Does one need to know one’s svarupa to be liberated?
Is it necessary to know Asvarupa to go back to Godhead? No, there is no such stipulation that we have to realize Asvarupa. There are, Jiva Goswami explained in Sandarbha there are three kinds of liberated souls. Those are, their feet are in the material world but their eyes are in the spiritual world.
The second is, their one foot is in the material world, second foot is in the spiritual world. Third is, both their feet are in the spiritual world just their body is in the material world. What that means is, he says, how do we become transcendental? There are two things.
There is Gunatita and Svarupa Siddha. Gunatita means we go beyond the three modes. Svarupa Siddha means we realize our eternal Svarupa.
So he says there is one kind of Mahabhagavata is one who is still sometimes affected by the modes but doesn't succumb to the modes. That person is neither Gunatita nor Svarupa Siddha but is not controlled by the modes. There is a battle but one goes beyond the modes.
One wins the battle. But still there is a little battle. The other is one who is Gunatita but not yet Svarupa Siddha.
That means one leg is in the spiritual world, other leg is in the material world. Third is one who is Gunatita and Svarupa Siddha. So now all three are considered to be exalted souls, liberated devotees.
But not all of them need to be Svarupa Siddha. So yes, for some devotees Svarupa Siddhi may come before liberation. But Srila Prabhupada in general following Bhaktisandhu Thakur's example downplayed the esoteric aspects of Bhakti and he focused on the practical or missionary aspects of Bhakti.
And that's why he did not himself talk about his Svarupa nor did he talk about Svarupa for his disciples. And ultimately whatever be the specific Svarupa that we have foundational to the realization of Svarupa is the realization of Dasya Bhaav. There is Dasya Ras and there is Dasya Bhaav.
So Dasya Bhaav is common to all the Rasas. Even Radharani was in the highest position in the highest Rasa. She also had the mood of serving Krishna.
Krishnadevaraya also had the mood of serving Krishna. Dasya Bhaav in Dasya Rasa is very important. And that comes by the practice of Bhakti gradually.
So Dasya Bhaav is what we need to cultivate primarily. And then Svarupa Siddhi will come about. So Srila Prabhupada focused on the process that will lead us to the ultimate perfection.
Whether that perfection will come before we go back to the spiritual world or it will come after we leave this body and go to the spiritual world that may vary according to time and circumstances. That is a detail. That is not a foundational necessity for purification and liberation.