Because the Jiva-tattva is Marginal
BY: GAURAGOPALA DASA
Mar 06, AUSTRALIA (SUN) — Because the jiva-tattva is marginal, there is always the chance of fall down from Goloka.
I'm not into name calling, just the genuine facts Srila Prabhupada has given us which is we have ALL fallen down from our ‘original position' in Goloka some millions of years ago.
Srila Prabhupada tells us that those who return back home back to Godhead in most cases, would never again foolishly return to this frustrating material creation, however there will always be choice and who knows what some will choose within eternity? Only Krishna. This is the point that Srila Prabhupada makes. "At anytime we can fall down from Vaikuntha" Srila Prabhupada has told us, saying it is our choice to stay or go.
Also it is important to understand that ones fall down from Goloka or Vaikuntha has nothing to do with Maya; it is all to do with choice, free-will and the sheer smallness of the marginal living entity or jiva-tattva.
There are other aspects of the jiva-tattva other than having just free-will and choice, also as pointed out recently during Q & A after one of the 2010 Mayapur Festival classes, that jiva tattva, marginal living entity or potency (jiva-tattva), is distinguished from the Vishnu-Tattvas not only by free will, but by smallness.
That is to say, it is the characteristic of the marginal living entities, potency or jiva-tattvas that we can exercise our free will in choosing to act in nescience, darkness, or maha-Maya. In this nescience we falsely think we are independent, but we are always actually dependent on Krishna in Goloka or Maha-Vishnu in the mahat-tattva. Krishna also has free will and so do all His Vishnu-tattva direct expansions, who can never be covered over by forgetfulness or Maya.
A jiva-tattva CANNOT have ALL the qualities of Vishnu-Tattva. If he does he IS Vishnu-Tattva, and that is not possible. The jiva-tattva can have some qualities but not all the quantity of the Lord, so this does not make him Vishnu-Tattva. The expansions of Krishna such as Narayana in Vaikuntha are called ‘Vishnu-Tattva' as opposed to the jiva-tattva or the miniscule marginal living entities like us.
The difference is that Lord Vishnu is worshiped in awe and reverence by the nitya-siddha jiva-tattvas however, while in the pastimes of Lord Krishna in Goloka-Vrndavana, He is with His jiva-tattva nitya-siddha devotees, in very intimate sweet relationships.
The jiva-tattva also can enter Maha-Vishnu's dreaming material creation as their nitya-baddha secondary self where Maha-Vishnu facilitates the material creation (mahat-tattva) and provides all the bodily vessels the baddha-jiva desires and deserves
Srila Prabhupada compared Lord Vishnu as God in an official mood, and Krishna as God at home with His parents, brothers and sisters, girl friends and friends.
Srila Prabhupada - "In the Padma Purana, wherein it is said that there are two kinds of spiritual entities; one is called the jiva, and the other is called the Supreme Lord".
(Bhaktivedanta purport of the Eighty-seventh Chapter of Krsna, "Prayers by the Personified Vedas.")
Srila Prabhupada teaches us - "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".
(Letter to Jagadisa das, 1970)
Secondly, it must be pointed out that no one sleeps laying down like some have foolishly suggested when we come down as nitya-baddha after choosing to leave Vaikuntha or Goloka, it is not like that! The ONLY deed that happens is that the living entity leaves the spiritual Vaikuntha atmosphere of ‘eternal time' ‘sub-consciously as nitya-baddha' and enters the past, present and future of the material dream creation or mahat-tattva.
This means when their ‘awareness' of their nitya-siddha Krishna conscious body is again reinstated and the ‘awareness' of being nitya-baddha in the material creation melts away. At that point it will be as if they never left Goloka because of the eternal imperishable presents of Krishna Consciousness in Goloka and Vaikuntha.
The silly childish idea the marginal living entity sleeps in Goloka no way represents how the marginal living entity comes to the material creation, as nitya-baddha is incorrect, dreaming yes, sleeping, no. The marginal living entity leaves Goloka as their dreaming sub-conscious state.
Srila Prabhupada - "Our separation from Krishna is like that. We dream this body and so many relationships with other things".
(Letter from Srila Prabhupada in 1972 to devotee in Australia)
Actually because of the ‘concept of eternal time' there are really no two states of consciousness, as some believe, it is all to do with where ones ‘awareness' is placed, This means there is no sub-conscious secondary self as long as one is experiencing the full potential of their marginal bodily identity which is nitya-siddha.
In this way, nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha can be compared to light (nitya-siddha) and darkness (nitya-baddha), just like there is only light, and the absents of light (darkness) What is really going on is to do with time that separates the ‘eternal presents' of Krishna Consciousness in Goloka from the divided time of ‘past, present and future of the mahat-tattva or material creation. This sentence is very important to understand.
What actually happens is the non-Krishna conscious desire, thoughts, DREAMS and imaginations of the marginal living entity happens on the sub-conscious level that are ‘out of sync' with the 'eternal present' of Krishna Consciousness that is eternally existent in Goloka.
Srila Prabhupada - "Actually, you are not conditioned (nitya-baddha). You are thinking. Just like in the dream you are thinking that tiger is eating you. You were never eaten by tiger. There is no tiger. So we have to get out of this dream (Nitya-baddha secondary sub-conscious state).
(Lecture on Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta, Adi-lila 7.108--San Francisco, February 18, 1967)
When one is Krishna conscious enough to awaken the memory of their svarupa or nitya-siddha bodily relationship with Krishna, the billion or so life times ‘dreaming' in the maha-tattva will be no more than a moment. In fact it will be as if they never left. The marginal living entity, as its secondary inferior baddha-jiva self, only appears as a secondary manifestation of the self due to the altered state of time created by them as soon as they reject serving Krishna in Goloka.
Srila Prabhupada – "So even in the Vaikuntha, if I desire that "Why shall I serve Krishna? Why not become Krishna? " I immediately fall down. That is natural. A servant is serving the master; sometimes he may think that "If I could become the master." They are thinking like that, they are trying to become God. That is delusion. You cannot become God. That is not possible. But he's wrongly thinking".
(July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C)
The following Conversation took place in Los Angeles, June 23, 1975 between Srila Prabhupada and Dr. John Mize that clearly explains we can fall down from Goloka/Vaikuntha at anytime.
Dr. John Mize – "Did all the souls that were in the spiritual sky fall out of the spiritual sky at once or at different times, or are there any souls that are always good, they're not foolish, they don't fall down?"
Srila Prabhupada – "No, there are… Majority, 90%, they are always good. They never fall down".
Dr. John Mize – "So we're among the 10%.
Srila Prabhupada – "Yes. Or less than that. In the material, whole material world all the living entities they are… Just like in the prison house, there are some population, but they are not majority. The majority of the population, they are outside the prison house. Similarly, majority of living being, part and parcel of God, they are in the spiritual world. Only a few fall down".
Dr. John Mize – "Does Krishna know ahead of time that a soul is going to be foolish and fall?"
Srila Prabhupada – "Krishna? Yes, Krishna may know because He is omniscient".
Dr. John Mize – "Are more souls falling all the time?"
Srila Prabhupada – "Not all the time. But there is the tendency of fall down, not for all, but because there is independence… Everyone does not like to misuse their independence. The same example:
Just like a government constructing a city and constructs also prison house because the government knows that somebody will be criminal. So their shelter must be also constructed.
It is very easy to understand. Not that cent percent population will be criminal, but government knows that some of them will be. Otherwise why they construct prison house also? One may say, "Where is the criminal? You are constructing…" Government knows, there will be criminal. So if the ordinary government can know, why God cannot know? Because there is tendency".
Dr. John Mize – "The origin of that tendency is…?"
Srila Prabhupada – "Yes".
Dr. John Mize – "From where does that tendency come?"
Srila Prabhupada – "Tendency means the independence. So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly, one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that you cannot become fall down, that is not independence. That is force. Therefore Krishna says, yathecchasi tatha kuru. "Now you do whatever you like."
Devotee – "Because Krishna is independent, therefore the part and parcels…"
Srila Prabhupada – "Yes. Part and parcel must have a little portion of independence. Qualitatively, part and parcel means… Just like you take a drop of water from the sea. The, all the chemical composition is there in the drop. So Krishna is fully independent. So we living entities we are drop. Still, the independence quality is there in minute quantity". (Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)
Srila Prabhupada - "There is a dormant attitude for forgetting Krsna and creating an atmosphere for enjoying independently. Just like at the edge of the beach, sometimes the water covers, sometimes there is dry sand, coming and going. Our position is like that, sometimes covered, sometimes free, just like at the edge of the tide. As soon as we forget, immediately the illusion is there. Just like as soon as we sleep, dream is there." (Letter to Madhudvisa in 1972)
Srila Prabhupada – "Because you are son of God—God has got independence, full independence, almighty—therefore you have acquired the quality of your father. You have got little independence. So God does not interfere with your little independence".
The following Conversation took place in Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974 between Srila Prabhupada and his disciples.
Devotee – "When we are in the spiritual sky and serving Krishna, we have a perfect relationship with Krishna, what causes us to fall down in the material world, because we're already serving Krishna?"
Srila Prabhupada – "Because you desire to fall down. Here it is explained that "Don't fall down." And as soon as you associate with the material nature, then you fall down".
Devotee – "Srila Prabhupada, I can't understand why we should have an impure desire when we are already serving…"
Srila Prabhupada – "Because you have got little freedom. Why one is not coming here and going to the liquor shop? It is his desire. Because he has associated with a different type of material quality…"
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?"
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".
Srila Prabhupada – "What can be done?" (Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974 between Srila Prabhupada and his disciples)
Srila Prabhupada – "The living entity, forgetting his position, is situated in the material energy. The living entity is called the marginal energy because by nature he is spiritual but by forgetfulness he is situated in the material energy. Thus he has the power to live both in the material energy or the spiritual energy, and for this reason he is called marginal energy. He is sometimes attracted by the external illusory energy when he stays in the marginal position, and this is the beginning of his material life"
Devotee – "Because Krishna is independent, therefore the part and parcels…"
Srila Prabhupada – "Yes. Part and parcel must have a little portion of independence. Qualitatively, part and parcel means… Just like you take a drop of water from the sea. The, all the chemical composition is there in the drop. So Krishna is fully independent. So we living entities we are drop. Still, the independence quality is there in minute quantity". (Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)
The other speculation that was made Srila Prabhupada rejected. He discarded the idea that the jiva-tattva originates from the dormant inactive part of the Brahmajyoti (known as the impersonal Brahmajyoti or Brahmasayujya). There are other schools of thought that claim this and therefore believe some jiva-tattvas have never been to Goloka however their understanding is grossly incorrect.
Srila Prabhupada - "Because he (The baddha-jiva) falls down from Brahma-sayujya (impersonal liberated condition), he thinks that may be his origin, but he does not remember that long, long, long, long, long ago before that even, he was with Krishna.
(Letter to Madhudvisa Swami in Australia 1972)
To the contrary, ALL jiva-tattvas not only perpetually originate (meaning there is no origin because they have always existed) from Goloka, they are ALL nitya-siddha 'svarupa' devotees of Krishna in their full potential in Goloka and perpetually remain so even if they foolishly choose to enter the material dream creation of Maha Vishnu and falling out if sync with the ‘eternal presents' of Krishna Consciousness..
Goloka is the natural environment of EVERY jiva-tattva, this mean every embodied soul is originally a devotee of Krishna, which is the full innovative potential of every marginal living entity presently trapped within this material creation.
Srila Prabhupada tells us that after again returning home to Goloka, one will never again fall down but then adds, the free will and choice is always there to fall if one chooses.
If Krishna forces us, then how can we give love or service of our own (totally selfless) choosing and receive it? Therefore one can come to the material creation if they choose however, most do not come here again in their nitya-baddha dream condition bur always remain nitya-siddha in Goloka and Vaikuntha.
Srila Prabhupada - "By following the rules and regulations and instructions of the spiritual master, he can AGAIN become nitya-siddha (eternally Krsna Conscious). So the Krsna consciousness movement is to make the nitya-baddhas (eternally material conditioned) AGAIN nitya-siddha (Eternally Krishna Conscious as ones perpetual ORIGINAL body in Goloka".
(Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 20.107 New York, July 13, 1976)
Srila Prabhupada - "So because we are living entities, we are not as powerful as Krsna, therefore we may fall down from Vaikuntha at any moment. Iccha-dvesa samutthena sarge yanti parantapa.
(Lecture Washington DC Temple 1976)
Srila Prabhupada – "Tendency means the independence. So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly, one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that you cannot become fall down, that is not independence. That is force. Therefore Krishna says, yathecchasi tatha kuru. "Now you do whatever you like."
(Bhagavad Gita as it is. lecture, Mayapur, June 20, 1973)
Srila Prabhupada - "After all, the living entity falls down from the spiritual world . . . There is possibility . . . even if you are in Vaikuntha, you will fall down, what to speak of this material world."
(Lecture on Bhagavad-gita on July 4, 1974)
ALL Marginal Living Entities 'Originally' come from Goloka-Vrndavana. From this discussion it is important to understand that ALL marginal living entities (jiva-tattva's) 'originally' come from Goloka-Vrndavana and are ALWAYS in a perpetual state of uniqueness due to the 'eternal presents' that is Krishna Consciousness. Technically there is no origin to the living entities.
Srila Prabhupada - "The living entity has the tendency to reject the sanctions of the Supreme Lord and act independently in an attempt to dominate the supreme nature, and because he has this tendency, he is called the marginal energy of the Supreme Lord."
(Bhagavad-gita 13.23 purport)
Srila Prabhupada - "We cannot say therefore that we are not with Krsna. As soon as we try to become Lord, immediately we are covered by Maya. Formerly we were with Krsna in his lila or sport. But this covering of Maya may be of very, very, very, very, very, very, very long duration; therefore many creations are coming and going. Due to this long period of time it is sometimes said that we are ever conditioned (nitya-baddha)."
(Letter to Madhudvisa Swami and Australian devotees, 1972)
Srila Prabhupada - "By following the rules and regulations and instructions of the spiritual master, he can AGAIN become nitya-siddha (eternally Krsna Conscious). So the Krsna consciousness movement is to make the nitya-baddhas (eternally material conditioned) AGAIN nitya-siddha (Eternally Krishna Conscious as ones perpetual ORIGINAL body in Goloka".
(Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 20.107 New York, July 13, 1976)
Jai Srila Prabhupada,
your fallen servant,
Gauragopala dasa
