". . . so we have to pray Nityananda Prabhu. He's very merciful. He's so kind, Baladeva. He gives spiritual strength. Then we can approach the Supreme Lord. . . Nityananda Prabhu is the spiritual master. Or spiritual master is the replica, representation, of Nityananda Prabhu. So when Nityananda Prabhu is pleased, then we become detached from this material attraction." - Cc. Adi 7.4 Lecture on 3-4-74 in Mayapur

The person here in this world was originally something different; on this, everyone agrees.  Now, the question is specifically what he or she was originally, prior to this conditioning.  We accept Srila Prabhupada as our authority. When he makes statements in his purports, room conversations, or lectures--statements that directly refer to how conditioned souls originally came here--these constitute evidences and proofs.  When he was directly asked about this topic by an initiated devotee, a student, or a curious guest—and when he gave answers to this question—we must give those great weight.  Those answers best resolve any and all apparent contradictions in relation to this so-called controversial topic.

Now, the neo-Gaudiya devotees, as well as other occult Hindustan leaders, specifically question the purpose--and even the validity—of those essential answers.  By doing this, they sow doubt about the inviolable Truths by which Srila Prabhupada clearly says we were originally with Lord Krishna in the spiritual world. They infer that anytime Srila Prabhupada presented that answer, it was ultimately a ruse.  Falling under the sway of this allegation, we can--and will--then wind up questioning virtually any answer on any topic Srila Prabhupada has given us, eventually including any order he has enjoined. The neo-Gaudiya people also dispute the initial fall-down of the jiva.  They postulate that it (fall-down) cannot take place from spiritual world, since there is no Maya there.

This belief system produces a question: How could we be ultimately responsible for the terror and misery we experience in samsara?  We have been created outside of the spiritual world, according to the neo-Gaudiyas.  As per the latest variation or mutation that has come down the pike, we originally emerged into existence in a passive (shanta-rasa) relationship with Lord Aniruddha in the mahat-tattva—apparently after having first been created by and then injected into the mahat-tattva by Maha Vishnu. But, if such was the case (direct association with Lord Aniruddha), then that must have also been the spiritual world--and how could we have fallen from His perfect association? 

acarya kahe—tumi yahan, sei vrndavana: “Advaita Acarya disclosed the whole situation, telling Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, ‘Wherever You are, that is Vrndavana.’” - Cc. Madhya 3.33

Lord Aniruddha has His own Vaikuntha planet in the paravyoma.  So, what’s the difference--whether it is there or in the mahat-tattva?  After all, Lord Aniruddha, in His form of Ksirodakashayee Vishnu, has His own spiritual planet even within the brahmandas; it is called Svetadvipa.

“Regarding your question concerning the spirit souls falling into Maya’s influence, it is not that those who have developed a passive relationship with Krishna are more likely to fall into nescient activities. . . the soul may fall down from any position or any relationship by misusing his independence.”                                            Letter to Jagadish 2-27-70

Is evil then supreme?  We are currently entangled in the evils of birth, death, disease, old age, grief, temporariness, and occasionally extreme terror and pain.  If we were created as imperfect beings, how could this ultimately be considered our fault? We somehow or other hanker for a higher rasa than a passive relationship with Lord Aniruddha.  How could we realize the perfected pleasure from the mahat-tattva?

So, Maya must have tempted us with perverted pleasure. According to the latest “no-fall” apa-siddhanta—we left Lord Aniruddha’s association and fell from the mahat-tattva to the material world. Is that what we needed to do in order to develop an inherently desired higher rasa with the Lord?  If so, what real choice did we have?

Now, Srila Prabhupada nowhere presents such an epistemology of our origination. Accepting it nevertheless entails that Srila Prabhupada’s clear statements in his verse translations and purports are wrong or merely figurative or imaginative or speculative interpretations. How is this any different from the method employed by the Mayavada scholars? 

The purva-paksha has presented an explanation. According to the philosophy of the neo-Gaudiya school, Srila Prabhupada compromised the siddhanta in his lectures, letters, or when he spoke on this topic with his disciples or guests.  He supposedly did this because they were not actually ready to accept the Reality. Even though he preached a kind of subterfuge in his letters, morning walks, and room conversations, throughout his translations and purports, he planted—here and there--the actual Truth. And the “real siddhanta” is that the nitya-baddha jiva-tattva has never been with Lord Krishna in the spiritual world. 

