Blog Archives
February 12, 2004
Today's innersearch story continues with our stay in Tanjavur and calls to mind these words of Gurudeva: "Saivism is ancient, truly ageless, for it has no beginning. It is the precursor of the many-faceted religion now termed Hinduism. Scholars trace the roots of Siva worship back more than 8,000 years to the advanced Indus Valley civilization.... The Vedas state, "By knowing Siva, the Auspicious One who is hidden in all things, exceedingly fine, like film arising from clarified butter, the One embracer of the universe--by realizing God, one is released from all fetters." Aum Namah Sivaya.
Bodhinatha poses for a photo with devotees at the Brihadiswarar temple.
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At the Aadheenam today we had a welding class with Sadhaka Tejadevanatha in training along with Sannyasins Arumugaswami, Shanmuganathswami and Yoginathaswami. This is a challenging technical skill.
Our instructor, Napela Napoleon from GASPRO, a local welding supplier describes the delicate touch required to master this skill which is working with molten metals that must be controlled with a very knowledgeable, precise, steady and sensitive touch... "Practice... that's the only way." Sadhaka Tejadevanatha will be leaving for his training in the world sadhana in a few days and the first period will be spent in Honolulu, where he will be training in this skill which will be a valuable contribution to his monastic work in the years ahead.
This is Ramesh and Prabha Viswanathan from Fremont, California. They used to visit our Palaniswami temple on Sacramento Street in San Francisco. They're now visiting Kauai for the first time with their children Rishi and Sangeeta.
It was tour day today. We had quite a large group as it turns out that the monastery has been included in the local "Ultimate Kauai Guidebook," which drew quite a lot of novelty seekers to the monastery. Time to sell tickets? 😉
Sangeeta's taking some bilva leaves to Grandpa. "Tata, this is for you, freshly picked betel leaves"
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2004 Indian OdysseyJanuary 19, 2004 - February 5, 2004 |
We continue with our morning of January 30 in Tanjavur. As usual, there are no photos allowed inside the main temple, so the incredible puja we witnessed is "rahasya" so we focus on our people today and will see if we can narrate what happened in the inner sanctum.
After circumambulating the temple outside we went in to participate in the homa and abhishekam that we had sponsored and pre-arranged.
Bodhinatha sits before the homa as the priest performs the sankalpa.
We have permission to take photos in this area, provided the camera is directed away from the main sanctum. Here is the 108 kumbhas set up on a large pedestal. The priests had really done a great job.
The sankalpa continues as a group of priests on the side chant the Vedas...
Our innersearchers are sitting all around the homa fire.
the homa....
Everyone is intently focused as the vibration builds.
After the homa we have the traditional parading of the Kumbhas around the temple, carried by the priests themselves.
The main kumbhas coming down the front steps...
Then around the temple and back into the shrine for the abhishekam.
The massive pillars inside the temple are as with everything at Brihadiswarar, cause for wonder.
Outside the temple has giant sculpture embedded in niches everywhere.
What happened after this is "rahasya" or "secret" to the world of photography... the most amazing abhishekam we had ever witnessed. The Siva lingam is perhaps about 12 feet tall and 8 feet in diameter.
An old dome on one of the side sanctums. The Archeology Survey of India is working hard to preserve these now.
Inside the temple the Innersearchers came forward to sit or stand before the giant Siva lingam. inside the sanctum there is a scaffolding that allows priests to go up and stand on both sides above the lingam.
The kumbhas that were blessed at the homa were all brought inside the sanctum and they also had giant pots of milk, curd, sandalwood power in water etc.
This photo: Outside one of the priests takes a break in the sun...
The giant lingam was a vision out of this world as priest on both sides poured literally thousands of pots of water, milk and other substances over it.
This photo: a look at the perimeter wall of the temple from the inside.
The lingam would appear in all white as milk flowed down all sides and the priests were working very hard...
This photo: quiet chatting in the temple compound.
The abhishekam went on and on with one vision after another, milk, yogurt, then aratis....then sandal paste, then water, then panchamritam. We all felt as if we were looking through a window into the heaven worlds....and great blessings poured down from inner worlds upon us all... Then they closed the curtains to clean and decorate during which time we all went outside to rest a bit before the main arati.
Here is Mark Boyer, giving us again a wonderful sense for the massiveness of this place which makes a single human being a small element in space.
One great thing about the Periya Koyil's (Big Temple) size is that it gives opportunities for devotees to sit quietly off to the side, many places for solitude and contemplation in this marvelous religious atmosphere.
Jeyendra Param and his brother had a great time the whole trip, true masters of having fun with irrepressibly good spirits through what were some very tough times.
Husband and wife Lynda McClanahan and Joel Knepp from Ohio.
Paramacharya Palaniswami
Sannyasin Natarajnathaswami
Kulapati Deva Rajan, California
Sannyasin Sivakatirswami
Brahmacharini Barathy Sockanathan, Malaysia
Laura Marks from California
Left, Tyler Pearson from Ontario, Canada, right, Gier Thore Berge from Norway
The work on these old temples is proceeding slowly. During the years of invasion by plant and weed roots, much of the stone work became loose and unstable. In an effort to forestall further deterioration which takes the form of pieces falling off the walls, a brown mortar has been plastered over most of the surfaces of these 1000 year old temples, thus we cannot see the original stone work in many cases....
Acharya Kumarswami
"Moose" as he likes to be called, from Thailand, officially: Michael Inthawong Duncan, whose mother is Thai.
A look up at the top of the main sanctum.
Rakesh Chandranatha from Colorado. Rakesh has completed his level one study of Gurudeva's Master Course and followed through on his own with the instructions in How to Become a Hindu, changed his name and had his namakarana... all on his own. Gurudeva would be proud of him!
Lindsay and Mark Boyer
Anil Sharma on the right sits with the young boys on this trip. He gets along well with everyone as was both a gentle and yet masterful tour escort for TCI corporation. He transparently handled all the difficult tasks of keeping our buses schedules on time, making sure the hotels received us properly, all with a smile and a great spirit.
Monica Sewpaul from New York City.
Hiteswara Saravan from the big island of Hawaii, Hawaii.
and... back home... our aquarium with the endlessly fascinating fish...
Our latest addition to the clutter of cats, a little stray black kitty, still doesn't realize that there is no way she can get through the glass wall to capture one of these... so he sits and watches and watches and watches....
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2004 Indian Odyssey
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