The Fall, No-Fall of the Jiva: Envy or
Rebellion
BY: BALAVIDYA DASA
Feb 4, USA (SUN) — Some Points for Contemplation.
Continuing our discussion on the "Fall, No-Fall"
of the jiva, today's topic for the pleasure and contemplation of the devotees
concerns the initial misuse of free will of the jiva that results in his entry
to the material world. We hope the devotees will get enlightenment by
contemplating the following. The more enlightened we are the better we will be
able to serve the Beloved Lord. Ultimately it is the wonderful nature of that
Beloved Lord of the Heart that is drawing all devotees to His Lotus Feet. Once
one gets just the slightest taste for that Transcendental Shelter is there
anything in the three materials that can occupy our consciousness for more than
a moment? The magnet needle may be bumped around, yet it always swings about
and finds the North.
Similarly, we are in this material world, but somehow or
other we have all found the nectar of those Lotus Feet. Though the external
body and the material phenomena may distract us, we should regularly magnetize
our minds with nectar of topics that expound the glories and wonders of our
Beloved Lord. As Lord Rsabhadeva explains in the Bhagavat: "If one is serious
about getting out of the material entanglement, then one should regard the
mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead the summon bonum of life."
Discussion of topics of the Beloved Lord quickly evokes His mercy, and He
quickly gathers us up into the Perfection of the Transcendental World.
That Transcendental World is a place of Eternal
Perfection. There is only increasing love of the Lord and His wondrous
devotees. Astonishment at the entrancing nature of the Lord so overwhelms the
residents of that place that the only activity in such eternal moments is to
float and dance in an indescribable ecstasy. Words can only hint at such
rapture; they become subdued and offer their obeisances from afar, hoping to be
employed in description of the Lord's wonders eternally, yet knowing that they
will ever remain inadequate to the task. Their solace is that perhaps they can
illuminate directions to the Beloved Lord as a service to all sincere souls. Is
there any other employment for words in this world?
In our previous postings, we have established,
with all evidence from guru, sadhu and sastra, that the tatastha-jiva has
fallen from the marginal position of the Casual Ocean
into the material world "at his own will", (see Appendix One below). This opens
a interesting topic: Why? Put simply, why does the jiva do this? In fact, to
put it more directly, why have we done
this? (My apologies to any nitya-siddhas who may be reading this; we know you
are here only for the lila of the Lord.) However, we, the materially engrossed
souls, have all fallen. So why?
Srila Prabhupada explains the choice perceived by the jiva:
"We say that they
have been conditioned from time immemorial because no one can trace out when
the living entity, the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, became rebellious against the supremacy of the Lord." Srila Prabhupada, Sb. 3.26.5.
Above, Srila Prabhupada defines the essential choice before the jiva
in the Casual Ocean. It is to accept or reject the
supremacy of the Lord, i.e. surrender or rebellion to the supremacy of the
Lord.
In the following quote, Srila Prabhupada explains that the
acceptance or rejection of supremacy of the Lord is the essential defining
factor of the material and spiritual worlds, which thus continues after the
initial choice of the jiva:
"So that is the
difference, material world and spiritual world. Material world means full of
criminals, or against God, or defying the authority of God. And the spiritual
world? Everyone is accepting the supremacy of God. That is material world and
spiritual world." Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Melbourne, April 24th 1976.
Srila Prabhupada further on the same point of rebellion:
"Because real thing is that you have, or we have, rebelled against the supremacy of the
Supreme Lord. That is the attitude, everywhere we can see actually. Everyone
is: "Oh, what is God? What is God?" especially in this age. So this
impersonalism is another type of atheism, and this impersonal theory of the
Absolute Truth has converted practically the major portion of the world into
atheism." Srila Prabhupada Lecture,
New York, January 11th
1967.
Srila Prabhupada further:
"We have rebelled against the supremacy of the Personality of
Godhead. That is conditioned life. There are so many theses to support this
rebellious condition. Somebody is thinking that "I am one with God";
somebody is thinking, "God is dead"; somebody is thinking,
"There is no God"; somebody is thinking, "Why you are searching
God? There are so many Gods loitering in the street." So in this way many
theses are there. All of them are different symptoms of rebellious condition." Los Angeles, December 1st
1968.
