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We had our Sun One homa today...

Bodhinatha's Sun One Video. Most Recent update: June 16, 2003, Bodhinatha speaks on Ishvarapujana, Worship, Niyama #5.

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Yogi Mahadevan performs his magic and bring up Agni, the messenger of the Gods.

Aum Namasivaya!

Bodhinatha offered a huge pile of prayers that had been put into the basket.

Now we go back in time to Guru Purnima day...In the morning our musicians from Canada played at the morning puja. Nothing can compare to live nadasvaram and tavil to raise the vibration and bring a lot or power and energy to the temple!

One of the devotees also shot this of Priya Alahan playing veena during the morning cultural performance.

That same afternoon and early the next morning all the devotees and monks turned into a team of sevaks preparing for the Open House... setting out chairs here in the dining area.

Moving the Iraivan model with the tractor, out to the Iraivan temple site to put on the stage.

The gathering place for the morning speeches has been set up under tents in front of the temple.

Some of the ladies work on a giant garland...

....for Dakshinamurti

The temple too is decorated with banana trees... Everyone is excited, anticipating all the people who will be coming.

The open house began at 9 am and those who had come on time gathered for announcements. By 9:15 we counted about 120 people had arrived....

Then the procession started out to the Iraivan Temple site. Along the Tiruneri path to Kadavul Temple all the displays were lined up for visitors to see and read. And the people kept coming... and coming... and coming..

By 10 am or so the count reached around 300 people... and they kept coming!

Old and young walked along.

At the head of the procession, Bodhinatha walks with the musicians playing, conches blowing.

The guests were all those on the island we know, friends, business people we work with... people from all spheres and walks of life on Kauai. It was a joyous spirit of one Kauai community!

Our monks greeted and talked with as many people as we could.

By 11 am the count was about 400. Ultimately, over 550 island friends, supporters and neighbors shared the morning here.

Yogi Japendranatha drove the people mover back and forth, shuttling those who might not be able to walk... We will bring you more pictures of the event tomorrow.

Saiva Siddhanta Church
Golden Gate Mission

Here is the Ajaya family, Hotranatha with his wife Punita and daughters Devika and Yatrika. The family is the force behind the "Iraivan Calendar" project which was a great success last year, engineering the assembly and printing of professional calendars to sell for fund raising for Iraivan. They want to extend a big Mahalo to Indivar Sivanathan and Sheela Venkatakrishnan who helped with the project and remind everyone to stay tuned as later this year the Iraivan calendars for 2004 will be ready....

The Golden Gate Mission enjoyed a Guru Purnima satsang.

Satguru Bodhinatha gave Upadesh via speakerphone, explaining the details of initiation on the Saiva Marga, as one of the five tasks of a guru. How to prepare for initiation, as well as how to nurture its power.

So many in the Mission made a cultural contribution on this holy day. Our oduvar, Jothi Param, sang Gaja Vadana. Raja Sivamani dazzled with a veena composition in many ragas called Chinnan Chirukaliye. His student Kartikeya Katir displayed his latest work in progress, Lombodara. The Ajaya sisters, Devika and Yatrika, sang a duet Deva Deva, and K. Sivamani sang Parashakti Janani. Venita Katir sang Sevikka Vendum . Pictured here is Rama playing Raravenu on his flute.

We also celebrated Chidambaram Sendan's birthday. He's two years old today. His grand parents adopted Hinduism years ago, His parents are Hindus, so Chidambaram is a third-generation American Hindu.

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Date: April_06_1999
Title: Strengthen Willpower to Strengthen the Soul
Category: Self Improvement
Duration: 7 min., 44 seconds
Given by: Gurudeva

Today at Kauai Aadheenam. We are in the 6th of April day of this year! It is 6th of April.

Well, we have two questions. One is from Robert Garrison and one from Toronto, Canada. Jason Dillon, who is reading 'Loving Ganesa', wanting to become a Hindu, having a namakarana. In the back of 'Loving Ganesa', there are the 6 steps you have to take, Jason, to become a Hindu. Yes, we can give you a beautiful Hindu name. Send us your date, time and place of birth. We will work it out for you, astrologically.

Robert asks us, "Some people on the path don't have much willpower. Are they younger souls?"

As you become an older soul, you do so by building your willpower. You can become an older soul even in this life. That is the purpose of yoga. That is the purpose of meditation. That is the purpose of pranayama. That is the purpose of strengthening your willpower. You mature your soul. By doing that, you can live five lifetimes in one single lifetime if you know how to do it and do it correctly. Move your karmas ahead. That is the purpose of tapas.

Well, the question has come up, "What happened to the language of meditation? What happened to the Shum language? Is it still in existence?"

Yes, it is. We use it everyday. Let us have a Shum meditation, right this very moment.

sim-shum-be-see That is a beautiful word, a complete concept. Say it carefully with me. sim shum be see. It means feel the power of your spine. Take your awareness into your spine. Feel the energy within the spine. sim-shum-be-see

Then, the next word is kaa-eef. kaa eef. That means being aware that you are aware. It is as simple as that. Be aware that you are aware. That is very difficult to do. For one second, maybe you can become aware that you are aware and then all of a sudden you are aware of something else. But, the more you pull the power of your body, that means all the energy from all the nerve systems of the body, the power of the body, into the spine, you pull the awareness into the spine, it is called mee-kaa-shum.

So, our meditation today is nee-ka-shum, sim-shum-be-see, kaa-eef. The explanation is: We draw all the energy from the left leg into the spine , all the energy from the right leg into the spine, the left arm and the right arm and so forth until we feel sim-shum-be-see and then kaa-eef. Being aware that you are aware, perfect peace. Satchidananda, perfect peace. kaa-eef.

So, the Shum language is alive, as it always has been. It came to Earth in Ascona, Switzerland, about 25 years ago. We have been using it here at Kauai Aadheenam daily.

We want to now turn this microphone over to Sadhaka who is going to talk to us in another language, the sweet Tamil language. Sadhaka Thondunatha.

{Sadhaka Thondunatha speaks in Tamil.}

Gurudeva: Robert Garrison has a very nice thing to say about Sadhaka Thondunatha. He says, "The monk sharing time during your talk has one of the nicest sounding voices I have ever heard. There is music in his voice. Even if we don't understand this beautiful language, it is like a rolling river over beautiful stones.

Aum Namah Sivaya, everyone! sim-shum-be-see, nee-ka-shum, kaa-eef are meditation for today! Sit up nice and straight, spine erect, head balanced at the top of the spine, take a deep breath. nee-ka-shum, sim-shum-be-see, kaa-eef.

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