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Contemplating the Two Jiva Fall Scenarios
BY: RASAPREMA DASA
Aug 29, 2010 — AUSTRIA (SUN) — An invitation to apply meditative transcendental vision to seeing the Truth.
Putting all the quotes aside, let us approach the initial fall of the jiva from another angle, the angle of transcendental vision rather than intellectualism and argumentation. The devotees are invited to contemplate the following two scenarios and see which rings true in their heart. Ultimately, the potency of Vedic Siddhanta resides in the fact that Vedic Siddhanta is an exposition of reality beyond illusion. In this manner, Vedic Siddhanta is rooted in Truth; it is not a speculative assertion. The potency of Truth is self-evident; it needs no support external to itself. The sun in the sky is self-evidently the source of the heat and light that we experience upon earth. In the same way, we invite the devotee with unprejudiced mind to contemplate the two competing scenarios that are at the heart of the conflict and see which takes root in the heart of the soul as the Self-Evident Truth.
Thus by open-hearted, dispassionate contemplation let us see which fall of jiva scenario is self-evidently correct – which rings True. Remember to be unbiased as you contemplate the truth of the following two scenarios:
Scenario One: Initial Fall from the Causal Ocean

Balaram emanates jivas in Goloka for the service of Sri Krsna.

Ananta Sesa, the expansion of Balaram emanates jivas in the Vaikunthalokas for the service of Sri Narayana.

Sri Maha Visnu, the expansion of Ananta Sesa through the Catuh-Vyuha, emanates jivas within the tatastha region of the Causal Ocean.

The jivas having been expanded from Sri Maha Visnu awaken from susputi into neutral consciousness at which point they perceive the Magnificent Supremacy of the Unlimited Lord.

Perceiving the supremacy the jiva, by their own free will, either surrender to or rebel against that supremacy of the Lord.

Those jivas that surrender attain the shelter of the hladini-shakti and under Her guidance their svarupa, constitutional form, is awoken and they are absorbed in the service of the Sri Krsna, attaining eternal residence on the spiritual planets of the Lord from which they never fall.

Those jivas that rebel, wishing to be independent enjoyers, attain the shelter of the illusory maya-shakti. Sri Maya devi covers such souls by the subtle and gross material bodies and thus their original constitutional nature as servants of the Supreme Lord is forgotten. Encased in the material bodies, these jivas rotate in different species of life throughout the material planets according to their material desire and deeds.

Those fallen jivas who are fortunate attain the association of the Lord's devotees even within the material prison house. By such sadhu-sanga, they become inspired to walk the spiritual path. By taking shelter of the sadhu, their dormant spiritual form and nature becomes awoken and they lose attachment to everything material.

Upon eventual attainment of the requisite spiritual qualification, these aspirant jivas take birth in the universe where Sri Krsna's Gokula pastimes are manifest. There in the direct association of Sri Krsna and His nitya-siddha devotees, these jivas shake off the final tinges of material contamination, and with the full manifestation of their svarupa, they attain unmotivated krsna-prema.

Now fully realized in their spiritual nature and form, these perfected jivas enter the transcendental lila of the Supreme Lord. Thus, they may enter the transcendental planets, such as Goloka Vrndavana, from which they never fall again to material conditioning. Or they may continue in the travelling Gokula Bhauma Lila. Or they may enter any of the Lord's pastimes according to the their own desire and/or the request of the Lord.

Suffice it to say that for the devotionally liberated soul, the full range of the Lord's pastimes is available. And having attained this status, the jiva never falls into material conditioning again.

All the above points can be substantiated by reference to the Vedas, sruti and srmti, and the commentaries of the Vaisnava Acaryas.
Scenario Two: Initial Fall from Goloka Vrndavana
Points as extracted from the writings of the Goloka-Envy-Fallvadis (GEFs)

Jiva is in Goloka Vrndavana. He is immersed in krsna-prema and his svarupa, spiritual form and nature is fully manifest (Bahushira dasa, Drutakarma dasa).

At some point in the krsna-lila, the prema immersed nitya-siddha-jiva rebels against the supremacy of Sri Krsna. He becomes materially envious of Sri Krsna by His own free will (Rupanuga dasa) and wants to be Krsna himself.

Envious and rebellious, the jiva falls asleep in Goloka Vrndavana and sub-consciously dreams, perhaps on a bed, that he is in the material world (Gaura-gopala dasa).

Because transcendental time is eternal, one moment of eternal time is equivalent to billions of dreaming lifetimes in the material world (Ravindra Svarupa dasa).

The zillions of materially conditioned jivas never leave Goloka but only dream their material existence while in Goloka.

When the dream body is in the material world, the nitya-siddha body is sleeping in Goloka and forgotten.

While in his dream body in the material world, the fallen jiva meets a sadhu who awakens him to Krsna-consciousness. In this way, eventually the jiva wakes up in Goloka and carries on with his devotional service as if nothing had every happened.

Jiva is now awake again, however he might fall again to material conditioning because he always has "free will" (Rupanuga dasa, Patita-pavana dasa, Bahushira dasa, Gaura-gopala dasa).

Srila Prabhupada's statements that "No one ever falls from the Vaikuntha Planets" only means that most jivas don't fall again. Why? "No one falls" means "souls do fall" because there are a lot more serving souls in Vaikuntha than the materially dreaming souls, therefore the zillions of souls that do fall mean "no one" in comparison (Patita-pavana dasa, etc.).

All the above points have been explained by the GEFs, as mentioned in situ. These points they have interpreted from selected quotations of Srila Prabhupada. The GEFs do not quote sastra in support of their scenario, regarding their interpretations as sufficient. Thus, the Vedas, sruti and smrti, are sidelined.
Invitation to Contemplate
Devotees are invited to visualize and contemplate the above two scenarios and decide which is a source of transcendental enlightenment. May the Supreme Lord, who dwells within the heart of all living beings, guide your Krsna-consciousness.
Aum Tat Sat

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