Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami was invited to visit the Chinmaya Mission in Anaheim during his visit to Southern California last year, but the schedule was too tight to include it. This year, we made it a reality. Here, a Chinmaya devotee introduces Bodhinatha to a group of Balvihar acharyas, or children’s class teachers. Bodhinatha gave a wonderful talk to the group. He spoke about putting Hinduism into practice in our lives, quoting from Swami Chinmayananda’s first public talk, which he adores. He also gave specific advice about speaking with mixed, interreligious marriages. He advises that elders speak with couples before they get married in order to sort out religious affiliations and help make choices about what religion the children will be raised in. Working these things out after marriage just doesn’t work.

After the talk, gifts were presented.

Bodhinatha then spoke with Swami Ishwarananda over some snacks. We have always felt a closeness with the Chinmaya swami order, so the discussion was quite productive.

The Chinmaya Mission Anaheim main shrine: Siva Sankara in His Himalayan abode.

At last, with the blessings of Gurudeva, we had our Iraivan Temple Donor Appreciation Reception in Anaheim, California. Here is Usha Katir, our gracious coordinator and chief decorator, standing beside Ganesha’s and Gurudeva’s shrine at the event.

Sannyasin Senthilnathaswami was the emcee and presented lots of news and photos about what the monastery has accomplished over the past year, with a special emphasis on the progress of the San Marga Iraivan Temple project.

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gave a 45-minute teaching presentation on the yamas and niyamas, good conduct, the goals of life, how to apply basic Hindu principles to our lives in practice, and on moksha. Everyone laughed when he noted that he has a proven way to put an audience to sleep: talk at length about moksha. Most people think that moksha is just for monks. Monks do focus on only two of the four goals of life, dharma (righteousness) and moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirth), skipping artha (wealth) and kama (pleasure). So, for a talk to a group of family people, Bodhinatha promised to focus on the path leading toward moksha rather than moksha itself. This path of applying Hindu dharmic principles to our everyday lives is a virtuous and rewarding path for everyone.

Shakti Mahadevan and Sheela Rahavendran

Dasan Mahadevan and Senthilnathaswami

Jeff Weiske, a former (and perhaps soon returning) Kauaian

Chandra & Partab Ramsingghani and Tushar & Alka Doshi

Ritesh Varma

Devotees Ram and Nancy from the Vedanta Society

Everyone was invited to visit with Bodhinatha after the presentations.

Usha and Diksha Katir receive blessings from Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami.

Ravi Rahavendran and daughter Aarthi, and Diksha and Usha Katir

Sathya, Mahalakshmi and Prashanthi Manoharan offering us some good humor

Nalini Ganapati with her fiancee, Prasanna Kodapadi, who just arrived from Bangalore.

Jai Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami

The Valluvan family has returned safe and sound to Malaysia and we are sharing to day their last moments at the Aadheenam, having darshan with Bodhinatha.

Bodhinatha signs a copy of the Saivite Hindu Religion Course book for little Kayshana.

Blessing Valluvan with a single rudraksha bead around the neck.

Bodhinatha signs Kayshana’s book.

He blesses a small crystal Ganesha they got at the Minimela shop…

Blessing our young mother and long time student and devotee: Thilagarani…

Later a visit to Annapurna Gardens

And a walk to the Wailua River below Iraivan. Since then the family has arrived safe and sound back home in Malaysia after a fulfilling pilgrimage to Kauai Aadheenam.