A Daily Chronicle of Kauai's Hindu Monastery

Satguru Siva Yogaswami
Jaffna, Sri Lanka

A Daily Chronicle of Kauai's Hindu Monastery

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
Kauai's Hindu Monastery, USA

February 5, 2001
February 5: Ardra Until 12:29PM HST
February 6: Punarvasu Until 9:51AM HST
Hindu Year 5102: Vikrama, the "Year of Fulfillment"

Gurudeva out for a stroll, visiting Walden's Book store in town. Today he conducted Visesha Diksha ceremonies over the speaker phone for the devotees in Klang, Malaysia, with Yoginathaswami there in Klang guiding it along.

Title: Odic, Actinodic and Actinic Forces; Caste System
Category: Meditation and Yoga
Duration: 2 min., 57 seconds
Date Given: February 4th 2001
Date Posted: February_5_2001

Cybertalk: A cyber cadet from Michigan asks if there is a way to differentiate the odic, actinodic and actinic forces within the body. Gurudeva says that this is well explained in the glossary section in the book Merging with Siva. Gurudeva then goes on to explain in short what these forces are. Another cyber question is put forth to Gurudeva from Malaysia, this time asking about the caste system. Gurudeva says that even in the United States there is a caste system but here it is called a class system. He suggests that in Malaysia the caste system be thrown out entirely as it brings hurt feelings to many people.

" For more information about listening to Gurudeva's talks online and to hear them in other formats, click here.

Do you have questions for Gurudeva? Send to questions@hindu.org.

Please note: Gurudeva only responds to questions from the general public on matters that are suitable for our public cyber audience. Personal or intimate questions sent to this address are not answered.

A detailed index of past inspired talks is available here.

Transcription of One of Gurudeva's CyberTalks
Date: January_31_2001
Title: Ganesha in the Home, Five States of Mind, Honoring Ancestors
Duration: 2min., 16 seconds
Date Given: January 31, 2001

A cyberdevotee Nadesan from, I think, California asks, "When you have a Lord Ganesha icon in your home, what direction should He be facing?"

Well, always the Gods face you and you face the Gods. You can have Lord Ganesha in every room of your home. He would always be facing you and giving His blessings to you.

As for this idea about Ganesha giving abundance over His shoulder and perhaps should be facing the wall, I've never heard that in my whole life. Possibly village superstition, I would not pay any attention to that.

Ganesha loves you, you love Ganesha.

A cyberspace devotee in Singapore, is wondering about the five states of mind. "What happens after death and where do the seed karmas go?"

Some say the seed karmas are stored in the sahasrara chakra, waiting there for another birth. Your five states of mind are always functioning, except the conscious mind and its immediate subconscious. When in a physical body, of course, it is aware of the physical plane. But, awareness and superconsciousness are the same.

A cyberspace cadet named Shan in Europe asks, "If you are a convert to Sanatana Dharma and your parents were not Hindu, how can you honor your parents and your ancestors?"

Well, you have to honor your ancestors no matter what religion they adhere to. That is your duty. Don't pay any attention to their religious beliefs. You are honoring their soul.

Shan, we will be in Europe in August of this year, on a Travel/Study program on a big ship. We would like to meet you. So, be in touch with us and we will send you our itinerary.

This is a wonderful shot of the giant statue of Nandi that sits outside the Kadavul Siva temple at Kauai's Hindu Monastery. Carved in India the stone bull weighs over ten tons and is the largest such Nandi statue ever carved since the time the great Nandi of Mysore was produced centuries ago.

Nandi represents the perfect devotee, the one who has conquered the lower nature and now is focused on God and a follower of Dharma. In keeping with the symbolism, the actual placement of the Nandi is such that his right eye is in perfect alignment with the right eye of Lord Nataraja that is inside the temple. When the doors are open, Nandi thus looks directly into the eye of Siva. And . . . so should we all.

