Apr 11, 2013 — USA (SUN) — In the spiritual world live only liberated spirit souls. They may manifest many different bodies simultaneously. But then there is only one spirit soul who shines the same Krishna consciousness in all these bodies like a lamp in one place shines the same light all around, pradipa-vada avesa (=as a lamp enters other places by its light, Vedanta-sutra 4.4.15). Thus gopis and gopas dancing with Krishna in the spiritual world don't have a some chaya, shadow entity, in maya, dancing as the mirage-like forms circling in the samsara (=circle) from birth to death. Then they would have a materialistic part in themselves.
Thus there are flaws in Bahushira's article "Expansion of the Soul" (Part 1 & Part 2). His and Gaura Gopala dasa's theory is bahu-atma-patana-eka-atma-vada - many souls fall of the one soul; the soul in Goloka has also many parts of himself in the mahat-tattva, enjoying matter or Ekakala-patana-apatana-vada - simultaneously falls and falls not or is 100% in Krishna consciousness and 100% maya. These theories means some kind of split personality, schizophrenia-vada, the soul is up in heaven and down in hell experiencing both simultaneously.
To assume this Bahushira claims that the soul can divide itself but Sri Baladeva's Govinda bhasya on Vedanta-sutra 4.4.5 describes that the soul is indivisible and Ramanuja's Sri bhasya says that the conditioned soul has no amsas or expansions. Here are the quotes:
"The soul can assume various bodies simultaneously and as the soul is atomic in its essential form, its becoming many can be only by assuming diverse bodies."
Sri Ramanujas Sri Bhasya 4.4.15
"Just as a lamp, although abiding in one place only, enters through the light proceeding from it into connection with many places; so the soul also, although limited to one place, may through its light-like consciousness enter into several bodies. As in this life the soul, although abiding in one spot of the body only, viz. the heart, pervades the whole body by means of its consciousness. There is however the following difference between the two cases. The non-released soul has its intellectual power contracted by the influence of Karma, and hence is incapable of that expansive pervasion without which it cannot identify itself with other bodies. The released soul, on the other hand, whose intellectual power is non-contracted is capable of extending as far as it likes, and thus to make many bodies its own. For Scripture declares, 'That living soul is to be known as part of the hundredth part of the point of a hair divided a hundred times, and yet it is capable of infinity' (Svet. Up. V, 9). The non-released soul is ruled by Karma, the released one only by its will--this is the difference."
Vedanta-kausthuba, Nimbarka sampradaya's Vedanta-sutra-bhasya 4.4.15
Sutra: "The entering (into many bodies is) as in the case of a lamp, for (scripture) shows thus."
Vedanta Parijata – Nimbarka:
The soul's entering into many bodies takes place through its attribute of knowledge, as of the lamp through its ray,—"for" the scriptural text: "It is capable of infinity" (Svet. 5.9) shows thus
Vedanta-kaustubha – Srinivasa:
Apprehending the objection, viz. The manifoldness, mentioned in the text: "He becomes three-fold " (Chand. 7.26.2) and so on, is not possible on the part of the freed soul even though it may have a body, since it is never possible for one and the same soul, which is atomic by nature, to pervade many bodies,—the author replies:
"The entering" of the freed soul, atomic in size and abiding within one body, into many bodies,—i.e. its complete entering into those bodies as their soul with the thought: 'This is my body and that as well'—is possible through its attribute of knowledge. "As in the case of a lamp." That is, just as a lamp, though placed in one place, pervades many places through its attribute, viz. rays, so is the case here. "For thus " Scripture shows, "The individual soul is to be known as a hundredth part of the point of a hair, divided a hundred times, yet it is capable of infinity " (Svet. 5.9).
In other words, Bahushira prabhu is wrong in stating that the soul is simultaneously in Goloka Vrindavana and has one or many selves or souls in maya in conditioned material bodies.
