 Satguru Siva Yogaswami Jaffna, Sri Lanka |
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 Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami Kauai's Hindu Monastery, USA |
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January 6, 2001
January 6: Krittika Until 8:20AM HST January 7: Rohini Until 6:23AM HST Hindu Year 5102: Vikrama, the "Year of Fulfillment" |
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 Here is a picture taken yesterday of Gurudeva by the ocean. He's up and doing very well. Yogaswami says:
"Worship the One Supreme, Oh Mind! --Natchintanai. 175. NOTE: on the Audio:
This year's Jayanthi audio talk was prepared by Gurudeva for a radio address that aired in Sri Lankan Tamils in 35 countries. He speaks of his recent back injury as part of the karma of being involved in the on-going peace process in that country.
Cybertalk: Gurudeva talks about his recent back injury in terms of Kavadi, penance and also about the mission given to him by his Satguru, the Great Sage Yogaswami of Jaffna. He affirms the divine soul that is not the body. Lord Muruga, the God of War who does not start wars, but ends wars.
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: December_31_2000 Title: Too old to be a Hindu? Category: Hinduism and Tradition Duration: 1 min., 42 seconds Date Given: November 20, 2000 A cyberspace devotee in Las Vegas wants to know, "Is it too late in life, around fiftyish, to enter Hinduism?" Well, you have the book, I know, 'How to become a Hindu'. If you believe in the existence of an all-pervasive God that holds together the universe and is everywhere, if you understand the law of karma and apply it to your life, and you understand reincarnation, then you are already a Hindu. Having said that, there are necessarily some practical steps to be taken, as explained in the beautiful book, 'How to Become a Hindu'. I am not aware whether or not, there is a Hindu temple, in Las Vegas. If not, I am sure there is a Hindu community having Satsang. Contact it, join the Satsang. Together we can all build a beautiful temple in Las Vegas, as we are doing in Arizona, Salt Lake City, Seattle, and have done in Denver and Houston, Texas and many other places. Now, to answer your question directly - No, it is not too late at fifty years of age or later to fully become a Hindu, have the name-giving ceremony and the other sacraments. You've lived through your Western karmas, that is why you were born in the West. Now you can have the best of two worlds - the best of the West and the best of the East. Believe me, you deserve it!  With our valiant task force, along with our island devotees here we had a beautifully decorated temple for this year's Jayanthi celebrations. The traditional banana stalks are tied to columns.  The temple entrance.  Our Malaysian team are experts in this temple preparation work, having lived through and helped decorate for dozens of festivals since they were little children.  A split palm front with tips trimmed makes for a lovely arch. Saravan Kalimuthu hangs the coconut toranams: short coconut leaves taken from young stems and then folded over and hung on a line.  Our big Hewlett Packard plotter allows for some really big signs!  Changing the guard in the temple as one monks finishes his three hour vigil and another takes over.  Lights were strung along the temple path.  Jai Gurudeva! An uplifting entry.  Visitors who had never been here before who dropped in were really inspired.  Walking up the temple path in the early morning is always a precious experience, like walking into the devaloka.  Most of the young ladies of the youth retreat stayed on for Jayanthi here is (left to right) Gowri Sivanesan from Malaysia, Anusha Samugam from Singapore, Darshani Alahan, from California and Priya Alahan (not related) from Kauai, with offerings for the temple.  While the cultural events were going on a stream of visitors arrived who had no idea that this was a Jayanti day. They were all very awe-inspired to be in the temple during this auspicious time, with beautiful singing in the background and decorations all around. . .  Our Tamil Ammas, 2 from Edmonton and 5 from Toronto Canada enjoying prasadam  Sadhaka Jivanandanatha with his sister Meenakshi.  Snow in Hawaii? Actually, we recently got an infrared filter for our camera to try some "cutting-edge" photography. Here is Gurudeva by the ocean undersome trees. Sadhaka Jivananandanatha shares this with us about the technology: "This digital photo is taken with an infrared filter which blocks out all visible light and lets "near infrared" light reach the camera. Near infrared light is the light in the spectrum just beyond visible red light (starting at a wavelength of around 780 nm). A good way to visualize near infrared light is to think of a common stove. When turned on, the stove coil will begin to radiate near infrared light just before the coils start to glow red. Plants reflect a lot of infrared light which shows as plants "glowing." Thermal radiation ("far infrared") and near infrared radiation are not the same. Recording "heat" requires special imaging equipment that is not commonplace in the consumer market.
 Aran Veylan on the left with his daughter Kamala. Aran has been on the ground floor of the Edmonton Ganesha temple for the past 20 years or more, working closely with Gurudeva's guidance to help the community grow and finally manifest the temple. He's an attorney in Edmonton. This year he came to Kauai with his daughter and brought two of the elder Tamil Ammas with him from Edmonton. Five elder ladies also joined the group from Toronto and Aran is now the tour guide for the whole group. He even rented a small mini-van to take the whole group around the island! We want to give our pranams to Aran for his setting such a fine example making sure the quality of life for our elders is what it should be. And we all wave HI & Aloha! to his wife Tara and sons Deva Siva and Saravan who are holding the fort in Edmonton and will be looking at these photos.  Little Sandhya Param is the star of the show here. Two years old, cute as a flower deva and shy as most little girls are.  She runs to her daddy. This is the best she could so when the Big Swami with The Scary Beard asked her to smile.  Jothi with his mother Bhavani and her grand daughter, Sandhya.  An eleven acre site in Bangalore, India, where 75 Indian families live and daily carve the sacred white granite edifice of Iraivan Temple which will soon begin to be assembled on the island of Kauai  Another photo of the Singapore mission devotees, taken in front of the Rajagopuram capstone of the Iraivan temple. It is winter season right now in Bangalore. The early morning temperature is about 11 degrees and it is still misty at 9.30 am.  My father is explaining to Singaporean, Uma Maheswaran, the different chisels used for smoothening the stone surfaces. The helper on your right is working in the blacksmith workshop. There is lot of dust and smoke while they are working. The mask is used as a preventive measure.  Gurudeva's other monastery in the island country of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean near South Africa  The Juggoo family from Plaine des Papayes is seen here signing our guest book. We've met them just as they were about to leave the Park. It was a beautiful day to visit. The wind and cloud formations from the edge of Cyclone Ando (which passed to the northwest of us) created a mystical atmosphere.  The ladies of the Pochun family from Belle Rose in the south of the island. Indira (second from left) works with the Ministry of Agriculture and plans to go into politics to work for the upliftment of women and girls. They've just bought the Positive Discipline book and Dancing with Siva for the daughters who are studying Hinduism in school.  The Baurun family came in a minibus from Petit Raffray to see Ganesha. They are perhaps the last big group to visit for a while. The New Year holiday ends tomorrow and everyone in Mauritius goes back to school or work. 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. 
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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