Celebrating Founder's Day
Today is Founder's Day, marking 38 years since that historic morning when Siva came in a vision to Gurudeva, a hallowed moment that was the birth of Iraivan Temple. Today, interestingly enough, is also Sivaanbu Day celebrated all over America (and even in India we are told). Yes, Valentine's Day. It is the day set aside for people to openly express their love for a tiny part of Sivaness, and look forward to the day when that love will grow, expand and be felt for every creature, every atom in the cosmos. Happy Sivaanbu Day, everyone!
Here is how Gurudeva described that sacred morning:
"San Marga was established as a result of a three-fold vision that came to me early one morning in 1975. I saw Lord Siva walking in the meadow near the Wailua River. Then His face was looking into mine. Then He was seated upon a great stone. Astonished, I was seated on His left side. Upon reentering earthly consciousness, I felt certain the great stone was somewhere on our land and set about to find it. Guided from within by my satguru, I hired a bulldozer and instructed the driver to follow me as I walked to the north edge of the property that was then a tangle of buffalo grass and wild guava. I hacked my way through the jungle southward as the dozer cut a path behind me. After almost half a mile, I sat down to rest near a small tree. Though there was no wind, suddenly the tree's leaves shimmered as if in the excitement of communication. I asked the tree, "What is your message?" In reply, my attention was directed to a spot just to the right of where I was sitting. When I pulled back the tall grass, there was a large rock, the self-created Linga on which Lord Siva had sat. The bulldozer's trail now led exactly to the sacred stone, surrounded by five smaller boulders. San Marga, the straight or pure path to God, had been created. All this happened February 15, 1975. Worship of the sacred stone with water and flowers was commenced immediately through daily puja rites, and a master plan was unfolded from the devonic worlds."
We created a special PDF file this morning so you could see the nine astonishing vision paintings done by our Kerala artist, Suresh Mutthukulam, art which depicts the three visions above and Gurudeva's subsequent unfolding of Iraivan's destiny. Here you can also learn of the timeline for the temple's history. Download here It is a large PDF so we suggest you right/control-click and "Save Link As" to be sure the file is saved to your hard drive.
9 Responses to “Celebrating Founder's Day”
From Our Gurus' Teachings
Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.
February 14th, 2013 at 3:25 pm
Sara Gillies liked this on Facebook.
February 14th, 2013 at 3:25 pm
William Paul Edmunds liked this on Facebook.
February 14th, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Padmaja Patel liked this on Facebook.
February 14th, 2013 at 4:56 pm
Donny Jones liked this on Facebook.
February 14th, 2013 at 4:56 pm
Amartya Thompson liked this on Facebook.
February 14th, 2013 at 4:56 pm
Thenmozly Pandurengan liked this on Facebook.
February 14th, 2013 at 5:04 pm
What a beautiful and perfect expression for this day – Sivaanbu…
February 14th, 2013 at 6:10 pm
Ganesh Deivasikhamani liked this on Facebook.
February 14th, 2013 at 8:11 pm
Margaret Goode liked this on Facebook.