Cosmic Kadavul
With Mahasivaratri approaching, Kadavul Temple's shakti has been especially potent. Above are a few images from this afternoon, during the 3:00pm Ganesha puja. Below, a quote from Gurudeva about this special place.
From The Guru Chronicles:
"At Mahasivaratri time, in 1973, in the jungles of Kauai, our Kadavul Nataraja Deity, Lord of the Dance, arrived at Sivashram and was placed in the gardens overlooking the sacred Wailua River, where it was spontaneously decorated, bathed and worshiped. That night the exact location of the Deity's installation was chosen by Lord Murugan Himself when He appeared to me in an early-morning vision, upturned His glistening vel, His scepter of spiritual discernment, and powerfully pounded its point three times on the cement steps at the monastery entrance, marking the precise spot to place the Deity.
"Lord Murugan's orders were obeyed. On March 12, the Deity was moved into place and worship began immediately. A rotating 24-hour vigil was established, and it has been maintained without a single hour's lapse to this very day. Under this strict monastery discipline, monks take turns every three hours in the temple, night and day, 365 days a year. During this vigil, they perform constant meditation, puja, yogas and chanting, quelling the mind and giving themselves in profound adoration, prapatti, to this remarkable God. Thus the arrival of the Siva Nataraja Deity transformed our life, and from that day onward life in and around the monastery has revolved around His divine presence.
This establishment of Kadavul Hindu Temple on the lush, tropical Garden Island of Kauai, Earth's most remote land mass, at the base of Hawaii's oldest extinct volcano, known as Mount Waialeale, eventually was recorded in the State archives by the Governor as the first Hindu temple in Hawaii.
"With the arrival of Lord Nataraja, thousands upon thousands of devas of the Second World and devas and Mahadevas of the Third World penetrated the inner atmosphere of the Lemurian mountaintop island of Kauai from several ancient temples--in Sri Lanka, the precious Kumbhalavalai Koyil, mystic Nallur and potent seaside Tiruketeeswaram, and in India, the mighty Chidambaram, Thanjavur's Brihadeeswarar, which I am said to have built in a previous life as Rajaraja Chola, according to several jyotisha nadishastris, and the sin-dissolving Rameswaram, overflowing in healing waters in twenty-two wells. The three worlds had at that moment become connected as one, and the Saivite Hindu religion began to flourish on this side of the planet."
The power of the Kadavul Siva Temple became supreme following the installation of the Lord Nataraja Deity in 1973. The name Kadavul, from Tamil, is among the oldest names of Lord Siva, literally meaning "He who is immanent and transcendent" or "He who is within and without." Humble in its physicality, the temple had a life-transforming shakti from the start, the natural convergence of Gurudeva's vision, Siva's presence and Murugan's yogic thrust. It was, Gurudeva said, a fire temple, for fire is the element of change, of reformation and even annihilation. Some people entered the temple and began to weep uncontrollably. They would come in one state and leave in another, their lives changed in large and small ways. So potent its energies became that Gurudeva would in later years, just for a time, allow only vegetarians to enter, seeing that others were too overwhelmed by the energy, overcome by the transformative tsunami of shakti.
4 Responses to “Cosmic Kadavul”
From Our Gurus' Teachings
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February 16th, 2015 at 6:24 am
Wonderful news on wonderful Kadavul. Thank you for sharing this! Aum
February 16th, 2015 at 2:30 pm
The article from Gurudeva’s chronicles evolves bakhthi on the eve of Mahashivarathri.
Aum Namashivaya
February 16th, 2015 at 4:07 pm
Indeed
February 17th, 2015 at 6:23 pm
It would not surprise me to hear that Satguru Bodhinatha has directed the funds raised above the Digital Dharma campaign goal be invested in live internet streaming of all Kadavul pujas and ceremonies for the entire sangha. 🙂
I wish everyone a vibrant and bountiful Mahasivaratri.