The individual spiritual bodily form of the eternal jiva-soul, has no beginning point, nor will they ever cease to be.

This is because there is neither birth or death for the eternal individual jiva-souls as Bhagavad Gita As It Is explains.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "The individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same." (BG, Ch 2 text 24)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (BG, Ch 2 text 12)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - “As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change." (BG, Ch 2 text 13)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain." (BG, Ch 2 text 20 “corrected” 1983 edition)

The eternal original spiritual bodily form the individual jiva-soul (marginal living entity) is a two armed spiritual bodily form like Krsna's Form however, the individual jiva-souls can voluntarily change their form in unlimited ways over their eternal existence.

Srila Prabhupada - "The spirit soul is NOT formless; it has got form, the spirit soul always has form and is expressed as hands, legs, heads, everything. But with our material eyes at the present, our gross eyes, we cannot see these facts; therefore we foolishly believe the jiva-souls have no form." (Lecture BG, Ch 2 text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

From the infinite original form of the individual jiva-soul, all other forms are voluntary and possible, such as the four armed form on the Vaikuntha planets similar to Lord Visnu's Body. 

Also, being an "inactive" spark in the impersonal Brahmajyoti is an already fallen condition of the individual jiva-souls. 

The jiva-soul's original feature and full potential is an eternal bodily form like Krsna's two armed Form, because man is made in the image of God.

All individual jiva-souls eternally are a spiritual bodily form, only while the individual jiva-souls are fallen, do they artificially appear as a formless impersonal individual unit or bodiless spark in Krsna's effulgence (the impersonal brahmajyoti)

Revatīnandana dasa - "Srila Prabhupāda you very clearly explained to me once in a letter that if the jiva-soul then goes into the brahmajyoti, he is considered still fallen. Still fallen, so does that mean the whole brahmajyoti is composed of fallen souls? You see my question? If I go there, I'm an individual jīva-soul, and if I go to the brahmajyoti am I still fallen."

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes."

Revatīnandana dasa - "That means all jīva-souls there in the impersonal Brahman (Brahmajyoti) are also fallen souls?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "Yes, existence in the impersonal brahman is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness. Those who are in the brahman effulgence are also in the fallen condition, so there is no question of falling down from a fallen condition. When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition (Goloka Vrindavana and Vaikuntha). The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness."(Letter to Revatinandana dasa, LA 13 June, 1970 and 1971 London)

Krsna is behind everything, both the individual jiva-soul in there unnatural bodiless impersonal conditioned state, and the individual jiva-souls as their nature personal position as an eternal active contributing person serving Krsna. 

Ultimately, the jiva-souls are individual PERSONS as an eternal spiritual bodily form as their full potential, but can ALWAYS choose to serve Krsna, or reject Him. 

The many comments from past Sages, Acharyas, devotees and scholars who claim the individual jiva-souls can never fall down from the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, may have made those comments for many reasons, to give faith among aspiring devotees and neophytes, or to encourage them to understand that their natural constitutional position IS never fall down and NEVER ''choose'' to leave the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, and NEVER desire to be independent from Krsna or Visnu.

The eternal individual jiva-soul's original perpetual position is always voluntarily pleasing Krsna in a variety of ways with personal contributions.

Choosing to fall to the temporary material world, and then, due to the frustration of repeated birth and death, eventually falling further to the impersonal (inactive) brahmajyoti where the frustrated jiva-souls attempt to extinguish their individual identity, personality and existence (attempted spiritual suicide) and outwardly appear as a bodiless almost dead dormant spark in the impersonal Brahman or Brahmajyoti, denies the individual jiva-souls of who they really are as a PERSON in in their full potential as Krsna's dear friend in their natural eternal home of Goloka-Vrindavana, or voluntary servant of Viṣṇu in the Vaikuntha planet.

The individual jiva-soul's spiritual bodily appearance is eternally similar to Krsna's form, but they can voluntarily change that at anytime and be a flower, or a tree, or gopi, or cowherd boy, a chair Krsna sits on, or the grass Krsna walks on, or a cloud in the sky Krsna admires, the choices are unlimited.

The eternal individual jiva-souls in the spiritual world can be a flag pole on Krsna's chariot, or even Krsna's chariot, running creek water, a tree, a pathway, a star in the sky Krsna admires etc, and at any moment can change back to a two armed human form in Goloka Vrindavana, or the four armed form on a Vaikuntha planets.

No individual spiritual bodily form the jiva-souls appear as, is fixed in the spiritual world, at anytime they want to voluntarily please Krsna in a certain way, they can change their appearance.

The individual jiva-soul's rasa (pastime) can constantly change over eternity. It is all voluntary, you can be what ever you want to be if it is you genuine desire to please or amuse Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada - "In the spiritual world our relationship with Krsna or Visnu is voluntary, some devotees want to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, he becomes flower, voluntarily, and he can change from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna 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." (SB Canto 6 Ch 1 text 1-4, Melb May 20, 1975)

In the spiritual world the choice of the individual jiva-soul's relationship with Krsna is ALWAYS voluntary, from a blade of grass to a tree, a cow or gopi.

Their individual contributions are eternally expressed in both the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana in a "two-way' reciprocal exchange with Krsna in an unlimited variety of different pastimes and bodily forms over eternity.

In the spiritual world only the "eternal presence" of Krsna exists, where as in the temporary  mundane "material world" time is divided into "past, present and future" that causes a progressive state of material bodily decay, decline, impermanence and repeated birth and death.

In the spiritual world's of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, the eternal individual jiva-souls (marginal living entities) are NEVER forced to surrender to Krsna or do anything they choose not to voluntarily do, everything there done out of selfless love for Radha and Krsna.

Also, there are no superior spiritual bodily forms one can permanently appear as in the spiritual world, this is because all spiritual bodily forms in the spiritual world (everything their is alive) are equally blissful and equal to each other.

As said above, from a blade of grass, to a flower, a tree, a bench Krsna sits on, a cloud in the sky, rain drops, a cow, a human form, many varieties of spiritual bodily froms, like cow herd boys and girls to shop owners etc. From the two armed bodily form in Vrindavana to the four armed bodily form in Vaikuntha, to being a dog, an ant, a bee, the wind in the sky, a Peacock, a monkey, etc, every thing in the spiritual world is alive with unlimited individuals in unlimited spiritual forms, nothing material (dead) or Maya can ever exist there.

