Now available on our Audio Books page, you can listen to Gurudeva’s book Living with Siva. The audio is mostly comprised of lessons that have been created using a cloned ai voice of Gurudeva—on audio recordings he had made for a large bulk of the trilogy lessons. This marks the completion of the full trilogy in audio form.
365 daily lesson based on ancient Vedic Laws, disclosing how to approach family, money, relationships, technology, food, worship, yoga and karma to live a truly spiritual life.
Sadhaka receives his sandalwood beads, silver earrings, a silver pavitra ring and a “Namah Shivaya” bracelet
Satguru then applies sandwood to his head as a blessing
And some vibhuti
and flowers!
Each monk then gives him a flower and welcomes him to the monastery
Jai Ganesha! Vel Muruga! Jai to the Kailasa Parampara! Aum Namah Sivaya!
After six months in the Supplicancy program and several months sitting by the wall, begging entrance to the monastery, Sadhaka Sabanatha passed his review by the senior monks and has been accepted as a full monastic into Kauai Aadheenam. Today the monks gathered to witness his vow taking. Through this process he becomes a Postulant. His title is now Sadhaka Sabanatha. This is always a joyous occasion for the new monastic and a great day for the monastic order. Aum Namah Sivaya.
The following are excerpts from a Sadhaka’s four vows:
THE SACRED VOW OF HUMILITY: known in Tamil as PANNIVU
Humility is the state of profound maturity in which the soul, immersed in the depths of understanding and compassion, radiates the qualities of mildness, modesty, reverent obeisance and unpretentiousness. There is an analogy in the Saivite tradition that compares the unfolding soul to wheat. When young and growing, the stalks of wheat stand tall and proud, but when mature their heads bend low under the weight of the grains they yield. Similarly, man is self-assertive, arrogant and vain only in the early stages of his spiritual growth. As he matures and yields the harvest of divine knowledge, he too bends his head. In the Tamil language this absence of pride or self-assertion is known as pannivu. Pannivu also means “jewel.” In the Tirukural it is said that “Humility and pleasant words are the jewels that adorn a man; there are none other.”
Humility does not consist in concealing our merits and virtues or in thinking ourselves worse or more ordinary than we are. Nor is it a pretended meekness. Rather it lies in not exalting ourselves before others for we perceive the grandeur of God Siva in every human being and reverently acknowledge Him there. Humility in this ideal is the awakened perception that “Siva is All.” It is the inner being predominating over the outer nature.
THE SACRED VOW OF PURITY: known in Tamil as TIRIKARANNASUTTI
Purity is the pristine and natural state of the soul. It is not something which the monastic attains as much as that which he already is, and which becomes evident as the layers of adulterating experience and beclouding conceptions are dissipated. Purity is clarity and clearness in all dimensions of being. It is innocence as opposed to familiarity with the ways of the world. It is for monastics the observance of chastity, called brahmacharya. In Tamil purity is given its fullest expression in the term tirikarannasutti, which means “purity in mind, speech and body.” These three–also called thought, word and deed–convey the fullness of the ideal of purity.
Purity does not consist in merely doing good and being good, though these are essential, nor is it an outward appearance or show of such goodness. It is primarily an inner quality, equally present in the saint who outwardly reflects the purity of his attainment and in the sage who inwardly rests in that same purity though his attainment may not be apparent. Purity is not a manner of behavior, though it may be reflected in our behavior, and there is no merit in taking on the appearance of being pure when one is not yet pure.
THE SACRED VOW OF OBEDIENCE: known in tamil as TAALVU ENUM TANMAI
Obedience is the state of willingness and cooperation in which the soul remains open and amenable to enlightened direction. For the monastic it is an unbroken pledge of trust in and surrender to the satguru, the guru parampara and the mystic process of spiritual evolution. In the Tamil language this definition of obedience is expressed in the term taalvu enum tanmai, which denotes “the quality or state of humble submission.”
Obedience does not consist in blind submission and yielding to authority, nor in weakening our own will that it may be dominated by the will of another. Yet it is, in another sense, submission to a sacred purpose and the divine authority of the Second and Third Worlds. It is, for the monastic, an inner quality that allows him to remain consciously tractable and responsive. In the beginning, while the instinctive nature remains strong and there exists a sense of “I” and “mine,” obedience is a surrendering of the ego to the soul or the instinctive nature to the spiritual nature. As long as the ego dominates the life of man, he will experience obedience as capitulation or subjection. As the soul unfolds and separateness is replaced by knowledge of the unity that pervades the universe, obedience is perceived as the union of minds and purpose, a state of harmony so complete that there can exist no distinction between him who gives and him who receives instruction or direction. True obedience is based on agreement, trust and knowledge, as opposed to passive servility, nonresistance or domination, which have ignorance and fear as their basis.
Confidence is the state of trust in which the sacred teachings and sensitive or personal matters are not divulged to others. Spiritual matters must be protected and preserved by those to whom they are entrusted, never wantonly or indiscriminately revealed. When we confide in another, we do so with the assurance that sensitive and serious information will not be inappropriately disclosed. In the Tamil language confidence is known as rahasiyam, meaning “secret or mystery.”
Confidence as applied to these Sacred Vows does not mean “certainty,” “a belief in one’s abilities” or “self-confidence.” Rather it is a confiding, a trusting and a relying upon. It is the controlled sharing of privileged teachings or information that should not be disclosed, but held in confidentiality. In its most simple form it is the keeping of a secret.
Confidence for the monastic may be defined as wisdom in handling information. The monastic must learn to hold in strict secrecy all spiritual direction and esoteric laws entrusted to him, never revealing them unless specifically ordained to do so. He must realize the wisdom of Saint Yogaswami’s statement that “Sacred is secret and secret is sacred,” never treating the inner teachings as ordinary knowledge to be published or spoken of to the public or prematurely disclosed to devotees.
As the landscaping continues, we try to take regular, updated photos
Palms look quite different up here
Some nice afternoon lighting
Over the last few days, Sivanadaiyar Kodiswara has been studying drone piloting so that he can help with the aerial surveying and photography of the aadheenam grounds and temples. Today was an initial flight with instructions for him to capture several updated survey photos. As you can see in the photos, he did a wonderful job and even captured a few unexpected angles that turned out great! Aum.
The same light, just an hour earlier, through the palm trees
Kavi Cat enjoys the sunrise the following day
Gurudeva silently greets guests as they arrive
A brief bout of moisture makes happy plants around Kadavul Temple
The plants in the Ganapati Kulam aquarium are starting to look like a cherry blossom tree
No one told them to do that…
The fish are happy too
the cherry shrimp love their bright green moss
And the playful guppies display their bright colors
Our durian tree produce a few of its coveted fruits. Can you spot it?
phone cameras don’t know what to do with this amazing color.
countless little lizards live in the stone gardens
Sivaratri night
Siva’s crescent moon aligns with Venus for the evening
Jai Ganesha!
Over the last week the Aadheenam has been enjoying some wonderful weather, with clear sunny days and colorful evenings. While events continually take place here, the monastics are under the discipline of simultaneously experiencing the feeling that “nothing is happening.” Perhaps these photos reflect that, in that most are not of projects or events, but simply the background imagery of life—something important to appreciate too. Is your life defined more by the events that take place, or by the simplicity in between?
“The object in being on the spiritual path is not to have just a little influx of energy, but to be the energy itself—consciously.“
“If you take responsibility for all that happens to you, then you will have the power to deal with your karma through the grace of Lord Siva.“
“Whenever we are injured or hurt, we understand that our suffering is but the fulfillment of a karma we once initiated, for which our injurer is but the instrument who, when his karma cycles around, will be the injured.“”Gratitude and appreciation are the key virtues for a better life. They are the spell that is cast to dissolve hatred, hurt and sadness, the medicine which heals subjective states of mind, restoring self-respect, confidence and security.“
“Gratitude and appreciation are the key virtues for a better life. They are the spell that is cast to dissolve hatred, hurt and sadness, the medicine which heals subjective states of mind, restoring self-respect, confidence and security.“
“For me, true free will means the dharmic will that is divine and guided by the superconscious. In reality, only this kind of will makes you free.“
“Religion is the connection between the three worlds, and temple worship is how you can get your personal connection with the inner worlds.“
“Loving appreciation is a life-changing force just waiting to be used. Express appreciation to community leaders, business associates, spiritual mentors, family members and friends as often as you can.“
“Vedic rishis have given us courage by uttering the simple truth, ‘God is the Life of our life.’“
“The teachings of yoga are so basically simple and so basically concrete. And the most beautiful thing in the world, on contemplation, is the simplest thing in the world. The most beautiful design is the simplest design.“
“The ultimate goal of life on Earth is to realize the Self God, the rare attainment of nirvikalpa samadhi. Each soul discovers its Sivaness, Absolute Reality, Parasiva—the timeless, formless, spaceless Self.“
“How do we practice contentment? Simply do not harm others by thought, word or deed.“
Jai Gurudeva! Jai to the Kailasa Parampara! Aum Namah Sivaya!
This month, we observed our sacred Chitra Padapuja at Kadavul Temple, honoring our beloved Gurudeva, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, on the auspicious Chitra nakshatra. Sannyasin Tillainathaswami and Nirvani Tejadevanatha performed the puja, as the mathavasis filled the temple with the resonant chants of Sri Rudram. Devotees and local members brought vibrant floral offerings, adding to the sacred atmosphere. As the puja unfolded, all present were uplifted in silent communion with Gurudeva’s presence and teachings felt within. Aum.
“When the mind has resolved all of its differences through worship, penance, dhyana and dharana then the inner which is stillness itself is known. Then the inner is stronger than the outer.“
Nimu expresses his joy, while perched on his live “wee apple” tree (it’s like a mini mango)
It’s a large outdoor space with lots of perches and hidden treats for him to find
Nimu, next to Lord Ganesha
One of his budgie buddies. Nimu mimics a much louder version of their chirp
The Jendey Conures. Feel free to suggest names for them in the comments!
Nimu enjoying a healthy breakfast. Jai!
Jai Ganesha!
We’re sure most of us are familiar with Nimu, the Monastery’s African Grey parrot. He was gifted to the monastery at three months old, and was raised to adulthood by the monks in the Media Studio. Several years ago, one of the monks had built a small 20ft greenhouse for growing grapes and roses, and over the last half of 2024 it was decommissioned and upgraded into its new form as a parrot aviary. On the auspicious day of Ardra Darshanam, at the end of the year, Nimu moved from his temporary childhood home in the Media Studio, out to this new natural abode—and he LOVES IT!
Since the end of last year he’s been enjoying the company of his other feathered friends: a group of blue budgies and a pair of colorful Jendey Conures (they all get along very well). Every day, monks get to visit Nimu’s paradisiacal mosquito-free enclosure to sit with him and supply him with cheek scratches and treats. Monks picking nearby temple flowers like to participate in a complex back and forth of whistling and “Siva Siva.” In contrast to Nimu’s time indoors, he now has loads of sunshine, fresh air, breezy plants and space to fly around. He’s also befriended the wild birds who come to sit on branches nearby to teach him their songs, all of which he has already learned perfectly. At night, he sleeps near a wooden Ganesha, and awakens to a warm sunrise and the squawks of his slightly-batty conure roommates. Aum.