Accepting these presuppositions, we are supposed to conclude that Srila Prabhupada compromised the real preaching by (deceptively) saying that the nitya-baddha souls were once with Lord Krishna in the spiritual world. This is the fundamental argument of the neo-Gaudiya camp and the various personality cults associated with it.  But their presentation is circular, fallacious logic.  It begs the question.  Its conclusion is already assumed in its premise. Fundamentally underlying its acceptance is a poor fund of knowledge. It is an argument against the presumption, and we do not accept their premise.

Any of Srila Prabhupada’s original 1967 disciples (and any of his dedicated disciples thereafter, for that matter) would have accepted that we were only originally with Lord Aniruddha in shanta-rasa—if that’s what he had actually told us. Personally, I would have had no problem whatsoever with it, if that is what he had actually said.  Very few of us came from some kind of hard-core “Christian” environment. As such, no former hippy would have had any difficulty whatsoever with Srila Prabhupada telling us anything about that which is beyond our limited comprehension.

Fall-down from spiritual world

“He is fallen already from Vaikuntha planet. He is fallen in this material world, and he is again trying to make progress.” -   Lecture  on S.B. 2.3.19 in L.A. 6-15-72

Here Srila Prabhupada directly says that we have fallen from Vaikuntha—and this does not necessarily rule out having fallen from the highest planet in the spiritual sky.  Then, a fortnight later, he repeats it:

“He is fallen already. From Vaikuntha planet, he is fallen in this material world. And he is again trying to make progress.” -   General Lecture on S.B. in L.A. 7-3-72

It’s a fact that Srila Prabhupada also (here and there) says “no one falls from Vaikuntha.” But he clearly says (above) that the soul “is fallen already from Vaikuntha planet.” By comparing the jiva to a dreaming man, Srila Prabhupada gives us the proper understanding of his “no one falls from Vaikuntha” statements. The dreaming man simply thinks he is fallen and has gone somewhere else.  This reconciles the apparent contradiction. 

Srila Prabhupada has confirmed that souls can and do fall from Vaikuntha. This siddhanta must stand—and we must give the greater weight--because it is the general conclusion. It is the major premise. A disciple of His Divine Grace best not lean toward other indicators--such as “no one falls from Vaikuntha”--and use them to dispute Srila Prabhupada’s major premise that the conditioned souls in this material world have fallen from Vaikuntha. We can easily adjust the apparent contradiction, because he also informs us that actually we do not fall from the spiritual world. Instead, the Supreme Lord creates a situation by which we only think that we have fallen.

It’s really presented quite definitively here.

“Like Jaya and Vijaya”

In Srimad-bhagavatam, 7.1.34, King Yudhisthira inquires: “What kind of curse could affect even liberated Visnu-bhaktas? And what sort of person could curse even the Lord’s associates? For unflinching devotees of the Lord to fall again to this material world is impossible. I cannot believe this.”

Maharaj Yudhisthira is astounded that unflinching nitya-muktas could be sent down into the material world.  However, the subtlety is that he is not referring to souls who have misused their free will and have turned away from the Lord—and were thus sent into material existence.  The key word is “unflinching devotees”—ekantinam--“of those exclusively devoted as exalted attendants”.

Such unflinching devotees do not fall down from Vaikuntha—the falldown of Jaya and Vijaya was arranged for the purpose of the Lord’s fighting lila.  Jaya and Vijaya did not turn away from the service of the Lord. Although they mistakenly offended the Kumaras, they were the Lord’s unflinching attendants even when they made this little mistake. But, in the case of the nitya-baddha jiva-tattva, we did not remain unflinching in our devotional service. The unflinching devotee who remains a servant of the Lord—either here or in the spiritual world—does not fall into the clutches of karma, vikarma, or mishra-karma.

“. . . it is to be 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 no one falls from Vaikuntha.” - S.B. 7.1.35, purport

“Otherwise” here means that, other than (“otherwise”) this special circumstance of the unflinching devotees Jaya and Vijaya. As long as devotees in Vaikuntha remain unflinching servants of the Lord, they are never sent down into the material world--unless the Lord wants them to engage in a particular lila with Him in this world. Srila Prabhupada considered the history of the fall-down of the conditioned jiva to be similar to, but not exactly the same as, that of Jaya and Vijaya. We were once in Vaikuntha, like they were.

