Where is the question of free will?
Question: We say that Krsna is all knowing and He knows past, present and future. And not a blade of grass move without His sanction. So where is our free will coming? We say the living entities has free will to surrender to Krsna or to Maya but Krsna is all knowing then He must know how each living entities going to use their free will. So Krsna already knows the entire depth of every living being. He knows when the person goes Back to Godhead, when he become purified from material desires, how many billions of life times it will take. He must know all these things if He knows everything. So therefore He already knows so therefore it’s predestined. Everything is going to happen so where is free will coming?
Answer by Radhanath Swami: He knows every question you are going to ask for in the rest of your life. And He knows that you will not understand the answer. But still He will not interfere. Krsna is better than you. Krsna is the supreme.
Krsna knows everything in the past about everyone. Krsna knows everything in the future about everyone and everything and Krsna knows all things in the present there is nothing unknown to Krsna but Krsna’s greatness is that He can know everything without in any way interfering with your minute independence. He knows when you will surrender to Him and go Back to Godhead but He knows when you will make the right choice to do so. And He will give opportunity after opportunity after opportunity to gradually purify you and He knows when you will accept it and when you reject it. But it is in your hands to accept it. We should not justify that Krsna is the doer so why should I try because until make up your mind to really try with your heart and soul you will never make any spiritual progress.
Krsna is Avijna Swarat. Avijna means who knows everything and as His part and parcel you know something. Swarat means He is completely independent. As part and parcel you have minute independence that means at every movement you have the free choice to either accept Krsna or Maya at every movement and surrender is a movement to movement process. At the present movement I will accept Krsna and you have to continue for the rest of your life at every present movement to accept Krsna i.e. your free choice and i.e. how we will make spiritual advancement. He knows when you accept or reject. But He is so powerful and so wonderful that He can know without in any way interfering with your freewill. We were singing the song by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur about Lord Nityananda Prabhu how He opened up the market place for the Holy Name and He was whole sale distributing the Holy Name of Krsna and through the Holy Name He was whole sale distributing love of God the ultimate desire of every soul and He was begging the only price you have to pay is your faith. But you have to use your free will to be willing to pay that price of your faith to accept it.
Hari Bol…