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Stand by for a long download... 41 photos today!

We are pleased to announce the web release of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's monumental work on Hindu culture and lifestyle:
Living with Siva.
Click here for the entire text and artwork, now on-line!

Sadhaka Jivanandanatha sends this report from the 30th (which was yesterday on that side of the world....):

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"We once again arose to the beautiful Grand Baie--a glass-calm lagoon starting only about 20 feet from our back veranda. At about 9am we arrived at Kulapati Rajen Manick's home. Rajen is a Secondary school (High School for those in the USA) French teacher. Here Kulapati Rajen with Kulamata Premila and their two children Sivarathna and Jambalini.

Bodhinatha's Sun One Video. Most Recent update: July 30, 2003. Bodhinatha speaks on Japa, Mantra Repetition, niyama # 9, elucidating the many dimensions of the sacred science of mantrams, chanting a holy syllable, word or sentence again and again. 14 minutes, 2 seconds

				Live Web Cam Pix!

Their whole extended family greeted us. We adjourned inside for a 1 hour "fire-side" talk by Bodhinatha. Bodhinatha talked about his lecture topics so far on the trip as well as teaching children. Bodhinatha then met with each family individually. All the meals have been special and lovingly prepared. Lots of healthy vegetables and greens--just like at Kauai Aadheenam.

This is the Logadassen Peruman family with wife Pakion. He is also a teacher, of physics, at the same school Rajen Manick works.

Selvaraj Sanjeevee. He works with heavy machinery.

Navind Sagum who recently graduated from college.

Tirthadeva whom we all know.

We were also honored to hear Premila play the veena with her son, Sivaratna, accompanying on the mridangam.

In the afternoon we went to Kulapati Manon Mardemootoo and his son, Kulapati Sivakumaren's home were we met with their large extended family.

The whole extended family is very musical, singing loud guru bhajans. One song was composed for Bodhinatha. We recorded it. There were so many children there it made everyone smile.

The event started with a pada puja to Bodhinatha. Bodhinatha then gave a talk comparing dance and music to the spiritual path.

Bodhinatha then met with each family individually.

This is the Paramaseeeven Canasaby family, one of our largest.

Arnasalon family with Mrs. Kownden, sister of Mrs. Arnasalon. Jnanavel is the older, Chandrasegaran the younger. Their oldest son, Deivanaden is going to school in Australia with his cousins, Yassoden and Valinayagum Kownden.

This is the Moorghen Caremben family with their young children, Sukanta, Somasundaram and Gunavadee.

This is Vishwananden and Lomavadee Moorooven family.

This picture and the next are of Indrani Veerasamy.

She is one of the elder brahmacharinis in Mauritius.

This is our wonderful, tireless chief gardener at the Spiritual Park, Siven, who came with his wife and child. Kulapati Manon gave him a special invitation.

This is Brahmachari Vel Mahalingum, whom the monks know well from all of his hard work helping the monks during his several stays on task force at Kauai Aadheenam through the years.

This is a wonderful Carnatic singer and bhajan leader, Ardee Sangara, who along with his wife Anjeeni Devi are studying the Master Course to become Bodhinatha's shishya.

These 2 ladies are nieces of Kulamata Selvon Mardemootoo.

Kulapati Manon Mardemootoo's family with Kulamata Selvon to the right of Bodhinatha. Kulapati Manon's son Sivakumaren on the far right and his wife, Kavita to the far left. Their 2 children Basanti and Dipanjai in the middle.

I couldn't help but capture this unusual dancing nataraja out of wood.

Today Saturday 31st was a special day for the kulapaties of the Flacq region. Kulapaties Kulagan, Valaytan and Periatumbee happily hosted the Guru's visit. After meeting the kutumbas, Bodhinatha was invited for lunch in the newly opened restaurant managed by Kulapati Mougam Periatumbee in the hub of the town. Very cooling atmosphere inside. A green pumpkin artistically carved enhanced the table setting. The service is at a very high standard and Bodhinatha and the monks enjoyed a variety of eastern and western cuisine. Kulapaties and kulamatas too joined the Guru at table.

Kulapati Mougam, the 'grand chef' here in white really arranged for special dishes to be prepared for Bodhinatha. Kulapati has long years experience in hotel catering and management and has worked abroad for renowned hotel companies. Now he runs his own hotel school and restaurant in Flacq.

