The Extent of Free Will

(written on June 18, 2020)

What is free will? Free will is the ability to act at one’s own discretion. This free will is the only thing in the material world that is beyond the regulation of the law of karma, which has been granted by the Lord to the living entity. 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.” 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).

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. This is very similar to the proverb, “you can take the horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink.”

When one has the desire to not follow Krsna’s instructions (to execute activities in the material world solely for sense gratification), they do not have the power to carry out their desires. Only by Krsna’s sanction can one perform any activity in the material world. 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.” So actually, our free will is very limited in that we cannot do whatever we wish to do. Although it appears as if we are acting on our own accord in the material world, Krsna’s hand is in everything. Ultimately, everything is maintained and created by the Lord.

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. Therefore, to satisfy all the souls, the Lord created the material world as an alternate choice. However, He has formed it in such a way that the living entity will eventually come back to Him. 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.”

The Lord encourages the living entity to purify his free will and act according to His instructions. What does it mean to purify the free will? To accept Krsna’s instructions and surrender unto Him and use our freewill to serve Him. Sometimes, to encourage the living entity, the Lord interferes with the free will, out of His causeless mercy. Srila Prabhupada explains this in a morning walk on December 4, 1973 in Los Angeles, “That is Kṛṣṇa's special favor. Because by your free will you are going to hell. If Kṛṣṇa interferes, that is Kṛṣṇa's special favor. Just like a child is going to touch fire by free will, and father, "Eh, don't do it." That is his special favor.” Therefore by the Lord’s causeless mercy, the living entity is

It is 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 spontaneity reflects the free will of the living entity, and how they decide to serve the Lord. The Lord also encourages the living entities to follow his instructions out of their own free will: 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.”