 Satguru Siva Yogaswami Jaffna, Sri Lanka |
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 Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami Kauai's Hindu Monastery, USA |
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February 18, 2001
February 18: Purvashadha Until 4:13AM Mon HST February 19: Uttarashadha Until 7:18AM Tue HST Hindu Year 5102: Vikrama, the "Year of Fulfillment" |
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 Gurudeva joined the Talaivar meeting today and sat for several hours with Sannyasin Shanmuganathaswami reviewing all the many wonderful "get well" letters and cards that everyone sent. It was such an inspiration to see all the love and devotion and blessings pouring in from so many around the world. Thank you all!
Cybertalk: Today's cybertalk is part six of a radio interview with Gurudeva conducted by Arthur Pacheco. Arthur Pacheco conducts a weekly radio show in Honolulu, Hawaii and is also a trans-medium. In today's part of the interview, Arthur shares with Gurudeva how he learnt from Gurudeva's Master Course lessons about the power of affirmation and he mentions that he has successfully used that ever since. He then asks Gurudeva to share a little bit more about the power of affirmation. Gurudeva will be happy to hold "Prasnottara Satsang" -- "Questions and Answers" over the telephone with any Hindu religious societies, Hindu youth groups, Radio talk show hosts etc. All you need is a phone with a speaker and an enthusiastic audience. Arrangements may be made in advance by sending email to Sivadevanathaswami
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: May_05_1999 Title: Birth and First Learning Category: Samskara Duration: 3 min, 51 seconds Date Given: May 05,1999 Today at Kauai Aadheenam, May 5th and darshan time is open at cyberspace ashram on the beautiful garden island of Kauai. We are talking about sacraments. The question today is, "Could you give a list of all the sacraments for the children and for the adults?" The essential religious sacraments of childhood are: Namakarana, the name giving for a child about a week or thirty days after birth. Chudakarana, head shaving. This is a wonderful ceremony between thirty days after birth and the fourth year. They say it makes the hair grow beautifully, if all the original baby hair is shaved off. It is especially wonderful for the child because the child is the center of attraction for the whole family, neighbors and friends. Karnavedha, ear piercing for both, boys and girls. Little gold earrings are put in both ears. Ayurvedically, it is said, this brings health into the body, through the blood passing over the gold. Again, the child has this religious ceremony performed in the temple or in the home with a priest hired coming to the home. The child is the center of attraction and this impression goes deep into the mind, which is called a samskara or a mark within the mind, in the memory pattern of the mind. Vidyarambha, commencement of formal study. Now, we come to the big one. The child is ready to go to school and start learning the alphabet. This is also performed in the home or in the temple. A large plate of rice is put in front of the child, who with its little finger makes the first letter of the alphabet 'a', beginning the learning of the ABC's. When the child is older, we have the coming-of-age sacrament for both, boys and girls. They learn now to take on responsibility for the younger generation. This means they are to be very good examples for the younger generation, helping the mother and father raise the children. This does not mean they help the mother and father beat the children. This means they help the mother and father raise the children in love and understanding, by talking to them and giving them positive disciplines, such as 'time out' or the denial of privileges. Then, later on we have the marriage sacrament. Here the child, now an adult, is set up for a wonderful life. When the wife is carrying their first child, the second and third, there are a series of samskaras or sacraments that are performed for her and for the child she is carrying. These are very important too. We won't go into those today. If you are interested, send us an e-mail and we'll explain what they are. Now we are going to have the French language, Tamil language and Malay.  Three families from Chicago today, Yedavalli, Kolavennu and Chimata families.  Praful and Nita Bhatt from New York, celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in Kadavul Hindu Temple.  Ramanamurty and Suryakumari Yedavalli also receiving a shawl blessing from Guhanathaswami on their 36th wedding anniversary.  Then a large group of Hindus from Ohio and New Jersey, who all came on a cruise ship to Kauai. Happy souls!  Gurudeva's other monastery in the island country of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean near South Africa  We continue with our retrospective series on the mission to Asia. Here is Sannyasin Yoginathaswami at the Sri Vinayagar Temple in Klang, Malaysia, about two weeks ago.  The priest performs a small homa to invoke the divine forces before the initiations which are about to follow.  In Hinduism an initiation is known as "diksha". Our own tradition follows the orthodox scripturally prescribed initiations of the Saiva Agamas. For householders the initiations are first, mantra diksha, which initiates one into the practice of yoga through japa (repetition of the sacred name of God) and then secondly, vishesha diksha, which initiates one into the sacred performace of Siva puja in the home. It assume a spiritual maturity on the part of both husband and wife, that they can be depended on to be examples of the highest religious culture. The initiates are given the title of "Kulapati" and "Kulamata" ("Family Father, Family Mother") and will be also responsible to nurture the lives of other young members who are assigned to their households. In this way Gurudeva is working to restore the spirit and practice of extended families even amidst a modern world where the physical locations of homes may not always be on the same property. Yoginathaswami here reads outloud the vows before the call to Gurudeva is made.
 Gurudeva calls the group on a speaker phone and talks to everyone and then Yoginathsawami reads the vow as the family members repeat aloud. It is a joyous occasion, a fulfillment of years of sadhana (spiritual practice), Sivathondu (karma yoga) and study of Saiva Siddhanta.  A happy family of Malaysian members. Klang Mission has been in existence since the 80's. And some of the Malaysian members have been studying with Gurudeva for 20 years. Those who received the Vishesha Diksha Initiation today were: Kulapati Thanabalan Ganesan Gurudeva's other monastery in the island country of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean near South Africa  This is the Mahasivaratri season. Religious pilgrims from all around the island will travel to Grand Bassin, the sacred lake in the island's southwestern mountains. A contingent of villagers from La Pointe de Lascars came to the Ganesha Mandapam this morning to seek His blessings on their pilgrimage. The monks were asked to bless their kanwar. We enthusiastically accepted. Here's Sadhaka Adinatha performing a streetside arati at the little portable shrine which is at the center of their kanwar. Notice that Gurudeva's portrait has a prominent place.  Sadhaka "shows the flame" to a smaller kanwar that looks very similar to a kavadi. Both the larger and the smaller kanwar will carry pots of holy water down the mountain to be used for Siva linga abhishekam on Sivaratri day. Soon after this puja the group set off toward Grand Bassin. After collecting the water and worshiping at the lakeside shrines they will begin their two day walk down the mountain. They should arrive home late tomorrow afternoon.  All the participants "carrying the kanwar" are wearing a red string tied on their wrist by Sadhaka Adinatha.  This year's uniform for most of the local kanwar carriers. "Glory to Lord Siva!"  Sadhaka Adinatha and Sadhaka Haranandinatha pose in front of the kanwar with the eighteen members of the pilgrimage group. Note that the kanwar will not be carried, because of its extreme weight. It is on wheels. The kanwar is a small scale replica (with some artistic license) of our Ganesha Mandapam with hardwood ceiling and thatched roof. This year the kanwar will be trucked up the mountain and will be pulled back to La Pointe by the devotees. Still it is probably one of the longest walks of any of the island's kanwar parties, 36 miles (60 kilometres.) Along the way, many people from La Pointe de Lascars will temporarily accompany their "team", especially for the last 3 miles, when many of the village youth and ladies will join in the walk. "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. 
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. Sign our guestbook and we will send you a free issue of our global full-color bi-monthly magazine, Hinduism Today. 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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