 1976)
Vipina Purandara: Why doesn’t Kṛṣṇa 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.)
As already explained, free will in its full potential ONLY fully exists in Vaikuṇṭha and Goloka Vṛndāvana and is greatly restricted in the material creation.
The conclusion is, of course free will exists fully in Goloka Vṛndāvana and Vaikuṇṭha because it is part and parcel of the constitutional make up of the marginal living entities (jiva souls).
And Kṛṣṇa ALWAYS allows free will in Goloka Vṛndāvana and Vaikuṇṭha because if He didn’t, then loving exchanges would NEVER exist.
If Kṛṣṇa denied the jīva souls their free will, then they could NEVER experience love, or know what love is, it would be just a "one sided" dominated loveless impersonal affair.
Therefore, love is ALWAYS a "two way" exchange of feelings, it is NEVER one way or one-sided affair because as said above, relationships expressed in a "one sided" dominance without having loving exchange between two, is NOT love at all, it is impersonalism and slavery.
Without free will, without being allowed to contribute personal offerings and having independent choices, even though fully dependent on Kṛṣṇa, the jīva soul can NEVER experience wonderful loving exchanges of reciprocation, and offering personal unique individual contributions to Kṛṣṇa.
Free will or the ability to choose is eternally part and parcel of the jīva soul’s (marginal living entities) natural constitution and ALWAYS exists without beginning or end.
As said above, this means the jīva souls can choose to serve Kṛṣṇa, or even reject Him if they want, it is their choice and ALWAYS has been.
This is one of the reasons why part of the Spiritual Sky (25%) is the material creation.
Krsna allows the jiva souls to choose to go to the material creation if they voluntarily no longer want to serve Kṛṣṇa however, their real home is ALWAYS Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana that makes up 75% of the Spiritual Sky.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa does not force the jīva souls to surrender to Him, if He did, then that is NOT love, it is forced obedience.
As Prabhupada says above, if you catch a girl or boy, then force them to love and serve you, is that love? "Love me otherwise I will kill you!" No, Kṛṣṇa does not want to be a cruel lover like that, forced to serve by the point of gun.
The amazing thing is, Kṛṣṇa ALWAYS serves (loves) His pure devotees far more than they can EVER serve Him!!
The individual jiva souls (marginal living entities) can NEVER exist independently from Krsna even though they CAN express their independent free will that Krsna provides separately for the purpose of allowing "two-way" voluntary exchanges of loving expressions and encouraging unique personal offerings.
Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for inspiring all these realizations based on your teachings.
Your fallen yet determined servant, Gauragopala Dasa (initiated July 10th 1972)
P.S. My love for your wonderful saṅkīrtana mission grows stronger every year.*.
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