The soul cannot divide itself in many parts who are all complete souls. Only Krishna can do that but even then they are all of the same consciousness. There is no schizophrenia in the spiritual world.
Another flaw: Bahushira writes -
"The quote from the Vedanta sutra 4.4.15 on the example of the shining lamp is a basic one about how the consciousness in the body spreads to different limbs."
No sampradaya commentator of Vedanta – Madhva, Ramanuja, Baladeva Nimbarka or Srinivasa interprets like that because the individual soul pervading the body by consciousness is already thoroughly discussed in the Vedanta sutra 2.3.16-43. The topic is the nature of the expansions of the liberated soul. Sri bhasya 4.4.15 uses this analogy of the soul in the heart pervading the body to explain how the mukta expands.
Another fault:
"Original jiva consciousness has connection with amsa expansion just like a person who has his body operated on and goes out of his body and is simultaneously in both gross and subtle body."
There is no two souls in this case because the soul cannot split (Vedanta sutra 4.4.5).
The soul remains in the heart otherwise the heart would stop. The mind gets the power.
As e.g. SB 11.15.4-5 describes: "Through prakamya siddhi one experiences any enjoyable object". Or in SB 11.15.6 the siddhi "hearing and seeing things far away."
Next mistake on Srila Prabhupada letter 31-8-71:
But His devotee does not expand conditioned souls, non-devotees. As we have proven above, Vedanta sutra 4.4.15. Nor can jivas in lower human forms (those in passion and ignorance) and in animal or plant form expand other "fallen jivas that misused their free will." There is no proof that this ever happened. Because they are not "His devotee who can expand." They are non-devotees".
On this he writes:
"Srila Prabhupada clarifies "Krishna can expand so His devotee can also expand" and then he says that His devotee refers to any jiva because Srila Prabhupada has said that "originally every jiva is a devotee of Krishna. But circumstantially being covered by the coat of maya, he is playing like a demon."
Srila Prabhupada says that the jiva is covered, he doesn't say an expansion of the jiva is covered. "Playing like a demon" doesn't mean it is a lila similar to what the mayavadis teach: there is only a lila of liberated souls. No one is actually imperfect, in maya.
Thus this is a wrong conclusion. Bhagavad-gita 16.6 also says:
"O son of Prtha, in this world there are two kinds of created beings. One is called the divine and the other is the demoniac. I have already explained to you at length the divine qualities. Now hear from Me of the demoniac."
Thus some jivas are non-devotees actually. Acintya-bheda-abheda-tattva is Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu's philosophy. All the souls here are actually fallen devotees. They will become devotees again. But now they are covered over. Srila Prabhupada states these eternal truths in practically every lecture, letter and purport.
As Srila Prabhupada says lecturing on SB 3.26.19:
"…again go back to home, go back to Krishna and dance with him in rasa-lila."
We came from the rasa-lila. We left, because Srila Prabhupada says: go back to Krishna.
Another fault:
"Sanjaya by the mercy of Vyasadeva was able to expand himself into two forms therefore all souls even the fallen one's in the lowest modes of nature have that ability, now, in this state of illusion."
Our comment:
All souls have the potential to create expansions just like Sanjaya but then they have to get kamarupa siddhi by meditation on Paramatma for 1000's of years generally. This is for yogis of the caliber of Satya yuga: paramahamsas.
If Bahushira prabhu assumes that these expansions or fallen souls come from the power of a liberated counterpart other self then we are split persons or person. They are the same person as Bahushira states "the original jiva consciousness has connection with amsa expansions."
Scriptures say that schizophrenia is not possible in the perfect spiritual world. You are to be pure 100% or you are put out of Vaikuntha for reformation, to the prison of Durgadevi.
As Srila Prabhupada said:
"Niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, niskincana. One has to be completely freedom, completely freedom about this material world. One should be disgusted. Then there is possibility of being transferred to the spiritual world. So long one has got a pinch of desire that "If I would have become like Brahma, or like king, like Jawaharlal Nehru," then I'll have to accept a body."
