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Living with Siva is based on the "Yamas" (Restraints" and "Niyamas" (Observances) which are the foundation of religious and spiritual life for all Hindus. In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, they also form the "first limb" of yoga practice. If the only thing a Hindu understood and implemented in his or her life were these twenty simple guidelines, they would be a good Hindu and make great strides in spiritual unfoldment. And, if the practice of Yamas and Niyamas is absent or weak in someone's life, the practice of yoga, performance of japa and meditation etc. will be nothing more than mere physical or mental calisthenics -- without the foundation of proper living there will be no fruit to spiritual practice. So, first things first! To read about the Yamas and Niyamas, go to the October 1997 issue of Hinduism Today and read the Insight section entitled: Twenty Vedic Laws for Living a Good Life.

Announcement

Gurudeva's travel plans are shaping up and he has also just received an invitation to go to Hamm Germany for special religious celebrations in August. Following these he will depart for London to being the 2001 Northern European Innersearch. Please note, for pilgrimage to Kauai, Gurudeva will not be on Kauai from July 31st to August 31st. If you are planning a visit and hoping to have darshan, please schedule your pilgrimage before or after that time. For Hindus in Europe who might like to join Gurudeva at temple functions, stay tuned to the gurudeva_travels.html page for news and updates in the days and weeks ahead.

Cybertalk: A cyberspace devotee in Texas wants to know if he was born into a certain Hindu sect must he remain in that denomination for the rest of his life. Gurudeva says that it is very flexible within Hinduism and that if he finds another sect within Hinduism that suits him better he should throw his entire energy within it.

Cybertalk Ends"
For more information about listening to Gurudeva's talks online and to hear them in other formats, click here.

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

Click to send Gurudeva a spiritual question he will later answer for all to benefit.

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Date: April_11_2001
Title: Energy in the spine
Category: Karma
Duration: 1 min., 19 seconds
Date Given: April 11, 2001

A cyberspace devotee in Michigan in the United States, asks about the energy flowing from the soul through the spine. "How do you feel that energy?"

You would feel that energy, if it wasn't there or was inhibited in some way, such as a vertebra out of place and the energy was not feeding one part of the body or one organ of the body or another. Therefore, you would go to a chiropractor and get the spine properly aligned.

Open and close your hands. Feel the energy opening and closing the hands. That's easy. Now, we will center the awareness in the spine. Simply move your back forward and back, and side to side. Feel the energy moving the spine. That's very easy also.

There is nothing magical about this feeling. You must just identify it and also, know that the energy is coming right from God Siva. That is why, the Vedas tell us, "Siva is the life of your life."
transcription ends

Acharya Palaniswami and Sadhaka Thondunatha discuss plans for Gurudeva's travels to Germany in August where some religious events are planned in Hamm, followed by the 2001 Northern European Innersearch.

Here is Acharya Kumarswami who works every day on Gurudeva's books. He is now actively finishing up the "back matter" for Living with Siva, getting it ready for printing. The focus today is the Glossary and Index. These are big tedious jobs, but they make for a very professional, useful reference work for serious students and teachers. This attention to detail has made Gurudeva's books reach even university classrooms as standard texts for comparative religion courses. Dancing with Siva has been especially useful in this context.

In another new innovation at the Aadheenam, we have started to harvest and process our rudraksha beads in mass quantity. These are fresh from the trees this year. Sivaneswaran on the left and Arvindraj on the right are having a wonderful time preparing these sacred beads. They will be sold and the proceeds will be contributed into the San Marga Temple Building fund. This is a wonderful "circle" as the fruit of the land that the temple is on will be helping to build that temple!

In our already finished small, Kadavul Hindu Siva temple, there is the "prayer basket." Devotees write prayers and fold them and place them in this basket. Other prayers come by mail or fax. The priest will burn them in the sacred eternal flame in a small fire altar that is just at the feet of Lord Nataraja. Prayers are burned only on the auspicious days when the "channels between the earth plane and the Second and Third Worlds (Devaloka and Sivaloka, the astral and causal planes) are open. On days when these channels are closed the prayers are not burned except during an auspicious three hour period. On certain days, even that period is not available and the prayers are held over for an auspicious day or until the Sun One homa. This homa ceremony opens the channels between the three worlds regardless of the astrology of the day.

This lovely Ganesha was sent to us by someone in Malaysia. The image reminds us that Lord Ganesha is the Guardian God of all nature, of all manifest material Being. For non-Hindus who are seeking entrance into the Hindu faith, they must first develop a personal relationship with Lord Ganesha, which is very easy to do as He is very close to the physical realm and easy to contact and be in touch with. Every Hindu should also be in touch with Lord Ganesha every day. Learn more about the Benevolent Third World Being by reading: Loving Ganesha

Our 11-acre village in India is home to 75 Indian master craftsmen who live there and work each day on the carving of the sacred white granite Siva Temple which will soon be shipped soon to Kauai and assembled. See our latest February 2001 Building Fund Progress Report and join our family of contributors today!

Here is an old picture of our temple manager on the right, Jiva Rajasankara, honoring the world famous Hindu architect, Ganapati Sthapati who designed the Iraivan temple. Ganapati Sthapati will be here on Kauai next month for the special 'prathama sila" or first stone laying ceremonies for Iraivan.

Please join our international family of temple builders and donate generously today!

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