Dr. Mize: I'm still puzzled about the relationship of the soul to God. If the soul is eternal, as God is, and yet some souls have the tendency to fall and others don't have that tendency . . .
Prabhupāda: No, no, eternal does not mean not fall. Suppose you are now professor. So you can fall down from your position. But that does not mean you are not eternal. If you are fall down from your position, you do not lose your eternity; you simply fall down. You can become a professor; you can become an ordinary man. But you are eternal in all circumstance. Eternal . . . fall down does not mean that he loses his eternal. That is stated that, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). (aside) Find out. Ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. The living entity is never born or it ever dies. This is eternity. You change your body, but you eternal.
Dr. Mize: It's so puzzling, though, why I would spend eternity . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore he requires that sattva-guṇa qualification.
Dr. Mize: The what qualification?
Prabhupāda: That sattva-guṇa, goodness.
Dr. Mize: I'm sorry . . .
Prabhupāda: Goodness.
Dr. Mize: Goodness?
Bahulāśva: The mode of goodness.
Prabhupāda: Mode of goodness. Just like not that everyone can become a philosophy professor. It requires certain qualification. But everyone can become, also. Everyone got the chance. Provided he is qualified, then he can take the post of a philosophy professor. Everyone has got the chance, not that you have got only the chance. Anyone has got the chance. But not that without having a certain qualification, one can become. Similarly, these thing will remain puzzling unless one comes to the qualification of goodness. Therefore we order our disciples, "Come to the platform of goodness. Give up all this nonsense habit." Then it will be possible.
Bahulāśva: Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Let him ask. (pause) Tato rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ (SB 1.2.19). Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu (SB 1.2.18). (aside) In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you find out this verse, First Canto. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. So abhadreṣu, prāyeṣu. We are now covered with base qualities. So when these base qualities are finished—not altogether, almost finished—then one can come to the platform of sattva-guṇa.
Dr. Mize: The platform of . . .?
Prabhupāda: Sattva-guṇa, goodness.
Dr. Mize: Goodness.
Prabhupāda: In that platform one can understand very quickly. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is little successful because we are trying to bring the students on the platform of goodness. Therefore it is becoming little successful. If you keep them in the platform of ignorance and passion, then it will be difficult.