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God has given independence to everyone; therefore, if a person desires to have material enjoyment and wants very sincerely to have such facilities from the material demigods, the Supreme Lord, as Supersoul in everyone's heart, understands and gives facilities to such persons. As the supreme father of all living entities, He does not interfere with their independence, but gives all facilities so that they can fulfill their material desires. Some may ask why the all-powerful God gives facilities to the living entities for enjoying this material world and so lets them fall into the trap of the illusory energy. The answer is that if the Supreme Lord as Supersoul does not give such facilities, then there is no meaning to independence. Therefore He gives everyone full independence-whatever one likes-but His ultimate instruction we find in the Bhagavad-gita: man should give up all other engagements and fully surrender unto Him. That will make man happy. (More...)

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It is said in the Prema-vivarta that when a living entity wants to enjoy material nature, he is immediately victimized by the material energy. A living entity is not forced to come into the material world. He makes his own choice, being attracted by beautiful women. Every living entity has the freedom to be attracted by material nature or to stand as a hero and resist that attraction. It is simply a question of the living entity's being attracted or not being attracted. There is no question of his being forced to come into contact with material energy. One who can keep himself steady and resist the attraction of material nature is certainly a hero and deserves to be called a gosvami. Unless one is master of the senses, he cannot become a gosvami. The living entity can take one of two positions in this world. He may become a servant of his senses or he may become master of them. By becoming a servant of the senses, one becomes a great material hero, and by becoming master of the senses, he becomes a gosvami, or spiritual hero. (More...)

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The living entity by nature has minute independence to choose his own good or bad fortune, but when he forgets his supreme master, the Personality of Godhead, he gives himself up unto the modes of material nature. Being influenced by the modes of material nature, he identifies himself with the body and, for the interest of the body, becomes attached to various activities. Sometimes he is under the influence of the mode of ignorance, sometimes the mode of passion, and sometimes the mode of goodness. The living entity thus gets different types of bodies under the modes of material nature. (More...)

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Because of associating with the modes of nature, the living entity gets a variety of bodies from the 8,400,000 forms. It is clearly explained herein that the living entity has a little independence, indicated by the word sva-drk, meaning "one who can see his own welfare." The living entity's constitutional position is very minute, and he can be misled in his choice. He may choose to imitate the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A servant may desire to start his own business and imitate his master, and when he chooses to do so, he may leave the protection of his master. Sometimes he is a failure, and sometimes he is successful. Similarly, the living entity, part and parcel of Krsna, starts his own business to compete with the Lord. There are many competitors out to attain the Lord's position, but to become like the Lord is not at all possible. Thus there is a great struggle for existence with the material world as different parties try to imitate the Lord. Material bondage is caused by deviation from the service of the Lord and attempts to imitate Him. The Lord is imitated by Mayavadi philosophers who try to become one with the Lord in an artificial way. When the Mayavadi philosophers think of themselves as liberated, they are under the delusion of mental concoction. No one can become one with or equal to God. To imagine this is to continue one's bondage in material existence. (More...)

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Since every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has small independence. Sometimes unintelligent men ask why one is put into a miserable condition, even though everyone is under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because of his minute independence, the living entity can obey or disobey the orders of the Supreme Lord. If he obeys the Supreme Lord's orders, he becomes happy. If he does not, he becomes unhappy. Therefore the living entity creates his own happiness or unhappiness. The Supreme Lord does not enforce these on anyone. The Supreme Lord praised the Pracetas because they all faithfully obeyed the orders of their father. The Lord therefore blessed the sons of King Pracinabarhisat because they obeyed their father's orders. (More...)

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When one comes to the human form of life through natural evolution, one must then take the responsibility for further progress. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.25), yanti deva-vrata devan: one who worships the demigods can be promoted to their planets. Yanti mad-yajino 'pi mam: and if one practices devotional service to the Lord, he goes back home, back to Godhead. In the human form of life, therefore, one is meant to act auspiciously in order to return home, back to Godhead. Devotional service, however, does not depend on material conditions. Ahaituky apratihata. Of course, for those who are engaged in fruitive activities on the material platform, the times and seasons mentioned above are extremely congenial. (More...)

