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"The ideal of Ishvarapujana, worship, is to always be living with God, living with Siva, in God's house, which is also your house, and regularly going to God's temple. This lays the foundation for finding God within. How can someone find God within if he doesn't live in God's house as a companion to God in his daily life? The answer is obvious. It would only be a theoretical pretense, based mainly on egoism. If one really believes that God is in his house, what kinds of attitudes does this create? First of all, since family life is based around food, the family would feed God in His own room at least three times a day, place the food lovingly before His picture, leave, close the door and let God and His devas eat in peace. God and the devas do enjoy the food, but they do so by absorbing the pranas, the energies, of the food. When the meal is over, and after the family has eaten, God's plates are picked up, too. What is left on God's plate is eaten as prasada, as a blessing. God should be served as much as the hungriest member of the family, not just a token amount. Of course, God, Gods and the devas do not always remain in the shrine room. They wander freely throughout the house, listening to and observing the entire family, guests and friends. Since the family is living in God's house, and God is not living in their house, the voice of God is easily heard as their conscience."

Bodhinatha has been holding private meetings with all the sishya families in the Bay Area of California. Acharya Kumarswami writes that all the families appear to be doing very well and especially encouraging are the young people in the mission who are all still strong in their faith and participation. The team returns to Kauai Aadheenam tomorrow.

Bodhinatha's Sun One Video. Most Recent update: May 18, 2003, "Bodhinatha speaks on the tenth yama, saucha purity: 11 minutes and 7 seconds. Opens in separate Window. Quicktime 6.0 required to view this MP4 video.

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A large party of about 60 Patels literally swooped into the Aadheenam today. They were all from the same place in India originally and now live spread across the US. They like to charter planes and group tour packages and Kauai Aadheenam and its rudrakshas were on of their list and the only reason they came to Kauai.

Deva Seyon recorded the Alahan home blessing and writes:

"Today was a wonderful day for the Wailua Mission. �Yogi Mahadevan and Sadhaka Haranandinatha arrived at an auspicious hour this morning to the new home of Kulapati Durvasa & Isani Alahan to perform a sacred home blessing. Clearing the inner and outer atmosphere of a new home is critical for Hindus. �The vibration of the past is cleared and cleaned and made ready for the inner plane devas and guardians of a family to move in and take residence. �Only then does the family move in to this sanctified atmosphere."

The walls and the floor are scrubbed and waiting for the priests to arrive

The priest enters the shrine room and begins the magic cleaning that soap and broom can't reach.

All enter the shrine room that will become the center of the home.

After the initial invocations the priest emerges from the shrine room with the sanctified water and sprinkles in every corner of the house, chasing away all negative forces and congested vibrations.

Finally outside to all the four corners comes the priest and his potent chanting for the establishment of divine forces.

The neighbors look friendly!

They are friendly and come over to be hand fed some morning glory vines.

After the ceremony is done the Alahan family feeds the priests.

Next the family feed all in attendance, here are the ladies of the Wailua Mission.

Now with her first feeding behind her little Shaila Pushpa loves lunch time!

She loves all the love and attention from her aunties!

The 4 shakti's of the Alahan home: Sitara, Priya, Neesha & Isani.

The view from the top floor of the new home is testimony to the grace of the Gods in the lives of this dedicated family.

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More fine photos of carving works going on in Bangalore. Jiva writes:

I have lots and lots of good carvings. I just held back to keep some surprises.
Here are more to enjoy. More photos of pillar carvings.

Pillar carvings

Pillar carving

Rajagopuram capstone- set in place for visitors to see. This goes on top of the main entrance to the temple.

4 panel Jalakom

Chinnu gopuram (tops of smaller side towers) after initial joining at worksite.

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Date: February_12_1999
Title: Attachment, Desire and the Spiritual Life
Category: The Spiritual Path
Duration: 3 min., 45 seconds
Date Given: February 12, 1999
Given By: Gurudeva

Today at Kauai Aadheenam; February 12th. Greetings everyone, greetings!

Today we are going to go to the other side of the island. It is a very long journey. We are having a field trip. We are driving 30 miles. When you live on a small island, as we do, the distances change within your mind. 30 miles is a long, long way. Going to the other side of the island is like driving from San Francisco, 400 miles to Los Angeles and it is a big adventure for everyone. Everyone feels like that on this small island, when they go from one side to another. It is a big adventure. Interesting how the mind works!

The mind can adjust to all kinds of situations. It is so fluid that if we hang on to attachments, then we suffer. What is an attachment? Something that we feel we own. Actually, we don't own anything. The closest thing that you do own is your physical body. That is why we should take good care of the physical body.

Attachment brings pain. Desire brings pain when it is not fulfilled. Many people are attached to their desires. Many people are attached to having pain in their life. It becomes part of their life and they are so used to the pain in their life. But the spiritual life is a life of total fulfillment every moment of the day, total fulfillment. The spiritual life is a life, free from desire and free from attachment. Now this doesn't mean that you don't have any desires at all. It doesn't mean that at all. It means that you don't have desires that are impossible to fulfill. It means that you don't have desires that are bad for you, if you did fulfill them. It means that you don't have desires that totally consume your mind and you'd be totally unhappy and upset if they were not fulfilled.

Analyze your desires. Analyze your attachments. Try to desire the highest and try to be affectionately detached. What is affectionate detachment? It is showering love on each and everyone, but remaining a little bit apart. A little bit detached. Not living other people's lives within them, as most people do. They don't live their own life. They are living their life through the minds of other people, by thinking about other people all the time, especially their faults.

Well, we will talk about this a little bit more tomorrow. We have to pack up now and go on our field trip to the other side of the island. Bye, bye for now.

Aum Namah Sivaya.

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