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.