(Srila Prabhupada's lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.20)
"If you want to go back to home, back to Godhead, then at the same time, if you remain attached to this material world, so-called society, friendship and love, then it is not possible. So long you will have a pinch of attraction with this material world, there is no possibility of being transferred to the spiritual world."
(Lecture by Srila Prabhupada on Bhagavad-gita 1.26-27)
Even if you have a pinch of material desire you have to come back and take rebirth.
As Srila Prabhupada lectures on Bg. 17.1:
"if you don't stick to the spiritual principles even if you are in Vaikuntha you will fall down…in Vaikuntha no contaminated soul can stay."
It is not that you become envious or offensive and then you don't really go but only a part or division of you. You want Krishna's position as enjoyer you have to go out.
If he proposes that the souls are totally separate then how they are this soul's expansions. Then if the pastimes in the material world get wound up and the expansions come back to which original they come in.
So, yes, "by the mercy of Krishna ultimately he allows his devotees who ultimately all jivas are to expand in the universes." Ultimately – this word Bahushira prabhu forgets. Ultimately the jivas can/may expand if they by meditation for 100.000 years acquire this ability. Or Krishna's ability given to a pure devotee.
Then another mistake:
This is not so. The soul and its expansions are all the same full – Vedanta sutra 4.4.15.
Another:
"The amsa has the same attributes as the original but the expanded amsa has his divine qualities covered."
There is only one soul and one consciousness in a soul in the spiritual world. This is in Ramanuja's Sribhasya on Vedanta sutra 4.4.11:
"As a self which is incapable of being cut or divided, cannot possibly have many forms, it is made out that his becoming threefold, fivefold, sevenfold etc. is due to the body or bodily expansions."
And then in Vedanta sutra 4.4.14 he makes the purvapaksa object:
"It has been stated above that the individual self is of the size of an atom. How as regarding the many bodies, there can be the idea of being of one's own on the part of a single thing (i.e. self) which is an atom."
To this objection the srutakara (Vyasadeva the writer) replies thus:
"The entering (into many bodies is) as in the case of a lamp, for (scripture) shows thus."
Then Sri Ramanujas Sri Bhasya 4.4.15:
"Just as a lamp, although abiding in one place only, enters through the light proceeding from it into connexion with many places; so the soul also, although limited to one place, may through its light-like consciousness enter into several bodies. As in this life the soul, although abiding in one spot of the body only, viz. the heart, pervades the whole body by means of its consciousness."
In other words, there are not many souls as Bahushira dasa proposes. There is one soul and one consciousness in all the different bodies or bodily expansions or forms. If this one souls is a schizophrenic (which no liberated soul is) then still at one particular time there is one particular state of consciousness and at the next moment another.
Next flaw:
The spiritual body of the jiva comes here in a contracted form. This is in Vedanta sutra 4.4.3 commentaries.
Another:
Then the material expansion is annihilated. We are a soul now here we experience. Then we go out or are put out? The one or a soul dies? Or if they merge then there is two spiritual atoms or souls. Which one is you?
Then Srila Prabhupada has told Gaura Gopala dasa (is this recorded? Gaura Gopala dasa may have misconstrued as he has done many times, see our replies on his dream-fall-vada articles) "your bodily form is in Vaikuntha."
Yes this is a standard point of Vedic philosophy.
Our spiritual form is now covered over by the material body. When we are Krishna conscious this body becomes spiritualized and is no longer material. The spirit soul within becomes blossomed again into its original spiritual form of the spiritual world. Srila Prabhupada explains this in a lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.1, May 21, 1975, Melbourne:
Madhudvisa: He is asking if they were actually covered in the spiritual world as well.
Prabhupada: Not in the spiritual world. There that is voluntary. Some devotee wants to serve Krishna as flower; they become flower there. If I want that "As a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krishna," 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 Krishna as cow, he serves Krishna as cow, as calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham [Bg. 4.11]. That is Krishna's all-powerfulness, spiritual life.
