Contradictory Statements on Fall of Jiva
BY: SHIVA DASA
Jan 8, MAUI, HAWAII (SUN) — Balavidya dasa has written what he considers to be the final word on the topic of the "Origin of The Jiva". He starts by first excoriating Deenanath dasa for this claim:
"It is a documented fact that Prabhupada made apparently contradictory statements regarding the origin of the jiva. Why he did so, only he knows. In such cases, it is not only prudent but essential to refer back to the statements of previous acaryas to resolve the issue. In terms of this issue, no other acaryas I am aware of have indicated that the origin of the jiva was in Krishna lila, other than those jivas who have been specifically deputed by Krishna for a specific purpose, as in the example of Jaya and Vijaya. Kailasa Candra prabhu's article documents that fact that there are no sastric verses to support the fall from Vaikuntha argument. Based on the sastric evidence and collated statements of various acaryas, one can conclude that his presentation is unbalanced and not a correct representation of the philosophy."
He then goes into a harangue about how there is really no contradiction in what Srila Prabhupada has spoken and written. Deenanath dasa was responding to Kailasa Candra dasa, who was making the case that the jiva was originally in Goloka or Vaikuntha. The first major problem is Balavidya's assertion that there are no contradictory statements by Srila Prabhupada on this topic. There are many quotes from Srila Prabhupada saying that the jiva was originally in Vaikuntha, there are also many quotes from Srila Prabhupada, other acaryas, and sastra which say that no one falls from the spiritual world. Clearly there are contradictory statements. But Balavidya dasa says those seeming contradictory statements are really not so. He then tries to prove his point. He says:
"The conclusion is that no one falls from the spiritual world, or Vaikuntha planet, for it is the eternal abode." Purport, Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.26
Now is there anything clearer than the above? After reading the above,
only a dumb fool or mischievous rascal will assert that the great
acarya has not given a clear "conclusion" on the matter. Those who
knowingly do not accept the above "conclusion" should not posture and
parade themselves as disciples of Srila Prabhupada. They are deviants
from Srila Prabhupada's "conclusion". And it is their
misinterpretation of certain particular statements of Srila Prabhupada
that is the cause of any "apparent contradiction", not the original
teachings of Srila Prabhupada. "
This kind of rhetoric gives us a taste of the dismal philosophical outlook to follow in Balavidya's thesis. He simply dismisses everyone as fake disciples, rascals, and dumb fools, if they do not accept the above statement from Srila Prabhupada as the sole final word on the matter. Well, what about the countless times Srila Prabhupada said that the jiva was originally in Vaikuntha? I guess that doesn't matter to Balavidya dasa. Nevertheless those statements are real and are not the product of stupid people's fantasies. Do we get some type of reason to consider that all of those statements by Srila Prabhupada which are contradictory to the above statement should be neglected? Or that they mean something other then what Srila Prabhupada said? In his own way I guess the next part of his thesis is Balavidya's attempt to reconcile the apparent contradictory claims on the origin of the jiva by Srila Prabhupada.
He takes to the writings of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in order to prove his point, specifically Jaiva Dharma. First off I would like to know whose translation he is using. The translations available for free on the Internet (one by the Gaudiya Math and another by HH Narayana Maharaja) is not the translation he is using. Both of those translations are similar, but they differ a bit in the wording. The translation Balavidya dasa is using differs profoundly from those translations. In fact, the translation he is using is putting forth a philosophy which seems to me to be contradictory to basic Gaudiya
tattva. For example he writes:
"In Jaiva-dharma, Chapter Fifteen, Srila Bhaktivinoda
describes three points of origin for the jiva. The jivas manifest (1)
from Balaram in Goloka; (2) from Ananta in Vaikuntha; and (3) from
Maha-Visnu in the Casual Ocean [See Appendix 2]. Those emanated from
Balarama and Ananta-Sesa within the Paravyoma, the spiritual world,
never fall for they have "attained the abode of the Lord". However,
those emanated by Maha-Visnu within the Casual Ocean are not within
the planetary "abodes of the Lord". They are the tatastha-sakti-jivas,
who are balanced between the material world and the higher spiritual
region, which are on either side of the Casual Ocean. Amongst them,
those jivas that choose service to the Lord go directly to the
spiritual world and thus never fall. And those jivas that choose
service to themselves in rebellion to the Lord's supremacy "fall" to
the material world [See Appendix 3]. Thus the initial fall of the
tatastha-sakti-jiva is from the Casual Ocean, wherein the
tatastha-jiva manifests from Maha-Visnu as an individual soul situated
within His brahman effulgence."