Thus the great acarya, Srila
Prabhupada, has elucidated the axiomatic principle upon which the jiva defines
his relationship with the Lord: acceptance or rejection of the supremacy
of the Lord. After generation from Maha-Visnu within the Casual Ocean,
the jiva awakens to his individual consciousness. Consciousness is essentially
active in nature, and thus awakening means the stirring of activity within the
consciousness of the jiva. The now stirring consciousness impels the jiva in
the operation of his independent choice, which is the intrinsic nature bestowed
by the Lord upon the jiva. Concomitantly, the awakening consciousness of the
jiva begins to perceive the supremacy of the Lord. This supremacy of the Lord is
the quality that pervades the jivas's initial perception of the Supreme Lord.
In this way, the awakening jiva perceives His Superior, the Infinite Lord. If
he surrenders, his path to the spiritual world is open. If he rebels, his path
to the material world is open.
Many times it is stated that the
jiva is "envious of the Lord" and thus he falls down. "Envious" has two prominent
meanings: jealousy of opulence and malicious hatred. Those that incorrectly
propound that the jiva became "envious of Krsna in Goloka" generally use the
word "envious" in this context of these meanings. To hate someone or envy his
opulence one must know that person. Certainly within Goloka, the jivas know Sri
Krsna deeply and therefore love Him. However, in Goloka this eternal love never
turns to hatred of the Perfect Person, though constitutionally as an
independent individual the jiva theoretically retains the potency to reject the
Lord and fall to the material world, even from Goloka. This point has been
stated by Srila Prabhupada. Yet the relationship of eternal pure love is so
entrancing, wonderful and all-encompassing that the Lord and the jiva would
never let each other separate. The jiva is situated in "knowledge" and
"happiness". We can be certain on this point because the highest authority, the
Vedas, say so. As Srila Prabhupada, summarizes Sb.
3.3.26, purport:
"The nitya-siddha
devotees never fall down to the region of the material atmosphere even though
they sometimes come into the material plane to execute the mission of the
Lord."
Also: Purport, Sb 3.15.48:
"From the Vedic
scriptures it is understood that sometimes even Brahma and Indra fall down, but
a devotee in the transcendental abode of the Lord never falls."
Furthermore, purport, Sb 5.11.12:
"The eternally liberated living beings are in
Vaikuntha jagat and they never fall into the material world."
However, balanced within the Casual Ocean,
the jiva's perception, knowledge and devotional relationship with the Lord in
His form as Sri Maha-Visnu is nascent and thus minimal. The jiva's perception
upon awakening is that the creation relative to himself is inconceivably
massive, and this evokes cognizance of the Lord's Supremacy. Not only is the
creation massive but also the Lord Himself in His form as Maha-Visnu is of a size
beyond the comprehension of the jiva. Relative to the Lord, the jiva cannot but
see himself as subordinate and dependent. If he "at his own will" accepts this
role in surrender, then his devotion leaves the starting post and grows into
fully-fledged krsna-prema under the shelter of the cit-shakti (bestowing
knowledge) and the hladini-shakti (bestowing bliss). This is known as
surrender.
However, if the jiva, "at his own
will", rejects his subordinate and dependent role, then he enters the material
world to be shackled by Maya-devi with acit, (ignorance) and nirananda (no
bliss). It must be emphasized that the decision to surrender or rebel against
the Lord supremacy belongs to the jiva. As the Upanishad states, he resides in
the spiritual or material world, "at his own will". In this way, the jiva is
the architect of his own destiny.
Hence, on the basis of the Lord's
constitutionally superiority, the errant jiva rejects the Lord. This is known
as the rebellion of the jiva. However, is this rebellion against the Lord's
supremacy equivalent to 'envy' in the sense of malicious hatred? That would be
an overstatement. Certainly, the jiva is jealous of the Lord's supremacy and
wishes to be an independent enjoyer like the Lord. A child may go through a
period of mistaken rebellion against the authority and supremacy of his father,
however it would an overstatement to say that the child's rebellion means the
child maliciously hates his father, in the full sense of the phrase. The child wants an
independent life however he still retains a deep and ultimately affectionate
relationship with his father. When the rebellion is over, then the naturally
loving relationship between father and son becomes automatically and quickly
re-established. This, admittedly, is a material example, however it is used
here to illustrate that the "rebellion" of the jiva should not be confused with
a deep "malicious hatred" of the Lord. Rebellion
and envy are not synonyms. (See
Appendix Two)
Why is this point relevant?
Because the "goloka-envy-fall-vadis" that ignorantly postulate that the jiva
has fallen from Goloka, generally accompany this mistaken idea with the
assertion that the fallen jiva is thus "envious", meaning "maliciously hateful"
of Lord. They then extend this by saying that "everyone in the material world hates Krsna", and that "everyone in the
material world is envious". This is a
mistaken, overstated and jaundiced view that cannot help in the propagation of
Krsna-consciousness. It is pregnant with trouble.
