Why did Krishna give us free will if He knew we would miss use it and fall down to the temporary material creation?
Devotee - "Srila Prabhupada why did Krishna give us free will if He knew we could fall down in 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". (August 5, 1976, New Mayapur France)
Devotee – “In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it says that Krishna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krishna did not want us to come, then why are we here?”
Srila Prabhupada – “Yes. You forced Krishna to allow you to come. Just like sometimes a child forces his father. Father says, “My dear son, do not do this. Do not go there.” But he insists, “Oh, I must go. I must go.” “All right, you go at your risk. That’s all. And you suffer. What can be done?” Because you are Son of God you have got independence, full independence, you have free will, therefore you have acquired the quality of your father. You have got "little independence", so Krishna does not interfere with your little independence. If you persist that “I must go and enjoy independently,” so Krishna says, “All right, you can go.” This is the position. You have to take sanction. That is a fact. But when you persist, Krishna sanctions. And you come and enjoy”. (Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974)
Devotee – "In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it says that Krishna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krishna did not want us to come, why are we here?” Why doesn’t Krishna 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, ‘You love me, you love me, you love me.’ ” Is it love? “You love me otherwise I will kill you!’ Is that love? So Krishna 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 rapist?” (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)
Guru-kripa – “How is it that one can become envious of Krishna?”
Srila Prabhupada – “You have got little independence, you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God, God has got full independence, but you have got little independence, proportionately, because you are part and parcel, if he likes, he can return (to the material creation). That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that. Krishna-bahirmukha haïä bhoga väïchä kare. That misuse is the cause of our falldown”. (Conversation, Mayapur, February 19, 1976)
Real love or Bhakti is a two way street, it is never a slave and master impersonal loveless mentality.
This means first understanding you are an eternal individual person with free will, that includes a unique independent sense of self.
Understanding free will and one's eternal individual right to make their own choices and contributions in the Spiritual World, is realized through the independent act of "giving and receiving and exchanging" loving selfless service between individuals.
In Goloka Vrindavana there MUST always be this type of reciprocation and loving exchanges, where the jiva tattva naturally expresses their own unique personality, sense of self and individuality while serving Krishna in the Spiritual World.
Such free will is the basic make up of every marginal living entity's unique independent character and personality in both Goloka-Vrindavan and Vaikuntha. Otherwise one is just a dead stone.
Srila Prabhupada - ”Unless there are two persons, where is the question of love?” (Teheran, Iran, August 9th, 1976)
The full potential of one's free will and realizing the real self, is only found in the Spiritual World's of Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, which are one's real eternal home.
The material universes were designed so we always fail because we are not supposed to be here, it is NOT our real home.
Have you ever thought about what -
“Going back home, back to Godhead.” really means?
The material world we live now is foreign to the soul; we are strangers in a foreign land. In this alien place we call home, we experience so many misfortunes, confusions, and unnatural conditions like experience the progressive decay of our material bodies over the years.
For the soul, this material creation and material body, is NOT a natural place to be.
Foolishly we are conditioned to think this decay and decomposing material creation is normal, not realizing we are NOT the material bodily vessel, but are actually the "eternal"passenger within it.
These miseries we experience in an aging material bodily vessel, are there because we have forgotten our true spiritual essence and instead have identified ourselves with our material body.
This constant identification with the material body causes us pain, yet we don’t want to give it up. We are still in illusion about what will bring us real happiness.
In our misunderstanding of who we are, we want to hold on to those things that cause us suffering. We will actually try and do anything to preserve and maintain our material bodily vessel, foolishly thinking it is who we really are, not realizing it is a temporary outward decaying body that the real self (soul) is trapped in as a passenger.
This material creation and material body is a bridge. We should cross a bridge, NOT build a house on it.
A bridge is meant for one purpose only, to take us from one side to the other. It is not a place to stop on, to try and make a permanent residence on.
This human form of life, when used properly under the guidance of a bonafide spiritual teacher, can take us from the land of illusion, attachment, and birth and death, to our true home, to the land of eternal endless love, where there is no birth, disease, old age and death, to the land of Krishna.
We should use this very rare human material body for the purpose for which it was built, to help us reestablish our relationship with God and get out of this place of birth and death, and return back home to the Kingdom of God.
But we tend to be foolish, we try hard to hold on to illusion as long as possible, forgetting that the death of the material bodily vessel is inevitable, and nothing in the material creation is permanent.
If there is one thing devotees lament in their hearts, it is when someone dies without having used his or her rare human form of life to attain their full potential, which is realizing they ARE an eternal spiritual being with an eternal youthful spiritual body .
Sadly many have given up the chance to attain self-realization and have died like a dog or cat, then are forced to take their next birth in the animal Kingdom.
The human form of life is the only species of life where one can inquire about who they really are, where they came from, and where they are going, and learn how to become a self realized soul.
We must learn to use the human form of life and inquire about who we really are in the material bodily vessel because the fact is, we are NOT this material body.
