Sri Krsna's svarupa-sakti

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Sri Krsna's svarupa-sakti

 

Q & A with Swami B. V. Tripurari

 

"When the one comes under the influence of Krsna's svarupa-sakti, bhava

dawns in one's heart, and one's life becomes meaningful in the fullest

sense of the term."

 

Q. What is the relationship between the jiva (individual soul) and

Krsna's svarupa-sakti, and where does the soul's attraction to a

particular relationship with Krsna come from?

 

A. Sri Krsna's svarupa-sakti is his primary sakti, and thus all other

saktis have their origin in it. The svarupa-sakti is constituted of

sandhini (eternal existence), samvit (complete spiritual knowledge),

and hladini (joy). The jiva-sakti is a partial manifestation of the

svarupa-sakti and the maya-sakti (illusory energy) is a distorted

manifestation of it. Because the jiva is a partial manifestation of the

svarupa-sakti, it exists eternally, can know itself (brahma-jnana), and

has the capacity to experience the joy of brahmananda. However, only

when the jiva comes in contact with the svarupa-sakti through the

guru-parampara can it realize its full potential to exist, know, and be

happy. This is a potential that is not present in the maya-sakti, as

all manifestations of the maya-sakti, including material knowledge and

sense pleasure, are relative and fleeting, the latter ultimately only

leading to greater degrees of suffering.

 

In connection with the svarupa-sakti, the jiva-sakti has the potential

to experience an eternal relationship with Krsna, as it is a partial

manifestation of the svarupa-sakti. When the jiva-sakti comes in

contact with the svarupa-sakti through the guru-parampara, its dormant

spiritual potential gradually awakens. This contact is Krsna extending

himself to the jiva as he sees fit, which results in the jiva desiring

a particular relationship with him in reciprocation. The relationship

is inherent and dormant in the jiva in the same way that the capacity

to walk is dormant within an infant. The relationship is eternal (krsna

prema nitya-siddha) and is not created by the guru. Likewise, it is not

created by the disciple though practice. Given the appropriate

circumstances and nourishment, an infant will eventually walk;

similarly, given the association with and nourishment from Krsna's

svarupa-sakti, the jiva will realize its dormant potential to live in

love with Sri Krsna.

 

Through contact with the guru-parampara, faith comes into one's heart.

This faith is the guru's realization, the backing behind his or her

chanting of Krsna nama and Krsna mantra, as well as the guru's blessing

to chant. This is the seed of bhakti given to the disciple. This seed

is like an initial investment in a business idea in which a start-up

business realizes its potential through greater capital. With

investment from Krsna's svarupa-sakti, the jiva realizes its potential

and goes public, and suddenly its shares are worth something.

Similarly, with hearing, chanting, and so on (sravanadi), one's

consciousness is purified (suddha citte), and one's relationship with

Krsna begins to manifest (karaye udaya). When the one comes under the

influence of Krsna's svarupa-sakti, bhava dawns in one's heart, and

one's life becomes meaningful in the fullest sense of the term.

 

Q. When we say that souls have an inherent relationship with Krsna does

this mean that Krsna has already decided who will be a gopi or gopa in

the spiritual world?

 

A. We cannot say that Sri Krsna does not know how he would like to

accept service from us, and in consideration of this we can say that

our svarupa is inherent and already determined. However, what is

inherent in the jiva is only its potential to experience its eternal

svarupa. The svarupa itself, which is constituted of svarupa-sakti, is

in a dormant condition within the svarupa sakti.

 

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta describes the jivatma as cit-kana, a particle

of knowledge/consciousness, cit-kana jiva, kiran-kana sama. It also

describes the soul's eternal nature or dharma to be servitude/love,

jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya dasa. Caitanya-caritamrta also states

that the svarupa of the jiva in prema eternally exists in a dormant

condition and is awakened through bhakti, krsna prema nitya siddha

sadhya kabhu naya sravanadi suddha-citte karaye udaya. Thakura

Bhaktivinoda also explains the inherent nature of one's svarupa in this

way. He writes that one's svarupa is inherent within the soul inasmuch

as the jiva has the potential to love and service is its nitya-dharma.

In his Tattva-sutra he writes that while the jiva soul is constituted

of knowledge, its eternal nature or inclination is to love. This

eternal inclination of the jiva is perfected when it is reposed in Sri

Krsna, the perfect object of love, resulting in the awakening of one's

svarupa.

 

Thus one's svarupa eternally exists and is realized by sravanam

(hearing), kirtanam (chanting), and smaranam (remembering) under the

guidance of the guru. The guru's service is to identify our svarupa as

it begins to manifest through natural attraction. The direct culture of

one's svarupa, however, is something that pertains more to higher

stages of devotion, such as ruci, asakti, and bhava. In these stages it

is cultivated directly, as the indirect work of cleansing the heart has

for the most part been completed by the time these stages have been

attained. Thus although one's svarupa is eternally existing, it is also

cultivated and desired or longed for at some point. First there is

submission, and then there is longing. Submission is more applicable to

sadhana-bhakti, and longing is more applicable to bhava-bhakti.

 

Commenting on vandanam (offering prayers) in Sri Rupa's

Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Jiva Goswami writes, "Prayers that have the

purpose of firming the mind and senses in devotional service are known

as samprarthana. Such prayers are characteristic of those who have not

attained bhava. On the other hand, expressions of a desire for one's

specific personal service are known as lalasa. These are characteristic

of those who have attained bhava."

 

When Krsna's svarupa-sakti dawns in the heart of a devotee, he or she

develops from sadhana-bhakti to bhava-bhakti. Rupa Goswami describes

bhava-bhakti as "the ingress of suddha sattva, the ray of the sun of

prema." When this ray shines in the heart of a sadhaka, he or she

becomes a devotee proper. Such a devotee knows and experiences his or

her svarupa, whether it is that of a gopi or a gopa.

 

Further information on this subject can be found in the following

Sanga: Meditation on Siddha Deha

http://www.swami.org/sanga/archives/pages/volume_six/m257.html

 

Questions or comments may be submitted at the Q&A Forum

http://www.swami.org/sanga/ or email sangaeditor (AT) swami (DOT) org.

 

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Monday, August, 8, 2005, Vol. VII, No. 11

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