ABOUT FAN THE SPARK
A little water,
regularly.
A journal of bhakti, beauty, and the things we notice.
The journal
Some thoughts begin with a verse. Others begin with a tree.
Fan The Spark brings together reflections from Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, the wisdom of bhakti, and the work of devotional artists. It is a place to read slowly, notice connections, and carry a thought into the rest of the day.
Our starting point is the life of devotion: hearing, chanting, service, and the small choices that shape our practice. Along the way, an ordinary meal, a passing conversation, or something seen on a walk may open into a question worth staying with.
02 THE AUTHOR
Portrait via SoundCloud
Vaiśeṣika Dāsa
A disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda and a teacher in the Brahmā–Madhva–Gauḍīya tradition, Vaiśeṣika Dāsa shares the practice of bhakti through teaching, writing, and conversation.
His own account of his spiritual search begins with questions about life’s purpose—and a copy of Back to Godhead left outside his bedroom door.
03 THE COMPANY OF ART
Room for the human hand.
Art belongs to this conversation too. A drawing, a painting, or a photograph can slow the eye and reveal a detail we might otherwise pass by. The journal makes room for the work of devotees alongside the written word.
Different ways of seeing can share a page. What holds them together is care, curiosity, and a wish to deepen our connection with Krishna.
Five reflections, each with a different question to follow.
About this page & image credits
This introduction is editorial copy prepared for the journal. Biographical notes draw on My Story and My Guru on Fan The Spark.
The forest photograph is credited to Fan The Spark Team. The portrait is reproduced from the Vaisesika Dasa SoundCloud profile; no individual photographer is identified there.
Botanical drawing: C. L. Taylor, Redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, 1907. USDA Forest Service Collection, courtesy Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University. Public domain.