The Fall

Srila Prabhupada - “Nitya-baddhas are within this material world. Beginning from B
rahma down to a small ant, insignificant ant, they are all nitya-baddha. Anyone
who is in this material world they are nitya-baddha” Lecture on Bhagavad-Gita 13-1
4, July 14, 1973

The nitya-baddha condition can therefore manifest from all marginal living entit
ies if they choose a non-Krishna conscious selfish existence in the material cre
ation (mahat-tattva).

Nitya-siddha on the other hand is the original condition of all marginal living
entities in their full potential awareness of who they really are as pure Krsna
Conscious selfless servant of Krishna in Goloka and Vaikuntha or even the mahat-
tattva in Krsna lila

In this way, nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha are two characteristics of each indiv
idual marginal living entity; they are not separate marginal beings, as some foo
lishly believe.

Lord Krishna states that our constitutional nature is that all marginal living b
eings are eternal nitya-siddha servants of the Lord. So to say that ‘conditioned’ (n
itya-baddha) souls have never been ‘unconditioned’ (nitya-siddha) in Goloka-Vrndavan
a is incorrect.

Srila Prabhupada - “The actual constitutional position of every living entity is n

itya-siddha, by following the rules and regulations and instructions of the spir
itual master, he can become AGAIN nitya-siddha. So the Krsna consciousness movem
ent is to make the nitya-baddhas again nitya-siddha. Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya
20.107 New York, July 13, 1976

Srila Prabhupada – “Eternally conditioned (nitya-baddha)? We cannot be eternally con

ditioned (nitya-baddha), because we are part and parcel of Krishna. Our natural
position is ever liberated, eternally liberated (nitya-siddha). (Bhagavad Gita a
s it is lecture, Mayapur, June 20, 1973)

Dr. John Mize – “Did all the souls that were in the spiritual sky fall out of the sp
iritual sky at once or at different times, or are there any souls that are alway
s good, they’re not foolish, they don’t fall down?”

Srila Prabhupada – “No, there are majority, 90%, they are always good. They never fa
ll down”.”. Los Angeles, June 23, 1975

Srila Prabhupada - "After all, the living entity falls down from the spiritual w
orld . . . There is possibility . . . even if you are in Vaikuntha, you will fal
l down, what to speak of this material world." Lecture on Bhagavad-gita on July
4, 1974

Srila Prabhupada – “Regarding your questions concerning the spirit soul’s falling into
Maya’s influence, it is not that those who have developed a passive relationship
with Krishna are more likely to fall into nescient activities.

Usually, anyone who has developed his relationship with Krishna does not fall do
wn in any circumstances, but because the independence is always there, the soul
may fall down from any position or any relationship by misusing his independence
. But his relationship with Krishna is never lost. Simply it is forgotten by the
influence of Maya, so it may be regained or revived by the process of hearing t
he Holy Name " Letter to Jagadish, 4.25.70

Srila Prabhupada - “A living entity misuses his little independence when he wants
to lord it over material nature. This misuse of independence, which is called Ma
ya, is always available. Otherwise, there would not be independence. Independenc
e implies that one can use it properly or improperly." Srimad Bhagavatam 3.31.15

Srila Prabhupada - “We have also come down from Vaikuntha some millions and millio
ns of years ago." - Lecture on Bhagavad-gita on August 6, 1973

Now some have said, ‘Sometimes "Vaikuntha" means the spiritual sky, NOT necessaril
y "Vaikuntha-LOKA." No that is not correct as the following proves -

Srila Prabhupada – "Formerly we were with Krsna in His lila or sport (Letter 1972
to devotee in Australia (To Madhudvisa Swami)

Srila Prabhupada explains we have marginal independence as part of our nature. W

e can misuse such independence with out any material cause, it simply happens be
cause it is there in our own fundamental spiritual nature as independent (margin
al) living beings.

Srila Prabhupada - “As soon as we forget, immediately the illusion is there. Just
like as soon as we sleep, dream is there. Just like one man is dreaming and he f
orgets himself.

In the dream he creates himself in different forms: now I am the King discussing
like that. This creation of himself is as seer and subject matter or seen, two
things. But as soon as the dream is over, the “seen” disappears. But the seer remain
s.