The fact is all the eternal individual jiva-souls can be what ever form they desire to be or choose to be pleasing Krsna, or Visnu that are both equally blissful as being as their human spiritual bodily form. The human form is not higher or better than any other form one may choice to be in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana.

Just like in this world some like carnation flowers while others prefer roses, it's an individual choice which is best for you.

Although, even though everything is equally blissful in the spiritual world, there are five different relationships with Krsna, with each one gradually becoming more intimate than the previous one.

One's original two armed spiritual body is always there as the basis, there is just a transformation of your spiritual body into a form you voluntarily choose.

From human form to a blade of grass, a cow, a horse, a chair, a cloud in the sky, a Peacock, a different type of human, a four armed form like Narayanas on a Vaikuntha planet, billions of different choices.

This is like a "shape-shifter." Just like once you appeared as a baby but now have the material body of an adult, same person, different material body, a similar type of "shape-shifting" from childhood, to youth, to middle age, to old age - same person, different body.

Devotee - "What is the form of the spiritual body. If the spirit soul is non-material, what is the form?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "There is form, just like this material body is compared with the dress. Now, just like in your present material form you have got hand; therefore your coat has got hand. You have got legs; therefore your pant has got legs. Therefore it is to be assumed that the spirit soul always has got form, and is expressed as hands, legs, heads, everything. The spirit soul is not formless; it has got form. But with our material eyes at the present, gross eyes, we cannot find it; therefore we say and foolishly believe it has no form." (Lecture BG 2.14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

The full potential and original eternal feature of all marginal living entities (eternal individual jiva-souls) is a two-arm form like Krsna's Body.

Devotee – "Is the original body of the spirit soul a human form?" 

Srila Prabhupada – "Yes, human form, God is also human form. "Man is made after the shape of God." I think there is in the Bible. Is it not? So God is also like human form. Here you see Krsna, two hands, two legs."

Hari-sauri dasa – "How do we understand, then, that there are peacocks and flowers and trees in the spiritual world? Are these not eternal forms?"

Srila Prabhupada – [describing material form first]: "Yes, they are more covered, just like if you cover your body with blanket, the hands and legs are invisible. But you are not the blanket. So the trees and plants, they are more covered. They are not in full manifestation. The human form is the full manifestation of the soul."

Hari-sauri dasa - "They are covered in the spiritual world?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Not in the spiritual world, there that is voluntary, some devotee want to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, 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 Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna 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." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 text 1-4, Melb, May 20, 1975)

Fortunately, over 90% of individual jiva-souls choose to stay in the spiritual world's of Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana even though they can choose to leave if they want. However, almost 10% do choose to leave the spiritual world and enter the material world via the dreams of Maha-Visnu.

Dr. John Mize – "Did all the jiva-souls that were in the spiritual sky (the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavan) fall out of the spiritual sky at once or at different times, or are there any jiva-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 is 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." (BG, As It Is. lecture, Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

The eternal individual jiva-souls have the free will (freedom of individual self expression) to make their own choices which includes even rejecting Krsna if they choose. 

For free will to truly exist, the choice to even reject Krsna must always be an option, otherwise free will has no meaning or place in such a dictatorial impersonal society.

In the spiritual world the eternal individual jiva-soul's relationship with Krsna is always voluntary and is NEVER forced, such voluntary service or non-service is only possible when there is free will. 

The jiva-soul's individual contributions are eternally expressed in both the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana in a "two-way" reciprocal exchange of feelings with Krsna. 

As said above, the eternal individual jiva-souls are never forced to surrender to Krsna or do anything they choose not to do, they are not Kṛṣṇa's mindless puppets He manipulates when ever He pleases, they are His friends who voluntarily contribute to the relationship that He reciprocates with loving exchanges. 

For loving voluntary service and exchanges to truly exist, the individual jiva-souls must be able to act on their free will and make their own choices, decisions and offerings, even if it also means rejecting Krsna if they choose, otherwise there can be no question of voluntary loving exchanges.

Each individual jiva-soul can voluntarily express themselves as an independent individual to experience unique loving exchanges and personal service.

Srila Prabhupada - "So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom." (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)

This quality of free will is part and parcel of the eternal individual jiva-soul's marginal constitution that allows them to express themselves as an independent free thinking expansion of the Krsna. 

Therefore, being marginal (separated) also means the eternal individual jiva-souls ALWAYS have free will when the unique qualities of the marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are described. 

As said above, Krsna allows this freedom that the individual jiva-souls have because without free will, loving exchanges, personal offerings and a two-way reciprocal relationship could never exist.

Srila Prabhupada – "You have got little independence therefore you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God you have got independence, proportionately, therefore if he likes he can return to the material atmosphere. That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that." (Mayapur, Feb 19, 1976)

The eternal individual jiva-souls have the free will to make their own choices which includes even rejecting Krsna, therefore in the spiritual world the jiva-soul's relationship with Krsna is always voluntary.

Their individual contributions are eternally expressed in both Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana in "two-way" reciprocal exchanges with Krsna.

In the spiritual world the individual jiva-souls are never forced to surrender to Krsna or do anything they choose not to do. 

For loving service and exchanges to truly exist, the individual jiva-souls must be able to act on their free will and make their own choices, decisions and offerings, even if it means rejecting Krsna, otherwise there can be no question of genuine voluntary loving exchanges.

Each individual jiva-soul can voluntarily express themselves as an independent individual to experience unique loving exchanges and personal service.

Srila Prabhupada - "So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom." (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)

As said above, this quality of free will is part and parcel of the eternal individual jiva-soul's marginal constitution that allows them to be an independent (separated) contributing free thinking expansion of the Krsna, yet simultaneously fully dependent on Krsna and His energies. 

Being "independent" (separated) and "dependent" (always under Krsna's control) simultaneously, is a paradox. 

Therefore, being marginal (separated) means the eternal individual jiva-souls always have free. 

This must be understood when describing the qualities of the eternal individual jiva-souls. 

As said above, Krsna allows this freedom the individual jiva-souls have because without free will, loving exchanges, personal unique contributions and offerings in a two-way reciprocal relationship, could never exist.

