Tatastha-sakti - Teachings from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thaku

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"Before acquiring material designations, the living entity is supremely

pure. Even though he is not engaged in serving the Supreme Lord, he remains

situated in the neutral position of santa-rasa due to his marginal nature.

Though the living entity born from the marginal potency does not at that

time exhibit a taste for serving the Lord due to a lack of knowledge of self

realization, his direct propensity of serving the Supreme Lord nevertheless

remains within him in a dormant state. Though the indirect propensity for

material enjoyment, which is contrary to the service of the Lord, is not

found in him at that time, indifference to the service of Hari and the seed

of material enjoyment, which follows that state of indifference, are

nevertheless present within him.

 

The living entity, who belongs to the marginal potency, cannot remain

indifferent forever by subduing both devotional and nondevotional

propensities. He therefore contemplates unconstitutional activities from

his marginal position. As a sleeping person dreams that he is active in the

physical world without actually being involved in activities, when the

dormant indifferent living entity of the marginal potency exhibits even a

little apathy to the service of the Supreme Lord and situates himself in a

neutral, unchanging condition for even a little time, he is infected by

impersonalism. That is why the conditioned soul desires to merge in the

impersonal Brahman, thus exhibiting his mind's fickle nature. But due to

neglecting the eternal service of the Lord and thereby developing the

quality of aversion to the Lord, he cannot remain fixed in that position. In

this way aversion to the Lord breaks his concentration of mind and

establishes him as the master of this world of enjoyment.

 

(Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura: Brahmana and Vaishnava,

Hari-jana-khanda, p. 86-87)

 

 

Jivas are of two kinds (1) Nitya-mukta (eternally free), (2). Nitya-baddha

(eternally enslaved). Free jivas are never enslaved. They are serving the

Supreme God in five different functions in His eternal blissful abode, where

there is no change, no destruction, no misery. Jiva, once entered there,

never comes back here.

 

(Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura: Vaisnavism - Real and Apparent,

"The Bondage of the Jiva")

 

 

Vishnu has three energies, one of them is meant for manifestation of His

eternal Abode, another Potency is for creating all human souls who are

emanations from His Tatastha-shakti found between the temporal and eternal

worlds. By this potency He creates human souls. The human soul has two

different predilections. If he desires to serve God-head he is allowed into

the Eternal Region. If he desires to lord it over this world he comes down

for enjoying in different capacities the products of the Deluding Potency.

 

(Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura: Sri Caitanya's Teachings,

"Immanent and Transcendent")