To attend worship at Kadavul Hindu Temple make a reservation here
FRONT GROUNDS ARE OPEN DAILY FROM 9AM to 12PM WITHOUT A RESERVATION

Monastery Twitter Updates for 2010-10-19

  • After two flights and a brief overnight, Palaniswami and Senthilnathaswami are on their way now to a one-day EPUB seminar in Pasadena. #
  • The InDesign Beyond Print seminar in Pasadena begins. http://twitpic.com/2z1a0s #
  • I uploaded a YouTube video — David Blatner talk about the EPUB format http://youtu.be/YfSNoLZKSio?a #
  • Itinerant pilgrim on a wondrous journey in a lush, green… no… grey concrete jungle. http://twitpic.com/2z2wpw #
  • A fellow attendee whose husband is working on the new Hawaii Five-O on Oahu thought we looked like an Apple ad. http://twitpic.com/2z2z4s #
  • Ritesh Varma and our swamis today in LA for an ePub seminar http://yfrog.com/741tsvj #
  • Our swamis have arrived in San Francisco. It's a foggy, cold night. #

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Bodhinatha Meets High School Students

The world religions class of our local Island School paid a visit this morning as part of their current Hinduism studies. Deva Seyon took them on a tour out to Iraivan Temple, then they met Bodhinatha where he answered some basic questions such as how Hinduism looks at heaven and hell.

Restoring Hindu Heritage Sites in Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Kadai Swami, one of the well known Gurus and Siddars, lived in mid-1800 in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. He started several Guru lineages and established several Mutts to serve Hinduism. Even though he roamed around in Jaffna bazaars like a mad man, such he performed many miracles and guided many on the spiritual path. Kadai Swami had been a judge in India; he renounced that life, became a swami and came to Jaffna. His name was actually Swami Mukthianantha but because he roamed around Jaffna bazaars, he came to be known as Kadai Swami. (Kadai means shop in Tamil).

When Kadai Swami arrived from India and he stayed in little hut on a small island called Mandaitheevu off the coast of Jaffna peninsula. Even while he was in Jaffna he travelled back and forth to Mandaitheevu.

After Swami’s Maha Samadhi devotees of Mandaitheevu maintained the small hut and performed pujas there. In 1982 I visited the hut. During the last two decades, the entire population of Mandaitheevu was forced out as this area remained in the war zone. Now people have been allowed slowly to return to the island and people are rebuilding their lives there. Last month I went to Mandaitheevu in search of Swami’s hut and saw that the land was overgrown and the hut was destroyed.

A few devotees came back to the island made a small coconut leaves thatched roof and have resumed the worship.

Now we have the task of rebuilding this small hut and preserving the rich heritage of the Kadai Swami for the next generation. I am enclosing some pictures of its recent condition.

Aum Shanthi,

Rishi Thondunathan

Back To Our Jaffna Roots, Part II

We have another set of photos from Jaffna

Here we are at the Nallur Murugan temple, where Chellappaswami spent much of his life.

The ever famous “Ther-Addy” (Chariot Shed). In 1905, Chellappaswami shook the bars from within the chariot shed where he camped and shouted loudly at the passing brahmachari, “Hey! Who are you?” That brahmachari became Siva Yogaswami (See http://gurudeva.org/satgurus/yogaswami/YSwamibio.html).

Here we are back in Alaveddy at Shri Kumbhalavalai Ganesha Temple, where they have this the Panchamuka Ganapathi wall mural.

Shri Kumbalavalai Ganesha Temple

Shri Kumbalavalai Ganesha Temple. Deepaarathanai (Aarthi) to Pancha Mukha Ganapathi. This is the original Deity that inspired Gurudeva vision for the Pancha Mukha Ganapati in Mauritius.

The priest of the Shri Kumbalavalai Ganesha Temple and the priest of the Pasupateeswarar Sivan Koyil that is on the Subramuniya Ashram Land in Alaveddy are brothers! In His Book “Loving Ganesha,” Gurudeva said in Chapter 4: In Science and Beyond, “Once Lord Ganesha appeared to me as I was slumbering in a half-waking state close to the Kumbalavalai Ganesha Temple in Alaveddy, northern Sri Lanka, in the home of the Chettiar family that adopted me in 1948. He pointed out that the gardener had unnecessarily broken a branch off a tree while pruning, and that this small mishap had immediately affected the whole universe. When I was trying to buy the original building for the Sri Subramuniya Ashram in the village of Alaveddy, much opposition was offered from the owners, but finally we prevailed. Soon after, I had an early morning vision in which Ganesa was sitting on my knee as the baby elephant, Pillaiyar. With His soft face pressed against my cheek, He said, “We have accomplished the unaccomplishable.” This showed me that if you forge ahead for a good cause, even when all the forces of the universe align themselves against you, including society itself, you will succeed. It’s a little like a great elephant walking through the forest, clearing all barriers for those who follow. Such blessings come to those who follow Ganesha. Slowly the forces will clear, and all benefit from His grace.”

Shri Kumbalavalai Ganesha Temple. Inpah’s aunt Mrs. Ganesharatna Amma stands in the outside main mandapam of the Temple

Moving on down the road to the Subramuniya Ashram land. The photo of Gurudeva that hangs above the Siva Shrine in the Pasupateeswarar Sivan Koyil in Alaveddy.

Devotees and volunteers at the Pasupateeswarar Sivan Koyil, Alaveddy.

More devotees and volunteers at the Pasupateeswarar Sivan Koyil, Alaveddy.

Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.

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