We see the result within ISKCON. Sometimes
the "evil karmis" are simply seen as "hateful demons", only fit to be
condemned. The "karmis", "envious of the
Lord", are only fit to have their money taken from them by the "change-up", by
hook or by crook. Usually by "crook", once the money is in the hand, there is
no allegiance to the "envious demons" who gave it. It can be spent in any way;
one need not be truthful with "envious demons".
With such a jaundiced view of the
fallen souls, how will one develop the compassion
that is the hallmark of Sri Caitanya's devotees? How will guide the fallen
souls from illusion to light, if one has not properly understood the actual history
of their position and consciousness? This cynical view will tend to lead one to
arrogance and hard-heartedness. Ultimately, the ignorant neophyte will be
degraded by such a mistaken world-view. In this vanity, the neophyte certainly
will not develop the other powerful hallmarks of a true devotee: humility,
kindness and forgiveness.
The effect of this "goloka-envy"
false philosophy has also polluted the devotional society within ISKCON, not
just our relationship with the dreaded "karmis". We have seen, especially since
November 1977, that within ISKCON the label of "envious" is stuck on all sorts
of devotees, very often. If one criticises the false appointment of gurus, then
one is "envious". If one suggests another path, then one is "envious". If one
points out philosophical mistakes in the management and bureaucracy, then one
is "envious". If one does not obey, one is "envious". So on, and so on.
Sometimes one feels that "envy and envious" are the most used words in
ISKCON…..
This overstated propagation of
malicious hatred and envy creates the grounds for a certain rationale, we have
seen. In the spiritual world, as the "Goloka-envy-fall-vadis" say, we became
"envious". The result was we were thrown down from that place. Now all those
envious souls are here in ISKCON and they are naturally "envious" of the
management, particularly the 'gurus' and GBC. Instead of surrendering, they are
"envious" of the new gurus. They want to be gurus themselves but are not
qualified themselves because they are "envious". Why don't they surrender to
the 'new gurus'. Why not? Because they are "envious". Sometimes it seems that
in certain parts of ISKCON, anyone who just opens his mouth is labelled
"envious". And then comes the literal knock-out punch: "That so-called devotee
was thrown out of the spiritual world, for being 'envious', as he won't give up
his 'envy' and surrender to the 'new-gurus' and GBC, then he should be
similarly thrown out of ISKCON for maintaining his "envy of Krsna." "He's a
demon."
Are the above elucidations an
exaggeration? Not at all, in many cases they are an understatement. Devotees
have been murdered by the 'new gurus'. And the justification: "They were
envious. They were demons." Actually, the purveyors of this philosophy cannot
be regarded as anything put misinformed neophytes, and that is being generous. History
has written down the terrible wrongs committed upon devotees, especially since
November 1977, and practically without exception, the justification has been
"He was envious. He was a demon." And therefore he was owed no respect, no
understanding, no hearing, no value, and ultimately no life…. Can ISKCON be a
house within which all can live if such a unbalanced philosophy is given
credence?
Perhaps now it can be understood
by our learned readers that the "goloka-envy-fall" philosophy is a significant
factor in the unthinking, routine way devotees (and 'karmis') are disrespected
and mistreated within ISKCON. This is no surprise because, as we have pointed
out in our earlier postings, this "envy-fall" philosophy is intrinsically
offensive to the Lord, His Devotees, their relationship, and the Supreme Abode.
No good will come to those who maintain and propagate this offence. They will
remain neophytes at best, lost in the illogical mental speculation with an
off-kilter view of all reality. The final result with be that they treat people
badly.
The Vedic fact is that the fallen
jiva was in devotionally nascent consciousness in the presence of Sri
Maha-Visnu, he fell from there in the Casual Ocean
(see Appendix One). The fallen jivas were "formerly with Krsna in His sport" as
Sri Maha-Visnu. In this sense, they have never been in the presence of the
Supreme Personality Godhead, Sri Krsna in His Supreme Abode. And if they have
not actually known Sri Krsna, how therefore can they be deeply "envious or maliciously
hateful" of Sri Krsna?
Srila Prabhupada explains this
point on a morning walk, Caracas,
February 21st 1975:
Prabhupada: And karmis, they are claiming
unnecessarily, "It is mine." The Creator is a different person, and yet he is
claiming, "mine". That is also false.
Hrdayananda: So they are both envious of
Krsna.
Prabhupada: They do not know Krsna. Foolish.