Here he is making a distinction between "tatastha-sakti-jivas" and other types of jivas. He asks us to refer to the following quote from the translation of the Jaiva Dharma he is using in order to validate his claim:
Jaiva-dharma, Chapter 15
"As Sri Krsna, in Vraja, He brings into existence everything that is
fully and wholly spiritual. In Vraja, expanded as Sri Balarama, He
generates the nitya-siddha-parsada, the eternally liberated associates
and servitors, who execute the eight types of devotional service to
Him as Sri Krsna in Vraja. In Vaikuntha, Sri Balarama expands as
Saìkarsana, Ananta Sesa, to generate the nitya-siddha-parsada of Sri
Narayana who accomplish the eight kinds of service to Him as Sri
Narayana in Vaikuntha. Sri Saìkarsana then further expands as Maha
Visnu to preside over the maya-sakti. Maha Visnu generates the
tatastha-sakti-jivas, borderline potency souls, who are susceptible to
the influence of maya, and further expands accepting the form of
Paramatma as the heart of the tatastha-sakti-jivas."
In the 2 other translations of the Jaiva Dharma we get a completely different understanding. This is the Gaudiya Math version of the above:
"In Vraja He appears in His original form, as Krishna, a
form manifested by His complete potency. Appearing as Baladeva, He
manifests His sesa-tattva (nature of Lord Sesa). In this way He
manifests the eight kinds of services the eternally liberated
associates offer to Him. Again in Vaikuntha He appears as
Sesa-Sankarsana and manifests the eight kinds of service His eternal
associates offer to Lord Narayana. Lord Sankarsana incarnates as
Maha-Visnu. He becomes the resting-place of the jiva-shakti and
appears as the Supersoul in the hearts of all the individual souls
residing in the material world. All these individual souls are
attracted to maya. As long as they do not attain the mercy of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead and take shelter of the Lord's
spiritual hladini-shakti, they are defeated by Maya. Numberless souls
are defeated by Maya and cast into Her prison. They are the followers
of Maya's three modes. The conclusion is this: the individual souls
are manifested by the jiva-shakti. They are not manifested by the
cit-shakti."
And here is HH Narayana Maharaja's translation:
"In His Krsna form in Vraja, He manifests all the
spiritual affairs to the superlative degree. In His Baladeva svarupa
as sesa-tattva, He manifests nitya-mukta-parsada-jivas, eternally
liberated associates, who render eight types of service to Krsna
sesitattva-svarupa, the origin of sesa-tattva. Again, as sesa-rupa
Sankarsana in Paravyoma, He manifests eight types of servants to
render eight kinds of services as eternally liberated associates of
sesi-rupa Narayana. Maha-Visnu, who is an avatara of Sankarsana,
situates Himself in the jiva-sakti, and in His Paramatma svarupa, He
manifests the jivas who have the potential to be involved in the
material world. These jivas are susceptible to the influence of maya,
and unless they attain the shelter of the hladini-sakti of the
cit-sakti by Bhagavan's mercy, the possibility of their being defeated
by maya remains. The countless conditioned jivas who have been
conquered by maya are subordinate to the three modes of material
nature. Bearing all this in mind, the siddhanta is that it is only the
jiva-sakti, and not the cit-sakti, that manifests the jivas."
Of the above 3, the first one of unknown origin presents obvious apasiddhanta, as will be shown. The other 2 have some difference between them, but neither makes the implication that the jivas in the spiritual world are not tatastha-sakti, and that tatastha-sakti refers solely to conditioned souls.
Let's examine Balavidya's version. The part I put in bold above reads:
"Maha Visnu generates the tatastha-sakti-jivas, borderline
potency souls, who are susceptible to the influence of maya, and
further expands accepting the form of Paramatma as the heart of the
tatastha-sakti-jivas."
