Answer
“Being” is a faculty of the soul. Free will operates through the ego—egoing happens according to how we exercise our free will.
For example, free will can act on thinking. You can decide, “Should I think about this or not?” You may choose to think nonsense, or you may choose to think about Krishna and Srila Prabhupada. So free will clearly operates at the level of thinking.
Go one step higher—thinking, feeling, willing. Even at the level of desire, sometimes you can observe: “No, I will desire this,” or “I will not desire this.” In this way, free will operates on desiring as well.
But the highest level where free will can truly operate is at the level of being.
Most of the time, we do not apply our free will at that level. Instead, we struggle at a lower level—“I should not desire this.” But when we say that, the underlying ego—the identity that produces those desires—is still intact. That is why the struggle continues.
Take the example of smoking. A person may try repeatedly to stop smoking by controlling the desire, yet fail again and again. Why? Because the deeper identity—the “smoker”—was created first. Desire came later.
That identity often forms through association. Someone says smoking is prestigious, or one sees admired figures—friends, elders, or even heroes in movies—smoking. Without careful awareness, the idea enters the system: “Smoking is success, smoking is adulthood, smoking is attractive.” Gradually, a false ego is formed: “I am a smoker.”
In the same way, we develop many false identities. The common thread among them is the sense of independence—Krishna is not in the picture. It is as if many such identities are sitting within us.
Real transformation happens only when that deeper identity is addressed. Sometimes, this shift can be dramatic. There are cases where people quit smoking instantly after a severe health scare. Why? Because a new identity is formed—“I do not want to be a smoker.” The fear becomes so strong that the underlying ego collapses.
Similarly, in spiritual life, we must develop a deep aversion to false identities—being a sense enjoyer, a fruitive worker, or being driven by maya. It is not enough to fight desires at the surface; the desirer itself must be understood and transformed. Only when we observe that desiring self clearly can we transcend it.
At the same time, it is important to understand how action works. All processes in this material world take place on the platform of prakriti (material nature). The body and mind function like a mechanism (yantra). The soul, however, gives sanction—it acts as the observer and permitter.
In a sense, the soul is like an anumanta (sanctioner), somewhat analogous to how the Supersoul sanctions. The activities—thinking, feeling, willing, and even ego formation—occur within material nature.
Yet, the soul is not inactive. It is the experiencer—the one who enjoys and suffers. As Krishna explains in the Bhagavad Gita, material nature carries out all actions, but the soul experiences their results.
Even in a dream, you can feel happiness or distress. The experience seems real until you wake up. Similarly, in this material existence, the soul undergoes enjoyment and suffering based on its identification.
In the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita (especially Chapter 13), it is explained that material nature is the cause of all activities, while the soul is the cause of experiencing pleasure and pain.