“For example, Jaya and Vijaya. They had their lila with Krishna, but they had to come down for their little mistake. . . So when I say ‘Yes, there is eternal lila with Krishna,’ that means on the evidence of Jaya-Vijaya.” - Crow and Tal Fruit Addendum, July, 1972 

Srila Prabhupada compares the fall-down of the conditioned soul to the history of Jaya and Vijaya. The nitya-baddha jiva-tattva is similar to Jaya and Vijaya.  All of us were, like those two gatekeepers, also originally serving the Supreme Lord’s nitya-lila. Srila Prabhupada used the analogy of the fall of Jaya and Vijaya as a comparison.  The difference between the two analogous elements, however, is that the fall-down of the nitya-baddha jiva-tattva (ourselves) was not arranged by the Lord. We fell by misuse of free will and not by Divine arrangement.

Devotee: In the spiritual sky, when the living entity is in his pure state of consciousness . . . does something act upon him to make him illusioned at that point also?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Just like Jaya-Vijaya. They committed offense. . . So we sometimes commit mistake. That is also misuse of independence. Or we are prone to fall down, because we are small. - Room conversation in Los Angeles on June 23, 1975

“After all, the living entity falls down from the spiritual world, just like Jaya Vijaya. There is possibility. I you do not stick to the spiritual principle, even if you are in Vaikuntha, you will fall down--what to speak of this material world?”                   Bhagavad-gita 17.1-3 Lecture in Honolulu on 7-4-74

“Now, we wanted to enjoy this material world. We have fallen down, just like Jaya-Vijaya. Now we are trying to go back again. Therefore we say, ‘Go back to home, back to Godhead.’” - <>  Srimad-bhagavatam 5-22-75 Lecture in Melbourne

“The answer to your question about the marginal energy is that the jiva soul is always called marginal energy, whether he is in the spiritual world or in the material world. There are instances where marginal energy jiva souls have fallen from the spiritual world, just like Jaya and Vijaya. So the potency to fall under the influence of the lower energy is always there. And thus the individual jiva soul is called as Krishna’s marginal energy.” - Letter to Rayarama, December 2, 1968

Tatastha-shakti

“There is a dormant attitude for forgetting Krishna and creating an atmosphere for enjoying independently. Just like at the edge of the beach:  Sometimes the water covers, sometimes there is dry sand, coming and going. Our position is like that: Sometimes covered, sometimes free, just like at the edge of the tide.” - Crow and Tal Fruit Addendum, July, 1972

Obviously, the “edge of the beach” is a reference to the tatastha-sakti. The liberated side is with Lord Krishna. The original state is not “fallen”; it is on the dry side. Our original situation is not different from our final situation upon going back to Godhead.

“Those who are in the brahman effulgence, they are also in the fallen condition. So there is no question of falling down from a fallen condition. When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition.” - Letter to Revatinandan 6-13-70

Nitya-baddha jiva-tattva

The nitya-baddha jiva-tattva is not originally from the brahman effulgence. The realization of the most-powerful impersonalists is incomplete; they may have fallen from and re-entered the brahmajyoti many times during the course of any particular creation (kalpa) of the universe. Therefore, for any individual soul, it can be authoritatively stated that we do not know if he is coming from Vaikuntha or from the brahmajyoti. Whenever we use this term nitya-baddha, we do so in terms of material time, in context to the immensity of the duration of the kalpas.  This is the context for calling us eternally conditioned souls, although, in point of fact, ultimately we are not.

Srila Prabhupada: Krishna has given us a situation. Because we wanted to imitate Krishna, so Krishna has given an opportunity: ‘All right. Imitate.’ . . .
Purport: The living entities are illusioned by the will of the Lord because they wanted to become like Him.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes.
Purport: There is no necessity of tracing out the history when the living entity desired this, but the fact is that as soon as he desired such, he was put under the control of atma-maya by the direction of the Lord. - S.B. 2.9.1 lecture on April 20, 1972 in Tokyo, Japan

From Vaikuntha

Srila Prabhupada: Instead of using independence properly, when he misuses independence, he falls. . .
Dr. John Mize: Did all the souls that were in the spiritual sky fall out of the spiritual sky at once or at different times? Or are there any souls that are always good--they’re not foolish, they don’t fall down?
Srila Prabhupada: No, there are... majority, 90%. They are always good. They never fall down.
Dr. John Mize: So we’re among the 10%.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. - Room conversation in Los Angeles on June 23, 1975

Srila Prabhupada implys that the nitya-baddha jiva-tattva is linked to the population of the spiritual world. If no one falls from the spiritual world—if “not even a leaf falls” from the spiritual world--then Srila Prabhupada could have clarified it.  Instead, he implys the opposite, namely, that 90 percent of the souls there are “always good.” He could have instead said that one hundred percent would have always been good; the nitya-baddha jiva-tattva have fallen from somewhere other than the spiritual world.

