Awakening Self

Inspired by the work of Dr. B. Madhava Puri (1943-2025), Serving Director of the Bhakti Vedanta Institute of Spiritual Culture and Science in Princeton, New Jersey, I am an interdisciplinary researcher in the Environmental Humanities with a focus on Ecology and Religion. Born with the legal name Christopher Rölke, I became fully dedicated to the path of Krishna Consciousness in 2018 and received the name Krishna Keshava Das from my initiating guru. This ongoing spiritual journey coincided with the last two years of my undergraduate experience at Stockton University. My work with the BVISCS includes organizing the annual Science & Scientist conference series, community events focused on offering mantra meditation and free sanctified vegetarian meals. I publish interdisciplinary academic articles exploring the origin, purpose, and evolution of matter, life, consciousness, and self, as well as personal reflections from this ongoing journey of self-discovery on the Awakening Self blog.