This is what Srila Prabhupada taught me to do....
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)
Devotee – “In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it says that Krishna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krishna did not want us to come, then why are we here?”
Srila Prabhupada – “Yes. You forced Krishna to allow you to come. Just like sometimes a child forces his father. Father says, “My dear son, do not do this. Do not go there.” But he insists, “Oh, I must go. I must go.” “All right, you go at your risk. That’s all. And you suffer. What can be done?” Because you are Son of God you have got independence, full independence, you have free will, therefore you have acquired the quality of your father. You have got "little independence", so Krishna does not interfere with your little independence. If you persist that “I must go and enjoy independently,” so Krishna says, “All right, you can go.” This is the position. You have to take sanction. That is a fact. But when you persist, Krishna sanctions. And you come and enjoy”. (Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974)
Devotee – "In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it says that Krishna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krishna did not want us to come, why are we here?” Why doesn’t Krishna 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, ‘You love me, you love me, you love me.’ ” Is it love? “You love me otherwise I will kill you!’ Is that love? So Krishna 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 rapist?” (July 8, 1976 in Washington, D.C.)
Guru-kripa – “How is it that one can become envious of Krishna?”
Srila Prabhupada – “You have got little independence, you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God, God has got full independence, but you have got little independence, proportionately, because you are part and parcel, if he likes, he can return (to the material creation). That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that. Krishna-bahirmukha haïä bhoga väïchä kare. That misuse is the cause of our falldown”. (Conversation, Mayapur, February 19, 1976)
Real love or Bhakti is a two way street, it is never a slave and master impersonal loveless mentality.
This means first understanding you are an eternal individual person with free will, that includes a unique independent sense of self.
Understanding free will and one's eternal individual right to make their own choices and contributions in the Spiritual World, is realized through the independent act of "giving and receiving and exchanging" loving selfless service between individuals.
In Goloka Vrindavana there MUST always be this type of reciprocation and loving exchanges, where the jiva tattva naturally expresses their own unique personality, sense of self and individuality while serving Krishna in the Spiritual World.
Such free will is the basic make up of every marginal living entity's unique independent character and personality in both Goloka-Vrindavan and Vaikuntha. Otherwise one is just a dead stone.
Srila Prabhupada - ”Unless there are two persons, where is the question of love?” (Teheran, Iran, August 9th, 1976)
The full potential of one's free will and realizing the real self, is only found in the Spiritual World's of Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavan, which are one's real eternal home.
The material universes were designed so we always fail because we are not supposed to be here, it is NOT our real home.
Have you ever thought about what -
“Going back home, back to Godhead.” really means?
The material world we live now is foreign to the soul; we are strangers in a foreign land. In this alien place we call home, we experience so many misfortunes, confusions, and unnatural conditions like experience the progressive decay of our material bodies over the years.
For the soul, this material creation and material body, is NOT a natural place to be.
Foolishly we are conditioned to think this decay and decomposing material creation is normal, not realizing we are NOT the material bodily vessel, but are actually the "eternal"passenger within it.
These miseries we experience in an aging material bodily vessel, are there because we have forgotten our true spiritual essence and instead have identified ourselves with our material body.
This constant identification with the material body causes us pain, yet we don’t want to give it up. We are still in illusion about what will bring us real happiness.
In our misunderstanding of who we are, we want to hold on to those things that cause us suffering. We will actually try and do anything to preserve and maintain our material bodily vessel, foolishly thinking it is who we really are, not realizing it is a temporary outward decaying body that the real self (soul) is trapped in as a passenger.
This material creation and material body is a bridge. We should cross a bridge, NOT build a house on it.
A bridge is meant for one purpose only, to take us from one side to the other. It is not a place to stop on, to try and make a permanent residence on.
This human form of life, when used properly under the guidance of a bonafide spiritual teacher, can take us from the land of illusion, attachment, and birth and death, to our true home, to the land of eternal endless love, where there is no birth, disease, old age and death, to the land of Krishna.
We should use this very rare human material body for the purpose for which it was built, to help us reestablish our relationship with God and get out of this place of birth and death, and return back home to the Kingdom of God.
But we tend to be foolish, we try hard to hold on to illusion as long as possible, forgetting that the death of the material bodily vessel is inevitable, and nothing in the material creation is permanent.
If there is one thing devotees lament in their hearts, it is when someone dies without having used his or her rare human form of life to attain their full potential, which is realizing they ARE an eternal spiritual being with an eternal youthful spiritual body .
Sadly many have given up the chance to attain self-realization and have died like a dog or cat, then are forced to take their next birth in the animal Kingdom.
The human form of life is the only species of life where one can inquire about who they really are, where they came from, and where they are going, and learn how to become a self realized soul.
We must learn to use the human form of life and inquire about who we really are in the material bodily vessel because the fact is, we are NOT this material body.
This is what Srila Prabhupada taught me to do....
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