“So, because we are living entities, we are not as powerful as Krishna. Therefore, we may fall down from Vaikuntha at any moment. . . So even in the Vaikuntha, if I desire that, ‘Why shall I serve Krishna? Why not become Krishna?’ I immediately fall down.”    Room conversation on July 8, 1976 in Washington, D. C

His Divine Grace is constantly referring to Lord Krishna and not to any of the twenty-four Narayanas in the paravyoma.  As such, the fall-down can also be from Goloka Vrndavana; that can be strongly inferred.

“And there are millions and millions of liberated souls who are engaged in Krishna. They never misuse their independence. And we small quantity, we misused our independence. We wanted to enjoy separately. Therefore, we are conditioned.” Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 7.108 lecture in S.F. on 2-18-67

Reviving the Lost Relationship

“Regarding your question concerning the spirit souls falling into Maya’s influence, it is not that those who have developed a passive relationship with Krishna are more likely to fall into nescient activities. Usually, anyone who has developed his relationship with Krishna does not fall down in any circumstance. But, because the independence is always there, the soul may fall down from any position, or any relationship, by misusing his independence. But his relationship with Krishna is never lost.  Simply it is forgotten by the influence of Maya. So it may be regained or revived by the process of hearing the Holy Name of Krishna. And then the devotee engages himself in the service of the Lord, which is his original or constitutional position. The relationship of the living entity with Krishna is eternal, as both Krishna and the living entity are eternal; the process is one of revival only, nothing new.                                     Letter to Jagadish 2-27-70

What an abundance of transcendental revelation!  The excerpt even supplies a subtle argument that could be used by the neo-Gaudiya camp.  First of all, notice the adverb “usually.”  This means that the general rule is that one does not fall from the spiritual world (“usually anyone who has developed his relationship with Krishna does not fall down in any circumstance”).  The exception to this rule is the minority of jivas (10%) who do fall.  So, there is no contradiction.  Stool is extremely contaminated (general principle).  The stool of the cow is pure (exception to the general rule).

“ . . . it is not that those who have developed a passive relationship with Krishna are more likely to fall into nescient activities.”  This throws a bit of a monkey wrench into the theory that we originally only had a passive relationship with Lord Aniruddha—and, therefore, were more prone to fall due to the alleged weakness of santa-rasa. Since the passive rasa is also one of pure love, how is it possible that Maya could have caused us to misuse our free will in perfect association with Lord Aniruddha? 

Say you have a friend, and, ten years later, he is still your friend.  At the end of that time, it can be rightly said that you have developed your relationship.  We shall constantly be developing our relationship with the Lord in the eternal atmosphere. The eternal relationship with the Lord “may be regained or revived”; this is “revival only, nothing new.” This part of the letter also eliminates the mental speculation that the original relationship with Lord Krishna was undeveloped, i.e., had to be developed. 

“ . . .the rasas were originally exchanged between the spiritual living being and the spiritual whole, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. . . one who attains full knowledge of these different rasas, which are the basic principle of activities, can understand the false representations of the original rasas which are reflected in the material world. -   S.B. 1.1.3, purport

Notice, “rasas” is in plural.

Return to Our Original Home

“We live together in the same heart, which is just like the Manasa Lake. Although we have been living together for many thousands of years, we are still far away from our original home.”  Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.28.54

Transliteration: abhutam—became; antara—separated; va—indeed; okah—from the original home.

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has apparently purported that this friendly relationship refers to one between the soul and Supersoul. But there is nothing contradictory in that interpretation, even if it appears to be evidence that the soul may initially be only in a relationship with Lord Aniruddha. 

We find that suddha-sattva and Lord Aniruddha are manifest in the shining mahat-tattva: “Thus, after manifesting variegatedness, the effulgent mahat-tattva, which contains all the universes within itself, which is the root of all cosmic manifestations and which is not destroyed at the time of annihilation, swallows the darkness that covered the effulgence at the time of dissolution.