Kulamata Sornambal Mardemootoo (right) and Kulamata Premila Manick (left) enjoying a soup.

Everyone is happy with the high class service and menu...

Bodhinatha congratulated Kulapati Mougam and the restaurant staff for the nice reception. They wanted a souvenir photo with the Guru. Here it is...

Here we are back in America in Yuba City, California, home of Kulapati Easan Katir and family. This is the new priest of the Sri Narayan Hindu Temple, Yuba city --Pandit Baba Padmakar Easan relates " This morning with Panditji's help we performed the Ganesha Visarjana immersion of the images of Lord Ganesha in the river here. Here he is with our son, Kartikeya. Panditji is very much into relating Hindu concepts to western, to help explain. For example, he explained how the creation of Ganesha is an example of parthenogenisis. He said he translated Dante's Inferno into Sanskrit ! Very learned man. He taught the Vedas and Sanskrit in Indian universities for 40 years.

Now we are back home in this photo on Kauai. This bright family is on a cruise of the Hawaiian islands and today
their ship docked at our Nawiliwili harbour. So they made their way up to
see Siva's island home.

This afternoon, we held our humble but highly auspicious Ganesha Chaturthi festival here at Kadavul Hindu Temple with a special Ganesha Abhishekam at 3 pm. This is the one time each year when the devotees have this opportunity to witness the bathing of Lord Ganesha. Here is Kulamata Isani Alahan and daughter Nisha Alahan working on decorations.
<br We will take this opportunity to share a few excerpts from Gurudeva's writings on Lord Ganesha.

"Ganesha, Karttikeya, Indra, Agni and all the 330 million Gods of Hinduism are beings just as we are, created by Lord Siva and destined to enjoy union with Him. The Gods are souls of high evolution. They are very old and mature souls, mighty beings who live in the Sivaloka. Though neither male nor female, they may be popularly depicted as Gods and Goddesses. Lord Ganesha is the elephant-faced Patron of Art and Science, the Lord of Obstacles and Guardian of Dharma. His will prevails as the force of righteousness, the embodiment of Siva's karmic law in all three worlds."

Maha Ganapati in Kadavul Temple, fully decorated after the puja.

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"Lord Siva, the Almighty Power, created heaven and earth and the God Lord Ganesha to oversee the intricate karmas and dharmas within the heavens and all the earths. Lord Ganesha was created as a governor and interplanetary, intergalactic Lord. His knowledge is infinite, His judgment is just. It is none other than Lord Ganesha and His mighty band of ganas who gently help souls out of the Naraka abyss and adjust them into higher consciousness after due penance has been paid, guiding them on the right path toward dharmic destiny. He is intricate of mind, loving pomp, delighting in all things sweet and enjoying adulation. Lord Siva proclaimed that this son be worshiped first, even before Himself. Verily, He is the Lord of Karma. All Mahadevas, minor Gods, devas and sentient beings must worship Ganesha before any responsible act could hope to be successful. Those who do not are subject to their own barriers. Yea, worship of Him sets the pattern of one's destiny. The Tirumantiram says, "Five-armed is He, elephant-faced with tusks protruding, crescent-shaped, son of Siva, wisdom's flower, in heart enshrined, His feet I praise."

The clay images are loaded onto a small palanquin....

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"As Lord of Obstacles, Ganesha wields the noose and the goad, icons of His benevolent power of preventing or permitting events to happen in our life. Thus, we invoke His grace and wisdom before any worship or task."

Now for the short parade down the path to the Wailua River in the valley below the Aadheenam.

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"As Lord of Obstacles, Ganesha wields the noose and the goad, icons of His benevolent power of preventing or permitting events to happen in our life. Thus, we invoke His grace and wisdom before any worship or task. "

Yogi Mahadeva performs an arati to the small Ganesha's

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"Lord Ganesha, the God of time and memory, strategically seated on the muladhara chakra, poised between the higher and lower chakras, stabilizes all sentient beings. He holds the architect's plans of the divine masterpiece of universal past and future. Only good comes from Lord Ganesha, who by taking the form of an elephant distinguishes Himself from other Gods. The charya pada begins with His worship. He staves off misfortune for those who perform penance in His name. He guides our karma from within us through the timing of events. Before any important undertaking, we supplicate Him to clear obstacles from the path, if it be His will. This Lord of Obstacles prevents us from hurting ourselves through living under an incomplete concept or making a request unneeded or beginning an endeavor not well thought out. Before we petition Him, He expects us to use all of our faculties to arrive at the decision He would have made. The Agamas declare, "These Lords who, it is said, on the pure path, attend to the various duties deriving from a higher realm of maya are at the prow of the effects of the higher realm of maya."

