Why, I suppose, I've fallen in love...

I'm not sure when exactly it happened. Perhaps somewhere in between the countless planning meetings for Srila Acharyadeva's 60th Birthday Party (Vyasa Puja), or when chanting in unison the Siksastaka Prayers at 5am. Maybe it was after pulling off a rock star, 30-prep Thanksgiving dinner or while scrubbing the temple floor together and complaining about the mysterious sticky substance that won't come off. Maybe it was during lunch kirtan or at 1am after a legedary Friday night kirtan. I don't know how or when, but somehow, I've fallen desperately in love with my new community.

It is an amazing thing to fall in love. It's as if you could be in the ugliest city in Florida, but if you have a good friend by your side, there isn't a more beautiful place you'd rather be.

It startles me how many people there are in this world and how little time I have to met them all. What if I never came to Gainesville. Would my life be as complete as it is now?

Unselfish love is hard to come by. I think it has to be taught. Maybe it comes naturally in the beginning, but after the layers of hurt, disappointment, anger, greed, and selfishness add up, our hearts are miserably filthy, thick with fear and anxiety. I've been told that chanting Hare Krishna cleanses the heart of all unwanted ignorances that bind this natural loving propensity.

Which 80's metal band put it so perfectly? Love hurts. But true love is unconditional. Love can not be broken. And yet who amongst us know what love really is? If these bodies are temporary but love is eternal, where do we all go to play out this epic romance novel?

I suppose love means taking time to help others understand what love is, and doing so, better understand yourself. I've read that real love is Krishna Consciousness, thus love can not be exclusive.

Real love goes beyond the body. I love your guts! I hate your guts! I love your guts! Just kidding. Your love for others is as sincere as your smile.

Real love means recognizing that we don't know everything about love and that we need to find qualified teachers who can help us better understand the details. Love is not cheap. Love means sacrifice. A sacrifice to obtain it at any cost, except the cost of hindering each other's pursuit of it.

Love does not grow old. It matures with age and, yet, it remains eternally youthful. The faith in pure love is what keeps us young at heart.

When will we realize that everything we do, everything we eat, and everything we offer or give away needs to be done in full consciousness in order to experience the highest ecstasies of love. Have we lost our taste? Content with average, with just enough? Content with what our parents had?

The search must continue and never be stopped. Love can not be contained in one relationship. Love must be a collective experience. Love left unrequited is love never given in the first place. Love is seeing every living being as important as ourselves.

Can only a mother know what real love means? It may be one of the best ways to start. If only her compassion and sentiment could extend to all living beings. If only her love wasn't contained to her family unit, her community, to her country, her species, her planet.

I may be experiencing the beginning symptoms of love, but I want more. This is my desire. To learn how to and what it means to love Krishna even if I drive myself (and others?) crazy during my journey. Logic leads me to love God as the most complete form of love because He is all-inclusive. No other relationship can claim all-inclusivity. You can't actually love your father without loving your mother. You can't love your mother without loving your brothers and sisters. You can't claim to love your brothers and sisters without loving their babies. And if you really love your mother, you'll even, genuinely, love her dog.

My body lies over the ocean.

Nature break. I know, it's not the ocean nor the sea. But, even better, it's a natural spring.

Florida boasts the largest number of cold water springs in the western hemisphere and we found one of her finest. These springs maintain an average temperature of 72 degrees year round and manatees can be found in many of them once the temperature of the Gulf starts cooling down.

Welcome to Rainbow Springs, located one hour SW of Gainesville, and, yes, the water is actually this color.

The whole family came alone this time. An who would miss this opportunity? We were kayaking in t-shirts in the middle of November! After the ride, we all decided to go swimming.

That's right, it's a web. We're part of a chain. We're in this together. Hello people! Hello!

And here he is. The introspective vegetarian/sage/peace activist. Chanting Hare Krishna to save the environment. Chanting Hare Krishna to find his heart in the depths of his intelligence.

Halloween Hari Nam

This Halloween, Gainesville's very own Hari Nam party hit the streets with devotion. Go here to watch the video.The most unlikely of creatures and personalities gathered to purify the planet.Pictured above, the world's best friend, Krishna Kripa das, showed up just in time.There are no hard and fast rules for chanting the names of the Lord. If you have a problem with that, talk to this guy.

In search of fertile ground.