Srila Prabhupada – "You have got little independence therefore you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God you have got independence, proportionately, therefore if he likes he can return to the material atmosphere. That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that." (Mayapur, Feb 19, 1976) 

Having "free will" is the constitutional make up of all eternal individual marginal living entities (jiva-souls) that is eternally part and parcel of their individual character and personality in the spiritual world.

This means the individual jiva-souls can choose to leave the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana if they choose, at anytime, it is incorrect to claim the eternal individual jiva-souls can never again fall down once on the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana, that is their choose, not Kṛṣṇa's, otherwise free will has no memeaning.

"Free will" ALWAYS allows the eternal individual jiva-souls to have a choice and voluntarily contribute to their relationship with Krsna, and without that ability to voluntarily choose, there is no question of free will or loving exchanges either. 

Those Gurus, Swamis, yogis, scholars, academics and devotees who wrongly believe that once they enter the spiritual world, they never again can fall down, are often very sentimental and immature. 

And yes, even Krsna's promise in Bhagavad Gita claiming the jiva-souls who return to the spiritual world, never fall down again can be rejected by those jiva-souls who AGAIN choose to enter the material world.

So, the choice to even leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana is possible because Krsna allows a "two-way" relationship where one can also accept or reject Krsna if they choose, otherwise how can genuine love exist if there is no freedom?

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 dasa - "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 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." (Talk on the philosophy of Rene Descartes)

There is only one classification of eternal individual jiva-souls, not two as some believe. Therefore each individual jiva-soul has "two-sides" to their personality, they can either be "nitya-baddha" (eternally conditioned), or "nitya-siddha"(eternally liberated)

The term "eternally liberated or nitya-siddha" means only eternal while being nitya-siddha. However, the "nitya-siddhas" can fall from the position of eternally liberated (nitya-siddha) to enter eternally conditioned (nitya-baddha)

It means the position is eternally liberated (nitya-siddha) and eternally conditioned (nitya-baddha) are an eternal "post" and not the jiva-souls holding those positions. 

In this way, the individual jiva-souls can choose for themselves to be with Krsna, or reject Krsna. This is because each individual eternal jiva-soul, as part of their spiritual constitutional make-up eternally have free will.

Srila Prabhupada – "There are no new souls, new and old are due to this material body, but the jiva-soul is never born and never dies, so if there is no birth, how can there be new souls?" (Letter to Jagadisa dasa 9th July 1970)

The jiva-souls therefore are eternal spiritual living PERSONS and can never be destroyed, terminated, divided into pieces or extinguished because the individual jiva-souls are indestructible and were never created, they are ageless like Krsna. 

The individual jiva-soul's being “generated” from the "marginal plane or energy" does NOT mean the jiva-souls “originated” from a beginning source because the jiva-souls were NEVER created.

Being "generated" means the individual jiva-souls are eternally part and parcel of a category of living beings called the marginal living entities or marginal plane or energy (individual jiva-souls).

Srila Prabhupada – "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)

Some wrongly claim there are two types of jiva-souls- 

1 - One who stays in the Vaikuṇṭha and Goloka-Vṛndāvana and never has a choice to go to the material creation (nitya-siddha)

2 - And the other in the material creation (nitya-baddha) who can also be dormant (inactive) in the impersonal Brahmajyoti. But can also enter the spiritual worlds too, but once there can never fall down, so they claim. There is only one category of individual jiva-souls who have "two-sides" to their individual personality. The eternal individual jiva-souls can be either nitya-siddha (eternally liberated) or nitya-baddha (eternally conditioned) 

Note: - eternally conditioned or eternally liberated only applies while one is in that position in the spiritual world (eternally liberated) or in the material world (eternally conditioned) 

The individual jiva-soul's infinite position is nitya-siddha (eternally liberated) in the spiritual world. This means the eternal individual jiva-soul's original perpetual home is the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana.

Srila Prabhupada - "In the broader sense everyone comes from Krsnaloka (Goloka-Vrindavana). When one forgets Krsna he is conditioned (nitya-baddha), when one remembers Krsna he is liberated (nitya-siddha)." (Letter to Mukunda, June 10, 1969)

As said above, there is only one category of the eternal individual jiva-soul who can be either nitya-baddha (conditioned) or nitya-siddha (eternally) 

To make it clear, only one kind of eternal individual jiva-soul exists, and due to free will, they can choose to be either nitya-siddha (Krsna conscious) or nitya-baddha (conditioned).

The actual constitutional position of EVERY eternal individual marginal living entity (jiva-soul) is nitya-siddha.

Srila Prabhupada - "There are "two-kinds" of marginal living entities, one being nitya-siddha and the other is nitya-baddha. The actual constitutional position of every marginal living entity is nitya-siddha." (CC lecture, July 13, 1976) 

Srila Prabhupada - "By following the rules and regulations and instructions of the spiritual master, he can become again nitya-siddha. So the Krsna consciousness movement is to make the nitya-baddhas (conditioned souls) AGAIN nitya-siddha (Krsna conscious)." (New York City Lecture CC, July 13, 1976).*<.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 9 Text 11 - "Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be."

Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 9 Text 11

Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be.

Purport

From the other explanations of the previous verses in this chapter, it is clear that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although appearing like a human being, is not a common man. 

The Personality of Godhead, who conducts the creation, maintenance and annihilation of the complete cosmic manifestation, cannot be a human being. 

Yet there are many foolish men who consider Kṛṣṇa to be merely a powerful man and nothing more. Actually, He is the original Supreme Personality, as is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā (īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ); He is the Supreme Lord.

There are many īśvaras, controllers, and one appears greater than another. In the ordinary management of affairs in the material world, we find some official or director, and above him there is a secretary, and above him a minister, and above him a president. 

Each of them is a controller, but one is controlled by another. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that Kṛṣṇa is the supreme controller; there are many controllers undoubtedly, both in the material and spiritual world, but Kṛṣṇa is the supreme controller (īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ), and His body is sac-cid-ānanda, non-material.

Material bodies cannot perform the wonderful acts described in previous verses. His body is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge. 

Although He is not a common man, the foolish deride Him and consider Him to be a man. His body is called here mānuṣīm because He is acting just like a man, a friend of Arjuna’s, a politician involved in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. 

In so many ways He is acting just like an ordinary man, but actually His body is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha – eternal bliss and knowledge absolute. 

