Pg 85-98: The whole ensuing discussion is akin to the statements of Ramanujacarya from Chapter 2. The basic thing which is not being understood by the author of "OOP," is that when it says, "recovering his original form" this is talking about his svarupa (self-nature) as a pure conscious entity, separate from the modes of nature.
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"although the soul appears to
acquire or take on a spiritual form at the time of liberation, this form or
constitutional position already existed previously in fullness "
This statement should not be understood that we were with Lord Krsna in
the beginning and then we fell down to material bondage. This only states
that the svarupa of jiva is never affected in bondage but it retains it
original state in prema. There is a subtle difference here. This should
be understood as : There was no time when this soul was not bound in the
past, but when this soul attains moksa it retains it original svarupa. But
what has happened to its original svarupa now? It is just as it is in the
original state but knowledge (dharma bhuta jnana) is contracted (ie. like a
lamp contained in side a big pot, the luminosity is contracted by avidya /
karma. Once the pot is broken (avidya / karma destroyed) the lamp shines
forth in its original luminosity which existed. in this analogy the lamp
never was affected, only the coverings were affected during bondage and
release. That means that the original luminosity or in other words the
nature of jiva which includes attributes such as : being eternally
subservient to Lord Krsna, and to be a spiritual spark of Lord Krsna
etc. remains the same eternally through the stages of rebirths and prema).
Only when the pot is broken or when ajnana is destroyed the jiva becomes
sarvajna or all knowing and understands his true position that he is always
an eternal servant of the lord.
http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/oct99/0187.html
