Inquiries Into the Absolute: Digest 176, Revelation of siddha-svarupa(Constitutional relationship with Lord Krishna)

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Digest 176, July 10th, 2006. Answers by His Holiness Romapada Swami Maharaja

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Revelation of siddha-svarupa

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Q: During one of our recent discussions in our study group there was a

discussion on siddha svarup.

 

One of the devotees said that the spiritual master would reveal one's svarup at

some point of time when such a disciple has reached such a stage. My humble

opinion is that such a practice is not there in ISKCON and as and when a

devotee reaches such a stage of advancement it will be known to him naturally.

 

Can I humbly request you to kindly clarify this?

 

Answer: Every living entity has an eternal constitutional relationship with

Krishna, and when one attains the liberated platform he automatically

understands this relationship. It is not the system supported by Srila Bhakti

Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur that one's spiritual identity be artificially

declared before the stage when Krishna reveals this, especially when one is

still affected by the modes of nature. Srila Prabhupada clearly taught that

just as we cannot force the sun to rise at our convenience or by our

pronouncements, but it rises of its own accord at the right time, similarly our

constitutional position becomes manifest at the right time.

 

Sometimes less mature devotees are misled by a false sense of enthusiasm to

prematurely understand their relationship with Krishna. They may consider this

justifiable as a means that would enable them to practice and cultivate the

eagerness for such a relationship. Unfortunately, however, this is not the

recommended process given by our founder-acharya, and almost always proves

dangerous for the tender devotional creeper of less qualified sadhakas. Without

cultivating the fundamental spiritual qualities of submission to one's

spiritual master, a selfless service mood, sense-control and completely

uprooting one's materialistic conceptions, one is certain to impose some

material conceptions upon one's so-called svarupa or eternal nature. The Nectar

of Devotion confirms that this type of longing or prayer for some spiritual

perfectional stage, technically called the 'lalasamayi' stage of submission,

actually comes in the stage of perfect liberation and spiritual advancement,

and is not to be artificially induced

.. (Cf. NOD Ch 9, Submission)

 

You are correct when you indicate that the procedure of HOW the revealing of

one's svarupa takes place is not spelled out in great detail. However, the

other BV member is also correct: the fundamental faith of a sincere devotee is

that their spiritual master connects them with Krishna via the disciplic

succession, and by the collective descending mercy of the guru parampara all

truths become naturally revealed. This is our natural process, without having

before us the micro-technology of this mystical process.

 

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Responses to some very frequently asked questions (Karma, free-will, demigods,

Lord Siva, why are we here, how to control the mind, Deity worship, marriage,

Jesus Christ, spiritual and material relationships and morality of Lord Krsna's

conjugal pastimes, spiritual master, spirit soul/jiva/living entity):

http://vcal.iskcondc.org/cgi-bin/renderphilo.pl?digestname=digest999_faq

 

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