This idea being put forth is that there is something called "tatastha-sakti-jivas" who are a different type of jiva from other types of jivas. The problem with this siddhanta is that is is explicitly rejected within the Gaudiya tradition.
Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 20.108-109:
jivera 'svarupa' haya -- krsnera 'nitya-dasa'
krsnera 'tatastha-sakti' 'bhedabheda-prakasa'
suryamsa-kirana, yaiche agni-jvala-caya
svabhavika krsnera tina-prakara 'sakti' haya
SYNONYMS
jivera -- of the living entity; svarupa -- the constitutional
position; haya -- is; krsnera -- of Lord Krsna; nitya-dasa -- eternal
servant; krsnera -- of Lord Krsna; tatastha -- marginal; sakti --
potency; bheda-abheda -- one and different; prakasa -- manifestation;
surya-amsa -- part and parcel of the sun; kirana -- a ray of sunshine;
yaiche -- as; agni-jvala-caya -- molecular particle of fire;
svabhavika -- naturally; krsnera -- of Lord Krsna; tina-prakara --
three varieties; sakti -- energies; haya -- there are.
TRANSLATION
"It is the living entity's constitutional position to be an eternal
servant of Krsna because he is the marginal energy of Krsna and a
manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord,
like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. Krsna has three
varieties of energy.
PURPORT
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains these verses as follows: Sri
Sanatana Gosvami asked Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "Who am I?" In answer, the Lord replied, "You are a pure living entity. You are neither the
gross material body nor the subtle body composed of mind and
intelligence. Actually you are a spirit soul, eternally part and
parcel of the Supreme Soul, Krsna. Therefore you are His eternal
servant. You belong to Krsna's marginal potency. There are two worlds
-- the spiritual world and the material world -- and you are situated
between the material and spiritual potencies. You have a relationship
with both the material and the spiritual world; therefore you are
called the marginal potency. You are related with Krsna as one and
simultaneously different. Because you are spirit soul, you are one in
quality with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but because you are a
very minute particle of spirit soul, you are different from the
Supreme Soul. Therefore your position is simultaneously one with and
different from the Supreme Soul. The examples given are those of the
sun itself and the small particles of sunshine and of a blazing fire
and the small particles of fire." Another explanation of these verses
can be found in Adi-lila, Chapter Two, verse 96."
Here we are being told in no uncertain terms that the "constitutional position", the "svarupa" of the jiva, is tatastha-sakti. What is meant by "constitutional"? Since it is describing the jiva, it is being used as an adjective, which has the following meaning:
Forming an essential element, as arising from the basic structure of an individual, inherent, constituting or forming part of the essence of something.
The word "constitutional" is used as a translation of "svarupa" within the context of the verse. Usually svarupa is translated as "form' or "true self" or "identity" etc. The basic idea of the verse is in telling us that the jiva's true self or identity, or that which is inherent and essential to the jiva, is that the jiva is a servant of the Lord because the jiva is the tatastha-sakti of the Lord.
Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Adi 2.96:
krsnera svarupa, ara sakti-traya-jnana
yanra haya, tanra nahi krsnete ajnana
SYNONYMS
krsnera -- of Lord Krsna; sva-rupa -- the real nature; ara -- and;
sakti-traya -- of the three energies; jnana -- knowledge; yanra --
whose; haya -- there is; tanra -- of him; nahi -- there is not;
krsnete -- in Lord Krsna; ajnana -- ignorance.
TRANSLATION
"One who knows the real feature of Sri Krsna and His three different
energies cannot remain ignorant about Him.
PURPORT
Srila Jiva Gosvami states in his Bhagavat-sandarbha (16) that by His
potencies, which act in natural sequences beyond the scope of the
speculative human mind, the Supreme Transcendence, the summum bonum, eternally and simultaneously exists in four transcendental features:
His personality, His impersonal effulgence, particles of His potency
(the living beings), and the principal cause of all causes. The
Supreme Whole is compared to the sun, which also exists in four
features, namely the personality of the sun-god, the glare of his
glowing sphere, the sun rays inside the sun planet, and the sun's
reflections in many other objects. The ambition to corroborate the
existence of the transcendental Absolute Truth by limited conjectural
endeavors cannot be fulfilled, because He is beyond the scope of our
limited speculative minds. In an honest search for truth, we must
admit that His powers are inconceivable to our tiny brains. The
exploration of space has demanded the work of the greatest scientists
of the world, yet there are countless problems regarding even
fundamental knowledge of the material creation that bewilder
scientists who confront them. Such material knowledge is far removed
from the spiritual nature, and therefore the acts and arrangements of
the Absolute Truth are, beyond all doubts, inconceivable.