Now into the river.

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"Each human being has an individual, personal dharma. This dharma is determined by two things: the karmas, both good and bad, from past lives; and the three dharmas of this life--universal, human and social. Svadharma, "one's own law," is molded by our background and experiences, tendencies and desires--indicated by astrology--all of which determine our personality, profession and associations. The key to discovering and understanding personal dharma is the worship of Lord Ganesha, the God of memory, time and wisdom, who knows our past lives and can clarify our most perfect pattern, our right path in life. When we follow this unique pattern--guided by guru, wise elders and the knowing voice of our soul--we are content and at peace with ourselves and the world. Dharma is to the individual what its normal development is to a seed--the orderly fulfillment of an inherent nature and destiny. A Vedic prayer implores, "That splendor that resides in an elephant, in a king, among men, or within the waters, with which the Gods in the beginning came to Godhood, with that same splendor make me splendid, O Lord."

And then off He goes, merging back into the Waters of Life.

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"On Ganesha Chaturthi, in August-September, elaborate temple pujas are held. Worship is also given in the home shrine to a clay image of Ganesha that we make or obtain. At the end of the day, or after ten days, we join others in a grand parade, called visarjana, to a river, temple tank, lake or seashore, where we immerse the image, symbolizing Ganesha's release into universal consciousness. Ganesha's monthly holy day is Chaturthi, the fourth tithi after the new moon. The Vedas implore, "O Lord of Categories, thou art the Lord, the seer of seers, unrivaled in wealth, king of elders, lord of the principle of principles. Hear us and take thy place, bringing with thee all enjoyments."

It is always a joyous and auspicious moment to witness this immersion. A sense of completion and fulfillment fills the atmosphere.

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"To know one's dharma is a clear path. To be uncertain is a path of confusion. There is one God who knows the patterns of all humankind, whose superconscious mind is so intricate, encompassing and spanning the yugas of time, that each path for each individual is known, memorized and recorded indelibly in the inner ether of the akashic matter of His mind. Through the worship of this God, Lord Ganesha, the venerable pope of the Hindu religion, the individual's dharmic pattern in this life is unfolded from within. It becomes clear. It becomes known. It is difficult for the modern, twenty-first-century Hindu to consciously know the correct dharma, but this can be made known to him through the worship of Lord Ganesha.

If someone is not fortunate enough to have been born into a family that perpetuates the Sanatana Dharma, then he must perform sadhana and offer repeated prayers to this first God, Lord Ganesha, whom all Hindus invoke before the other Gods and before any task is undertaken, this God whose knowledge remains supreme, penetrating most deeply through every avenue of the devotee's mind. Once the dharma is clear, is known, it must be faithfully performed throughout the life most willingly, thus destroying the seeds of karma through living out the pattern without creating a new karma, through performing good service, accruing good merit in fulfillment of the totalities of all of our multiple life patterns. This then makes the next life and the one after that joyous, brings good births well earned and well lived, through the graces of Maha Ganapati, Lord Ganesha, who sits upon the four-petaled lotus muladhara chakra within the spine of every person."

-- Gurudeva

And since Lord Ganesha loves sweets... Shakti and Chudika Mahadevan made Him this wonderful birthday card, whose key words are made up of candy bars. It reads (Candy in bold)

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Look!
Do U-No whose birthday it is?
Its' Ganesha's! That Love Dove of a God.
He is our Big Hunk of Love and Guidance.
He helped us make a Fast Break away from
our old ways -- guiding us into more
Balance of body, mind and spirit!
Helping us through the Rocky Road of the root Chakra.

Thank you for your Starburst of Light

With (Hershey's Milk Chocolate Hugs and Kisses

Shakti and Chudika Mahadevan!

