Return to the Material World?

[Guest guest]

Taken from Dialectic Spiritualism:

 

Sysmasundara dasa: Can we ever predict the movements of the life force?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, it is moving in a variety of dresses, but its ultimate future is to return home, back to Godhead. But because the individual soul is acting unintelligently, he has to be kicked in the face very strongly by material nature. then he will come to his senses. That is his position. When he thinks intelligently, he realizes that it is his duty to serve K§øëa instead of his own material body. In this material world, we see that everybody is trying to be happy, but everyone is constantly being frustrated. This is because material happiness ultimately means frustration. This is maya's way of kicking.

Syamasundara dasa: In any case, the life force will eventually return to Godhead?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, everyone will sooner or later. Some sooner, and some later.

Syamasundara dasa: But can we predict that the process of punishment will have some permanent effect? Many prisoners leave the prison, but some come back.

Srila Prabhupada: There is nothing permanent. Because we have a little independence, we have the freedom to misuse our independence again and return to the prison; otherwise there is no meaning to independence. Independence means that you can do what you like.

 

 

Hayagriva dasa: Can we forget K§øëa eternally?

Srila Prabhupada: No, it is not possible. A son may be separated from his father, but it is not possible for him to forget his father eternally. Sometimes he remembers his father. The father is always remembering the son, and looking forward to the time when the son will obey his orders. So there is no question of forgetting perpetually.

Sysmasundara dasa: Becasue the living entity has independence, at one moment he may be liberated, and at another moment, conditioned?

Srila Prabhupada: K§øëa has given you liberation. When you misuse your liberation, you become entrapped.

Sysmasundara dasa: But is this all predictable? Can we know it beforehand?

Srila Prabhupada: What is the use of all this predication? The prediction is that the living entity will be kicked, kicked, kicked, and kicked, until someday he will come to K§øëa.

Sysmasundara dasa: So after falling down many times, the living entity will eventually come to Krsna and remain permanently. Is that right?

Srila Prabhupada: No, there is no question of permanence. Because the living entity has independence, he can misuse that independence and fall down again. a man is not permanently free just because he's relieased from prison. He can return to prison agian. There is no guarantee. This is what is meant by eternally conditioned. the living entities in the spiritual sky who are eternally liberated will never be conditioned because they never choose to misuse their independence. They are vey experienced.

 

ethos