Srila Prabhupada doesn't speak of two persons one in the material and one in the spiritual world who are the same.
Srila Prabhupada states split person in a letter (Feb 27, 1972).
"Your third question, what is the explanation of split-personality, actually, there are not two personalities, there is only change of mind. Therefore, the mind has to be fixed up in Krishna and then there is no more extreme change in the mind from one personality to another. There is always only one personality, it is just that if the mind is very disturbed, it may change in extreme way; if such person is devotee; best remedy is to sit down very tightly and chant Hare Krishna very loudly and hear for the a long time until he feels himself one-minded and fixed on Krishna's Lotus Feet."
So there is only one soul.
The same person or soul cannot be simultaneously in Krishna consciousness in the spiritual world and in Maya, not Krishna conscious elsewhere.
Even if one claims "subconsciously" one is in maya, then this is not a liberated soul who is 100% pure. Nor are we conditioned souls, here, now, "subconscious." We are conscious, with a center and substrate of consciousness an "I" in the physical heart here now (see (already answered) in our "Fallen souls don't expand fallen amsas.")
Next:
"The original consciousness is Krishna consciousness; there is no difference between the soul and the consciousness like in the material world."
Therefore there cannot be a part of the consciousness in maya and an original in Krishna consciousness. They are the same as the soul, who is pure. Bahushira dasa contradicts himself here.
Also by adding that there is a difference between soul and consciousness in the material world. Now he says there is also a soul in the material world. And there is also one in Goloka. Two souls. One is in Krishna consciousness and the other who is the same with a different consciousness?!
Bahushira dasa quotes a letter of Srila Prabhupada Dec12, 1968:
"Just like Krishna is always in the spiritual world, so similarly He is always in the material world and His Pastimes are going on there also. In the material world, Krishna also has eternal associates, such as Arjuna and Kunti Devi. There is a difference between the body and soul of Arjuna and Kunti Devi. But although Arjuna is with Krishna in innumerable different material universes at one time, still there is only one spirit soul who is Arjuna. This spirit soul expands into many different bodies and thus you can understand that there are also incarnations of devotees as well as incarnations of Krishna. This is the power of the spirit soul, that it is unlimited."
Bahushira dasa changed Srila Prabhupada's words. It is not "The spirit soul expands" but "This soul (of Arjuna, the liberated soul).
"This is the power of the spirit soul" means in the context of this letter the power of the liberated spirit soul. And the expansions are of the same consciousness (Vedanta Sutra 4.4.15)
Conditioned souls don't expand amsas, it is a siddhi for advanced yogis (SB 11.15.6)
Then Srila Prabhpada confirms that this is only for liberated souls saying "such conceptions can't be understood by conditioned souls." They cannot understand it, what to speak of executing it (expanding amsas). If Srila Prabhupada would mean all souls, he would or should have said "This is the power of all conditioned spirit souls also at the time they are conditioned. Any human, animal, plant on this planet can do it," because he changed the topic. The topic was the liberated soul. Instead he says this is the power of the spirit soul, the same spirit soul who he speaks of in the sentence before, "this spirit soul (of Arjuna) expands into many bodies."
He says never anywhere: conditioned souls have unlimited power. He always says that the conditioned soul is limited in power, if he becomes liberated he gets power.
The topic to the answer on the second question is Arjuna and Kuntidevi, liberated souls, eternal associates. "This" kind of souls expand into many bodies. "This is the power of the spirit soul" is the soul who is liberated.
Because that is what the question and the answer is about.
The first question and answer of this letter was also about the liberated soul. Here is the rest of the letter:
My Dear Saradia,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your recent letter and I have noted the contents with pleasure. Your kind thoughts which you expressed are very nice and encouraging to me. Also you have asked some intelligent questions and I am answering them here.
