Sivarama Swami - The Awakening of Spontaneous Devotional Service - English - Sample

Introduction Historically, the subject and the practice of spontaneous devotional service has repeatedly been a source of concern in iskcon. This concern is generally a justified reaction to immature devotees propagating the teachings and practice of rāgānuga-bhakti. At times though, the reaction has been inappropriate, resulting in unwanted consequences. Yet as iskcon grows and matures, it strives to find the right balance in accommodating rāgānuga-bhakti in a Society whose members visibly practise vaidhī-bhakti. It has to! Spontaneous practice is one of the two paths leading to spontaneous loving devotion which, is the ultimate goal of K&ṣ(a consciousness. The urge to take up the path of rāga will invariably arise in some iskcon members as a consequence of devotee association and reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. And it will arise in almost every member when they become liberated. However, all sources of hearing do not awaken genuine greed. Often it is found that when devotees acquire an interest in and knowledge of spontaneous devotion, they mistakenly think they are qualified to practise it. That misunderstanding can lead to the age-old delusion that afflicts our Gau>īya tradition—sahajiyāism. Sahajiyās are untrained, unguided Vaiṣ(avas who oversimplify the qualification for spontaneous devotion despite having mastered neither sense control nor Lord Caitanya’s teachings. The result is that the integrity of the purest spiritual lineage has been subjected 11