The mode of pure goodness, which is the clear, sober status of understanding the Personality of Godhead . . . then becomes manifest in the mahat-tattva.” - S.B. 3.26.20-21, verses

Here we find verification that suddha-sattva was indeed manifested in the mahat-tattva.  And, in this manifestation of the mahat-tattva, the four expansion aides-de-camp, including Lord Aniruddha, also occur.  So, it is very possible that the living entity realized the Lord there, upon being injected into it. He could have contacted and realized Lord Aniruddha there, because the suddha-sattva state of clear understanding or Krishna consciousness is also present there.  All of this is very possible, but it is not perfectly conceivable while we are conditioned by this material atmosphere. 

It can be realized in due course of time by practice of bhakti yoga.  After all, the rare men who can practice ashtanga-yoga themselves meditate upon Lord Aniruddha, because He is the Supersoul.  When they realize Him, with His four symbols of club, disc, lotus, and conch arranged as they are on His Vaikuntha planet, they attain shanta-rasa.  So, even in connection to the yoga process, there is a relationship here in this world of the conditioned soul with Lord Aniruddha and shanta rasa.  It is not at all unlikely that the latest and greatest “no-fall” theory had its origins in these transcendental facts.

But the key thing to always remember is that all of this must have happened after having falling from Vaikuntha.  So, when Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur purports to 4.28.54 that the friendly relationship spoken of in that verse refers to the relationship between the soul and Supersoul, it is not at all contradictory.  It is clarified by Srila Prabhupada in his very next purport, viz., 4.28.55. There he clearly says that, “Actually, it is Krishna who personally advises all living entities to return home, back to Godhead.” 

Certainly the conditioned soul, during the dissolution, lives within Maha Vishnu. But S.B. 4.28.54 says that the two friends were both far from their home. The Lord was also still far from His home.  It is a stretch to consider that the home being referred to is within Maha Vishnu.  That’s not our goal now, neither is it the goal of the neo-Gaudiya devotees. And, over and above this, Srila Prabhupada (above) says “to return home, back to Godhead”, which clarifies the question completely.  Later he adds:

“Generally people are not aware of their interest in life—to return home, back to Godhead. People do not know about their real home in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world, there are many Vaikuntha planets, and the topmost planet is Krishnaloka, Goloka Vrndavana. . . . The real attempt should now be to return home, back to Godhead. Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.29.48, purport

“The words nijam padam are significant (nijam—his own, padam—original position). The living entity, being part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has the birthright to a position in Vaikunthaloka or the spiritual world, where there is no anxiety. Therefore, one should follow the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then, as stated in Bhagavad-gita, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna: After giving up one’s body, one will return home, back to Godhead. . . . As a spiritual person, such a devotee returns to the Personality of Godhead and plays and dances with Him.”  S.B. 8.24.51, purport

“Tendency Means the Independence”

“So we are playing with the big fire very nice, but there is chance of falling down. That chance is there. . . the small fire, although it is possessing the same quality of fire, it may fall down. So, we are small particle--very, very small, atomic portion God. Therefore, we have got the tendency to be separated from the big fire . . .” - Room conversation August 10, 1976 in Tehran

Dr. John Mize: From where does that tendency come?
Srila Prabhupada: Tendency means the independence. So everyone can know that independence means one can use it properly; one can misuse it. That is independence. If you make it one way only, that you cannot become fall down, that is not independence. That is force. Therefore Krishna says, yathecchasi tatha kuru: “Now you do whatever you like.”
Devotee: Because Krishna is independent, therefore the part and parcels . . .
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Part and parcel must have a little portion of independence. - Room conversation in Los Angeles on June 23, 1975

This independence is also known as free will, and it is an intrinsic or fundamental component of the self. Its use or misuse does not depend upon anything external.  There is no meaning to free will if it cannot be misused; that is irrefutable logic.

“As fragmental parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, the living entities also have fragmental portions of His qualities, of which independence is one. Every living entity, as an individual soul, has . . . a minute form of independence. By misuse of that independence one becomes a conditioned soul, and by proper use of independence he is always liberated.” -   Bg. 15.7, purport

We are not talking about animals here; we are talking about human beings or those higher than them. There is no transcendental benefit to be gained by denying this intrinsic, dynamic quality of independence within every living entity.  It is there; it is there eternally--the tendency will never go away. It is even there when the jiva returns to the spiritual world.  The living entity can never become God, and he can also never become something without this quality, e.g., he can never become shakti-tattva.  There is no Maya in the spiritual world. But forever there is free will within every jiva, whether he is in Vaikuntha or in the material world.  When he returns to the spiritual world, he does not misuse it, that’s all.