You have asked how Krishna is with the spirit soul in the spiritual world and the answer is that Krishna is in the heart of the spirit soul, or spiritual body, So Krishna is never apart from us. Either He remains in the heart of the material body, or He remains in the heart of the spiritual body. This is Krishna's Causeless Mercy to all of His beloved children, or living entities.
To answer your second question, you should know that Arjuna and Kunti Devi are not in Krishna Loka. They are eternally associated with Krishna only in the material world. Just like Krishna is always in the spiritual world, so similarly He is always in the material world and His Pastimes are going on there also. In the material world, Krishna also has eternal associates, such as Arjuna and Kunti Devi. There is a difference between the body and soul of Arjuna and Kunti Devi. But although Arjuna is with Krishna in innumerable different material universes at one time, still there is only one spirit soul who is Arjuna. This spirit soul expands into many different bodies and thus you can understand that there are also incarnations of devotees as well as incarnations of Krishna. This is the power of the spirit soul, that it is unlimited. Such conception cannot be understood while one is still in the conditioned state.
Regarding your third question, both incidents are correct. I hope these shall answer your questions. Please convey my blessings to Satsvarupa, Jadurani, Devananda, Rukmini and all others. Hope you are all well.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Then Bahushira says: "Arjuna is showing the souls capability in this world…Arjuna is expanding while in this material world."
What Arjuna is showing is what the liberated soul – as Arjuna is – can do.
Another fault:
That is not the same. Because a nitya mukta soul can fall down to become a nitya baddha soul that doesn't mean that a nitya mukta soul has an expansion as a nityta baddha.
Nitya mukta becoming a nitya baddha means the soul in the spiritual world leaves from there and goes to the material world. This is not the same as that the soul splits and one soul or entity of the same (double) soul stays in the spiritual world and one souls of that soul goes to the material world. And that one soul present in two places is only aware of his presence in two places in his soul in the spiritual world. One soul knows he is in the spiritual world and one soul knows he is in the material world but the one in the material world doesn't know that he is also in the spiritual world, although he is the same soul.
This is not an esoteric subject as Bahushira dasa names it. It is a nonexisting subject. How am I the same soul as the one in the spiritual world, if I don't know and experience him although it is me. And I am a soul, an "I" the substratum or center of consciousness here and now. That I experience. I am not a reflection, shadow or sub-I. I should have the same experience of my "I" up there.
If Krishna expands the expansions may not know each other due to yoga-maya. That is lila and under the control of the Supreme controller. But our souls here are not in lila or pastimes of pleasure. We are actually suffering, no ananda, full of ignorance, no cit and temporary. No sat.
**Then Bahushira says: Plenary portion of the demigod is acting in an independent way, separate in thinking from the demigod in heaven.**
Vedanta sutra 4.4.15 establishes that they are of the same soul and consciousness. The activities may be different but are of the same one person with one mind. No schizophrenia even in the bhoga-lokas.
Just as the hand, feet etc. the karmendriyas of a person here act differently but all act on the basis of the same consciousness. Not that the plenary expansion is e.g. in animal consciousness tada-rajas-tamo-bhava, kama-lobha-krodha-moha-matsarya-mada. Demigods may display kamarupa siddhi but the ant or mosquito in your room cannot do that.
Gangulis Mahabharata translation can be referred to but on finer, philosophical points we should check the sanskrit to see if the mayavada philosophical tinge hasn't covered the siddhantas. In the same way we can use an impersonalist's translation of Brahmavaivarta Purana to analyze story or lila and if in doubt check the sanskrit original or compare different translations.
Now on Srila Prabhupada's lecture on SB 2.9.1.
Srila Visvanatha Thakura comments on this verse SB 2.9.1:
"Verse 2.8.7 asked whether the jiva's relation to the body is with or without cause. This verse answers. A relationship of the jiva with the body and senses (artha) does not actually occur (through the beginningless avidya-sakti (maya) of the Lord (atma)), just as there is no relation of the dreamer with his dream body (except through ignorance), because the jiva is superior (parasya) to the body, being composed of knowledge (anubhavatmanah). The relationship occurs by the inconceivable energy of the Lord which is expert at doing the impossible."
