In the Bhagavat-arka-marici-mala (8.37), in the chapter, Baddha-jiva-laksanam (Characteristics of a Bound Jiva) commenting on Bhagavatam 11.11.7 he writes:

“The bird which eats the Pippala fruit is in ignorance therefore he is nitya-baddha, or bound eternally.  The bird which does not eat the Pippala fruit is full of knowledge, and therefore he is nitya-mukta, or eternally liberated.” 

Here he applied the adjective nitya to both the conditioned souls as well as to the Supersoul, who is never-conditioned.  Therefore, nitya cannot have any other meaning but to mean ever-bound in the case of the jiva and ever-liberated in the case of the Supersoul.  To give it a different meaning in the same sentence would be considered a defect.  Consequently, no conditioned soul was formerly a nitya-mukta resident of Vaikuntha.

These evidences presented from Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s writings are from the parts where he is directly explaining the conditioning of the jiva.  Therefore, this is the mukhya vrtti, or primary statement.  Taking this understanding as definitive, one should then try to understand his other statements wherein he says that the jiva has forgotten Krishna and therefore he is covered by maya.  The fall-vadis cite such statements while completely ignoring the primary statements in the Thakura’s writings.  They only cite statements which talk about “regaining svarupa,” “remembering again” and so on and then interpret them as proof of fall from Vaikuntha.  But the fact remains that nowhere does Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura write that the jiva can fall or fell from Vaikuntha.  Rather, he explicitly states that nitya-mukta jivas have no contact or knowledge of maya; they are strong by the cit-sakti of maya, which means that even if they have to descend into the material world they will not be covered by maya; they are always engaged in the blissful service of the Lord; they never experience material miseries.

The jiva’s forgetfulness of Krishna has no beginning.  And actually, it means forgetting that one’s constitutional position is to be the servant of Krishna.  Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes (Sri Caitanya Siksamrtam, Prathama Vrsti, Fourth Shower):

“Because the jiva is bound before entering the material world his bondage is called anadi, or beginningless . . .”

  The jiva who is under the influence of maya forgets Krishna and seeks to fulfill various desires.

The jiva who is atomic consciousness is naturally the servant of Krishna who is the complete consciousness.  Servitorship to Krishna is the very identity of the jiva.  Forgetting this eternal nature, the jiva is bound by maya, but as soon as he remembers his eternal nature, he becomes free from maya.

The two points to be noted from this are that forgetfulness of Krishna has no beginning and forgetfulness of Krishna actually means ignorance of one’s own eternal nature.  Srila Prabhupada confirms this in his purport on the famous Krishna bhuli verse (Cc. Madhya, 20.117 Purport),

“When the living entity forgets his constitutional position as an eternal servant of Krishna, he is immediately entrapped by the illusory, external energy.” 

Although the verse says Krishna bhuli, “forgetting Krishna,”

Prabhupada explains it as forgetting his constitutional position.  Srila Bhaktisiddhanta in his Vivrti commentary of Bhagavatam (2.9.35) says that forgetfulness is indirect, vyatireka buddhite Krishna-vismarana ghate.  It means that because the jiva is not engaged in the service of the Lord he is said to be in a forgetful state, not that he knew Krishna and then forgot Him.  This is in harmony with the words of Bhaktivinoda Thakura and leaves no scope for the fall down theory.  Thus from the direct statements of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, as well as by analysis of his indirect statements such as “forgetting Krishna”, it is clear that the conditioned souls did not fall from Vaikuntha.  The jiva being the eternal servant of the Lord does not necessarily imply that he has been in personal touch with Krishna.   Mayadevi is a servant of Krishna but she never associates with Him.

The fall-vadis disregard the text directly dealing with the bondage of the jiva and therefore arrive at a wrong conclusion by seeing passages such as,

“When they forget their natural function as Krishna’s servitors.”

“The jiva, having forgotten his eternal relation with Krishna, has fallen into the sea of samsara.” 

There are many such indirect statements in the works of Srila Bhaktivinoda, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, and Srila Prabhupada.  If one is unaware of the direct and definitive references given earlier, then these indirect statements surely seem to support the fall theory.  But such is not the case.