No Audio Today

transcription begins

Date: June_09_2003
Title: Toronto Trip Summary
Category: Travels, Pilgrimage and Missions Abroad
Duration: 6 min., 18 seconds
Date Given: April 18, 2003
Given by: Bodhinatha

Good Morning, everyone. It is good to be back, wonderful to be back here after our time in Toronto and Chicago. You know as much about the trip as we do, if you have been watching TAKA. It is a wonderful technology of being able to send back all the photos as we go. Never far away if you can log onto the internet and have your digital camera. It worked out very well.

I think one of the aspects that may not be visible from the photos is the extent of the openness and devotion of the Sri Lankan Tamil community there in Toronto. It was pretty deep for our first meeting. One would not really expect that. We had a number of Guru Pujas, one Guru puja was so devotional, it felt like it was being done by our members. It was just the first time visit there, they managed to generate a lot of devotion and openness.

I thought I would read one letter which conveys that sense in a nice way. It is from one of the programs. It is like Mississippi but it is Mississuaga, a suburb of Toronto. So, this was a program in Mississuaga and the usual letters and messages. This one is from Dr. Shan A. Shanmuga Vadivel, President, World Saiva Council of Canada.

"Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami has done great work for Saivism and made a great impact on the lives of many people in this part of the world. Gurudeva's preachings and publications have made me to understand the greatness of our religion. It is in his writings, I saw the clarity of our ancient faith." That is quite an admission right there in the first sentence from that President of Councils, saying Gurudeva showed me the depth of our tradition.

"Gurudeva had a vision of Lord Siva in 1968, when he returned to Hawaiian islands on a quest, seeking a place for San Marga Iraivan Temple." Close!

"The sudden departure of this immortal soul from this world, at the time we need him most is very painful to many of his followers. He has put Saiva religion on the map of the world. We are very fortunate, a very qualified Satguru was chosen as Gurudeva's successor. Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, is deeply respected by his fellow monks for his sagely insights." Did he ask you? How did he say that, I wonder!

" ...and he has worked very closely with Gurudeva for more than 37 years. He is a gifted teacher and has worked with other monks to translate Tirukural from Tamil to American English. We will all give the new Satguru the same respect we gave to Gurudeva." That is nice.

"I have been a regular reader of both Satgurus' articles in 'Hinduism Today'. In the recent issues, Veylanswami has written about the importance of temple worship. He says, "Temples are needed to preserve the Hindu culture and Saint Auvaiyar's dictum - Do not live in a place that has no temple - still applies to us in modern times. Temples should function as a center for Tamil Saiva culture and offer classes and knowledge for kids, on our faith."

Satguru stresses the parents' role in passing on our traditions to the younger generation, teaching children that Gods are real Beings and temple-going helps to experience this. He also writes, "For a child, going to the temple is like visiting a home of a grandparent. We must teach our youth the greatness of our religion and we must indicate to them that they need not leave their ancestral faith to enter into science or any other intellectual pursuit. We must encourage our children to participate in temple activities, functions and cultural events. This will help them become happier, more successful and cultured adults."

We in Canada should introduce all our children to 'Hinduism Today' and other publications by Gurudeva." That is good.

"I firmly believe the Canadian organization should make arrangements to invite Satguru, at least on a yearly basis, for talks and workshops for the children." That is a nice idea, in a warm part of the year!

"As President of the World Saiva Council of Canada, I am very pleased to be associated with the visit of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami to Toronto. The World Saiva Council has its headquarters in London, UK with branches in many parts of the world. We are very keen to work as a team with other Hindu Saiva organizations to preserve, foster and promote Saivism and Saiva Siddhanta.

With Best Wishes, Dr. Shan A. Shanmuga Vadivel"

That is nice! You get a nice feeling of the openness and support that these Sri Lankan Tamils are expressing toward our Parampara and toward our work, how we can work together in the future. It is very encouraging.

transcription ends

MORE UPLIFTING THINGS		2004 Indian Odyssey Join Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami on an 18 day Innersearch to South India, from Jan 19 to Feb 5, as we pilgrimage to ancient monasteries, magnificent 1,000 plus year old sacred temples and meet with India's holy men in a life-transforming adventure. Click on the above link for more details.
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