Blog Archives
January 25, 2004
Every day following the early morning puja for Gurudeva and the monks in Kadavul Temple, Gurudeva would come to the Yogaswami shrine in the adjacent Guru temple, place flowers upon the bronze statue of Yogaswami and worship his guru.
A satguru, we are reminded in the lexicon of Living with Siva is, "Literally, 'true weighty one.' A spiritual preceptor of the highest attainment and authority -- one who has realized the ultimate Truth, Parasiva, through nirvikalpa samadhi -- a jivanmukti (one liberated from rebirth) able to lead others securely along the spiritual path. He is always a sannyasin, an unmarried renunciate. All Hindu denominations teach that the grace and guidance of a living satguru is a necessity for Self Realization. He is recognized and revered as the embodiment of God, Sadasiva, the source of grace and liberation."
Meet Bodhinatha in Malaysia and India, Jan-Feb 2004
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami will be traveling through Malaysia and South India this January/February on his 2004 Indian Odyssey travel-study program. You are welcome to meet him at the below places:
- Mon, Jan 19, 2004 - Sri Kandaswamy Temple, Kuala Lumpur
- Fri, Jan 23, 2004 � Sri Meenakshi Temple, Madurai
- Sun, Jan 25th, 2004 � Sri Karpaka Vinayagar Temple, Pillaiyarpatti
- Mon, Feb 2nd, 2004 - Siva Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
- Wed, Feb 4th, 2004- Binny Hall, Taj Connemara Hotel, Chennai
- Thur, Feb 5th, 2004 - Thaipusam celebrations at Arupadai Veedu Temple, Chennai
Click here to go to his Travel Page for details.
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami on board a catamaran sailing to the Napali coast of Kauai. He was in a buoyant mood, while a few of the passengers were less than comfortable as the boat crashed from the top of one wave to the next.
Bodhinatha reports from Madurai today, "This has been our third day in Madurai. This morning's class was on the niyama of contentment and the concept of achieving enduring happiness through helping others, temple worship or meditation. The topic seemed to click with the group and there were further spontaneous discussions throughout the day.
"After lunch we were off to Kundarkudi and Pillaiyar Patti. First stop was Kundarkudi Aadheenam where we met the new Kartar. The elder passed on in 1995 (1925-1995). The group stayed a few minutes, then left to climb the steep rock hill up to the Murugan temple at Kundarkudi. we stayed behind with a few monks and talked to the new Kartar about his activities and ours, getting acquainted. He emphasizes Thirumurai quite a bit and also does social service to help the poor in his area. He was very enthused to hear about the Iraivan Temple project.
"At Pillaiyar Patti, we were greeted by the students of the priest training school, the pathasala, which we had written about in Hinduism Today a few issues back. We circumambulated the temple and sat for a fantastic abhishekam for Lord Ganesha. He is really massive, carved right into this stone hill. The chanting was exquisite and powerful Sri rudram for example was done with two groups of priests, alternating verses.
"Next we adjourned to the Pathasala which has a new name, Siva Neri Kazhakam. The program include four different student groups chanting from the Vedas, all of which was very precise and powerful. There were speeches in Tamil and one in Sanskrit by a ninety year old scholar.
The founder, Dr. Pitchai Gurukal was obviously quite pleased we had come. We met Kumaraswamy Gurukkal, who was the first priest sent from India to Kauai Aadheenam 1985 to train the monks in puja.
" I gave a spontaneous speech which was well received which included showing how this pathasala is providing priests who go overseas to conduct Siva puja and that this need will continue to grow. We talked to a few of the students there who are from Malaysia, one of whom is from Penand and knows Thanabalan well.
"The innersearchers said it was another 'five star day' and were quite impressed with it all."
Bodhinatha's Sun One Video. Most Recent update: September 12, 2003. Bodhinatha speaks on Ahimsa, noninjury, yama #1, which is noninjury in thought, word and deed. The law of karma decrees that it is wise not to harm or hurt others, for we will then receive harm and hurt in exchange in the future. 12 minutes, 29 seconds.
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Dr. Nadanam Chandran is from Canberra, Australia. He was born in Alaveddy, Sri Lanka and saw Yogaswami when he was 16 years old. He said he was quite impressed with Gurudeva's mission and vision and wants to come come back with his family and meet Bodhinatha. He bought a five-year subscription to Hinduism Today and plans to sponsor an item for Iraivan Temple.
Our front entrance to the Aadheenam is decorated with bromiliads and other rare tropical plants. In the background is the copper roof of the Nepalese Ganesha shrine at the entrance to the path to Kadavul Temple.
A web technical note:
Our Internet service provider in Honolulu has been experiencing technical difficulties with our site. As a result you may try to access TAKA only to get a notice that "access forbidden" in big letters. Don't worry, we haven't banned you from the site. Try again later. The problems seem only to crop up on our weekends.
A few morning clouds grace Mt. Waialeale. Our weather has settled down, with a large storm passing by east of our island and causing no impact at all for us. The river too is settling down, though still running high.
Of course, why should we complain? It's a balmy day here, compared to, say, New York, where it's -7 degrees C.
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Himalayan Academy Travel Study Programs |
2004 Indian OdysseyJanuary 19, 2004 - February 5, 2004 |
It was the end of our last day in Malaysia and just a few hours before boarding the plane for India. We took the members for a surprise treat dinner at the top of the Malaysian Telecom Tower revolving restaurant. Approaching the tower from the base, Yogi Japendranatha looks up to view the 5th tallest Telecom tower in the world.
At the top in the tower, which is on a hill, through the evening dusk and city smog we look across the city to see the dual Petronas Towers...
Then we sat down for a magnificent buffet style repast.
Our team has a special program to arrange the seating at everyone formal meal, such that different participants sit with each of the monks at each meal. Also the place cards are shuffled so that innersearcher sit with different participants at every meal. Here Sivakatirswami sits with Pundit Maharaj, Yolanda, Bhavani, Mr. and Mrs. Alahan, and Rema Devi Karthigesu.
Michael Inthawaong Duncan, who prefers to go by the nickname "Mouse" -- eleven years old.
We board the buses now... bound for the airport, looking forward to going to India, but sad to leave the beautiful country of Malaysia. When we first came here in the early 1980s, the country was still undeveloped, and the road system poor. Now it sports super highways the envy of any country in the world.
And the latest entry from our Innersearch report prepared in advance of the trip:
January 26: Today Bodhinatha is taking the Innersearchers to Palani Hills, a four-hour bus ride from Madurai. They will spend most of the day there, returning to Madurai in the late afternoon. Of course, Palani is one of the important Murugan temples, situated atop a hill and requiring pilgrims to climb 689 steps to reach the sanctum at the top. We quote again from the 1982-83 Odyssey diary: "It is one of the many traditions here at Palani Hills that many pilgrims, men, women and children, have their heads shaved as an act of devotion, as a surrender of their worldliness at the feet of God. At the same time they take a vow, a vrata, to improve life. ...We begin climbing the 689 steps. We are lucky today. The weather is quite cool. As we begin to climb, we pass many small shops selling vibhuti, coconuts, flowers, trinkets and everything a pilgrim might want or need. We pass some beggars, most of them wearing orange. At the top we briefly enjoy the expansive view over a lake below, and the fertile green fields beyond. We wash or feet and hands, and enter the temple. immediately the priests usher us to a special section where we can sit close to the sanctum and enjoy a clear darshan of Lord Murugan, dressed for us today as a Maharaja. We feel enormously blessed."
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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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