Fall of the Jiva

Fall of the jiva

>I must first admit my inept position of having NOT read the GBC position

>book 'Our Original Position'. However, I do wish to understand this

>siddhanta succinctly. In a nutshell, O venerable vaisnavas, is the

>following correct?:

Please read the book 'Our Original Position" and then one can be protected from all apasiddhanta and all of one's doubts are completely cleared on this subject matter. This book is a very comprehensive, scholarly presentation published with a lot of effort. I feel that this book is one of GBC's major accomplishments in establishing the supremacy & straight-forwardness of the purports of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada over all vicious & dangerous speculations which try to undermine the purports and the crystal clear opinion of Srila Prabhupada.

>If this is indeed correct, then our original position would be being

>'merged' in the brahmajyoti, evaluated as 'impersonal (brahman)

>liberation', attainable by Jnana-yogis.

No, the conclusion is not correct as explained by Visvahetu prabhu in a comment to your text. The conclusion is given by Prabhupada in his purport to the verse SB 4.28.54:

"The original home of the living entity and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the spiritual world. In the spiritual world both the Lord and the living entities live together very peacefully. Since the living entity remains engaged in the SERVICE OF THE LORD, they both share a blissful life in the spiritual world. However, when the living entity wants to enjoy himself, he falls down into the material world. Even while in that position, the Lord remains with him as the Supersoul, his intimate friend. Because of his forgetfulness, the living entity does not know that the Supreme Lord is accompanying him as the Supersoul. In this way the living entity remains conditioned in each and every millennium."

>6. Bhakti-yoga elevates the jiva ultimately to Vaikuntha.

Bhakti-yoga revives our original position (nitya-siddha krsna prema...) as shown by the words 'HE AGAIN' in the translation of Srimad-Bhagavatam verse 3.31.15:

"This conditional life is due to his forgetfulness of his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, without the Lord's mercy, how can *** HE AGAIN*** engage in the transcendental loving service to the Lord?""

i.e Bhakti-yoga takes us BACK to Godhead where we originally belong.

>1. Living entities in Vaikuntha DO NOT fall down, ever.

From OOP:

The authors say,"There is no mention of fallen nitya-muktas in the scriptures." (Leaves, p. 215) This is not quite true. Evidence for possible falldowns of nitya-muktas also comes from the story of how Lord Caitanya rescued his servant Kala Krsnadasa from the allurements of the Bhattatharis during the Lord's tour of South India. In his discussions of that pastime, Srila Prabhupada wrote that it is possible for a devotee to fall down from the Lord's direct association.

There are also some references about souls coming to the material world from the spiritual world. The story of Jaya and Vijaya is one example. Of course, this is a special case, but Srila Prabhupada sometimes used it as an analogy for the fall of ordinary souls into the material world.

Finally, there is a narration in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana in which two of the Lord's intimate associates fall down to the material world. We give below the English translation,* followed by the Sanskrit text...

So the conclusion is that please read OOP for solving all doubts.

Your servant, Nayana-ranjana dasa (Text COM:2094324) -----------------------------------------

Srila Prabhupada Folio

Prabhupada: Whatever it may be, the falldown is there. So because we are living entities, we are not as powerful as Krsna, therefore we may fall down from Vaikuntha at any moment.

Kulasekhara: Could you explain a little bit about the position in which we were situated in the spiritual sky before coming to the material world?

Devotee: What position did we occupy in the spiritual sky before we fell into the material world?

Prabhupada: You are already in the spiritual sky, but you are simply covered. Just like the sun is already there. You are also already there, but there is a cloud which hinders your checking, your seeing of the sun. Similarly... The sky is one, when it is clouded or not clouded. So actually we are always in the spiritual world. But when you forget Krsna by the cloud of illusion that is material. Try to understand. There is allotted(?)... When the sky is clouded, you cannot see the sun, it does not mean that you are in a different sky. You are in the same sky. When the cloud is clear, you are in the same sky. But the difference of position is due to the cloud. That is called maya. When you forget Krsna, that is material. And as soon as you become Krsna conscious, that is spiritual. Just like here, this temple is not in London. It is Vaikuntha.

Prabhupada: So even in the Vaikuntha, if I desire that "Why shall I serve Krsna? Why not become Krsna?" I immediately fall down. That is natural.

Regarding your questions concerning the spirit souls falling into Maya's influence, it is not that those who have developed a passive relationship with Krsna are more likely to fall into nescient activities. Usually anyone who has developed his relationship with Krsna does not fall down in any circumstance, 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 Krsna is never lost, simply it is forgotten by the influence of Maya, so it may be regained or revived by the process of hearing the Holy Name of Krsna and then the devotee engages himself in the service of the Lord which is his original or constitutional position. The relationship of the living entity with Krsna is eternal as both Krsna and the living entity are eternal; the process is one of revival only, nothing new.