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 2011-02-01

Powered by Twitter Tools

Sun Five End of Phase

It is the end of another productive phase.

END OF PHASE
Today is the last day of our phase.
This edition of TAKA will remain posted
over our coming two-day retreat,
until Dvitiya Tithi, Sun One, Friday, February 4th.

Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple, Frisco, Texas

On Sunday, January 30, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami was the honored guest at the Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple in Frisco, Texas. He gave an engaging presentation on prayer, meditation, how to (and the need to) answer challenging questions from youth, and an introduction to Hinduism Today magazine.

About 150 people attended the lecture.

To our surprise, those most eager to ask questions after the talk were the youth, of which many were present.

Everyone listened with rapt attention as Bodhinatha spoke. Their attention was also held by the stunning Keynote presentation that he ran from his MacBook Pro, projected on a wall.

As this temple was established by a swami, the group was especially eager to have Bodhinatha speak and absorb his wise words.

This temple was established by Ganapati Sachchidananda Swami of the Datta Peetham in Mysore. The temple committee made a gift of the customary shawl and CDs of Swami's songs to Bodhinatha.

Bodhinatha brought a set of our Master Course Trilogy to gift to the temple's library. The gift was received by the elegant Dr. Prakasarao Velagapudi, the temple's president, originally from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. He came to the US in 1965.

After the talk, the group sang the Hanuman Chalisa and then Bodhinatha was invited to offer the arati.

Part of the way through the arati, the main lights were dimmed and a wild multi-colored flashing light show transpired in the shrine!

Finally, all the devotees came one by one to touch the satguru's feet, receive his blessings and offer dakshina.

Babies and young children, too! Aum Namah Sivaya.

Sadasiva

A magnificent and giant statue of Siva in India (see the tiny man at the top of the stairs?)

Another magnificent Siva, this one the sixth and final master work of art by Pieter Weltevrede of Amsterdam, sent this morning. He asked for Palaniswami's take on it, and here is what Paramacharya wrote: My reaction? You know what I think, but let me put inadequate words to it. First, thanks for placing the Agamic Mandala below Siva. It is an important and usually neglected one and bringing it forward like this will have an impact in the South Indian iconography world. In all of the works, you have achieved an ambience people are calling "sacred space" these days, a sense of a Divine presence and energy. You are gifted, so may not know how very difficult this is to accomplish. It must flow not from technique but from intuition, from deep within. I have discovered that we can only create from what we are, and that you can call forth through your brushes an image that is sacred and full of shakti speaks of your own spiritual depth. Yes, I'm thrilled with the series and know when it reaches our magazine later this year it will be marveled at. For details: thanks for the kundala (earrings) and the geometrical shapes and colors, a subtle but, for us, meaningful touch. The slightly tilted Siva and mandala are effective, surprisingly so for so little angle. The outstanding details have to be Siva's hair and implements (check out that pot of fire), the dancing nagas, the color swath through the center, breaking apart the Himalayas and the nascent Ganges below. In fact, the waters dropping down like that surprised me, such a bold move, symbolically making Siva the Source of the Ganges (and thus the source of All and Everything), and dropping the viewer into a rock and water space below, nothing to support us but the unimaginable waterfall that crashes to Earth below us, bringing Life and Sustenance and Destruction all at once. Well done!

Here the five faces/powers/graces painted separately by Pieter.

Siva Darshan with Jagjit Singh

With the presentation of Sadashiva we are inspired to make this a day of Siva Darshan on TAKA.
We bring you three famous bhajans by the very devotional and deeply inspiring North Indian singer, Jagjit Singh
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTldipzLIx4
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsZRTd_xgSc
and here, a creative devotee has taken Jagjit Singh’s famous rendition of Hey Shiva Shankara Karunakara and put together marvelous display of numerous Siva Posters. Enjoy this Siva Darshan
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLvAfoMa62g

Mauritius River Access Progress

Coral / sand have now been carried down and ground is almost filled, except for a section near the steps, as Contractor feels another step has to be added,

The additional step at the base of the stairway will reduce the height of the first step upwards, i.e to make it less difficult for people going up and down.

&nbsp

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

Subscribe to RSS Feed