Now he is in his original position. Our separation from Krsna is like that. We d
ream this body and so many relationships with other things. First the attachment
comes to enjoy sense gratification. Even with Krsna desire for sense gratificat
ion is there. Actually he has not fallen” http://prabhupadabooks.com/?g=170123

Srila Prabhupada - “So to go to Krishna means you will have to acquire your origin
al, spiritual body. The spiritual body is already there, but we are now covered
by this material body”. Germany, June 22, 1974

That choice is always there even in Goloka and must be there if genuine love is
to exist. It is not that we first have to be contacted by the modes of material
nature to fall down from Goloka or Vaikuntha.
Bhagavad Gita as it is tells us the jiva-tattva was never created and is in the
service of Krishna in Goloka-Vrndavana or Vaikuntha however, due to free will an
d choice, they can fall from Goloka or Vaikuntha.

In fact ALL souls in the material creation come directly from Goloka-Vrndavana a
nd NOT from some dormant inactive position in the Brahmajyoti. Such nonsense is
impersonalism

So this means we always have a choice and some, less than 10%, choose to leave K
rishna in Goloka or Vaikuntha and by doing that, they forget their ‘rasa’ relationsh
ip with Krishna, they forget who they really are, their nitya-siddha Krsna Consc
ious body.

Srila Prabhupada - "The conditioned souls are parts and parcels of the Lord and
thus were with Krishna before being conditioned similarly, each soul has seen Kr
ishna" Letter to Jagadish, Feb. 25, 1970

Srila Prabhupada - "When the pure soul wants to give up the Lord’s service to enjo
y the material world, Krsna certainly gives him a chance to enter the material w
orld.

As stated in the prema-vivarta: krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare. This is

the reason the pure spirit soul falls down to the material world”. Srimad-Bhagava
tam [Canto 5, Ch. 14 Chapter Summary]

Devotee – “When we are in the spiritual sky and serving Krishna, we have a perfect r
elationship with Krishna. What causes us to fall down in the material world, bec
ause we are already serving Krishna?”

Srila Prabhupada – “Because you desire to fall down”. Bhagavad-gita lecture Melbourne
on June 25, 1974

Acyutananda – “So what made the soul take birth in the first place?”

Srila Prabhupada – “In the first place?

Acyutananda – “What is the first birth? What is the cause of the first birth?”.

Srila Prabhupada – “Yes. That is stated in the Prema-vivarta”:

krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare

nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare

We are eternal servant of Krsna. As soon as we want to become master, that is th

e beginning of our first birth in the material world. We have got independence.

Because, Krsna says, mamaivamso jiva bhutah—we are part and parcel of Krsna—so Krsna
has got full independence, but we are minute; therefore we have got minute inde
pendence.

Our business is to serve Krsna, but as soon as we give up this, we want to becom
e master. That is the beginning of our material birth”. Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 5
, Ch. 5 TEXT 2] Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:

Srila Prabhupada – “Even associate of Caitanya Mahaprabhu failed, personal associate

. So there is chance of falling down even from the personal association of God.
Jaya-Vijaya, they had to become demons." - Room conversation in Bombay on 9-19-7
3

Srila Prabhupada – "This is factual evidence showing that it is possible at any ti

me to fall down from the Lord s association. Once fallen and separated from the
Supreme Personality of Godhead s association, one becomes a candidate for suffer
ing in the material world." Cc. Madhya-lila 10.65, purport

Yasomatinandana – "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 th
e shape of God." So God is also like human form. Here you see Krsna, two hands,
two legs". Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.1-4 - Melbourne, May 20, 1975

Srila Prabhupada - “No one falls from Vaikuntha.” We really do not fall. We only thi
nk (dream) we are fallen. But this just means we have forgotten our original sit
uation” Lecture in Japan 1972

Srila Prabhupada - “Everything happening within time, which consists of past, pres
ent and future, is merely a dream. This is the secret in understanding in all th
e Vedic literature.” SB. 4.29.2b.

Srila Prabhupada - “Because he falls down from Brahma-sayujya (the dormant inactiv
e feature of the Brahmajyoti), he thinks that may be his origin, but he does not
remember that long, long, long, long ago before that even, he was with Krishna.
Letter to Madhudvisa Swami in Australia 1972

Srila Prabhupada - "We have to learn how to act only for Krsna, how to love only
Krsna. Then our life is successful. And the human life... Because we have also
come down from Vaikuntha some millions and millions of years ago. Anadi karama-p
hale. Anadi means before the creation. We living entities, we are eternal”. Bhagav
ad-gita [Ch. 2 TEXT 6] London, August 6, 1973

Srila Prabhupada – "If he is properly guided, then he is very easily sent back to
home, back to Godhead wherefrom originally he fell down." Srila Prabhupada Lette
r, Jan. 20, 1971
Srila Prabhupada –“This conception of the material world is very nicely explained by
Srila Rupa Gosvami, who said that renunciation of this material world as illuso
ry or false without knowledge that the material world is also the manifestat...i
on of the Supreme Lord is of no practical value”. Bhaktivedanta purport of the Eig
hty-seventh Chapter of Krsna, "Prayers by the Personified Vedas."