In other words as a man has connection with the dream objects so the soul transcending all material coverings has no connection (in reality) with the phenomena of this world except through the Lord's maya. So the connection takes place but it is asat temporary.
In Srila Prabhupada's lecture he also says "many people inquire how the living entity who was with Krishna became fallen down in contact with this material qualities."
So the jiva "was" with Krishna not that he is still with Krishna and is also fallen away. The jiva became fallen down
Then Srila Prabhupada says "It is simply the influence of the material energy actually he is not fallen." This means asango 'hy ayam purusa.
Srila Prabhupada uses this sloka 17 times according to the Vedabase. It means the soul is like a diamond in the mud, inherently or intrinsically not muddied. It is covered over.
Govinda bhasya of Baladeva Vidyabhusana quotes in 2.3.26 Saunaka rsi from the Puranas:
yatha na kriyate jyotsna mala-praksalanan
maneh dosa-prahanan na jnanam atmanah kriyate tatha
"As by washing away the dirt that covered a jewel, the jewel's splendor is not created but merely uncovered, so by removing the dirt of materialism that covered the soul, the soul's splendor is not created, but merely uncovered.
yathodapana-khananat kriyate na jalantaram
sad eva niyate vyaktim asatah sambhavah kutah
"As by digging a well, water is brought forth but not created, so by spiritual activities the nature of the soul is brought forth but not created. How would it be possible to create the soul and the soul's qualities from nothing?
tatha heya-guna-dhvamsad avarodhadayo
gunah prakacyante na janyante nitya evatmano hi te
"When material faults are destroyed, the soul's qualities become revealed. The soul's qualities are eternal. They are never created."
In other words the soul is covered over. There is no material energy in the spiritual world so the soul who fell and is covered is here. Then Srila Prabhupada speaks how the moon covered with scattered clouds seems to move. Srila Prabhupada doesn't specify (anywhere) that he means the double or more soul construction. No sastra or mukta teaches: "you are not actually fallen. You are still in the rasa-lila in Krishna-loka. But also in all these human animal and plant species. Please descend and free yourself. Actually, I will give you a list of my amsas who got fallen in different lower modes of nature species. Please expand some amsas there for them. Please relief me of some duties to my many selves who are bewildered and ignorant and distribute books and preach to my many selves or myself. What you say?
You don't have the kamarupa siddhi yet because you are only on the bhakta program? Then tell yourself in Goloka to expand. Why tell him, it is you. What you say: "You don't know yourself there and don't know how to reach yourself." "You are in maya." (End of the story.)
This is some kind of schizophrenia, or a multisyncretic personality disorder impossible in a liberated jiva.
Then Srila Prabhupada says: "Because he is a spiritual spark of the supreme it has not fallen. But he is thinking 'I am fallen, I am material, I am this body.'" This means that the body has no connection with the soul as the moon is far away from the cloud.
Note that the soul is here and thinking I am this body. But constitutionally he has nothing to do with matter. Srila Prabhupada doesn't say he is up, not fallen and down fallen. The soul is fallen here but actually not part of the material world, not in the fallen world. "In this world but not of this world."
Srila Prabhupada doesn't specify that there is a moon above the clouds and another moon down, or one moon above the clouds and another far above the clouds.
He says that by the maneuvering of the illusory energy we, souls think we are of this material world. This is because of the modes of nature. But we are from beyond matter. These modes don't work on the soul in Goloka.
Srila Prabhupada next compares the relationship of the soul with the material world to a dreamer and his dream of e.g. a tiger attacking.
Again he doesn't say there is a soul in the spiritual world and a soul in the material world. He could have easily put it in. "There are two you's or souls. One is in maya and the other is awake, always in the spiritual world, you are one." Srila Prahupada is always very precise, clear and frank. And he will repeat it from all angles many many many times.
