Bodhinatha and Shanmuganathaswami are currently in Sri Lanka on a nine day tour of Colombo, Batticaloa and Jaffna. The first event on January 25, 2015 was an evening, private-invitation-only dinner at Saraswathi Hall, organized jointly by All Ceylon Hindu Congress and Manitha Neyam Trust. An estimated 300 were in attendance. Bodhinatha was introduced by Mr. K. Neelakantha, president of the All Ceylon Hindu Congress. He was also introduced by the Minister for Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Hindu cultural Affairs Hon. D. M. Swaminathan. Bodhinatha gave a talk about the Sri Lankan Tamils diaspora and how he had been visiting many of their relatives in Canada, Australia and the USA. Many of the children from the Manitha Neyam Trust children's homes were present. Those with birthdays during this month were given a small cake and a gift, and everyone sung happy birthday. Bodhinatha gave vibuthi to everyone. This is Bodhinatha's first visit to Sri Lanka in 32 years, and much has changed in the country since 1983.

We came across this list of beautiful and bizarre creatures today that we'd like to share. These colorful, and in some cases one-of-a-kind beings are a wonderful example of Siva's uncanny and uncommon forms. With all the variety on our little planet alone, it stretches the imagination to infinity, to ponder the countless variation that must exists throughout our galaxy alone, as it floats through Siva's perfect universe.

From Living With Siva:
It takes much meditation to find God Siva in all things, through all things. In this striving--as in perfecting any art or science--regular daily disciplines must be faithfully adhered to. Siva is the immanent personal Lord, and He is transcendent Reality. Siva is a God of love, boundless love. He loves each and every one. Each soul is created by Him and guided by Him through life. God Siva is everywhere. There is no place where Siva is not. He is in you. He is in this temple. He is in the trees. He is in the sky, in the clouds, in the planets. He is the galaxies swirling in space and the space between galaxies, too. He is the universe. His cosmic dance of creation, preservation and dissolution is happening this very moment in every atom of the universe. God Siva is, and is in all things. He permeates all things. He is immanent, with a beautiful form, a human-like form which can actually be seen and has been seen by many people in visions. He is also transcendent, beyond time, cause and space. That is almost too much for the mind to comprehend, isn't it? Therefore, we have to meditate on these things. God Siva is so close to us.

Credit for the above collection: talemaze.com