Hinduism - Who Is A Svarup?

 

 

(“own-form”) Svarup is the term for the child performers (often brahmin boys) who portray the gods and goddesses in famous religious dramas like the Ram Lila, which is based on the narrative of the Ramayana.

Seeing these plays is not just a sort of entertainment, but also a type of religious devotion, since such dramas are seen to be methods for the gods to show themselves to their believers (bhakta).

When the performers are dressed in costume and wearing crowns, like in the Krishna lilas at Brindavan, they are regarded to be manifestations of the god, revealed within the setting of the lila.

Time set aside for darshan, in which the performers sit absolutely still for the spectators to watch them as an act of devotion, in the same manner that people would connect with an image in a temple, is a typical part of such performances as an indication of this status.

~Kiran Atma


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