On the path of spontaneous devotional love (Rāgānugā-bhakti), as taught in the tradition of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, there is hardly a topic as fascinating and simultaneously as challenging as the nature of our eternal spiritual body—the Siddha-deha.

For the serious practitioner who begins to meditate on their inner identity in the service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, a fundamental question inevitably arises. It concerns the apparent paradox between eternity and “becoming.” Is our spiritual form something we merely have to “remember,” or is it something that is created through our practice?

A dear devotee recently asked me this very profound question, which touches the core of our theology:

The Question
“Baba, how does this work… is the siddha-deha we have somewhat fixed, or is it completely free to be defined at the discretion of one’s own bhava? I find indications of both in the scriptures… Gopa Kumar was long-awaited and expected to return, which suggests he revived a form, so to speak. On the other hand, one’s own nature in accordance with the Guru determines which Siddha Deha one receives—first meditatively, then as swarup siddhi… hmm?”

The Theological Foundation: The Neutral Jīva

To answer this correctly—especially in light of the teachings as understood in the traditional lines (parivāras) —we must first lay a fundamental groundwork.

The answer depends on how we understand the nature of the soul (Jīva). The prevailing view in our tradition is: The Jīva, hailing from the marginal energy (Taṭastha-śakti), is pure consciousness, but it is neutral.
This is the crucial point: The soul possesses no inherent, “pre-programmed” Kṛṣṇa-prema or a specific Rasa-DNA (such as a hidden Gopī identity). Where, then, does the specific taste (Ruci) for a particular relationship with Kṛṣṇa come from?
It comes exclusively through Sādhu-saṅga—through the association of saints and ultimately through the mercy of Śrī Guru. The Guru plants the seed of devotion (Bhakti-latā-bīja) into the heart. Within this seed, the specific spiritual genetic code—the Bhāva—is already contained.
With this understanding, the paradox dissolves.

The Resolution: Fixed by Mercy, New for the Soul

If we accept that our spiritual identity is a gift of mercy and not our own material invention, we can answer the question as follows:

Yes, the form is fixed.

But it is not fixed because you have always been that way, but because the Guru’s mercy has a specific form. You cannot “freely define” or choose your Siddha-deha like picking clothes from a catalog. That would be mental speculation (Manodharma).
If your Guru, inspired by Kṛṣṇa’s internal energy (Svarūpa-śakti), reveals a specific service to you (e.g., as a Mañjarī) through Dīkṣā or Siddha-pranali, then this is your fixed spiritual truth. You receive who you are.

2. Yes, it is ontologically “new” for the Jīva.

Since the neutral Jīva did not possess this highest Vraja-bhāva previously, receiving the Siddha-deha is a radical process of transformation. The Svarūpa-śakti endows the soul with a transcendent body composed of knowledge and bliss, which it could never have formed by its own power. For the soul, this “becoming” is a completely new reality.

3. The Secret of Gopa Kumāra’s “Return”.

How then do we explain the story of Gopa Kumāra in the Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, who was “long-awaited” in the spiritual world as if he were coming home?
This is explained by the difference between our linear time and the eternal present (Nitya-vartamāna) in Kṛṣṇa’s Līlā.

From Kṛṣṇa’s perspective, there is no past or future. Since the Līlā-śakti is omniscient, the spiritual world “knows” that you will come the moment the Guru plants the seed in your heart. Your place is reserved.
Gopa Kumāra was not expected because he “remembered,” but because the mercy he had received inevitably had to reach its maturity. Kṛṣṇa waits for the fruit of His own mercy.

Conclusion for Practice

What does this mean for our daily meditation (Sādhana)?
It means that we do not invent our Siddha-deha, we cultivate it. Our freedom lies not in choosing the form, but in the intensity of our greed (Lobha) to accept this identity bestowed by the Guru.
We meditate on the form given to us, serve it, and nourish it with our tears and longing, until what was initially just a meditative conception (Bhāvanā) becomes our sole, direct reality (Sākṣātkāra).
It is the beautiful mystery of mercy: We become something new that has been eternally waiting for us.