Srila Prabhupada - "The word varnam refers to the lustre of one s original ident
ity. The original lustre of gold or silver is brilliant.

Similarly, the original lustre of the living being, who is part of the sac-cid-a
nanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], is the lustre of ananda, or pleasure. Ānandamayo bhyāsāt.

Every living entity has the right to become ānandamaya, joyful, because he is part
of the sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], Krishna.

Why should the living being be put into tribulation because of dirty contaminati
on by the material modes of nature? The living entity should become purified and
regain his svarupa, his original identity" Srimad Bhagavatam 8.24.48

Srila Prabhupada - "But his relationship with Krishna is never lost. Simply it i
s forgotten by the influence of Maya, so it may be regained or revived by the pr
ocess of hearing the Holy Name " - Letter to Jagadisha April 25, 1970

The mahat-tattva is likened to a jail created by state for the sake of the crimi
nals who are not fit to remain in Goloka (due to their own choose and desire).

Only Krishna can create such a facility like the mahat-tattva (material creation
) via His Maha-Vishnu expansion. He does so just to allow us souls the opportuni
ty to think ourselves God and try to enjoy the material energy separate from Him
.

The obvious problem when one denies God and chooses to do their own thing is tha
t the so-called enjoyment in the mahat-tattva is illusory and perishable and can
not remain for long. Everything here is temporary and ends up full of misery and
frustration. One works so hard to create a family fortune only to experience ha
rdship, disease, old age and death.

Why has Krishna created a world that is temporary and full of duality and misery
like the mahat-tattva?

The answer is simple, because He gives us the free will to choose to forever inc
rease our love to Krishna in Vaikuntha, or use that free will and choose to atte
mpt to enjoy separate from Him in the mahat-tattva material creation of Maha-Vis
hnu.

Krishna supplies us with the mahat-tattva creation from His expansion Maha-Vishn
u.
He wants us to be happy and if we somehow believe going to the material world wi
ll make us happy, then He will facilitate our mistaken desires so we can learn f
or ourselves that this perishable creation only causes suffering.

Krishna wants us to come to our senses and realize we have made a mistake in com
ing to the material world and to thus return to our original home, the spiritual
world of Goloka-Vrndavana.

The material energy pushes the conditioned nitya-baddha souls with frustrations
due to its temporary nature so that they will someday again turn toward the Lord
, who is within their hearts as the Supersoul, and thus again surrender unto Him
and His pure representative and begin to wake up from the material dream.

The Lord says that anyone who thus surrenders unto Him will quickly return to Hi
m. The Lord also assists the marginal living entities by sending His pure devote
es to speak the knowledge of the spiritual world to them to again re-awaken them
to their genuine eternal nitya-siddha position that is perpetually in Goloka ev
en while their limited ‘awareness as nitya-baddha’ is in the mahat-tattva (material
creation).

Krishna also presents the Vedic literature through His chosen representatives (t
hat can be Vishnu-Tattva or jiva-tattva) to open their eyes with transcendental
knowledge of who they really are in the bigger picture of Goloka and Vaikuntha t
hat is outside of the mundane perishable, decaying material creation or mahat-ta
ttva.

The Lord is so concerned for the marginal living entities trapped in ethereal an
d biological vessels in the material world, that He periodically descends from t
he spiritual world Himself in order to display His transcendental pastimes and a
ttract the conditioned nitya-baddha souls back to their nitya-siddha Krishna Con
scious body that is perpetually in His eternal abode known as Goloka-Vrndavana.

In other words Krishna wants all marginal living entities to again re-establish,
regain and remember the ‘awareness’ of their ‘forever present’, full spiritual potentia
l nitya-siddha ‘svarupa’ body that is ‘forever’ there in Goloka, due to the nature of th
e eternal presence of Goloka, even while one is ‘sub-consciously’ dreaming as nitya-
baddha within the mahat-tattva or material dream of Maha-Vishnu.

Those devotees, sannyasis, Gurus and pandits who hint or blatently claim we have
n t seen Krishna and originate from the inactive aspect of the Brahmajyoti shoul
d humbly understand that Srila Prabhupada says yes that may be true however, lon
g, long, long, long before being in the impersonal Brahmajyoti or a dormant cond
ition of consciousness, they were with Krishna as there full potential nitya-sid
dha body

No material cause" means the jiva can t blame a fall down on material circumstan
ces. Similarly, we have a choice to surrender to Krsna and the Spiritual Master
by our own free will