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Cybertalk: Today's cybertalk is part eight 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 segment Arthur asks Gurudeva to share with the audience about Lord Ganesha's milk miracle that happened a few years ago.

Cybertalk Ends"
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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

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Transcription of One of Gurudeva's CyberTalks
Date: November_27_1999
Topic: Darshan and Invocation Part 2
Category:
Duration: 7 min. , 44 seconds

It's very important to realize that the priest is talking to God. How many people, especially the younger people , today say, "What is the priest saying? I don't want to go to the temple. I don't even know what they're saying."

What they are saying has been translated into English, into French, into German and into other languages as well. It's a very simple thing that they're saying. They're saying, "Come, we're going to bathe You. We're going to give You new clothing. We're going to give You vibhuti. There will be incense filling the room. Just come and bless us."

Very simple English. Those same people will learn a completely different computer language, a completely different medical language with no qualms. Yet, even though we've translated and distributed the information on what the priests are saying, still the same complaints come up. It's some kind of a propaganda, I would say, to get rid of Sanskrit in the temple and it's working too. Now in some temples in India, Sanskrit has been eliminated and the local language is used there.

The priests are chanting in Tamil language. But, a turn around. They're chanting for the people, not for the Gods. They're chanting, so the people can understand what is being said. They're not invoking the Gods; they're invoking the people to come to the temple. So that will carry forward now, as a popular breakdown of Sanatana Dharma in the New Age pretty soon, unless it's corrected. We will go to the temple in Livermore, California, or in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and we'll hear the priest singing in English. To get the people, especially the younger generation, to come to the temple. But, we won't feel the vibration of the Gods. We will just see stone faces. We'll go to a temple in France, one or two of our temples in Germany, we'll go to our temple that we started in Denmark and hear the puja in Danish, French, Italian.

Why not? The Catholics tried it; Vatican II changed the face and liturgy, the language of the Catholic church. I remember ... before Vatican II, someone took me to a Mass in a Catholic Church, (it was) done in Latin. It was so beautiful, so uplifting, inspiring. I didn't know the meaning of the words in Latin. But, you didn't care because you were uplifted. After Vatican II, I had another experience - only a couple in my life, of going to a Catholic Church. There was somebody with a guitar and they were singing in English. I felt like every asura in the City was there dancing around, getting in the minds of the people, disturbing the minds of the people and making their homes chaotic. They destroyed their own religion. They destroyed the darshan of the statues, of Saint Teresa, Mother Mary. They destroyed it by changing the vibration and the method of invocation. Rather than invocating the Divine, they invocated the people - to balance the budget.

Why, now, is the Pope so eager to convert those tribals in India and in Nepal? To boost up the numbers. Even once converted, they're not going to do very much. Why not convert the highly educated people in Europe and the United States? Because they're not interested. The vibration of the Catholic Church is just gone. It's not uplifting. The darshan is not there.

Now, do we want to do this to our Hindu temples throughout the world? Do we want to do this to the Hindu people throughout the world?

Of course, we know why, they're promoting puja in Tamil language, in Tamil Nadu. Because the government-run temples are hiring uneducated people, who are jobless, to come, ring a bell and light some incense. There's no time to train them in the subtle arts of doing mantra and visualizing. The proper visualization can give the mantram life. They're too impure to invoke the Gods. So, the temples become tourist attractions. There's no darshan, no vibration.

Darshan not only means "sight of the Divine". It means the feeling of the person. When you see somebody, he's either uplifting you or is making you feel badly. You feel how they feel because they convey a message through their aura, through their thoughts, through just feeling of who they are. A well educated priest of the Sanatana Dharma, who knows his Sanskrit, knows the proper pronunciation, knows the proper visualization can take a banyan tree and turn that tree into a temple. By invoking the Gods into that tree, the Devas around in every branch of that tree, attract crowds that will be benefited and healed - mentally, emotionally and physically. We've seen that done.
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Sadhaka Dandapani has moved to the Ekadanta Kulam where he is now working full time under the direction of Paramacharya Bodhinathaswami. His main focus right now is coordinating the coming Innersearch. Why don't you join Gurudeva later this year on his trip to Northern Europe?

On the left, Sadhaka Mahadevan in the Ekadanta Kulam. He coordinates events when our monks travel, does a lot of correspondence, and helps with the seva coordination of our members around the world. Member tithe 10 percent of their time each week. This is calculated as 4 hours a week or 16 hours a month in selfless service. And we keep track of it too! Second from the left, Sannyasin Saravananathaswami, also in the Ekadanta Kulam, helping with the student and membership programs. His focus is on youth, youth retreats and right now he's gearing up for the coming Young Men's Retreat that will be held here the first week of June. In the back right Sadhaka Thondunatha, our fund raiser for Iraivan and number one host for guests, and Sadhaka Dandapani on the right, Innersearch coordinator and their beloved Gurudeva in the middle!

The Balachandran family from Sri Lanka here again today. As they are Hindus who have made prior arrangements to come to the Aadheenam on a pilgrimage, they have permission to be on the monastery grounds for sadhana and worship during the morning, unattended. Devoted as they are, they got up early to attend the very lovely and powerful Muruga Puja that is held at 6:00 AM.

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

Yesterday's photos showed the annual Mahasivaratri foot pilgrimage to the sacred lake of Grand Bassin. Today we have some photos of Gurudeva's Mauritius monks participating in the worship.

But first let's pay homage to the man whose vision, you might say, started it all. Here's the statue commemorating the late Shri Jhummo Giri Gossane. He was the pujari at the Terre Rouge Shivala one hundred years ago. One night he dreamt, the story goes, of pariya (fairies) dancing around a talao (lake) somewhere in the mountains to the south. He began searching for the talao of his dreams and discovered it on the eve of Mahashivratri. The talao, surrounded by beautiful mountains, had a heavenly environment just like in his dream. He named the place Pari Talao. It was re-named (on the eve of a subsequent Mahashivratri) Ganga Talao after holy water from the river Ganga from India was poured into it. Shri Gossane was the one who started the Mahasivaratri walk. The first year only eight people accompanied him.

Since that time hundreds of thousands, well over a million, have followed in
his footsteps carrying the colorful kanwar.

Tied to this kanwar is a plastic replica of Shiva. It's a water bottle for
transporting the holy water to the home of the devotee.

There are several shrines and temples around the lake. Improvements are made
every year to enhance the devotion and comfort of the many pilgrims. Many
can be seen offering prayers and collecting water at the waters edge.

Goddess of the lake.

Mauritiuseswara Shiva Temple at the waters edge has seen a week-long
non-stop line of pilgrims.

One seen here prostrating before the lingam.

Bilva leaves and flowers cover the lingam.

Sadhaka Adinatha, in the talao, offers prayers for Gurudeva and all the
monks.

And does abhishekam of the Siva Linga at the Shivala of the Hindu Maha
Sabha. Note the ingenious metal trough allows for hundreds of pilgrims to do
abhishekam all at the same time. By pouring in the trough the water is
transported to the Shiva Linga seen at the center of the photo. Aum
Namasivaya.

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.

Click here for information about Gurudeva's travels. He is presently staying on Kauai and has no 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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