Happy Deepavali to all! Yesterday was an incredibly auspicious day, the final in our Gurudeva Mahasamadhi Observances. We began with our morning arati for Gurudeva.

Gurudeva's shrine is scintillating with energy and his presence is all around us with blessings pouring from within.

This morning Bodhinatha presented everyone with the annual Mahasamadhi souvenir.

This year we are giving away set of DVDs containing selections from our video archives. Shishyas around the world will all receive a copy by mail soon. A limited run was produced and 700 extra will be made available for sale in the Minimela store soon. We will make an announcement when it is available.

Our silpis all received copies. This group of artisans’ tour of duty is almost over. They will return to India in late December.

The booklet is beautifully designed, with pockets for the DVDs built in.

Kumar Gurukkal receives a copy.

One of the DVDs offered in the Mahasamadhi souvenir contains clips of Gurudeva dancing in Kokee, Kauai’s western mountain region.

A rare and precious vision

Today the puja was held in the afternoon and evening. We began at 3:30pm. Kumar Gurukkal begins the sankalpa as devotees arrive.

This is the third year that he has done the puja, and each time it gets more and more magical.

Gurukkal’s sankalpa was truly an unusual invocation. He took a full hour and a half to state the time, place and intention of the puja while offering worship to Lord Ganesha. He also engaged the devotees in repeating some of the mantras, which made for a powerful, interactive ceremony.

By the time he completed the sankalpa, it was as if all doors to inner worlds had been opened and Kadavul Temple was transported into the Sivaloka.

Next Kumar Gurukkal blesses the main kumbha and all the small kumbhas that contain the substances to be used during the abhishekam.

The homa begins.

Purnahuti, the final offering of ghee and sacred herbs and woods to the fire

Next the kumbha is paraded by Bodhinatha out around the Nandi mandapam and dhvajastambham.

Then begins the tiruvadi puja

The room nearly shook with Gurudeva's presence as offerings were made.

Bodhinatha performs the final abhishekam with the main kumbha blessed by the homa earlier.

Our Kauai devotees did a marvelous job setting up an elegant curtain just for this occasion. As the devotees sang bhajans to the guru, the monks helped the Gurukkal clean and decorate behind the curtain.

The alankara dipam, after the curtain was opened, was a powerful moment.

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniayswami ki Jai! Afterwards we all sang Natchintanai, infused with Gurudeva's presence, renewed with the spirit of the Kailasa Parampara as we head into another year of Sivadhyanam and Sivathondu. Stay tuned for video of some of the events.

During the mahasamadhi puja, while the curtain was closed for alankaram, Paramacharya Palaniswami shared with everyone that this auspicious moment had been chosen to present a special gift to our satguru. He mentioned that on the Iraivan pillars are four sacred symbols of the aadheenakartar of a traditional Saiva matha: the rudraksha head piece, the golden kartar mala, the silver danda and the kartar kundala, golden earrings of a distinct design. The Innersearchers gifted this to Bodhinatha in June, and the monks have been working with goldsmiths to have them crafted. These are solid gold to replace his hollow ones.

The new earrings are true aadheenakartar earrings worthy of the lineage holder of the Kailasa Paramapara. They are of solid 22-karat yellow gold with tiny 18-karat white gold rings surrounding the ball, each full earring weighing a full ounce! Jai to the preceptor who guides us along the right path.

The day in the early 1980s when Gurudeva received a gift of kartar earrings from the head of the Dharmapuram Aadheenam.

The old, hollow kartar earrings Bodhinatha was wearing for all these years, with quirky attachment device.

The new, solid-gold earrings before installation. The white gold rings on either side of the sphere are loose and move.