Then he says: "Actually the dreamer has no contact with the tiger."
In one sense, but there is contact, also. The (original) soul is in the dream. So the soul is in matter really but temporarily.
A person in hallucination is fearful of a tiger in dream but another man who is awake by his side sees no tiger there. The tiger is a myth for both of them namely the person dreaming and the person awake because actually there is no tiger: but the man forgetful of his awaken life is fearful, whereas the man who has not forgotten his position is not at all fearful of the so called tiger. (Bg. 2.20 p)
When you sleep at night, then you dream, means subtle body. So these activities of this gross body stop. You again work in the subtle body. You dream that you have gone to somewhere or in the forest or somewhere, somewhere, somewhere. But you forget that "My real body is lying in this bed." You do not remember. This is practical. So I change this, myself. I am soul. I change from this gross body lying on bed in a very nice apartment, skyscraper building, but I have gone to the forest, and I am affronting a big tiger and I'm crying. In this bed I am crying. The friends say, "Why you are crying?" "Tiger, tiger, tiger." Where is tiger? This is called subtle body. So you are changing daily at night from this gross body to the subtle body. And again the dream is over, from the subtle body, again to the gross body. Every one of us has got this experience. (Bg. Lecture 3.27 / 7.27.1974)
I am soul, I change at night this myself from this gross body to the subtle body. There is no two souls. The one soul changes its consciousness or vision from the gross to the subtle body so we the soul have changed our position from the spiritual to the material world.
In the same lecture he states: "So we have got almighty father and leaving His place, I have come to this material world."
Just before this analogy of the nightmare Srila Prabhupada says: "by forgetting god you are in this material world and in this material world you are changing from one body to another. That you can experience practically daily. When you sleep at night you dream means subtle body…changed from the gross body…then immediately after this analogy he says "Therefore I am the enjoyer
I am changing simply body…why you are placed here. Because I wanted to enjoy life like that…forgetting our father, god we are criminal within this material world. Therefore our only business is to get out of this prison house and go back to home, back to Godhead…liberated from changing one body to another…go back to your father…if you persist "I must go and enjoy independently," God says "All right you go" and you come and enjoy beginning from Lord Brahma down to the worm in the stool."
Srila Prabhupada doesn't say a something like "but actually one part of you stays although you want to go, you don't go, only a part of you. Although you wanted to go to enjoy you are not allowed but must stay to serve what you don't want."
In the beginning of the lecture Srila Prabhupada says: "we don't belong to the material world just like a person in the prison house is a citizen but when he goes to the prison house he gets a different dress."
Again, we are criminals. How we can still stay in the spiritual world, even partially.
So, to summarize, he is saying, (in SB 2.9.1 lecture) we are spirit soul, we have to wake up now to our real identity. Stop identifying with all the material temporary illusions. You are a spirit soul. You can ascend to a spiritual life right now. You are not fallen; you are not part of the material energy. Chant Hare Krishna and keep chanting and you'll never dream off anymore.
Then Srila Prabhupada says "We are not fallen but Krishna has given us a situation. Because we wanted to imitate Krishna. "We are not fallen because we are spiritual souls. We are not material fallen energy. We are here only a split second of eternity. So we have left Him and became covered over. He doesn't say that "you are still in Goloka." He stresses or inspires to wake up to your real nature. You are spirit soul, right now you can start Krishna consciousness again.
He continues: "Because actually we are not fallen at any moment we can revive our Krishna consciousness." If we were not actually fallen why should we revive our Krishna consciousness?
He doesn't say: "join yourself who is already liberated. You fallen one join yourself who is already in Krishna loka." Srila Prabhupada confirms this: "We can break this material connection at any moment." I.o.w. we are connected to maya.
Then the purport to SB 2.9.1 is read:
"The child cries to have the moon and the mother gives a mirror so the child has a shadow or reflection of the moon."
