Do spiritual bodies die or become comatose?

Guruvani · September 16, 2007

That fragmental portion, when liberated from the bodily entanglement, revives its original spiritual body in the spiritual sky in a spiritual planet and enjoys association with the Supreme Lord.

In this purport Srila Prabhupada seems to be saying that perfected liberated souls in the spiritual world somehow die or lose consciousness.

How does this fit in with all the shastric statements about the infalibility of liberated devotees of Krishna?

Srila Prabhupada:

Prabhupada: Eternally liberated, they never forget Krsna. There is no period
throughout the existence... There is no question of existence. It is their

all existence. Never touched by maya, forgetfulness. That is nitya-mukta.

So how can we reconcile these apparent contradictions?

As I was grappling with this issue something came into my mind.

What Srila Prabhupada is saying is not that liberated souls in Vaikuntha die or lose consciousness, but that in the process of spiritualizing our entire existence in devotional service our material body becomes spiritualized and at the time of death this spiritual body is revived in the spiritual world in an aprakrita body suitable to the service we choose to offer to Krishna.

The revival of the spiritual body does not mean reviving a spiritual body in Vaikuntha that we lost consciousness of, but that the spiritual body we can develop in devotional service here in the material world can be revived in Vaikuntha or Goloka according to our aspirations and attraction to serve Krishna in a particular rasa.

It has to be.

Because there is no possibility that infallible, liberated souls in Vaikuntha or Goloka can ever lose consciousness of their spiritual forms or their service to the Lord.

What this means is that if we don't attain a spiritual body by serving Krishna in this world there is no chance that we can revive a spiritual body in Vaikuntha.

Otherwise, Srila Prabhupada is contradicting himself and shastra so many times with statements like in the purport above.

The proposal that gopis and cowherd boys are losing consciousness and love for Krishna and taking birth in the material world is so much opposed to the Gaudiya siddhanta that it is not even funny.

Guruvani · September 16, 2007

A pure devotee of the Lord can never forget those lotus feet in any circumstance. He will not give up his shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord for a single moment-indeed, not for half a moment-even in exchange of the benediction of ruling and enjoying the opulence of the entire universe. (Bhag. 11.2.53, text)

The living entities [jivas] are divided into two categories. Some are eternally liberated, and others are eternally conditioned. Those who are eternally liberated are always awake to Krsna consciousness, and they render transcendental loving service at the feet of Lord Krsna. They are to be considered eternal associates of Krsna, and they are eternally enjoying the transcendental bliss of serving Krsna. (Cc. Madhya-lila 22.10-11, text)

In the spiritual sky there are spiritual planets known as Vaikunthas, which are the residence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His pure devotees) (Bhag. 3.15.13, text.)

. . . and in the spiritual world every living entity is called infallible. (Bg. 15.16, text)

Srila Rupa Gosvami:
Even the associates of the Lord are described as having eternal forms. (Laghu-bhag. 1.143)

The samprapta-siddhas are those who have become perfect by performing bhakti and nitya-siddhas are those who have never been conditioned and thus are eternally siddhas. (Brs. 2.1.281, text)

The nitya-siddha devotees love Krsna millions of times more than their own selves. They all have eternal, blissful qualities just like Lord Krsna. (Brs. 2.1.290, text)

Mahavisnu, the incarnation of Sankarsana, establishing Himself in the jiva-sakti as Paramatma, reveals the jiva-souls of the mundane world. These jivas are susceptible to the influence of maya. Till by dint of God's grace they get shelter under the Hladini (bliss-giving) element of the cit-sakti, they are liable to be overcome by maya. As such, the conclusion is that it is the jiva-sakti that begets the jivas, and not the cit-sakti. (Jaiva-Dharma, p. 216)

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:
Jivas are of two kinds. 1) Nitya-mukta (eternally free) 2) Nitya-baddha (eternally enslaved). Free jivas are never enslaved. They are ever serving the Supreme God. (Vaisnavism Real and Apparent, Lecture, Bhaktisiddanta S T

The nitya-siddha devotees never fall down to the region of the material atmosphere even though they sometimes come into the material plane to execute the mission of the Lord. (Bhag. 3.3.26, purp.

The eternally liberated souls are called nitya-muktas, and they have nothing to do with the material creation. The material creation is meant for rebellious souls who are not prepared to accept subordination under the Supreme Lord. (Bhag. 3.5.29, purp.)

. . a devotee in the transcendental abode of the Lord never falls. (Bhag. 3.15.48, purp.)

After finishing their mock fighting, both the devotee and the Lord are again associated in the spiritual planets. That is very explicitly explained here. The conclusion is that no one falls from the spiritual world or Vaikuntha planet, for it is the eternal abode. (Bhag. 3.16.26, purp.)

A devotee once accepted by the Lord, can never fall down. That is the conclusion of this incident. [Jaya and Vijaya] (Bhag. 3.16.29, purp.)

(Bhag. 4.16.19, purp.)

A devotee once accepted by the Lord, can never fall down. That is the conclusion of this incident. [Jaya and Vijaya] (Bhag. 3.16.29, purp.)

(Bhag. 4.24.61, purp.)

Some living entities are conditioned, and others are eternally free. The eternally free living entities are called nitya-mukta, for they never come in contact with the material energy.

All the residents of Vaikunthaloka know perfectly well that their master is Narayana, or Krsna, and that they are all His servants. They are all self-realized souls who are nitya-mukta, everlastingly liberated. Although they could conceivably declare themselves Narayana or Visnu, they never do so; they always remain Krsna conscious and serve the Lord faithfully. Such is the atmosphere of Vaikunthaloka. (Bhag. 6.1.34-6, purp.)

Therefore it is to understood that when Jaya and Vijaya descended to this material world, they came because there was something to be done for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise it is a fact that no one falls from Vaikuntha. (Bhag. 7.1.35, purp.)

From time immemorial the nitya-mukta living entity has always been a devotee of Krsna, and his only attempt has been to serve Krsna. Thus he never forgets his eternal servitorship to Krsna. (Cc. Madhya-lila 20.118, purp.)

(Cc Madhya-lila 22.14-15, purp.)

the nitya-muktas never come in contact with the external energy. Sometimes an ever-liberated personal associate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends into this universe just as the Lord descends.

So, was Srila Prabhupada contradicting all this and saying that in fact these nitya-muktas actually do fall in maya and forget their spiritual bodies, their love for Krishna and there service to the Lord.

I don't think so.

What Srila Prabhupada is saying is not that liberated souls in Vaikuntha die or lose consciousness, but that in the process of spiritualizing our entire existence in devotional service our material body becomes spiritualized and at the time of death this spiritual body is revived in the spiritual world in an aprakrita body suitable to the service we choose to offer to Krishna.

The rivival of the spiritual body does not mean reviving a spiritual body in Vaikuntha that we lost consciousness of, but that the spiritual body we can develop in devotional service here in the material world can be revived in Vaikuntha or Goloka according to our aspirations and attraction to serve Krishna in a particular rasa.

Therefore there is no birth or death for the Vaisnavas [the eternal associates]. They descend to the material world with the Lord and return to His abode with Him. The Vaisnava is never bound by karma and thus does not take birth in the material world. (Caitanya-Bhagavata Antya-lila 10.172)

(Bhag.2.6.18, purp.)

The Lord and His eternal servitors in the transcendental kingdom all have eternal forms which are auspicious, infallible, spiritual and eternally youthful.

Is Srila Prabhupada really contradicting shastra and himself and saying that these nitya-mukta fall under the spell of illusion and forget their spiritual bodies?

I don't think so.