External illusion does not cause misuse of independence. Independence is within the jiva’s eternal matrix, and it is an eternal quality of the jiva-tattva. When it is initially misused, that is not due to any influence outside of the jiva himself or herself. The ability to choose to remain a servitor of the Lord, or to choose not to serve the Supreme Lord, is an intrinsic quality of the jiva. That’s how God has created us. After free will is misused, the marginal energy is sent into the prison house of Durga.

Reason for fall-down

“Whatever the material energy dictates, the conditioned soul does. He has no responsibility; he is simply the witness of the action. But he is forced to act in that way due to his offense in his eternal relationship with Krishna." - Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.7, purport

It’s not the Lord’s fault; jiva has a tendency to be attracted to independence.

Devotee:      If Krishna did not want us to come, why are we here?
Srila Prabhupada:   Yes. You forced Krishna to allow you to come. Conversation after Bhagavad-gita 3.27 lecture on 6-27-74 in Melbourne

Srila Prabhupada: Why we are in this material world? We are part and parcel of Krishna. We should remain with Krishna in the spiritual world. . .
Devotee: When we are in the spiritual sky and serving Krishna, we have a perfect relationship with Krishna. What causes us to fall down in the material world, because we are already serving Krishna?
Srila Prabhupada: Because you desire to fall down. - Bhagavad-gita lecture in Melbourne on June 25, 1974

Ginsberg: How did the material covering begin?
Srila Prabhupada: Begin?
Ginsberg: As the material shadow. How did we fall into that?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Yes. That is very natural. . . Because jiva, although para-sakti, he has got independence. So when he wants to imitate Krishna. . . In the spiritual world, Krishna is the enjoyer. And all others, they are enjoyed--predominator and the predominating. The Lord is the predominating, so there is no disagreement. There they know, ‘The Lord is predominator; we have to serve.’ When this service attitude is impaired, that--‘Why serve Krishna? Why not ourself?’--that is Maya. - Room conversation with Allen Ginsberg in Columbus, OH 5-14-69

Fall-down of Kala-Krishnadasa

“Even associate of Caitanya Mahaprabhu failed, personal associate. So there is chance of falling down even from the personal association of God. Jaya-Vijaya, they had to become demons." - Room conversation in Bombay on 9-19-73

"He left My company to associate with the Bhattatharis, but I rescued him from their company and brought him here."  - Cc. Madhya 10.64

Kala Krishnadasa left the sva-dhama. Prabhupada clarifies it a purport later:

"This is factual evidence showing that it is possible at any time to fall down from the Lord's association. . . Once fallen and separated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead's association, one becomes a candidate for suffering in the material world."               Cc. Madhya-lila 10.65, purport

The neo-Gaudiya and other Hindustan occultists sometimes allege that those confronted with the choice of Krishna or Maya are conditioned souls and cannot be engaged in the Lord's personal association.  They further allege that those who have attained the personal association of the Lord never misuse their free will.  The story of Kala Krishnadasa dismantles all of that.  

In virtually everything he has spoken and written, Srila Prabhupada targets personal devotional service and association with the Supreme Lord as transcendental to the material energy. It does not matter if the situation is in the material world or in Vaikuntha--it is the sva-dhama of the Lord. All of Kala Krishnadasa's activities as personal servant of Lord Caitanya, before he left Him, were in Lord Gauranga’s sva-dhama or personal abode.

Acarya kahe—tumi yahan, sei vrndavana: “Advaita Acarya disclosed the whole situation, telling Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, ‘Wherever You are, that is Vrndavana.’” Cc. Madhya 3.33

“We should mark the difference between maya and sva-dhama—for devotees the sva-dhama acts, whereas in the case of non-devotees, the Maya energy acts.”  S.B. 4.9.7, purport

“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is well known as Patita-pavana, the savior of all fallen souls, and He proved this in His behavior toward His personal servant, Krishnadasa, whom He saved.”  Cc. Madhya, 1.112

All emphases have been added for your enhanced understanding.

namo namo 'niruddhaya hrsikesendriyatmane
namah paramahamsaya purnaya nibhrtatmane

OM TAT SAT.

Quotes from the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada are copyright by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust