2026 Iraivan Temple Samvatsara Puja
2026 Iraivan Temple Samvatsara Puja Read More »
Stormy March Weather Over Kauai
Recent rains have been swelling our ponds and streams- High winds have kept the clouds moving over the aadheenam at a quick pace
- We are on the north fork of the Wailua River. The rain overflowed our rain gauge, so the river is bound to rise even more that this
- This is the overflowing bridge to our agricultural land, along the southern river fork. The river is usually 10-15ft below this.
- Easy to find water on a lotus leaf in this weather
- Our pathways and roads become little waterways of their own
- “Be like the river water. Water flows freely anywhere, easily finding its way around rocks and trees. Be pliable in your life, moving in rhythm with life. Let go of everything that blocks the river of life’s energy.”
- The Narmada Lingam receives a constant abhishekam
- This is a 8 inch seed pod of a carnivorous flower vine
- The Blue Jade Vines are starting to bloom
- There are very few things in nature that produce blue pigment
- The walking palm doesn’t have to walk very far to reach water today
- Many of our various palm species have been vigorously flowering this month
- San Marga is still very walkable, as long as you bring an umbrella
- Many types of plants are blooming along it
- The bamboo on Muruga Hill is loving the extra rain
- Muruga’s Vel gains contrast in the weather and shines with water
- We have many ginger plant varieties that are flowering too
- The lava rock bell along San Marga is full of green life
- Between bouts of rain, the sun dries Iraivan’s stonework, only for it to receive water again a few minutes later
Aum Namah Sivaya
Join us on an adventure through our gardens as we enjoy our fresh jungle rainfall! Recently a large weather system has been passing over the island. First a cooler atmosphere with torrential rains, and then warm winds with powerful gusts. At time of writing, the winds seem to have concluded and our gentle, sunny days have returned.
“We are divine souls on a wondrous journey. We came from God, live in God and are evolving into oneness with God. We are, in truth, the Truth we seek.” Gurudeva
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The First Temple
- “When we look at the beautiful creations of nature, we see how lovely the mind can be. ” – Gurudeva
- “All Hindus feel they are guests on the planet with responsibilities to nature”
- “which when fulfilled balance its responsibilities to them”
- “The physical body was gathered from nature and returns to it”
- “Nature is exquisitely complex and orderly”
- “The coconut always yields a coconut tree, a lotus a lotus, a rose a rose, not another species.”
- “How constant nature is, and yet how diverse, for in mass producing its creations, no two ever look exactly alike.”
- “Yes, the Hindu knows himself to be a part of nature and seeks to bring his life into harmony with the universal path, the sustaining cosmic force.” – Gurudeva
Jai Ganesha!
In an oft overlooked sentence among his many teachings, Gurudeva describes nature as “the first temple.” Indeed the Aadheenam’s natural surrounding jungle lands are a testament to this idea. Even when outside of the monastery temples, you can’t help but feel that your still within one. On their walk through nature our monks regularly photograph the beauty they find.
New Master Course Trilogy Chatbot
Aum Namah Sivaya
After visiting the Aadheenam last year, University student Aditya Muthaiah was inspired to create an ai chatbot that can answer questions related to the Master Course trilogy. Essentially, an existing Ai model was trained on a specific set of data (the master course) and then instructed to gather it’s responses solely from that resource. Sometimes it takes a few seconds for the response to come through. You can try it below, or use it on this webpage: https://www.himalayanacademy.com/master-course-chatbot/. If it gives an error, try resubmitting the same question and it should work the second time. It doesn’t use a temporary memory, so rather than approaching it conversationally, always give full context to each question.
Master Course Trilogy Chatbot
Ask questions and get answers grounded in the Master Course Trilogy.
Ready
Answer
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Mahasivaratri 2026 Photos
Aum Namah Śivaya
Below are some photos from our recent celebrations of Mahasivaratri at Iraivan Temple. If you didn’t already see the full livestream you can watch it here.
- Pravinkumar and Mayilnathaswami attend to the homa as the night begins
- It ended up being an extremely windy evening
- An accidental long exposure that happens to depict the feeling of this sacred night
- Satguru carries the main Kumbha around the sanctum for the night’s first abhishekam
- Following the main puja which ended at midnight, other Kala Pujas continued until 5am.
- Alankarams from throughout the night’s many pujas
- Aum Namah Śivaya
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Speaking Shum
Aum Namah Sivaya
As you an see in a recent post, Tandu has been taking great care of the bonsai at the Kadavul Temple Tank. He is a master of the art. This wonderful video was created to showcase spoken Shum. You can see the transcript here:
Bashuh
Zakyka m’na
Rogini : Bihyishum Isani
Bii luhling chanim m’na charehm° rehmnam bibisim tyevum lipuhvum
Have you seen the bonsai tree by the temple near the water pool
Isani : Mi, satasim chani dimam, luhling liim m’na maa
Yes, walk around the monastery and you will see many bonsai trees
Rogini : Mum Dimsiluhbi
This is a creative work, done methodically
Isani : <<Tandu>> m’na bayasim
Tandu is the bonsai master
Rogini : Bii Ining chamam <<Tandu>>
Can I meet Tandu
Isani : Vumvumruh
Sure
Isani : <<Tandu>>, limbutye chamam ingtasi tyeamli
Tandu, please meet my friend
Tandu : Bihyishum. Kam nimf
Rogini : Zasiba . chatyem luhling língguhreh M’na
Where do you find bonsai tree
Tandu : Chamim maguh
In the forest
Isani : Tyem , luhling Chabi unga
So you dig out from the soil
Tandu : Mi
Isani : Rehim luhling íngm’ikam simm
How do you transport it
Tandu : chamim ingtasi iya vumm ingtasi bima
In my car to my house
Rogini : Rehim luhling mifahna m’na
How do you take care of the bonsai tree
Tandu : m’shumlinuh ruhsimrehm
Good planning is important
Tyebi livicha Sapuhda shali kamnam
Choose the right size of the pot
Isani : Rehim livicha Sapuhda shali kamnam
How to choose the right size of the pot
Tandu : miaguhli chasa Tyeda shali
Judging by the underground stem (roots) size
Rogini : Luhling hiasapuhda
You are trained for accuracy
Tandu : Cham kamnam nim Sapuhda unga zaim
Fill the pot with the correct soil mixture
Isani : Bii tyevum, maunuh ruhsimrehm chazanam muhm’tye m’na
Are water, fertilizer important to maintain healthy bonsai
Tandu : Mi, uu chasim kamnam chatyem aditye
Yes, and place the pot where sunlight goes through the leaves
Rogini : Chatyem Luhling remove chareh aves
Tandu : Kam lisi chanam nilimf
When the leaves that change to yellow
Rogini : Bii luhling kambilim m’na
Do you prune the bonsai
Tandu : Mi, símum’u
Yes, consistently
Isani : Rehim luhling chazanam tyeda tyembimmam
How do you hold the stems firm
Tandu : Ining luhsímmuh nim Ana kydi
I attached with copper wire
Isani : Kam nimf m’na lasaimu
Where is (your) awareness watching the bonsai grow
Tandu : Binibanuh
Joy when a creative project is almost finished.
Rogini : Maa simmuduh shumlinuh Adimmi
Very impressive skill. Bravo
Mulingshum
Om Namasivaya