Wishing You a Blissful Ardra

Today is Ardra nakshatra, a time each month when Siva's blessings become extra potent. The Monastery always celebrates with a beautiful abhishekham. The King of Dance is bathed in gallons of water, fresh milk from the aadheenam's cows, fresh yogurt, honey, freshly squeezed citrus juice from the gardens, rose water and an array of other herbs and essences. During this powerful ritual, Lord Nataraja absorbs the prana from the many substances and then radiates the energy out to His devotees. The experience can be quite powerful, and more often then not, a tourist or another other first-time visitor will happen into the temple during the worship, and walk away completely changed. A common question from such a freshly inspired soul is simply: "what did I just experience?" Often times, seeing Siva's blessings upon others is just as, if not more fulfilling than the blessings we receive ourselves. Aum Namah Sivaya!

The world is seen as it truly is--sacred--when we behold Siva's cosmic dance. Everything in the universe, all that we see, hear and imagine, is movement. Galaxies soar in movement; atoms swirl in movement. All movement is Siva's dance. When we fight this movement and think it should be other than it is, we are reluctantly dancing with Siva. We are stubbornly resisting, holding ourselves apart, criticizing the natural processes and movements around us. It is by understanding the eternal truths that we bring all areas of our mind into the knowledge of how to accept what is and not wish it to be otherwise. Once this happens, we begin to consciously dance with Siva, to move with the sacred flow that surrounds us, to accept praise and blame, joy and sorrow, prosperity and adversity in equanimity, the fruit of understanding. We are then gracefully, in unrestrained surrender, dancing with Siva. The Vedas state, "The cosmic soul is truly the whole universe, the immortal source of all creation, all action, all meditation. Whoever discovers Him, hidden deep within, cuts through the bonds of ignorance even during his life on Earth." Aum Namah Sivaya.

\"Flow with the river of life and merge in Siva\

s ocean of oneness.\" Gurudeva'

\"What is Saivaism? We are devotees of Lord Siva and we are doing Sivathondu - that is Saivaism.\" Siva Yogaswami

Artwork by S. Rajam

The Lord Of Dance

\"You must not worship God with the aim of obtaining some profit. You must not worship even with the desire for liberation.\" Siva Yogaswami

"The knowledge of God cannot be contained within the limits of any book\" Siva Yogaswami

\"This Atman is not attained by instruction or by intelligence or by learning. By him whom he chooses is the Atman attained. To him the Atman reveals his own being. The one who has not turned away from wickedness, who has no peace, who is not concentrated, whose mind is restless--he cannot realize the Atman, who is known by wisdom.\" Krishna Yajur Veda

\"The Supreme dwells within the lotus of the heart. Those who reach His Splendid Feet dwell enduringly within unearthly realms.\" Tirukkural

\"They alone dispel the mind\

s distress who take refuge at the Feet of the Incomparable One.\" Tirukkural'

\"The head which cannot bow before the Feet of the Possessor of eight infinite powers is like the senses lacking the power to perceive.\" Tirukkural

\"Be a student always. And that is a most difficult thing to be.\" Siva Yogaswami

}
];

transitionSpeed:150});