“Persons who have achieved eternal, blissful life exactly on the level of Shri Krishna, and who are able to attract Lord Krishna by their transcendental loving service, are called eternally perfect. The technical name is nitya-siddha. There are two classes of living entities-namely, nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. The distinction is that the nitya-siddhas are eternally Krishna conscious without any forgetfulness, whereas the nitya-baddhas, or eternally conditioned souls, are forgetful of their relationship with Krishna.” (The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 25)

Download this episode (right click and save)

Within the context of a discussion on the difference between an eternally bound individual, nitya-baddha, and an eternally liberated soul, nitya-siddha, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gives two examples to illustrate the existence of choice, or free-will, and how a certain level of intelligence essentially takes away that choice, voluntarily.

Because otherwise the concept of an eternally liberated soul is difficult to comprehend. The promise of the bhakti-yoga path is to go back to Godhead. We are to return to the healthy condition. We have been mired in illusion for too long. We take the inverted tree that is material existence to be the real thing, and like monkeys we traverse from branch to branch, spending significant time on each leaf, which is like a different department of knowledge.

न रूपम् अस्येह तथोपलभ्यते
नान्तो न चादिर् न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा
अश्वत्थम् एनं सु-विरूढ-मूलम्
असङ्ग-शस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा
ततः पदं तत् परिमार्गितव्यं
यस्मिन् गता न निवर्तन्ति भूयः
तम् एव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये
यतः प्रवृत्तिः प्रसृता पुराणी

na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyate
nānto na cādir na ca sampratiṣṭhā
aśvattham enaṁ su-virūḍha-mūlam
asaṅga-śastreṇa dṛḍhena chittvā
tataḥ padaṁ tat parimārgitavyaṁ
yasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ
tam eva cādyaṁ puruṣaṁ prapadye
yataḥ pravṛttiḥ prasṛtā purāṇī

“The real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. No one can understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation is. But with determination one must cut down this tree with the weapon of detachment. So doing, one must seek that place from which, having once gone, one never returns, and there surrender to that Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything has begun and in whom everything is abiding since time immemorial.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.3-4)

Bhagavad-gita explains the difference between Vaikunthaloka and mrityu-loka as such. Mrityu-loka is the planetary system with birth and death. There are different grades of living. High and low. Heavenly and hellish. There is variety in the placement within that planetary system. As a bird. As an animal. As a plant. As an intelligent human being.

No matter the specific conditions we may find, there is always repeated birth. Death causes birth, and then birth causes death. This is the cycle known as the transmigration of the soul, which in common conversation might be referred to as reincarnation. The material world is the playing field, kshetra, upon which the shifts to the temporary body, prakriti, take place in this system of reincarnation.

आ-ब्रह्म-भुवनाल् लोकाः
पुनर् आवर्तिनो ऽर्जुन
माम् उपेत्य तु कौन्तेय
पुनर् जन्म न विद्यते

ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ
punar āvartino ‘rjuna
mām upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate

“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.16)

Vaikunthaloka is different because the people who reach there never have to return. They do not have to fall back to a lower planetary system. This means that death stops. Since there is no death, there is no birth. There is no transmigration, either. The distinction between spirit and matter ceases. Every resident has an eternally blissful body. This is similar to the standing of the proprietor, who is the Supreme Lord.

Vaikunthaloka sounds great, but upon reaching there does choice cease to exist? Are liberated individuals turned into stone? They cannot be moved? There is no shaking possible? They are forever stuck in that place? Eternally bound, nitya-baddha, is easy to understand. Unless someone corrects me, I will continue to do the wrong thing. Unless and until I take the medicine, the disease will remain.

His Divine Grace makes the comparison of placing a hand in fire. I might do it one time, out of ignorance. After the horrible experience, I will never do it again. Not intentionally, at least. I have the vivid memory. The choice is always there, but I will never exercise that choice.

The same applies to a bitter experience like marriage. Living with someone, seeing them day after day, hearing their abuses – after a while it becomes too much to take. If I should happen to escape, to eventually gain relief, I will never go back. No bribe could convince me. No amount of money will cause me to even consider that choice.

विषया विनिवर्तन्ते
निराहारस्य देहिनः
रस-वर्जं रसो ऽप्य् अस्य
परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते

viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ‘py asya
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

“The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.59)

In this way, we see that someone can be fixed in their liberated state but also have the option to decline. They can always choose to disengage from devotional service, but the nitya-siddhas never exercise that choice. They have experienced something much better, a higher taste, and so they will never settle for something temporary, bitter, and illusory.

In Closing:

Like placing hand in fire,
From the pain to transpire.

Immediately a vow taking,
That same mistake not making.

Despite choice always there,
Of consequences aware.

Way for nitya-siddha to explain,
After Vaikuntha to attain.

Categories: liberation

Tags: god, hare krishna, heaven, jiva, poem, poems, poetry, religion, salvation