The primary potencies of the Absolute Truth are mentioned to be three:
internal, external and marginal. By the acts of His internal potency,
the Personality of Godhead in His original form exhibits the spiritual
cosmic manifestations known as the Vaikunthalokas, which exist
eternally, even after the destruction of the material cosmic
manifestation. By His marginal potency the Lord expands Himself as
living beings who are part of Him, just as the sun distributes its
rays in all directions. By His external potency the Lord manifests the
material creation, just as the sun with its rays creates fog. The
material creation is but a perverse reflection of the eternal
Vaikuntha nature.
These three energies of the Absolute Truth are also described in the
Visnu Purana, where it is said that the living being is equal in
quality to the internal potency, whereas the external potency is
indirectly controlled by the chief cause of all causes. Maya, the
illusory energy, misleads a living being as fog misleads a pedestrian
by blocking off the light of the sun. Although the potency of maya is
inferior in quality to the marginal potency, which consists of the
living beings, who are part and parcel of the Lord, it nevertheless
has the power to control the living beings, just as fog can block the
actions of a certain portion of the sun's rays although it cannot
cover the sun. The living beings covered by the illusory energy evolve
in different species of life, with bodies ranging from that of an
insignificant ant to that of Brahma, the constructor of the cosmos.
The pradhana, the chief cause of all causes in the impersonal vision,
is none other than the Supreme Lord, whom one can see face to face in
the internal potency. He takes the material all-pervasive form by His
inconceivable power. Although all three potencies -- namely internal,
external and marginal -- are essentially one in the ultimate issue,
they are different in action, like electric energy, which can produce
both cold and heat under different conditions. The external and
marginal potencies are so called under various conditions, but in the
original, internal potencies there are no such conditions, nor is it
possible for the conditions of the external potency to exist in the
marginal, or vice versa. One who is able to understand the intricacies
of all these energies of the Supreme Lord can no longer remain an
empiric impersonalist under the influence of a poor fund of knowledge."
Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Adi 2.101-104:
cic-chakti, svarupa-sakti, antaranga nama
tahara vaibhava ananta vaikunthadi dhama
SYNONYMS
cit-sakti -- spiritual energy; svarupa-sakti -- personal energy;
antah-anga -- internal; nama -- named; tahara -- of that; vaibhava --
manifestations; ananta -- unlimited; vaikuntha-adi -- Vaikuntha, etc.;
dhama -- abodes.
TRANSLATION
"The cit-sakti, which is also called svarupa-sakti or antaranga-sakti,
displays many varied manifestations. It sustains the kingdom of God
and its paraphernalia
maya-sakti, bahiranga, jagat-karana
tahara vaibhava ananta brahmandera gana
SYNONYMS
maya-sakti -- the illusory energy; bahih-anga -- external;
jagat-karana -- the cause of the universe; tahara -- of that; vaibhava
-- manifestations; ananta -- unlimited; brahma-andera -- of universes;
gana -- multitudes.
TRANSLATION
The external energy, called maya-sakti, is the cause of innumerable
universes with varied material potencies.
jiva-sakti tatasthakhya, nahi yara anta
mukhya tina sakti, tara vibheda ananta
SYNONYMS
jiva-sakti -- the energy of the living entity; tata-stha-akhya --
known as marginal; nahi -- there is not; yara -- of which; anta --
end; mukhya -- principal; tina -- three; sakti -- energies; tara -- of
them; vibheda -- varieties; ananta -- unlimited.