Sivananda Katir, 19 years old, is off to California to apply for jobs in the San Francisco, Silicon Valley Bay area. Having graduated from high school he has mastered many aspects of modern computing and even formed his own company. Rather than go to University it seems best to go directly into the field where his talents and practical hands on expertise should be highly prized. Sivananda has been a great help to us on our web site. We wish him all the best on his move to California.

Today we had two couples who were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Here are Rakesh and Indu Arora from Bethesda, Maryland exchanging garlands.

The garlands were blessed along with the prasad of fruits during a special archana chanting their names and birth stars.

Acharya Ceyonswami blessing them with a beautiful shawl on behalf of Gurudeva.

Here is the second couple, also celebrating their 25th, Mr. and Mrs Madhusudan Borde from Suisun, California. They were also devotees of the Palaniswami Temple in San Francisco many years ago.

Today was a special day in Kadavul Temple as it was the monthly ardra abhishekam for Lord Nataraja, a full two hour puja and the darshan was radiant.

Good timing for both couples who are actually long time friends. Siva's devotees living a dharmic life are always in perfect timing!

Gurudeva's other monastery in the island country of Mauritius
in the Indian Ocean near South Africa

Vasan Lutchmanen is the priest at the Cap Malheureux temple. We have known him a long time. Many years ago he travelled the island with us to take part in the Saiva seminars being given in different places. (It was at one of those seminars that he met the girl he would eventually marry.) Vasan is here today to talk about the possibility of participating in the upcoming Northern European Innersearch with Gurudeva.

February is a special time of the year for the Hindus of Mauritius. This week we are celebrating Thai Pusam with fasting and kavadi carrying. On the 21st it will be Sivaratri time. Thousands of people will walk from their homes to the sacred lake at Grand Bassin at that time. They will bring water home to bathe the Sivalingam in their temple and in their homes. Also many groups will "carry kanwar." The kanwar are brightly colored constructions of bamboo and colorful paper decorations. Inside the kanwar the pot of holy water is attached and carried back to one's village. Recently some of the kanwar have become huge constructions on wheels, much like a float one would see in a parade in the USA. Here's a fun photo of one of last year's kanwar which, you can see by the newly installed electric light, is still the object of someone's fond attention.

This day last year was a retreat. No page was archived.

"How to Become A Hindu"! Gurudeva's latest book release is now available Hot Off the Press! Visit the Himalayan Academy Book Store Web Site get the book and read the incredible testimonies of the early pioneers from the west who chose to make a full and complete conversion to Hinduism, legally change both their first and last names to Hindu names, change their lifestyles, sever their formal connections to previous faiths and joyously face the challenges in joining the tribe of the Sanatana Dharma

Visiting Kauai's Hindu Monastery
If you are planning to visit Kauai, please go first to our our visitor's page. Thank you.

2001 EUROPEAN INNERSEARCH
12 Glorious Days, 8 Enchanting Countries
and One Chance in a Lifetime!
Imagine spending 12 days with one of the greatest spiritual leaders of this century. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami will be leading this exotic educational and spiritual voyage himself combining the mystical path of Indian spirituality with a superlative retreat from it all.

Take advantage of this one chance to be in close proximity with a living master. Come with us on an inner and outer voyage to Northern Europe and Russia.
www.innersearch.org

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THANK YOU, GURUDEVA

For those who have been touched spiritually by Gurudeva's work, his books, his guidance, his inspired life and example and even his website, the "Thank You, Gurudeva Fund" has been established within Hindu Heritage Endowment.

Proceeds from this fund last forever; they're not a one-time gift. So gifts to this fund have eternal gratitude built into them. They live on in perpetuity.

Each month Gurudeva receives the income from the fund to be used at his own discretion to promote his work and mission around the globe. He loves this, for he knows that it comes from all the good souls who have met him and studied with him, traveled with him or just talked with him over the years. A contribution to this fund is tax-deductible.

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