Nature of Eternally Conditioned Soul

The Vedic literatures categorize living entities into two main groups: nitya-siddha (eternally liberated) and nitya-baddha (eternally conditioned). Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the eternally conditioned souls are those who have chosen to forget their relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Driven by a desire to enjoy separately from Kṛṣṇa, they are entrapped by the external energy, māyā, and subjected to the cycle of birth and death. Although the soul is constitutionally eternal and blissful, this conditioned state covers its true nature.

Meaning of "Eternally Conditioned"

Why is the conditioning called eternal? One might ask that if the soul is eternal, how can its bondage also be eternal? Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the living entity's contamination by material nature is so old that its beginning cannot be traced. It is not that the soul was created conditioned, but the duration of this forgetfulness is so vast that it is termed eternal. However, this condition is not permanent in the sense that it cannot be ended; it is called eternal because it appears to be so from the perspective of material time.

• The living entities belong to the eternal superior nature of the Lord, but due to contamination by the inferior nature, matter, their illusion is also eternal. The conditioned soul is therefore called nitya-baddha, or eternally conditioned.
• This external energy of the Lord covers up the pure knowledge of the living entities eternally existing with Him, but the covering is so constant that it appears that the conditioned soul is eternally ignorant.
• Due to misuse of this independence some of the living entities have become implicated in the conditions of cosmic creation and are therefore called nitya-baddhas, or eternally conditioned souls.

Cause of Bondage

The root cause of this conditioning is the misuse of independence. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the living entity has minute free will, being a part and parcel of the supreme independent God. When this free will is used to rebel against the Supreme Father and attempt to become the lord of nature, the soul falls into the material pool. The living entity is then entrusted to the external energy, māyā, for rectification of this rebellious attitude.

• Eternally conditioned souls, are entrusted to His external energy, maya, for rectification of their rebellious attitude toward the Supreme Father.
• By misuse of that independence, one becomes a conditioned soul, and by proper use of independence he is always liberated. In either case, he is qualititatively eternal, as the Supreme Lord is.
• Deluded by material energy, the conditioned soul wants to lord it over material energy, just as a moth wants to enjoy a fire. This illusion is the net result of the conditioned soul's forgetfulness of his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Symptoms of Conditioning

A nitya-baddha soul identifies with the body and mind rather than the self. This misidentification leads to suffering in the form of birth, death, old age, and disease. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that such souls are constantly struggling to make material adjustments for happiness, but because they are acting against their constitutional nature, they remain unsatisfied. The material energy awards them gross and subtle bodies based on their desires, but the result is always entanglement and misery.

• Due to the conditioned soul's eternal attitude of separation from Krsna, the spell of material energy awards him two kinds of bodily existence - the gross body consisting of five elements, and the subtle body consisting of mind, intelligence and ego.
• The conditioned soul eternally suffers the pangs of material existence known as the threefold miseries. He is also subjected to six enemies (such as lust, anger, etc.). Such is the everlasting disease of the conditioned soul.
• The Lord is the only enjoyer, and all others are enjoyed. The living beings are predominated enjoyers. But the eternally conditioned souls, forgetful of this constitutional position, have strong aspirations to enjoy.

Nitya-siddha vs. Nitya-baddha

It is important to understand the distinction between the liberated and conditioned souls. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that nitya-siddhas are eternally aware of their relationship with Kṛṣṇa and never fall under the control of māyā. They exist in the spiritual world, fully cognizant of their identity. The nitya-baddhas, however, are forgetful and must undergo a process of rectification within the material creation. The difference lies in the direction of their consciousness: one is turned toward Kṛṣṇa, the other away.

• The distinction is that the nitya-siddhas are eternally Krsna conscious without any forgetfulness, whereas the nitya-baddhas, or eternally conditioned souls, are forgetful of their relationship with Krsna.
• The living entities who are expanded by His internal potency are eternally liberated persons, whereas those who are expanded in terms of the material energies are eternally conditioned souls.

Path to Freedom

Despite their ancient conditioning, these souls are not without hope. The Supreme Lord descends and compiles the Vedic literatures specifically to wake them up. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that by taking to bhakti-yoga, the conditioned soul can regain their original status of eternal knowledge and bliss. The entire Vedic process is designed to alleviate this darkened condition and restore the living entity to their original, liberated position.

• The Lord of the universe, out of His causeless mercy upon the conditioned souls, descends by His own energy (atma-maya) to reestablish the eternal relation of the conditioned souls with Him.
• Individual living entities are conditioned souls everlastingly, but in each and every material creation they are given a chance to liberate themselves and become free souls.
• The conditioned souls, although eternally existing as parts of the Supreme Lord, are sometimes put within the cloud of the material concept of life, in the darkness of ignorance. The whole Vedic process is to alleviate that darkened condition.

Conclusion

The term "eternally conditioned" serves as a stark reminder of the power of material illusion, but it is not a final verdict. Through the mercy of the spiritual master and the practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even the most entangled soul can break the shackles of time and return to their eternal home. A jīvan-mukta, or liberated soul, understands how they became conditioned and strives to purify themselves, knowing that their bondage is sustained only by the mind's control.

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