 Satguru Siva Yogaswami Jaffna, Sri Lanka |
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 Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami Kauai's Hindu Monastery, USA |
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May 9, 2001
: HST December 18: Hasta Until 4:19AM Tue HST Hindu Year 5103: Vrisha, the "Year of Fulfillment" |
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 Gurudeva with the Rajanayakam family who came for this mornings sun 1 homa. They used to live in California and have been associated with Gurudeva and the monks for many years. When we had our temple and monastery in San Francisco and later in Concord, they used to cook food and bring it to feed the monks. They now reside in Florida.
Cybertalk: A cyberspace devotee by the name of Rakesh wants to know what happens to a group of souls that die at the same time for example in an earthquake. Gurudeva says this is called a group karma - the same thing happening to many people at the same time. A group of Devas awaits them in the inner worlds and are ready to guide them accordingly when they arrive there. 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 Sadhaka Mahadevan
Date: August_11_2000 Title: Saivism North and South Category: Hinduism Tradition Duration: 41 seconds Cyberspace devotee from Klang, Malaysia, Wondering the difference between Saivism in North of India and in the South of India. South of India was not as affected by Islamic invasions and occupation as was the North, therefore the Saivism in the South is more mature in invoking the Gods and Goddesses of the inner world to come and bless the people through their temples. Its emphases is on Siddhanta whereas in the North of India the emphases is on Vedanta, more philosophical and internal.
 The Arunachalam sisters also came for the homa. Today is Vellachi's (right) birthday and Gurudeva presented her with a special shawl for the occasion.  Our Sun One Homa was full of brightness and inner power as usual. This lovely shot picks up the giant statue of Nandi that is just outside the door of the temple.  Parading out to the San Marga outdoor sanctuary you can see here the beginning of the "Path of the Saiva Saints," which begins with a small shrine placed at the edge of the pond at the North end of the Iraivan Temple site.  The Yagasala at the end of the temple, where we raise the fire element each phase. Things are progressing well. We understand the containers full of stones and many other wonderful things from India will be arriving in Honolulu on the 12th. Meanwhile we are breathlessly awaiting news about the visas for the silphis in India.  Later in the morning Thambynathan Nutanaya performs the daily "Nitya" puja at the San Marga Shiva Lingam. This puja has been performed daily since 1975.  The Rajanayakam family in attendance. to receive the blessings of Lord Siva invoked in this sacred sanctuary.
People have sometimes wondered about the need and significance of ritualist worship. "Afterall, if God is everywhere, why the need of a temple?" Gurudeva has recently been using an ancient analogy given by Hindu rishies of yore: "Look at the sunshine, it is everywhere, yet, if you hold a magnifying glass up, you can focus that power to the point of starting a fire. So, too, the temple provides this focusing power for the Divine Power of God, making it possible to ignite the heart with spiritual transformation and an impulse that one may not be able to get on your own."
 The pilgrims with Gurudeva in his office in the publications building.  Later they all visit our editorial office. The young lady of the group, Luxmi Rajanayakam, has been invited to write for Hinduism Today. We asked her to "pick a subject that really concerns you." She said, "I already have one.... You know my family has taken me on vacations for years and these always involve pilgrimage to temples, both in the US and in India. As a young person, who is at a stage where she questions her religion and is trying to fully understand the faith her mother and father have passed on, I really am upset with the kind of behaviour we see in many Hindu temples, where people are more concerned with power, with prestige and being seen. And in India, there is a lot of commercialization of the temple, charging money for the slightest thing. It's not like here at this temple. I want to go and just talk to God in peace... These are some of the things on my mind."  Muruga Hill looks so lovely now as the mixture of wild flowers and grass have fully matured.  This hill will be part of the path pilgrims will walk as they approach the temple. Actually these flowers are here only temporarily as the grass beneath them will eventually take over completely.  The lovely flowers evoke the spirit of the Vedas which speak of the God of Love: "Love is the firstborn, loftier than the Gods, the Fathers and men. You, O Love, are the eldest of all, altogether mighty. To you we pay homage! " " In many a form of goodness, O Love,
you show your face.
Grant that these forms may penetrate
within our hearts.
Send elsewhere all malice!"
in the Indian Ocean near South Africa  The beautiful sugar island of Mauritius hosted the Second International Conference Seminar on Skanda Murukan from 24 April 2001. The first conference took place in 1998 in Chennai. Because worship of Lord Muruga has exerted a powerful influence upon Indian literature and religious thoughts, the aim of the conference was to provide an opportunity for scholars and bhaktas to exchange their findings and insights on the this lord of Kundalini power, so much sought by yogis. During a bus tour to major shrines of the island, the delegates of the conference visited the Spiritual Park and were delighted by the lush green growth around the three main deities of the Park. Immediate inspiration led them to sing melodious devotional songs at the Ganesha Mandapam.  Dr. Ponnusamy from Fiji, was one of the delegates of the International Muruga Conference. He said he still joyfully remembers those days when Gurudeva had stayed at his residence in Fiji when GD visited that country in 1983. Dr. Ponnusamy does not see much difference between his homeland and Mauritius and feels Gurudeva will greatly help the Mauritian Tamils better understand deeper meanings of Muruga worship. He is very happy to have been at the Spiritual Park and would to come back with his family some time in the future.  Here one of the Conference delegates is giving a nice explanation about the huge black granite Muruga deity of the Spiritual Park overlooking the ocean. Many devotees lovingly come everyday to worship Lord Palani here. Lord Murugan, first guru and Pleiadean master of kundalini yoga, was born of God Siva's mind. His dynamic power awakens spiritual cognition to propel souls onward in their evolution to Siva's feet. For further information on the conference you may visit the web site of the conference at http://www.egroups.com/list/murukan_conference,
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