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Yogaswami sings in this beautiful song to the Mother, the praises of his Guru, Sage Chellappaswami:

MOTHER MINE

Oh mother mine, he came on earth in human form. He whom Brama and Vishnu fail to perceive. He assuaged my griefs and gave me his vision. I was an ignoramus to whom he gave eminent status, and assured me of the innate goodness of heaven and earth. Sivayanama was the mantra He gave me to alleviate my distress.

He bade me give up prejudices and predilections, and endowed me with discrimination to apprehend Truth. His great saying that "We know not," became meaningful to me by his grace, when He and I in non-dual communion experienced bliss.

"Who knows?" was his oft-quoted declaration, and yet to the pious lovers, he revealed the Truth of the ultimate Reality. He and I are inseparable, though infinitely great is his transcendence--

And my glamour for this world vanished in the vigorous life he gave me by the spell of his word. All bespeak his glory. His form I see everywhere; His will moves everything here. If every phenomenom is his form in the world, and everywhere we see his form, then there can be no ill-will, no blemish anywhere. Is that not so mother mine?

--Natchintanai. 52-53.

Cybertalk: A cyber devotee asks if you have a Ganesha statue in the home which direction should he be facing. Gurudeva said that the Gods should always face you and you face the Gods and Lord Ganesha can be in every room in the house. A cyber space devotee in Singapore wonders what happens to the five states of mind after death. Gurudeva says the five states of mind are always functioning. A cybercadet from Europe asks how do we honor ancestors of a different religion? Gurudeva says it does not matter what religion they are because we are honoring their soul.

Cybertalk Ends"
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.

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Transcription of One of Gurudeva's CyberTalks
Date: January_28_2001
Title: Temple Protocol, Dream about Gurudeva
Category: Hinduism and Tradition
Duration: 1 min., 10 secs
Date Given:

A question from Yogananda, cyberspace cadet in Southern California wonders about, "What side of the temple do the women stand on and what side of the temple do the men stand on?"

Well, walking into the temple facing the deity, the women go to the left and the men go to the right. In all traditional temples you will find this happening. Untraditional temples sometimes reverse the process because they just don't know.

A cyberspace devotee, Shanrola in the United States, said that he had a dream of me. I was staring straight ahead in a deep state of meditation and he wonders, "What is this all about?"

Well Shan, there are many ways of traveling. I used to travel a lot on the airplane, on the physical plane. But now, it is more efficient and less expensive to visit you in your dreams! So keep your dream door open. Maybe, we will get together again.
transcription ends

Among our "tour day" visitors today was Ruth Gilmore, a Merging with Siva student from Idaho, and Vedic astrologer Kenneth Johnson of Arizona, who is a teacher with the American College of Vedic Astrology. The College offers regular symposiums to promote professional standards in the training and practice of Vedic astrology. Through its practical application in daily life, Vedic astrology has made tremendous inroads into the Western astrological community in recent years. To learn about the next symposium go to www.vedicastrology.org.

Thambynathan Nutanaya is beginning his daily studies after having had a nice break from the time he arrived until now.

Fortunately in our modern age he doesn't have to make copies of books on ola leaves like the Hindu priests of yore.

Here he is making a copy of Book Five of the Master course.

Our "Children's Course" on Saivite Hinduism has been well received by teachers around the world. It contains a complete teacher's guide in the back and also a pretty tough set of adult questions for older people who would like to study their religion from the ground up.

Sannyasin Natarajnathaswami is working the camera now. He took this lovely shot of Saint Tiruvalluvar, the weaver author of Tirukkural.

This "experiment" is a top down shot of Saint Tirumular, author of the famed treatise on yoga known as the "Tirumantiram". This amazing work in the Tamil Language, perhaps 2000 years old, details the ancient teaching of "Siva Yoga" and monistic Saiva Siddhanta. Saiva Siddhanta Church years ago commissioned a translation of the work which was subsequently reprinted and distributed by the Ramakrishna Mission and is available through our bookstore. Another brave soul in Botswana, originally from Tamil Nadu whose family has been deeply involved in the Siddha Yoga tradition of Tamil Nadu, is working on a new translation that should be really a wonderful resource for scholars in the future. We will share with you some of his work next phase.

In our courtyard, where the monastery gathers for noon meals and special meetings, we have these fabulous wooden elephants about 4 feet tall.

Today's lunch, scrumptuous as usual. Rice, dahl, two vegetable curries, yogurt, mango chutney and papadams, standard daily fare.

Acharya Ceyonswami working in his office. He oversees the "Lambodara Kulam" which is the team that is responsible for the temple, the kitchen, the priestly training of the younger monks, the health care of the monastics, fund raising for the Iraivan temple, coordination with the Bangalore carving site, and the occasional astrological charts for muhurthas (auspicious days), compatibility for marriage and career guidance.

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

The coverage of Thai Pongal day at the Bangalore worksite continues:

The auspicious moment has arrived:

The milk just boiled out. All hailed " Pongolo Pongal" "Pongolo Pongal"

My mother, having added rice and sugar for the prasadam, is constantly stirring the rice and the milk so that the rice
does not get burnt.

A little later, the sun is showing up.

The place gets brighter and brighter as the sun rises above the trees.

This is Manikandan helping to stir the pongal.

This is the view from the place where the pongal is cooked. You can see a straight path of over 150 feet to the main gate of the carving site.

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

Workers are here today to do some small repair on the thatch roof of the Ganesha mandapam. Also they are installing a new nylon netting to make sure the thatch does become damaged in a storm. Cyclone Bindu just passed to the south of the island last week giving us pause to think and time to arrange for storm preparation.

Tying the netting inside the roof. You can see how the little bundles of thatch are arranged on the rafters.

And attaching the netting on the underside of the eaves.

Here's an unusual view of Ganesha. A bird's eye view!

Click here to view this day last year.

"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.

Click here for information about Gurudeva's travels. He is presently staying on Kauai and has not immediate travel plans.

And

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.