I have read that in the spiritual abode of Krishna, the cows move slowly due to the weight of their milk-laden udders. But when Krishna calls them each by name, with overwhelming affection, they come running towards Him with milk overflowing and spilling on the ground. My understanding is that spiritual life means living a lifestyle that revives this natural affection of the living beings to please the Lord.Here in Gainesville, one of the responsibilities I've taken on as a resident of Krishna House is beautifying the grounds. With four houses in the Krishna House complex, there is a lot of space and gardens to engage in Krishna's service.

First thing first, build the soil by adding manure from some local cows at Adi Karta and Mother Rucira's farm in Alachua.Armed with shovels, my godbrothers Saranga, Jai Hari, and I took to the field with great enthusiasm and determination for the early afternoon cow dung hunt.The hunt was a success and we drove back to the city with contended hearts and two recycle bins full of freshies. Now it's time for cleanup.What's up with the toxic waste?
Decades of leaves needing to be raked.Gardens to be planted.
A rare combination- spiritual advancement with saw in hand.

"Who is that person who will not agree to worship the land of Mathura? How wonderful is it that simply by residing in Mathura even for one day, one can achieve a transcendental loving attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead!"

-Nectar of Devotion, chapter 12

"But to the eyes imbued with proper devotional faith, the
spiritual glory of the dhama is ever visible, her portals ever wide
open to receive all weary pilgrims who have abandoned all reliance on their own
power and, with unflinching faith, placed their destiny in the hands of the Lord."
-HH Varsana Swami

Into the fire, into the sea.

In the Vaishnava tradition, spiritual rites of passage are commemorated by performing different types of fire ceremonies called fire yajna. On October 2, 2008, my godbrother, Saranga das, received Brahman initiation and Yaitza received Nama initiation. Having not yet performed a fire yajna to consecrate my Nama initiation this past April, I was invited to participate in the ceremony. The fire yajna begins with the building of the arena. A small pit is made with bricks then filled in with sand. The pit is decorated with various fruits, flowers, and herbs. Mantras are chanted to purify the arena and glorify the Lord, a small fire is lit, and the ceremony begins.

Throughout the ceremony, mantras are chanted and repeated and the participants throw a mixture of barley, rice, and sesame seeds into the fire. The fire is understood to be the mouth of Vishnu.Nama initiation celebrates one's acceptance as a disciple from a bona-fide spiritual teacher in the Vaishnava tradition. Brahman initiation, also referred to as second initiation, celebrates one's increased commitment to guru by increasing their vows and responsibilities by becoming spiritual leaders and teachers for the welfare of all of society.The ceremony is concluded by the placing of bananas into the fire. It is understood that at this point, all of one's karma, good and bad, is destroyed, thereby allowing one to advance rapidly with clarity and without obstacles in the process of self-realization and spiritual life.Jaya Sita devi dasi ki jaya!

To listen to the initiation speech given by HH Hridayananda das Goswami, please go here.Two days later, we celebrated by godbrother's marriage. The humble couple, Giridhari and Carana Renu, have dedicated the last 15 years of their lives to teaching others the tenets of bhakti yoga throughout Europe, New Zealand, and Brazil.During the fire ceremony, garlands are exchanged and the marriage is consecrated.There are some couples who are painful to be around. And then there are other couples whose love and respect for one another inspires everyone around them to be better people. Giridhari and Carana Renu are like that and together they will uplift all of society.After a short speech on the significance of marriage in spiritual life, we watched the Vedic cake exchange. Classic.Unfortunately, I was in the kitchen for most of the ceremony, finishing up the 8-course feast I was asked to prepare. The Italian menu was completely vegan and featured: white bean & kale soup, angel hair past with sun-dried tomato and roasted red pepper pesto, rosemary focaccia, grilled eggplant, avocado mousse, and locally-grown mixed greens with mint lemonade and lemon-poppyseed cake for desert. A feast is best be measured by the laughter of its takers.

After organizing two major ceremonies in two weeks and cooking two major feasts in three days, everyone was exhausted, so we went to the beach to recharge. "Of bodies of water I am the ocean."- Bhagavad Gita 10.24After four hours of beach blanket kirtan, we felt ourselves again.Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare.

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.Kirtan has a way of bringing out the best in the unique characters, personalities, and qualities of the Lord's devotees.