It is not natural. Natural means up to the animal life it is natural. Then come to the human form of life. Then it is discretion. As you like, you make your choice. If you like Krsna, you can go to Krsna. If you like something else, you can go there. That is your discretion. Everyone has got independence, little independence. Krsna says at the end of Bhagavad-gita, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66] "Just you surrender unto Me, giving up everything." If it is natural, then why should He say, "You should do this"? It is not natural. One has to learn it. Therefore he requires a spiritual master like Krsna or His representative. But he has got the potency to accept it. And because he has got little independence, he can reject it. (More...)

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So last night we discussed about the demons' thinking. Asa-pasa-satair baddhaḥ. He does not know that "So long I shall be aspiring more and more, I am getting entangled more and more within this material world. Because Krsna is so kind, He has given me freedom to enjoy this material world, but according to my work, I am becoming implicated. So long I'll have a pinch of desire for enjoying this material world, I'll have to accept a typical body." This is the law of nature. When you'll actually be free from all material desires, then it is called mukti, mukti, liberation. That is liberation. So that standard of mukti, mukti standard or mukti platform, is bhakti-yoga. (More...)

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If you want to enjoy with Krsna, that is your natural propensity, and if you en..., want to enjoy life without Krsna, that is maya. That is maya. So we are trying to enjoy. Enjoyment is our business. Anandamayo 'bhyasat [Vedanta-sūtra ]. Ananda. Krsna is anandamaya, and we are part and parcel of Krsna. We are also anandamaya. But we are seeking ananda in different atmosphere. Just like any man can become very honest citizen, do business honestly, earn money and live very honorably. But no, somebody has learned how to steal. The government does not say that you becomes thief and go to the prison house. The government does not say. But you have selected to become a thief. That is it, because we have got little independence, part and parcel of Krsna. Krsna is fully independent; therefore we have got the quality of independence. But because we are very small, minute particle, we have got minute particle of independence. Minute... (More...)

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So from within and from without, Krsna is ready to help us, provided we become little anxious. Sraddha. To create this sraddha, little faith, we are trying to open these branches all over the world, and people who are taking advantage of this..., little inclination will help. But there must be inclination. We are not dull stone that we have no power. We have got little power. That little independence is there because we are part and parcel of Krsna. Krsna is fully independent, and we, being minute part and parcel of Krsna, we have got also little independence. You don't forget this. And misuse of this independence is the cause of our material existence. Misuse. So still, Krsna is so kind, He comes, paritranaya sadhūnam vinasaya ca duskrtam, dharma-samsthapanarthaya [Bg 4.8]. (More...)

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So similarly, originally we are all pure, Krsna conscious, but as we have got little independence... Because we are part and parcel of God, therefore-God has got full independence-so we have got independence according to the quantity. Just like a small drop of ocean water has got a little quantity of salt also, similarly, we are anu and God is vibhu; He is Prabhu, and we are servant; He is master, we are servant. The master has got independence, and the servant has also independence, not that because one is servant, he has no independence. He has got independence. If he likes, he can give up the service of the master and live independently. This is crude example. Similarly, our material contamination means that, when we desire to live without Krsna consciousness, "Why we shall be subservient to Krsna? We shall live independently..." That is going on. (More...)

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Everyone, of course, has his independence. That is the cause of our material life. Misusing that minute independence we are out of the spiritual world. If you want to go as husband and wife to see your parents that is not bad, but why avoid your responsibility which you have already taken? At least develop your assistant Devaprastha and when you see he is able to do nicely then you can change. I don't think a new man can manage as nicely as you were doing. I will also write to GBC of Hong Kong, Madhudvisa Maharaja, and learn if he plans to send a new man there. (More...)

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