This is confirmed in the Vedic language also. Sac-cid-ānanda-rūpāya kṛṣṇāya: “I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, who is the eternal blissful form of knowledge.” (Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad 1.1) 

There are other descriptions in the Vedic language also. Tam ekaṁ govindam: “You are Govinda, the pleasure of the senses and the cows.” Sac-cid-ānanda-vigraham: “And Your form is transcendental, full of knowledge, bliss and eternality.” (Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad 1.38)

Despite the transcendental qualities of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s body, its full bliss and knowledge, there are many so-called scholars and commentators of Bhagavad-gītā who deride Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary man. 

The scholar may be born an extraordinary man due to his previous good work, but this conception of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is due to a poor fund of knowledge. 

Therefore he is called mūḍha, for only foolish persons consider Kṛṣṇa to be an ordinary human being. The foolish consider Kṛṣṇa an ordinary human being because they do not know the confidential activities of the Supreme Lord and His different energies. 

They do not know that Kṛṣṇa’s body is a symbol of complete knowledge and bliss, that He is the proprietor of everything that be and that He can award liberation to anyone. Because they do not know that Kṛṣṇa has so many transcendental qualifications, they deride Him.

Nor do they know that the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in this material world is a manifestation of His internal energy. 

He is the master of the material energy. As has been explained in several places (mama māyā duratyayā), He claims that the material energy, although very powerful, is under His control, and whoever surrenders unto Him can get out of the control of this material energy. 

If a soul surrendered to Kṛṣṇa can get out of the influence of material energy, then how can the Supreme Lord, who conducts the creation, maintenance and annihilation of the whole cosmic nature, have a material body like us? 

So this conception of Kṛṣṇa is complete foolishness. Foolish persons, however, cannot conceive that the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, appearing just like an ordinary man, can be the controller of all the atoms and of the gigantic manifestation of the universal form.

The biggest and the minutest are beyond their conception, so they cannot imagine that a form like that of a human being can simultaneously control the infinite and the minute. 

Actually, although He is controlling the infinite and the finite, He is apart from all this manifestation. It is clearly stated concerning His yogam aiśvaram, His inconceivable transcendental energy, that He can control the infinite and the finite simultaneously and that He can remain aloof from them. 

Although the foolish cannot imagine how Kṛṣṇa, who appears just like a human being, can control the infinite and the finite, those who are pure devotees accept this, for they know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 

Therefore they completely surrender unto Him and engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service of the Lord. There are many controversies between the impersonalists and the personalists about the Lord’s appearance as a human being. 

But if we consult Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the authoritative texts for understanding the science of Kṛṣṇa, then we can understand that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 

He is not an ordinary man, although He appeared on this earth as an ordinary human. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, First Chapter, when the sages headed by Śaunaka inquired about the activities of Kṛṣṇa, they said:

kṛtavān kila karmāṇi
saha rāmeṇa keśavaḥ
ati-martyāni bhagavān
gūḍhaḥ kapaṭa-māṇuṣaḥ

“Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, along with Balarāma, played like a human being, and so masked He performed many superhuman acts.” (Bhāg. 1.1.20) 

The Lord’s appearance as a man bewilders the foolish. No human being could perform the wonderful acts that Kṛṣṇa performed while He was present on this earth. 

When Kṛṣṇa appeared before His father and mother, Vasudeva and Devakī, He appeared with four hands, but after the prayers of the parents He transformed Himself into an ordinary child. 

As stated in the Bhāgavatam (10.3.46), babhūva prākṛtaḥ śiśuḥ: He became just like an ordinary child, an ordinary human being. Now, here again it is indicated that the Lord’s appearance as an ordinary human being is one of the features of His transcendental body. In the Eleventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā also it is stated that Arjuna prayed to see Kṛṣṇa’s form of four hands (tenaiva rūpeṇa catur-bhujena).

After revealing this form, Kṛṣṇa, when petitioned by Arjuna, again assumed His original humanlike form (mānuṣaṁ rūpam). These different features of the Supreme Lord are certainly not those of an ordinary human being.

Some of those who deride Kṛṣṇa and who are infected with the Māyāvādī philosophy quote the following verse from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.29.21) to prove that Kṛṣṇa is just an ordinary man. Ahaṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu bhūtātmāvasthitaḥ sadā: 

“The Supreme is present in every living entity.” 

We should better take note of this particular verse from the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas like Jīva Gosvāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura instead of following the interpretation of unauthorized persons who deride Kṛṣṇa.Jīva Gosvāmī, commenting on this verse, says that Kṛṣṇa, in His plenary expansion as Paramātmā, is situated in the moving and the nonmoving entities as the Supersoul, so any neophyte devotee who simply gives his attention to the arcā-mūrti, the form of the Supreme Lord in the temple, and does not respect other living entities is uselessly worshiping the form of the Lord in the temple. 

There are three kinds of devotees of the Lord, and the neophyte is in the lowest stage. The neophyte devotee gives more attention to the Deity in the temple than to other devotees, so Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura warns that this sort of mentality should be corrected.  

A devotee should see that because Kṛṣṇa is present in everyone’s heart as Paramātmā, every body is the embodiment or the temple of the Supreme Lord; so as one offers respect to the temple of the Lord, he should similarly properly respect each and every body in which the Paramātmā dwells. Everyone should therefore be given proper respect and should not be neglected.

There are also many impersonalists who deride temple worship. They say that since God is everywhere, why should one restrict himself to temple worship? But if God is everywhere, is He not in the temple or in the Deity? 

Although the personalist and the impersonalist will fight with one another perpetually, a perfect devotee in Kṛṣṇa consciousness knows that although Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality, He is all-pervading, as confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā. 

Although His personal abode is Goloka Vṛndāvana and He is always staying there, by His different manifestations of energy and by His plenary expansion He is present everywhere in all parts of the material and spiritual creation.

Understanding "plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions" of the Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes.

Srimad Bhagavatam - "O brāhmaṇas, the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water." (ŚB, Canto 1 Ch 3 text 26)

Srila Prabhupada - "The list of incarnations of the Personality of Godhead given herein is not complete. It is only a partial view of all the incarnations. 