TRANSLATION
The marginal potency, which is between these two, consists of the
numberless living beings. These are the three principal energies,
which have unlimited categories and subdivisions.
e-mata svarupa-gana, ara tina sakti
sabhara asraya krsna, krsne sabhara sthiti
SYNONYMS
e-mata -- in this way; svarupa-gana -- personal forms; ara -- and;
tina -- three; sakti -- energies; sabhara -- of the whole assembly;
asraya -- the shelter; krsna -- Lord Krsna; krsne -- in Lord Krsna;
sabhara -- of the whole assembly; sthiti -- the existence.
TRANSLATION
These are the principal manifestations and expansions of the
Personality of Godhead and His three energies. They are all emanations
from Sri Krsna, the Transcendence. They have their existence in
Him."
The idea that tatastha-sakti only refers to a jiva in the material world is a concoction. All jivas are the tatastha-sakti of the Lord.
From Mahaprabhura Siksa: The Teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by
Bhaktivinoda Thakura:
Sri Jiva says:
tad evam ananta eva jivakhyas tatasthah saktayah
tatra tasam varga-dvayam eko vargo' nadita
eva bhagavad-unmukhah anyas tv anadita eva bhagavat-paranmukhah
svabhavatas tadiya-jnana-bhavat tadiya-jnanabhavat ca tatra prathamo'
ntaranga- sakti vilasanu
grhito nitya-bhagavat-parikara rupo garudadikah asya
ca tatasthatvam jivatva-prasiddher isvaratva-kotav
apravesat aparam tu tat paranmukhatva-
dosena labdha-chidraya mayaya paribhutah samsari
"The number of jivas is unlimited. They are divided into two classes.
One class is favorable to the Lord without beginning. The other class
is averse to the Lord without beginning. The first class is favorable
to the Lord because of knowledge of relationship with the Lord. The
second class is averse to the Lord because of lack of that knowledge.
The favorable jivas are all recipients of the Lords splendid internal
energy. They are the eternal associates of the Lord, such as Garuda.
They are not in the category of the Lord, as in shown by the
scriptures. They are still tatastha or jiva. The second class
of jivas is devoid of the help of the internal energy as they are
averse to the Lord. Because of this lack, they are overwhelmed by maya
and take repeated birth in the material world."
Here is what he is referring to in the writings of Sri Jiva Goswami from Paramatma Sandarbha:
evam ekasya purusasya nanatvam upapadya tasya punar amsa vivriyante.
atra dvi-vidha amsah svamsa vibhinnamsac ca. vibhinnamsas
tatastha-cakty-atmaka jiva iti vaksyate. svamsas tu guna-lila
dy-avatara-bhedena vividhah. tatra lila dy-avatarah prasagga-saggatya
sri-krsna-sandarbhe vaksyante.
evam thus; ekasya - of one; purusasya - purusa-avatar; nanatvam -
variety; upapadya - is explained; tasya - of Him; punar - again; amsa
- parts; vivriyante are explained; atra - here; dvi-vidha - two kinds;
amsah - parts; svamsa - own parts; vibhinnamsac - separated parts; ca.
- also; vibhinnamsas separated parts; tatastha-cakty- atmaka -
marginal potency; jiva - individual souls; iti - thus; vaksyate. -
will be explained; svamsas own parts; tu - but; guna- lila
dy-avatara-bhedena - with differences oif guna and lila avataras;
vividhah. - various; tatra - there; lila dy- avatarah beginning with
lila avataras; prasagga-saggatya - by contact; sri-krsna-sandarbhe -
in Sri Krsna-sandarbha; vaksyante. - will be explained; gunavatara
guna avataras; yatha as.
"In this way it has been explained that although the purusa- avatara is
a single person, He nevertheless expands in many different forms. The
Supreme Personality of Godhead has two kinds of expansions: 1. svamsa
(personal expansions), and 2. vibhinnamsa (separated expansions). The
Lord's separated expansions are the individual spirit souls, who are
all the Lord's marginal potency (tatastha-sakti). The Lord's personal
expansions are His many incarnations, such as His guna-avatars and
lila-avataras. The Lord's lila-avataras and other incarnations will be
described later in the Sri Krsna-sandarbha.
tad evam ananta eva jivakhyas tatasthah caktayah. tatra tasam
varga-dvayam. eko vargo 'nadita eva bhagavad-unmukhah. anyas tv
anadita eva bhagavat-paragmukhah. svabhavatas tadiya- jnana-bhavat
tadiya-jnanabhavac ca.
