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.

Absolute FREEDOM.

Today I feel like jumping up and down and screaming, "I'm free, I'm free!" (Emily, pictured above, kindly agreed to do this for me). I am celebrating two years of soberness and celibacy. For this, I am completely indebted to a handful of good friends who encouraged and supported me to pursue a life of virtue. However, I am also in anxiety because so many friends of mine are still struggling to put their lives together or struggling to live their lives apart, stuck in the same old patterns of intoxication, ambition, attachment, and aversion.

In the Bhagavad Gita (3.27), Krishna says, "The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature." The three modes are described as goodness, passion and ignorance. Those in the mode of goodness seek out intelligence and virtue. Those driven by ambition are highly influenced by passion. Excessive sleep and intoxication are characteristics of the mode of ignorance. The three modes of nature effect everything we do or "think" we do. Our thoughts, beliefs, goals in life, actions, questions, the people we are attracted to, the food we eat, even the religions we believe in or choose not to believe in, are determined by the influence of the three modes which manipulate, pollute, and smoother our minds and intelligence.

The path of self-realization begins by understanding and observing the workings of the three modes in our daily activities. The goal is to become aware and learn how to transcend the modes all together. Everyone talks about the political agenda this, the corporate agenda that, but who actually realizes that the participants in these agendas are also unconsciously enslaved by the three modes. So if we really want to be free, we've got to learn who is actually pulling the strings of those who pull the strings.

Free your mind, for what? To take more intoxication and become further entangled in the web of unrequited sense enjoyment? It's more like, observe your mind by using your intelligence, control your mind by controlling your senses. And then the most amazing thing happens. You can actually live in peace with the satisfaction of knowing that this new found mental clarity will enable you to make the right decisions to guide you wherever you need to go to become the best possible person you can be and live the best possible life there is to live.

So this is dedicated to all my beautiful friends out there who are feeling stuck or overwhelmed and needing direction. I'll give you the advice that was given me from a dear friend who sat me down and said, "For now, just try to live your life purely, then you'll understand why later."

What's everyone waiting in line for?

Welcome to Krishna Lunch. How may we serve you?This is it- an exclusive insider's look- the famous Krishna Lunch, now serving over 1,000 plates of vegetarian goodness to starving and impoverished college students at the University of Florida at Gainesville. In its thirty year history on campus, once the university administration threatened to stop the program because it was getting too big, but the students protested and Krishna Lunch remains a fixed element on campus.Features include: vegan options, free seconds, thirds, even fourths, until you waddle like a duck.The steady kirtan crew sets the mood for a transcendental lunch experience.What is in that salad dressing anyways?Srila Acharyadeva's class, Regions of India, is the most fascinating class I've ever been in. It's not too often you get to talk about the nature of existence and the science of being in a university setting. I have been steadily recording the classes and posting them online. You can listen to them here. This is a must educational experience for the aspiring transcendentalist.Living in the ISKCON Gainesville seminary has been a blessing for my devotional life. The classes are stimulating, the students are enthusiastic, and the atmosphere is all about family. Pictured above are Bhaktin Emily and Bhaktin Kelly. As the women's ashram leader, I am responsible to make sure all the ladies in the ashram are happy, stimulated, motivated, reading and on time to the daily morning and evening program.Sometimes I have to get heavy with them when they roll their eyes at me. But I don't budge an inch. I don't care what you ate last night, 3:30am is a perfectly reasonable hour to wake up in the morning.Bhakta Andres is another seminary student living at the center. His father came and visited over Janmastami and left crying, thanking us all over and over again for giving his son such an amazing opportunity. He never imagined spiritual life could be so blissful. Srila Prabhupada says, "Devotional life is NOT static, it's ECSTATIC!"Every day we read, translate and study various, ancient Vedic texts discussing the bhakti yoga tradition, including the Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita, and Krsna Book. With over 800 devotees living in the Gainesville-Alachua metropolitan area, there is no shortage of senior association and thus guest teachers are frequent. We are so fortunate. Occasionally, I am asked to give class. This is the best service because the best way to learn is by teaching. In the purport of Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.7, Srila Prabhupada explains, "One can assimilate the knowledge of the revealed scriptures only by hearing and explaining."

The Srimad Bhagavtam is a historical epic. It starts off approximately 5,000 years ago, in the forest of Naimisaranya, where a group of sages have gathered to hear from Suta Goswami, the most learned and respected sage amongst them. The sages elegantly proceed to ask a series of six questions. The first question is a request for Suta Goswami to explain, in an easily understandable way, what is the the highest occupation for a person who seeks the ultimate good for all of society.

On this particular morning, I was explaining the verse 1.2.6 in which Suta Goswami begins his response. In addition to teaching, I continue to assist Srila Acharyadeva and cook for him when he lets me. This was part of a series of salads named after a series of hurricanes that passed through the area a couple of weeks ago.

And in the meantime, Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar tolerate my inconsistencies and allow me to serve in the capacity I can.