Our 2017 Guru Purnima

The Saiva Siddhanta Church family, filled with monks and devotees from around the world, gathered this morning to worship our Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami--the one time of year we can perform such an elaborite ritual for him. We had devotees fly in from Turkey, Malaysia, San Francisco, San Diego and Canada to offer themselves to Bodhinatha and rededicate their spiritual striving for another year.

This brightened photo covers up the dark early morning hours when the monks ventured out to the far reaches of the island to meet for a parade

The new landscape at Iraivan Temple is really coming together. The exotic birds and tropical fish, plants and air all live harmoniously.

The group awaits Satguru\

s arrival at his very own chariot, elaborately decorated by the monks'

Kauai Aadheenam style, it is just how we do it in the tropics. This Ranger vehicle is outfitted with 4 serious speakers above the roll bar for loud and ear wrenching nagaswaram!

The procession begins, Satguru in tow

Devotees and disciples ceremoniously \"pull\" on the chariot\

s ropes. Nirvani Tejadevanatha guides the ranger making sure everything goes according to plan.'

Yogi Adinatha and Natyam Dayanatha blow the conch like there\

s no tomorrow'

Little Miss Dishanna Pillay offers flowers before Satguru

Nirvani Haranandinatha guides with the official danda of the Parampara, only taken out for special occasions.

Our pujari for the abhishekam is Natyam Mayuranatha, a regular pujari in Kadavul Temple\

s Chitra puja for Gurudeva. This is his first for his Satguru. We begin with a Ganesha and Muruga arati.'

The havana and sri rudram has already begun, lead by Saravananathaswami

The Natyam pujaris guide the procession around the Lingam Square 3 times

Pilgrims begin to turn inward as the potent vibration increases. There is a fun, content and joyous feeling in the air.

Divyesh and Archana Pillay lead the ropes with flowers for Satguru in hand. Behind them is their father, Nagarajan, and next to him is Arizona devotee Charles Close.

Behind Charles is Tandu Sivanathan who brought 2 stunning bonsai from his collection to be a part of the presentation, a first that I have seen at Guru Purnima

Long-time devotee Dhavala Shanmuga

Uma Sivanathan and brahmacharini Chamundi Sabanathan behind her

Behind Chamundi is brahmacharini Lila Shakti Devi and behind her is Suganth Srichandramohan, on pilgrimage from Toronto

Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami doesn\

t realize how fast I am with the camera trigger'

All are seated and the abhishekam begins

From Bodhinatha, \"It is fitting to describe the Self as awareness dissolving into itself, as when you come out of it, there is no experience to remember, only a new perspective, a total perspective from which you then view the mind.\"

\" Self realization is simply going in until awareness isn\

t there anymore. Then you come out thinking \' Oh, that was the Self \' \"'

\"Sometimes when we think a change might only take 6 months, it is unrealistic and will actually take 6 years. That\

s why one must be ready for years of unrewarding sadhana.\' If we end up externalized or confused we can look to the group of spiritual people around us and they will stabilize us. You must maintain the overall perspective when going through those states.\"'

\"The Keys to unusual success, lie in one\

s ability to be sensitive to opportunities as they arise, and more so, in one\'s courage and willpower to actually act on them. These moments pass quickly and if not seized will often not come again. We are in a flow and must willfully act at the appropriate times to be successful\"'

\"Rise above the cycle of unhappiness, desire, acquisition, excitement and unhappiness again.\"

\"We want to claim that which we already are. You are already the Self. You are just not aware of it. Do not put it off based upon some concept that we are not ready, we are not worthy, we need more of this or that. None of those principles apply when it comes to Self-realization.\"

Monks and devotees prostrate and step up to receive sacrements from the puja

\"An imperfect world goads us to improve.\"

\"Hinduism is ultimately about experiencing things yourself. Understanding another person\

s wisdom does not make one wise. \"'

\"God\

s omnipresent consciousness exists within each individual. Imagine a japa mala: every person is a bead, but the string that goes through the center of each bead--God\'s consciousness--permeates us all. By looking deeply inside ourselves, we can experience our oneness with God.\"'

\"The major way a family person makes spiritual progress is by fulfilling all duties-- duties to spouse, duties to children, duties to parents, duties to community. When we fulfill our duties as best we can, we make spiritual progress. We don\

t have to go anywhere else. We don\'t have to give up our duties and spend time in a cave. \"'

Namrata Ragade takes her Vishesha Diksha vow, which is the second of two initiations in our Saiva Siddhanta Church. Congratulations, Namrata! Much work on oneself has to be completed before getting to this step. Our fellowship doesn\

t initiate students for a small fee; it takes years of work on their part to change and dive within.'

Paramacharya laughs with Amma Pillay

Sivaram Eswaran\

s son Arunesh sings a delightful song to Satguru. He takes singing classes and is doing well. '

On the left we have Thuraisingam Sellathurai from Turkey, and on the right is Sivaneswaran Sockanathan from Malaysia

Namrata reads her newest supplications and intentions for this stage of membership

More from Bodhinatha, \"Becoming means there\

s change. We\'re getting more refined, getting more spiritual. Being means it already exists. Go deep enough into the soul and you get past the part that\'s becoming; you get into the part that\'s being, the essence of the soul. If we can get into the essence of the soul--which is done through meditation--we can find that part of us that\'s already one with God. Nothing has to happen for that part of us to be one with God; we just have to find it.\"'

\"It\

s indescribable. That should be clear. Neti, neti. We\'re not trying to describe it. Other experiences in meditation we describe. We say, \"Okay let\'s go from a moon-like glow inner light into a slightly more intense one.\" But when it comes to the Self there\'s no description except that awareness is missing.\"'

The decorations this year were off the charts. Pilgrims and devotees spent hours making the area festive and alive.

\"We are dreaming that we are not Parasiva--that we are going to realize Parasiva sometime in the future. But realizing Parasiva is like waking up. We just have to claim it. We have to step beyond time and space, step out of the concept that we have to do something in order to realize it. It\

s like when we are traveling in a dream, we just have to wake up--very simple--and we find we are home. \"'

\"God Siva\

s all-knowingness is always inside of us. We don\'t have to do anything for it to be there; that\'s the important thing. We just have to look in the right place at the right time.\"'

\"We are already divine. No one has to redeem us; Divinity is in there. \"

\"Realizing the Self is up to you. You have the ability.\"

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