tat - that; evam - thus; ananta - limitless; eva - inded; jivakhyah
- called individual souls; tatasthah - marginal; caktayah. -
potencies; tatra - there; tasam - of them; varga-dvayam. - two groups;
ekah - one; vargah - group; anadita - from time immemorial; eva -
indeed; bhagavad-unmukhah. - favorable to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; anyah - others; tv - but; anadita - from time imemmorial; eva
- indeed; bhagavat-paragmukhah. - averse to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; svabhavatah - by nature; tadiya - of Him; jana - knowledge;
bhavat - because of the nature; tadiya - of Him; jnana - the
knowledge; abhavat - because of the absence; ca - also.
Thus the Lord's marginal [tatasthah] potencies, who are called the
individual spirit souls are limitless in number. Still, they may be
divided into two groups: 1. the souls who, from time immemorial, are
favorable to the Supreme Lord, and 2. the rebellious souls who, from
time immemorial, are averse to the Supreme Lord. This is because one
group is aware of the Lord's glories and the other group is not aware
of them.
tatra prathamo 'ntaragga-sakti-vilasanugrhito nitya-
bhagavat-parikara-rupo garudadikah. yathoktam padmottara-khande
tri-pad-vibhuter lokas tu ity adau bhagavat-sandarbhodahrte. asya ca
tatasthatvam jivatva-prasiddher isvaratva-kotav apravecat.
tatra - there; prathamah - first; antaragga-sakti - internal potency;
vilasa - pastimes; anugrhitah - attained the mercy; nitya - eternal;
bhagavat - of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; parikara-rupah - the
form of associates; garudadikah. - beginning with Garuda; yatha - as;
uktam - said; padmottara-khande - in thje Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda;
tri-pad-vibhuteh - of three fourths of the Lord's potencies; lokah -
the world; tu - indeed; iti - thus; adau - beginning;
bhagavat-sandarbhodahrte - dessribed in the Bhagavat-sandarbha; asya -
of this; ca - also; tatasthatvam - the state of ebing the marginal
potency; jivatva-prasiddheh - of the proof of being the individual
spirit souls; isvaratva - of the status of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; kotau - on the edge; apravecat - because of not entering.
The first group consists of Garuda and the other eternal associates of
the Lord, These devotees take shelter of the Lord's internal potency
and enjoy pastimes with Him. They reside in the spiritual world, which
will be described in the Bhagavat- sandarbha (anuccheda 78) where the
following words of Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda are quoted:
"Countless blissful spiritual planets are in the spiritual sky, which
is three fourths of the entire creation."
Thus, although the nature of the individual souls is on the borderline
of the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the individual
souls do not enter that nature. Thus they remain different from the
Lord.
tad evam paramatmanas tatasthakhya saktir vivrta. antaraggakhya tu
purvavad eva jYeya. atha bahiraggakhya vivriyate
tat - that; evam - thus; paramatmanah - of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; tatasthakhya - called the marginal potency; saktih -
potency; vivrta. - revealed; antaraggakhya - called the internal
potency; tu - indeed; purvavat - as before; eva - indeed; jYeya -
should be known; atha - now; bahiraggakhya - called the external
potency; vivriyate - is revealed.
In this way we have described the Lord's marginal potency. we have
already described the Lord's internal potency."
This is from the 14th chapter of the Jaiva Dharma version from the Gaudiya Math:
"Lord Krishna is the master of potencies in His perfect,
original form. Srimati Radhika is the potency in its perfect, original
form. Srimati Radhika is the original manifestation of the Lord's
internal, spiritual potency. As musk is not different from its
fragrance, and as fire is not different from its power to burn, so
Radha and Krishna, who enjoy the nectar of transcendental pastimes
together, are eternally different and not different from each other.
From the internal potency, Sri Radha, are manifested the three
potencies 'cit-shakti' (spirit), 'jiva-shakti' (the individual souls),
and 'maya-shakti' (matter). These three are seen to be three different
kinds of kriya-shakti (potency of action). The cit-shakti is also
called 'antaranga-shakti', and the jiva shakti is also called
'tatastha-shakti'."
