Free Will Essay: Revised and Updated

(written on June 20, 2020)

What is free will? According to the Oxford dictionary, free will is the ability to act at one’s own discretion. This free will, when utilized in the service of the Lord, is the only thing in the material world that is beyond the regulation of the law of karma. As a part of the Lord’s superior energy, jivas possess similar qualities to the Lord, but are very limited. Therefore, since the Lord possesses unlimited free will, as jivas we only possess a very limited amount of free will. This is explained by Srila Prabhupada in a lecture about BG 7.1-3 “There is free will. Because we are part and parcel of God, God is completely free to do anything. And because we are part and parcel of God, therefore we have got minute quantity of freedom.”

Although the dictionary explains the definition of free will, it does not explain what is the extent of the free will of the living entity. The living entity’s free will ultimately consists of two choices: to follow Krsna’s instructions, or to not follow Krsna’s instructions (or fall victim to maya’s trap). Therefore, free will is basically the living entity’s ability to decide on their own whether to make the right or wrong decision.

In the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita, Chapter 62, it is written, “Prabhupāda was giving his new disciples what he knew to be the sublime gift for human life. But they were all individual spirit souls, free agents, and they had to decide out of their own free will to surrender to Kṛṣṇa or not.” This excerpt illustrates how the spiritual master may instruct, but ultimately it is the living entity’s choice whether to take up Krsna consciousness.

As can be understood from the passages above, to choose to make the right or wrong decision is completely within the jurisdiction of the living entity. Therefore, the ability to exercise free will is always there in the human form of life (in the animal form beings are limited to eating, sleeping, mating and defending: they are not equipped with higher consciousness).

However, if the living entity incorrectly utilizes free will, and doesn’t follow Krsna’s instructions, then that choice will lead them to become trapped in the cycle of birth and death, and to fall under the influence of the laws of karma. This is explained in the purport of BG 5.15 by Srila Prabhupada when he writes: “Desire is a subtle form of conditioning for the living entity.” Due to making the wrong decision, the living entity falls into the material nature, and thus begins desiring sense gratification, which further entangles them in the cycle of birth and death. This is all due to forgetting our constitutional position as subservient to the Lord. As Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport of BG 4.14, “One who does not know the transcendental nature of the Lord and who thinks that the activities of the Lord are aimed at fruitive results, as are the activities of the ordinary living entities, certainly becomes entangled himself in fruitive reactions.”

On the other hand, if the free will is used correctly, then the living entity will see spiritual advancement, and detachment from the material world. This is called the art of work, or following Krsna’s instructions. Krsna explains that one who understands Him, is freed from fruitive activities: BG 4.14 “There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.” Unless we follow all the rules and regulations of Krsna consciousness and unless we stay under the protection and scrutiny of the bona fide spiritual master, we will never be able to perform the art of work. Acting under our own discretion will cause us to not follow Krsna’s instructions purely, and this will not help us in spiritual advancement. Therefore, we must surrender and accept a bona fide guru who is the representative of the Lord.

Whether one desires to be in Krsna consciousness or not, they do not have the power to carry out their desires on their own. The Lord provides the facility for the living entity to satisfy their desires as they deserve. He does not force the living entities to act. This is explained in the purport of BG 5.15, “Because he is a living soul, he has the capacity to desire by his free will. Such desire is fulfilled only by the omnipotent Lord.” We must understand that there is a subtle distinction that needs to be made. The Lord does not fulfill the desires of the living entity. He provides the facility so that the living entities may try to fulfill their desires on their own.

So, when we don’t follow Krsna’s instructions and we desire something which is not pleasing to the Lord, we come under the control of maya. Krsna is not responsible for the living entities’ actions in the material world. He does not force the living entity to come to the material world. Rather, the living entity, being enticed by maya, causes its own trouble.

How can we get out of this trouble? Ultimately, false desires are the cause of all the trouble in the material world. Therefore, we must purify our desires. The Lord encourages the living entities to follow his instructions out of their own free will, by their own desire: in SB 11.18.36, the Lord says, “Just as I, the Supreme Lord, execute regulative duties by My own free will, similarly, one who has realized knowledge of Me should maintain general cleanliness, purify his hands with water, take bath and execute other regulative duties not by force but by his own free will.” Purification of desires can only happen by saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam, as said in SB 1.2.13, “O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.” By following the instructions of the Lord, especially under the scrutiny of a bona fide spiritual master, the living entity will be able to transcend the laws of karma, and become free from the actions and reactions of the material world. By performing the art of work, or dovetailing daily activities to please the Lord, we can easily transcend the material nature. Krsna says to Arjuna in BG 3.9, “Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed; otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage.” Finally, by the help of the guru and Krsna, the living entity will get the seed of devotional service. This is explained in CC Mad 19.151, “Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.”

One might question: why did the Lord give us free will if it causes us so much trouble in the material world? The reason why the Lord gives us free will is because He wants us to love Him. Pure love can only develop by choice, it cannot be forced. If the Lord had created us to only serve Him, then we would be robots, serving Him apathetically. So, to give living entities the chance to purposefully choose Krsna consciousness, He has created the material world. However for those who wish to wrongfully lord it over the material nature, the material world works as a rehabilitation center, encouraging conditioned souls towards goodness and then to Krsna consciousness. This is said in SB 10.24.14, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead has so dexterously formulated and applied the laws of material nature governing punishment and reward for human behavior that the living being is discouraged from sin and encouraged toward goodness without suffering any significant interference with his free will as an eternal soul.”

It is also important to understand that the living entity maintains their free will, even after surrendering unto the Lord. Srila Prabhupada explains this in a morning walk on December 13, 1973, in Los Angeles: “There is also free will. When you come to the Kṛṣṇa platform you serve Kṛṣṇa with free will, not that you become a stone. There is free will. Just like our devotees, they are dressing Kṛṣṇa nicely. Is there no free will? They are cooking for Kṛṣṇa. Is there no free will? The free will is there.”

Devotion at the highest stage is spontaneous. This is called raganuga-bhakti. This spontaneity reflects the free will of the living entity, and how they decide to serve the Lord. Srila Prabhupada explains how we must follow the regulative principles carefully, until we reach such a high stage of devotional service: “There are two stages of bhakti: vaidhī-bhakti and rāga-bhakti. Rāga-bhakti means spontaneous. Spontaneous. There is no question of pushing one, that "You do this. You do this." No. Automatically he becomes so much attached to devotional service that he automatically does. That is rāga-bhakti. But you cannot have rāga-bhakti immediately unless you perform the vaidhī-bhakti. Vaidhī-bhakti means to follow the rules and regulations as they are prescribed in the scripture.”

Therefore, the conclusion is that one must exercise their free will in the right way and serve the Lord by practicing the art of work under the protection of the bona fide spiritual master.