There are many others, such as 

Śrī Hayagrīva, 

Hari, 

Haṁsa, 

Pṛśnigarbha, 

Vibhu, 

Satyasena, 

Vaikuṇṭha, 

Sārvabhauma, 

Viṣvaksena, 

Dharmasetu, 

Sudhāmā, 

Yogeśvara, 

Bṛhadbhānu, 

and others of the bygone ages. 

Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja said in his prayer, 

“My Lord, You manifest as many incarnations as there are species of life, namely the aquatics, the vegetables, the reptiles, the birds, the beasts, the men, the demigods, etc., just for the maintenance of the faithful and the annihilation of the unfaithful. You advent Yourself in this way in accordance with the necessity of the different yugas. In the Kali-yuga You have incarnated garbed as a devotee.” 

This incarnation of the Lord in the Kali-yuga is Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There are many other places, both in the Bhāgavatam and in other scriptures, in which the incarnation of the Lord as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is explicitly mentioned. 

In the Brahma-saṁhitā also it is said indirectly that although there are many incarnations of the Lord, such as Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, Matsya, Kūrma and many others, the Lord Himself sometimes incarnates in person. 

Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are not, therefore, incarnations, but the original source of all other incarnations. 

This will be clearly explained in the next śloka. 

So the Lord is the inexhaustible source for innumerable incarnations which are not always mentioned. But such incarnations are distinguished by specific extraordinary feats which are impossible to be performed by any living being (jiva-souls). That is the general test to identify an incarnation of the Lord, directly and indirectly empowered. Some incarnations mentioned above are almost plenary portions.

For instance, the Kumāras are empowered with transcendental knowledge. Śrī Nārada is empowered with devotional service. Mahārāja Pṛthu is an empowered incarnation with executive function. The Matsya incarnation is directly a plenary portion. 

So the innumerable incarnations of the Lord are manifested all over the universes constantly, without cessation, as water flows constantly from waterfalls." (ŚB, Canto 1 Ch 3 text 26 Purport)

Srimad Bhagavatam - "All the ṛṣis, Manus, demigods and descendants of Manu, who are especially powerful, are plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord. This also includes the Prajāpatis." (Canto 1 Ch 3 text 27)

Srila Prabhupada - "Those who are comparatively less powerful are called vibhūti, and those who are comparatively more powerful are called āveśa incarnations." (Canto 1 Ch 3 text 27 Purport)

Srimad Bhagavatam - "All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists." (Canto 1 Ch 3 text 28)

Srila Prabhupāda - "In this particular stanza Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is distinguished from other incarnations. 

He is counted amongst the avatāras (incarnations) because out of His causeless mercy the Lord descends from His transcendental abode. Avatāra means “one who descends." 

 All the incarnations of the Lord, including the Lord Himself, descend to the different planets of the material world as also in different species of life to fulfill particular missions. 

Sometimes He comes Himself, and sometimes His different plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions, or His differentiated portions directly or indirectly empowered by Him, descend to this material world to execute certain specific functions. 

Originally the Lord is full of all opulences, all prowess, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation. When they are partly manifested through the plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions, it should be noted that certain manifestations of His different powers are required for those particular functions. 

When in the room small electric bulbs are displayed, it does not mean that the electric powerhouse is limited by the small bulbs. The same powerhouse can supply power to operate large-scale industrial dynamos with greater volts. 

Similarly, the incarnations of the Lord display limited powers because so much power is needed at that particular time.

For example, Lord Paraśurāma and Lord Nṛsiṁha displayed unusual opulence by killing the disobedient kṣatriyas twenty-one times and killing the greatly powerful atheist Hiraṇyakaśipu. 

Hiraṇyakaśipu was so powerful that even the demigods in other planets would tremble simply by the unfavorable raising of his eyebrow. 

The demigods in the higher level of material existence many, many times excel the most well-to-do human beings in duration of life, beauty, wealth, paraphernalia and all other respects. 

Still they were afraid of Hiraṇyakaśipu, thus we can simply imagine how powerful Hiraṇyakaśipu was in this material world. 

But even Hiraṇyakaśipu was cut into small pieces by the nails of Lord Nṛsiṁha. 

This means that anyone materially powerful cannot stand the strength of the Lord’s nails. 

Similarly, Jāmadagnya displayed the Lord’s power to kill all the disobedient kings powerfully situated in their respective states. 

The Lord’s empowered incarnation Nārada and plenary incarnation Varāha, as well as indirectly empowered Lord Buddha, created faith in the mass of people. 

The incarnations of Rāma and Dhanvantari displayed His fame, and Balarāma, Mohinī and Vāmana exhibited His beauty. Dattātreya, Matsya, Kumāra and Kapila exhibited His transcendental knowledge. Nara and Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣis exhibited His renunciation. 

So, all the different indirectly or directly empowered incarnations of the Lord manifested different features, but Lord Kṛṣṇa, the primeval Lord, exhibited the complete features of Godhead, and thus it is confirmed that He is the source of all other incarnations. 

And the most extraordinary feature exhibited by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was His internal energetic manifestation of His pastimes with the cowherd girls. His pastimes with the gopīs are all displays of transcendental existence, bliss and knowledge, although these are manifested apparently as sex love. 

The specific attraction of His pastimes with the gopīs should never be misunderstood. The Bhāgavatam relates these transcendental pastimes in the Tenth Canto. 

And in order to reach the position to understand the transcendental nature of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes with the gopīs, the Bhāgavatam promotes the student gradually in nine other cantos.

According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī’s statement, in accordance with authoritative sources, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the source of all other incarnations. It is not that Lord Kṛṣṇa has any source of incarnation.

All the symptoms of the Supreme Truth in full are present in the person of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and in the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord emphatically declares that there is no truth greater than or equal to Himself. 

In this stanza the word svayam is particularly mentioned to confirm that Lord Kṛṣṇa has no other source than Himself. 

Although in other places the incarnations are described as bhagavān because of their specific functions, nowhere are they declared to be the Supreme Personality. 

In this stanza the word svayam signifies the supremacy as the summum bonum.

The summum bonum Kṛṣṇa is one without a second. He Himself has expanded Himself in various parts, portions and particles as svayaṁ-rūpa, svayam-prakāśa, tad-ekātmā, prābhava, vaibhava, vilāsa, avatāra, āveśa, and jīvas, all provided with innumerable energies just suitable to the respective persons and personalities. 

Learned scholars in transcendental subjects have carefully analyzed the summum bonum Kṛṣṇa to have sixty-four principal attributes. 

All the expansions or categories of the Lord possess only some percentages of these attributes. But Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the possessor of the attributes cent percent. And His personal expansions such as svayam-prakāśa and tad-ekātmā, up to the categories of the avatāras who are all viṣṇu-tattva, possess up to ninety-three percent of these transcendental attributes. 

Lord Śiva, who is neither avatāra nor āveśa nor in between them, possesses almost eighty-four percent of the attributes. 

But the jīvas, or the individual living beings in different statuses of life, possess up to the limit of seventy-eight percent of the attributes.

In the conditioned state of material existence, the living being possesses these attributes in very minute quantity, varying in terms of the pious life of the living being. 

The most perfect of living beings is Brahmā, the supreme administrator of one universe. He possesses seventy-eight percent of the attributes in full. 

All other demigods have the same attributes in less quantity, whereas human beings possess the attributes in very minute quantity. 

The standard of perfection for a human being is to develop the attributes up to seventy-eight percent in full. The living being can never possess attributes like Śiva, Viṣṇu or Lord Kṛṣṇa.

A living being can become godly by developing the seventy-eight-percent transcendental attributes in fullness, but he can never become a God like Śiva, Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa. He can become a Brahmā in due course. 

The godly living beings who are all residents of the planets in the spiritual sky are eternal associates of God in different spiritual planets called Hari-dhāma and Maheśa-dhāma. 

The abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa above all spiritual planets is called Kṛṣṇaloka or Goloka Vṛndāvana, and the perfected living being, by developing seventy-eight percent of the above attributes in fullness, can enter the planet of Kṛṣṇaloka after leaving the present material body." (Canto 1 Ch 3 text 28 Purport)*

The eternal original spiritual bodily form of the individual jiva-soul (marginal living entity), is a two armed spiritual bodily form like Krsnas however, the individual jiva-souls can voluntarily change their form in unlimited ways over their eternal existence.

The individual spiritual bodily form of the eternal jiva-souls, have no beginning point, nor will they ever cease to be because there is neither birth or death for the individual jiva-souls.

Srila Prabhupada - "The spirit soul is NOT formless; it has got form, the spirit soul always has form and is expressed as hands, legs, heads, everything. But with our material eyes at the present, our gross eyes, we cannot see these facts; therefore we foolishly believe the jiva-souls have no form." (Lecture BG, Ch 2 text 14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

From that infinite form of the individual jiva-soul, all other forms are voluntary and possible, such as the four armed form on the Vaikuntha planets similar to Lord Visnu's Body. So, being an inactive "spark in the Brahmajyoti" is already a fallen condition. The original feature and full potential of the individual jiva-soul is an individual as bodily form like Krsna

Man is made in the image of God.

All individual jiva-souls eternally are a spiritual bodily form. Only while the individual jiva-souls are fallen, do they artificially appear as a formless impersonal spark, or bodiless individual spark in Krsna's effulgence (the impersonal brahmajyoti)

Krsna is behind everything, both the eternal individual jiva-souls in there unnatural bodiless impersonal conditioned state, and the jiva-souls as their nature personal position as an eternal active contributing servant as a bodily form.

Ultimately, we are individual PERSONS as an eternal spiritual bodily form in our full potential, and can ALWAYS choose to serve Krsna, or reject Him, otherwise free will has no meaning. 

Those comments from past Sages and Acharyas who claim the individual jiva-souls never fall down from the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, may have been said this for many reasons, to give faith among aspiring devotees and neophytes, or to encourage them to understand that their natural constitutional position IS to NEVER ''choose'' to leave the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, and NEVER desire to be independent from Krsna or Visnu.

The eternal individual jiva-soul's original perpetual position is always voluntarily pleasing Krsna in a variety of ways with personal contributions.

Choosing to fall to the temporary material world, and then, due to the frustration of repeated birth and death, eventually falling further to the impersonal (inactive) brahmajyoti where the frustrated jiva-souls attempt to extinguish their individual identity, personality and existence (attempted spiritual suicide) and outwardly appear as a bodiless almost dead dormant spark in the impersonal Brahman or Brahmajyoti, denies the individual jiva-souls of who they really are as a PERSON in in their full potential as Krsna's dear friend in their natural eternal home of Goloka-Vrindavana, or voluntary servant of Viṣṇu in the Vaikuntha planet.

The individual jiva-soul's spiritual bodily appearance is eternally similar to Krsna's form, but we can voluntarily change that at ant time and be a flower, or a tree, or gopi, or cowherd boy, a chair Krsna sits on, or the grass Krsna walks on, or a cloud in the sky Krsna admires, the choices are unlimited.

The eternal individual jiva-souls in the spiritual world can "shape-shift" and be a flag pole on Krsna's chariot, or even Krsna's chariot, a blade of grass, a flower, a chair, a cloud in the sky etc, and at any moment change back to a two armed form in Goloka Vrindavana, or the four armed form on a Vaikuntha planets

No spiritual bodily form the individual jiva-souls can appear as, is fixed in the spiritual world, the individual jiva-soul's rasa (pastime) can constantly change their appearance over eternity.

It is all voluntary, you can be what ever you want to be if it is you genuine desire to please or amuse Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada - "In the spiritual world our relationship with Krsna or Visnu is voluntary. Some devotee wants to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, he becomes flower, voluntarily, and he can change from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna 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." (SB Canto 6 Ch 1 text 1-4, Melb May 20, 1975)

In the spiritual world the choice of the individual jiva-soul's relationship with Krsna is voluntary from a blade of grass to a tree, a cow or gopi.

Their individual contributions are eternally expressed in both Vaikuntha and Goloka-Vrindavana in a "two-way' reciprocal exchange with Krsna in unlimited different ways and bodily forms over eternity.

Only the "eternal presence" of Krsna exists in the spiritual worlds, where as in the "material creation" time is divided into "past, present and future" which causes a progressive state of decay, decline, impermanence birth and death.

In the spiritual world the eternal individual jiva-souls are never forced to surrender to Krsna or do anything they choose not to do, everything there is voluntary.

Also, there is no best bodily form in the spiritual world because all are equally blissful and equal to each other.

From the two armed bodily form in Vrindavana to the four armed bodily form on the Vaikuntha planets, to being a cow, an ant, a bee, a cloud in the sky, a bench, a fence, etc etc. every aspect of the Spiritual worlds are alive with unlimited individuals, nothing material (dead) can exist there.

All eternal individual jiva-souls can be what ever form they desire or choose to please Krsna, or Visnu that are all equally blissful with the human form.

The human form is not higher or better than any other spiritual bodily form one may choice to be in the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka Vrindavana.

Just like in this material world some like carnation flowers while others prefer roses, it's an individual choice of what is best for you.

Even though everything is equally blissful in the spiritual world, there are five different relationships with Krsna, with each one gradually becoming more intimate than the previous one.

The eternal individual jiva-soul's original two armed spiritual body is always there as the basis, there can be a transformation of your original human looking spiritual body, into a spiritual bodily form you voluntarily choose.

From human form to a blade of grass, a cow, a horse, a chair, a cloud in the sky, a Peacock, a different type of human, a four armed form like Narayanas on a Vaikuntha planet, billions of different choices.

This is like a "shape-shifter," just like once you appeared as a baby but now as an adult, same person, different body. 

A similar type of "shape-shifting" happens from childhood, to youth, to middle age, to old age - same person, different bodily appearance.

Devotee - "What is the form of the spiritual body, if the spirit soul is non-material, what is the form?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "There is form, just like this material body is compared with the dress. Now, just like in your present material form you have got hand; therefore your coat has got hand. You have got legs; therefore your pant has got legs. Therefore it is to be assumed that the spirit soul always has got form, and is expressed as hands, legs, heads, everything. The spirit soul is not formless; it has got form. But with our material eyes at the present, gross eyes, we cannot find it; therefore we say and foolishly believe it has no form." (Lecture BG 2.14, Mexico, Feb 14, 1975)

The full potential and original eternal feature of all marginal living entities (eternal individual jiva-souls) is a two-arm form like Krsna's Body.

Devotee – "Is the original body of the spirit soul a human form?" 

Srila Prabhupada – "Yes, human form, God is also human form. "Man is made after the shape of God." I think there is in the Bible. Is it not? So God is also like human form. Here you see Krsna, two hands, two legs."

Hari-sauri dasa – "How do we understand, then, that there are peacocks and flowers and trees in the spiritual world? Are these not eternal forms?"

Srila Prabhupada – [describing material form first]: "Yes, they are more covered, just like if you cover your body with blanket, the hands and legs are invisible, but you are not the blanket. So the trees and plants, they are more covered. They are not in full manifestation. The human form is the full manifestation of the soul."

Hari-sauri dasa - "They are covered in the spiritual world?"

Srila Prabhupada - "Not in the spiritual world, there that is voluntary, some devotee wants to serve Krsna as flower; they become flower there. If I want to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna, 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 Krsna as cow, he serves Krsna 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." (SB, Canto 6 Ch 1 text 1-4, Melb, May 20, 1975)

Fortunately, over 90% of eternal individual jiva-souls choose to stay in the spiritual world's of the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana, even though they can choose to leave if they want. However, almost 10% of individual jiva-souls do choose to leave the spiritual world and enter the material world via the dreams of Maha-Visnu.

Dr. John Mize – "Did all the jiva-souls that were in the spiritual sky (the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka Vrindavan) fall out of the spiritual sky at once or at different times, or are there any jiva-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 is 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." (BG, As It Is. lecture, Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

The eternal individual jiva-souls have free will so they can make their own choices and decisions, which includes even rejecting Krsna if they choose. 

For free will to truly exist, the individual jiva-souls must have their unique freedom of expression, self determination and a variety of unique voluntary service.These qualities must ALWAYS be there if free will truly exists.

In the spiritual world the eternal individual jiva-soul's relationship with Krsna is always voluntary. 

The jiva-soul's individual contributions are eternally expressed in both the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana in a "two-way" reciprocal exchange of feelings with Krsna. The individual jiva-souls are never forced to surrender to Krsna or do anything they choose not to do, they are not Kṛṣṇa's puppets He manipulates when He pleases, they are His friends who voluntarily contribute to the relationship. 

For loving voluntary service and exchanges to truly exist, the individual jiva-souls must be able to act on their free will and make their own contributions, choices, decisions and offerings, even if it also means rejecting Krsna, otherwise there can be no question of voluntary loving exchanges.

Each individual jiva-soul can voluntarily express themselves as an independent individual to experience unique loving exchanges and personal service.

Srila Prabhupada - "So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom." (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)

This quality of free will is part and parcel of the individual jiva-soul's marginal constitution that allows them to be an independent free thinking expansion of the Krsna. Therefore, being marginal (separated) also means the individual jiva-souls always have  free will included when describing the qualities of the marginal living entities (individual jiva-souls). 

As said above, Krsna allows this freedom that the individual jiva-souls have because without free will, loving exchanges, personal offerings and a two-way reciprocal relationship could never exist.

Srila Prabhupada – "You have got little independence therefore you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God you have got independence, proportionately, therefore if he likes he can return to the material atmosphere. That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that." (Mayapur, Feb 19, 1976)

The eternal individual jiva-souls have the free will to make their own choices which includes even rejecting Krsna, therefore in the spiritual world the jiva-soul's relationship with Krsna is always voluntary.

The jiva-soul's individual contributions are eternally expressed in both the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana in "two-way" reciprocal exchange with Krsna, love can only exist in a "two-sided" exchange of emotions and feelings and can never exist with just "one" which is called impersonalism.

Srila Prabhupada - "Love means you take and you give also. Suppose if you love somebody and you simply take from him, but you don't give. Oh, do you think it is very good? No, it is not good, that is NOT love that is exploitation. If I go on simply taking from you, and if I don't offer you anything, that is simply exploitation." (BG, Ch 9 text 2-5, New York City, Nov 23, 1966)

Srila Prabhupada - "The impersonalist philosophy is oneness, so how there be love with just one? Is it possible? Have you got any such experience that love means one? No, love means two, there MUST be two." (SB, Canto 2 Ch 1 text 3, Paris, June 12, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada – "So everyone can know that independence (free will) means one can use it properly, or one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that you cannot ever fall down, that is not independence. That is force."(Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

Free will only has meaning when the jiva-souls can express themselves in a two-sided relationship by contributing to the relationship's expansion of nectarine mellows.

Srila Prabhupāda - "Love means a relationship between "two persons," then there is exchange, then there is love. 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." (Aug 9, 1976, Tehran)

In the spiritual world the individual jiva-souls are never forced to surrender to Krsna or do anything they choose not to do. 

For loving service and exchanges to truly exist, the individual jiva-souls must be able to act on their free will and make their own choices, decisions and voluntary offerings or contributions, even if it means rejecting Krsna, otherwise there can be no question of genuine voluntary loving exchanges or having free will.

Each eternal individual jiva-soul can voluntarily express themselves as an independent (separated) person so they can experience unique loving exchanges in their chosen service.

Srila Prabhupada - "So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom." (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)

This quality of free will is part and parcel of the eternal individual jiva-soul's marginal constitution that allows them to be an independent (separated) free thinking expansion of the Krsna, yet simultaneously always fully dependent on His energies (a paradox)

However, we must always understand that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of ALL causes and He is behind everything and not a blade of grass can move without His sanction. 

Therefore, being marginal (separated) means the individual jiva-souls always have their free will when describing the qualities of the individual jiva-souls. 

As said above, Krsna allows this freedom of self-expression the individual jiva-souls have because without free will, loving exchanges, personal offerings and a "two-way" reciprocal relationship could never exist.

Srila Prabhupada – "You have got little independence therefore you can violate. Because you are part and parcel of God you have got independence, proportionately, therefore if he likes he can return to the material atmosphere. That independence has to be accepted, little independence. We can misuse that." (Mayapur, Feb 19, 1976) 

Having "free will" is the constitutional make up of all eternal individual marginal living entities (jiva-souls) that is eternally part and parcel of their individual character and personality in the spiritual world.

This means the individual jiva-souls can choose to leave the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana if they choose, at anytime, it is incorrect to claim the eternal individual jiva-souls can never again fall down once on the Vaikuntha planets or Goloka-Vrindavana, that is their choose, not Kṛṣṇa's, otherwise free will has no meaning.

"Free will" ALWAYS allows the eternal individual jiva-souls to have a choice and voluntarily contribute to their relationship with Krsna, and without that ability to voluntarily choose, there is no question of free will or loving exchanges either. 

Those Gurus, Swamis, yogis, scholars, academics and devotees who wrongly believe that once they enter the spiritual world, they never again can fall down, are often very sentimental and immature. 

And yes, even Krsna's promise in Bhagavad Gita claiming the jiva-souls who return to the spiritual world, never fall down again can be rejected by those jiva-souls who AGAIN choose to enter the material world.

So, the choice to even leave Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana is possible because Krsna allows a "two-way" relationship where one can also accept or reject Krsna if they choose, otherwise how can genuine love exist if there is no freedom?

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 dasa - "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 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." (Talk on the philosophy of Rene Descartes)

There is only one classification of eternal individual jiva-souls, not two as some believe. Therefore each individual jiva-soul has "two-sides" to their personality, they can either be "nitya-baddha" (eternally conditioned), or "nitya-siddha"(eternally liberated)

The term "eternally liberated or nitya-siddha" means only eternal while being nitya-siddha. However, the "nitya-siddhas" can fall from the position of eternally liberated (nitya-siddha) to enter eternally conditioned (nitya-baddha)

It means the position is eternal liberated (nitya-siddha) and eternally conditioned (nitya-baddha) are an eternal "post" and not the jiva-souls holding those positions. In this way the individual jiva-souls can choose for themselves to be with Krsna, or reject Krsna. This is because each jiva-soul, as part of their spiritual constitutional make-up, has free will.

Srila Prabhupada - "So, unless there is a possibility of misusing our free will, there is no question of freedom." (Dialectical Spiritualism, Critique of Descartes)

Srila Prabhupada – "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)

Some wrongly claim there are two types of jiva-souls- 

1 - One jiva-soul stays in the Vaikuṇṭha planets and Goloka-Vṛndāvana and never has a choice to leave and go to the material world are called "nitya-siddha" or eternally liberated.

2 - And the other jiva-soul starts off in the material world and has never been to the spiritual world, they are called nitya-baddha or eternally conditioned, and can also be dormant (inactive) in the impersonal Brahmajyoti. However, they can also eventually enter the spiritual world too, but once there, can never fall down to the material world - so they claim. 

The fact is, there is only ONE category of the individual jiva-souls who have "two-sides" to their individual identity and personality. The individual jiva-souls can be either nitya-siddha (eternally liberated) or nitya-baddha (eternally conditioned) and they both originate from Goloka Vrindavana or the Vaikuntha planets in the spiritual world. The natural position and home of all eternal jiva-souls is the spiritual world, and NOT the temporary material world, or the suicidal impersonal brahmajyoti. 

Note: - eternally conditioned or eternally liberated only applies while one is in that position in the spiritual world (eternally liberated) or in the material world (eternally conditioned) 

The individual jiva-soul's infinite position is nitya-siddha (eternally liberated) in the spiritual world. This means the jiva-soul's original perpetual home is the Vaikuntha planets and Goloka-Vrindavana.

Srila Prabhupada - "In the broader sense everyone comes from Krsnaloka (Goloka-Vrindavana). When one forgets Krsna he is conditioned (nitya-baddha), when one remembers Krsna he is liberated (nitya-siddha)." (Letter to Mukunda, June 10, 1969)

As said above, there is only one category of the eternal individual jiva-soul who can be either nitya-baddha (conditioned) or nitya-siddha (eternally) 

To make it clear, only one kind of individual jiva-soul exists, and due to free will, they can choose to be either nitya-siddha (Krsna conscious) or nitya-baddha (conditioned).

The actual constitutional position of EVERY eternal individual marginal living entity (jiva-soul) is nitya-siddha.

Srila Prabhupada - "There are "two-kinds" of marginal living entities, one being nitya-siddha and the other is nitya-baddha. The actual constitutional position of every marginal living entity is nitya-siddha." (CC lecture, July 13, 1976) 

Srila Prabhupada - "By following the rules and regulations and instructions of the spiritual master, he can become again nitya-siddha. So the Krsna consciousness movement is to make the nitya-baddhas (conditioned souls) AGAIN nitya-siddha (Krsna conscious)." (New York City Lecture CC, July 13, 1976)..÷..