And this is the same from HH Narayana Maharaja:
"As Sri Krsna is the complete saktiman-tattva, Srimati
Radhika is His complete sakti. She can be called the complete
svarupa-sakti. So that They can enact and relish Their lila, Srimati
Radhika and Krsna are eternally separate, but They are also eternally
inseparable, just as musk and its scent are mutually inseparable, and
fire and its heat cannot be separate from each other. That
svarupa-sakti, Srimati Radhika, has three kinds of potency of activity
(kriya-sakti). They are known as: cit-sakti, jiva-sakti and
maya-sakti. The cit-sakti is also called the internal potency
(antaranga-sakti); maya-sakti is called the external potency
(bahiranga-sakti); and the jiva-sakti is called the marginal potency
(tatastha-sakti)."
So Balavidya Dasa presents a convoluted concoction as the basis for his thesis that there are no contradictions in what Srila Prabhupada wrote and said. He then tells us:
"When the above paradigm of the creation is understood,
then we can see that all Srila Prabhupada's statements concerning the
"fall of the jiva" must be related to those jivas either within (2)
the Casual Ocean, or (3) within Brahma-dhama, according to their
particular context. If these "fall statements" are applied to the
jivas within (4) the Paravyoma, the Abode of the Lord, then we will
misunderstand and as a result perceive apparent contradictions within
the teachings of the Vedas and Srila Prabhupada."
How does this from a letter to Jagadisa fit into the above scenario:
"Regarding your several questions: Where are the spirit
souls coming from that are taking microbe bodies? It is not a matter
of any particular body. These spirit souls and all spirit souls are
coming from Vaikuntha, but in these material worlds they are taking
various grades of bodies according to their material activities. There
is no 'new' soul. 'New' and 'old' are due to this material body, but
the soul is never born and never dies, so if there is no birth how
there can be new soul?"
Or this from a Bhagavad-Gita class:
Or this letter:
"We are all originally situated on the platform of Krsna
consciousness in our eternal personal relationship of love of Krsna.
But due to forgetfulness we become familiar with the material world or
Maya. As soon as one chants the Hare Krsna Mantra with sincerity and
without offense (you know there are ten kinds of offenses to the Holy
Name which we are to avoid very, very carefully) his original Krsna
consciousness is immediately revived. Krsna consciousness means to be
always remembering Krsna in some way or other, just like we are
immediately thinking of Krsna when we chant His Name, Krsna, and we
are always thinking how we can do something nice to please Krsna with
some service or other, or we are reading literature about Krsna or
speaking about Krsna. In this way we are always remembering Krsna and
that is our natural conscious state. So naturally everything about
Krsna is originally known to us all and as soon as we begin to
associate with the devotees of the Lord and chant His Holy Name, this
memory gradually becomes stronger as we remember our constitutional
position of always serving Krsna in different ways."
Or this from Bhagavad-Gita class:
"After all, the living entity falls down from the spiritual world. Just like Jaya Vijaya. There is possibility, if you do not stick to the spiritual principle, even if you are in Vaikuntha, you
will fall down, what to speak of this material world? Because in the
Vaikuntha or in the spiritual world, no contaminated soul can stay
there. He will fall down."
I don't think that devotees who see a contradiction in what Srila Prabhupada wrote or said, or who believe that Srila Prabhupada taught
that the jivas in the material world have fallen from lila pastimes,
should be seen as rascals and fools. This topic of the origin of the
jiva is not so easily understood. If you strongly believe that the
jivas were all originally in lila pastimes, then everything Srila
Prabhupada wrote on this topic, even if it is deeply metaphorical
(which oftentimes it is) you will see there what you want to see. And
the places where Srila Prabhupada was more straightforward and literal
when claiming the jiva came from Vaikuntha, if you strongly disagree
with that, then you will see what you want to see. From my perspective
this whole controversy is Krsna's arrangement in order that devotees
will study very deeply the philosophy so that they can become better
educated and more deeply in tune with the teachings brought by Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Whether or not we came from lila doesn't change
anything about our present circumstances, but studying the controversy
can. So there should be no animosity between Vaisnavas over this
topic, it is really just a philosophical exercise, and shouldn't be
taken or used as some political tool in some foolish ego driven
agenda.
