Question: It is said that 7 generations up and down get liberated when a pure devotee is born in that family or if a family member has perfected himself at the end of life. Also we hear that one cannot go back to godhead unless he has fully surrendered and achieved love of Krishna. What happens when the people in that family are not devoted? We can take Srila Prabhupada’s family as an example. Please explain.
Answer by Romapada Swami:
There is a distinction between `attaining liberation’ and `going back to Godhead, or achieving love of Krishna.’ The freewill of a living entity is never interfered with, and as long as one maintains aversion to Krishna, one cannot enter the spiritual world.
Srila Prabhupada answered this specific question by explaining that the ‘type of liberation achieved by those related to devotees is that they are given the direct opportunity to engage in devotional service in their next life.’ The understanding offered by Srila Prabhupada was that the rendering of devotional service is itself on the liberated platform; however, one may or may not favorably accept that opportunity.
The family members of a pure devotee are greatly benefited and purified by that connection; the Lord arranges to extend to them the opportunity to become free from all their past sinful actions, simply out of his unlimited love for his beloved devotee and anyone connected to them. Opportunity is provided for spiritual progress and in such an elevated state of purity and liberation from material reactions, they may (or may not) become more favorably disposed towards devotional service based on that living entity’s own free will.
One such example was the son-in-law of Sarvabauma Bhattacarya, Amogha.