So the jivas in the material world
are more "awkwardly rebellious" towards the Supreme Lord, rather than "maliciously
hateful" of Sri Krsna. They are more like rebellious children, rather than
malicious haters of Sri Krsna. As Srila Prabhupada says, "They do not know
Krsna." This distinction is for contemplation.
However, one must clearly note
that it is a possibility that the jiva's rebellious attitude may gradually
deepen and harden within the material world. And this deepening of rebellion
may then find expression in a deep envy and hatred of the Lord. This is the
condition of the classic asura, or demon. Sisuphala and Hiranyakasipu are
exemplars of this condition. However, they knew the Lord personally and "at their
own will" had turned their "rebellion against supremacy" into envy, in the
sense of malicious hatred. Those on this path of envy will continually take
birth in lower demoniac species and in the lower planetary systems, as the Gita
declares.
The path to this malicious hatred and
lower birth is determined offence against the Lord and His devotees. We should
also note that such offence is exactly what the "goloka-envy-fall-vadis" are
propagating when they give their false, illogical, non-sastric, fairy-tale of
the fall of the jiva from the Lord's Place of the Perfection, the Supreme
Abode. They should be warned that their future is uncertain: Will they take
their next birth with Sri Krsna in Gokula, or with Kamsa in Mathura, or perhaps just remain in the material
world until they have developed some respect for the sastric conclusions.
In this way, the fall of jiva
should be understood as a result of "rebellion in the Causal Ocean
against the supremacy of the Lord", rather than "envy, or hatred of Sri Krsna
whilst engaged in His prema-lila in Goloka". The latter is an inherently
illogical, philosophically unfeasible, and sastrically unsupported mistake. The
Vedas support and describe the former.
This essay gives a warning to the offensive
"goloka-envy-fall-vadis". Obviously, by talking in this way, any perception of
the perfection of Goloka-Vrndavana is way beyond their capability. And, at the
same time, we hope that the pure devotees will find many interesting points to
contemplate in this short essay. Words have been employed; however they can
never fully enunciate the full subtlety of siddhanta that is only available by
the Lord's transcendental grace from within the heart of one's soul. Yet, words
can certainly give an encouraging hint of the Inconceivable Perfection of the
Glorious Lord, His devotees, their relationship, and that eternal abode of the
Highest Eternal Perfection, Sri Goloka Vrndavana.
As Srila Prabhupada concludes this
topic:
"The conclusion is that no one
falls from the spiritual world, or Vaikuntha planet, for it is the eternal
abode." Srila Prabhupada, purport, Sb. 3.16.26.
Thus eternal perfection awaits the surrendered
soul. He will join the perfect residents of the Supreme Abode, who ever use their independent consciousness in the loving
service of the Lord and His devotees, and who never fall from that wondrous
Supreme Abode. Why? Because the Vedas say so.
We hope this is found helpful,
Your servant, Balavidya dasa
Appendix
One
The Vedas expound in the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad, 4.3.9:
tasya va etasya purunasya
dve eva sthane bhavata
idam ca paraloka-sthanam ca
sandhyam trtiyam
svapna-sthanam tasmin
sandhye sthane tisthan ete
ubhe sthane pasyati idam ca paraloka-sthanam ca
"The jiva has access to
two places, both of which he may seek, this material world and the spiritual
realm. He is situated in svapna-sthanam,
the dream-like third state, on the margin of these two worlds [the Casual Ocean].
From that middle position he is able to see both the material and the spiritual
worlds."
"Further, the following statement from the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad,
4.3.18, describes the nature of the marginal position of the jiva:
tad yaths mahs matsya ubhe
kule'
nusancarati purvam ca param
caivam
evsyam purusa etsv ubhav
antav
anusancarati svapnantam ca buddhantam ca
"The symptoms of the
marginal existence are like those of a huge aquatic who is capable of living on
both the eastern and western sides of the river at his own will. Similarly, the jiva soul, situated within the waters
of the Causal Ocean, which lies between the
material and spiritual worlds, is able to reside in both the dream world of
matter and the spiritual world of divine wakefulness."
Appendix
Two
Collins Dictionary
Envy:
(1) a feeling of
grudging or somewhat admiring discontent aroused by the possessions,
achievements, or qualities of another
(2) the desire to have
for oneself something possessed by another
(3) covetousness of an
object of envy
(4) to be envious of
(a person or thing), to eye maliciously.
Rebellion:
(1) organized resistance
or opposition to a government or other authority
(2) dissent from an
accepted moral code or convention of behaviour, dress, etc.
Aum Tat Sat