Again, there is no real moon in the mirror. There are no two moons and similarly there is only one soul. Nor are we shadows or reflections literary; we experience we are soul here, now.
This is an analogy which is not explained as "you are free. And half of yourself is bound. Please save half of yourself. Descend and preach to yourself. You don't know it is also you although it is you and you are one."
Next we read in the purport:
"The living entity's first sinful will is to become the Lord. The consequent will of the Lord is that the living entity forgets his actual life and thus dreams of the land of Utopia where he becomes one like the Lord."
It is not said here: "There was only a part of you sinful. That Krishna kicked out of the spiritual world. Your expansion forgot his actual life. But you are ok. Only your other self or you parted. But because you are one, all is ok. Still although the expansion is the same soul but he is in the land of utopia. Preach to him and became one again."
Then Srila Prabhupada says:
"the crying child of the Lord is given over to the shadow of the material world." The soul is given/send to the material world. Not that the soul is also kept there because the soul desired to go, why he should be still in some form in Krishna-loka, against his first sinful will."
"The soul, thus dreams of the land of Utopia where he may become one like the Lord."
The soul wishes to go to the land where he can try to become God. He will never be enjoyer and controller.
He explains these points in the questions and answers after the lecture. He says:
"you are fallen means you have some certain desires except service of Krishna…if you keep yourself tightly in Krishna's service there is no question of falling down or maya."
So the soul is actually here and fallen. But originally and constitutionally not fallen because he says that you have to gradually rise to the non-fallen platform, not artificially. "Just like when you are feverish, actually you are healthy, but it has come."
This is clear. The soul is not fallen because he is not part of the matter surrounding him. "That is external."
He says then:
He is clearly saying: you are completely in the material world as when you get sick; the disease is covering you, who are here and sick. There is not a healthy you in another dimension or world. Similarly there is no non-fallen you in the spiritual world.
The analogy is explained in the same purport "the crying child of the Lord is given over to the reflection or shadow the material world, to lord it over as karmi…" And "the dream is that the conditioned soul thinks of his material body as I and that everything in connection with the material body is mine, or falsely thinks that he is the Lord."
Nothing is esoteric. Everything is defined clearly. Nothing is left to the imagination. The conditioned soul thinks of the material body as I, and mine of everything in relation with the body. Not that the soul is in Goloka and is dreaming this. The soul is given over to the reflection, the material world. He is put out, not anymore in Goloka because of his sinful will to become the Lord. How a sinful soul can be in Goloka.
One cannot argue that the soul is in Goloka and the sinful consciousness is in the material world.
Because Ramanuja's Sri Bhasya 1.1.1 states:
"Consciousness is the attribute of a permanent conscious self…the character of consciousness is that it renders things capable of becoming objects to its own substrate...consciousness is an attribute belonging to a conscious self…that there exists a consciousness devoid of substrate we have already refuted on the ground that of a thing of this kind we have absolutely no knowledge."
There cannot be split in soul and consciousness. If the consciousness is sinful it is the soul who is sinful. A sinful soul cannot be in Goloka. The soul is thus "given over to the refection, the material world."
If one argues: the soul splits and one, the soul in the material world, is sinful then sin still is part of that one double soul. The soul in Goloka is connected to sin but no impurities are possible in Goloka; he will be put out.
If we look Bahushira prabhu in the eyes, which are the mirrors of the soul, do we see the soul in Goloka also, or only the soul here in the mahat-tattva? That we see, you are also spirit soul, Hari bolo, with us, under us. Here in the mahat-tattva.
All the senses lead to the center of consciousness. So we see into the soul, the inner chambers of the self, all the way down. The eyes are the gateways.
But if the soul in Goloka is also seen, do we see through a long tube channel or wire also into that soul? Or is it wireless?
We should see by looking into his eyes all the way into his nitya svarupa soul in Goloka because the soul in Goloka and the soul in mahat-tattva are one and the same and connected.
Patita Pavana das
