Saiva Siddhanta Church
of Mauritius Hold Jayanthi Celebrations
Sends news on developements there

Submitted by
Sannyasin Murugaswami

We had quite a wonderful Jayanti puja and special all-day, two part, program yesterday here. Great weather, sun and some cooling wind. Probably a hundred although no one counted. Nearly all members, students etc. came for the morning program and puja. 10:30 to 1:30. The magnificent elegant Ganesha Pavilion was the setting, with the guru puja on the river side. Sivadevanathaswami did the inner guru puja and nearly all members sponsored the puja and all the names were chanted. Nathchinanai resouned for the moments before and after the puja. Sivadevanathaswami led all in a shum meditaion after the puja and all had taken flame, sacraments. He also read excerpts from Book Three Metaphysics on will power which everyone loved.

Murugaswami gave a short message on the guru, saying that there are many different Siva gurus over the millennia, and tried to help all understand and appreciate the unique power of Gurudeva. His key to discipleship is responsiveness. He said Gurudeva doesn't visualize his devotees around the world just sitting and looking at him and honoring him. He thinks of them on stage with him, dancing, a spiritual dance. On stage, movements have to be quick, ultimately quick and, smooth, but at least quick. All this depends on responsiveness. So he said you are all on stage, every day, dancing and moving. so watch your email! Respond, move, and dance and that way you willcatch his power, shakti. He also spoke for a couple minutes on softness, the first word Gurudeva heard from Ganesha, in the Letters of Copper Star which most members heard Sadhaka Jothi read to them years ago, and reminded all that softness seems easy but needs nurturing and practice everyday. It is so important. Softness, softness, softness, in family, friends and business. If not soft, we must follow Ganesha's counsel "If you are not soft in your intellect refrain from speaking."

He thanked all abundantly for working so hard to raise 2.5 million ruppees in only one year and 7 months and manifest a jewel where we are all sitting, and islanders are marvelling at. He encouraged all to continue and ask friends and business friends to join the Friends of the Park Program, a new 1999 program to donate monthly to the spiritual park through bank transfer system and receive in the mail a short quarterly news report, a photo update and receipt for government tax purposes, every three months.

Vanilla Maremootoo then uplifted everyone with a very elegant exquisite Shiva dance. She was the very first dancer in the Ganesha Pavilion, a rightful respect and honor to Vanilla for training so hard and wonderfully for so many years at Kalakshetra with such an inner spiritual and refined perspective. There was prashadam. All lingered, roamed around and feliciated and socialized in the guru shakti.

MCA television came at 2pm. A six-man crew and three-annoucers--the main presenter, a well-known and popular TV personality, and Parmesh Pallannee to help say all the right things and Reshma Dayal, a university retreat youth participant who has worked with this TV crew on teleschool programs. They brought two big cameras for the program and came a couple days before for four hours to do survey work.

At four pm the the public program offically started. So the two things were overlapping at the same time-television and the public open house. But it was all relaxed and enjoyable. All who came at this time, were supporters of the park, and were sent beautiful inviations.

The TV crew were exceptionally artistic, professional, and choreographic, and took a boat down the river to the mouth of the river whree we have never been and then approached from that direction and came up from behind.


Then they took footage all over, Ganesha, Shiva, Muruga, guests, the Pavilion architecture, 4,400 new trees, orchards, flowers, flora, fauna, views of river and sea, and the spectacular 6pm dance program at the youth teaching pavilion on the ocean edge near Muruga. Indiren Moonoosamy, an exquisitely traditional and super trained male dancer, respected by one and all in Mauritius, performed with his new bride of two months, also a dancer. Note: Gurudeva: he danced for you about eight years ago when you were here.] The television filmed all of it with two cameras. There were about 75 people at the public late-afternoon gathering. All during, they all enjoyed walking around and we even hired a outboard-motor fishing boat so the families could all have boat rides with their children up and down the Rempart River to Muruga at the ocean. They loved it and were waving at other visitors up on the banks.

Sewveral very very successfull well-known businessmen came. One owns the biggest duty free jewelry gift shop in Mauritius, called Mikado. He brought his friend, the president of Delphis Bank. We talked of course with both of them and have been inviting them to come here for six months. Now they both want to help fund the park to grow.

At 7pm the tv crew went back out in a boat and filmed the turning on of the night lighting of the Pavilion from the river, all coordinated by mobile phones so it synched with the presenter's script. Well done.

The guests loved the night lighting which is very stunning by any 5-star hotel standards. And even the 5-star hotels don't have 24-karat gold kalasams and a 200,00 ruppees sparkling saphire chinese tile roof!

Fresh mango juice was served to all and all encouraged to take the inspiration home and send in a donation by mail to help the park grow and become a Friend of the Park.

At each moment, for the public and television, it was Gurudeva who was acknowledged and honored, as the inspiration and power of the park. All others were appreciated as helpers.

Note: The monks were not televised, nor spoke. It seems appropriate and nice, so to the park would always be understood as the unfolding vision of Gurudeva and the response of SSC members and the Mauritius people who have given from their heart all the money, not from the immediate residents of the monastery.

It was a memorable day and a most special thing for you Gurudeva, a birthday present for you...... After the puja all hundred people gathered in front of the pavilion with smiles and beautiful colorful dress, and a photo was taken for you, in fact about ten photos to be safe, so that we can send you a nice big one. Your large meter high photo was held high in the middle of the family photo.