Kauai Aadheenam

Mahasivaratri 2026 Photos

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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

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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

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Winter at the Aadheenam

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  • Iraivan Temple and Mount Waialeale receive the warmth of the rising sun, after a cool winter night
  • Huge gusts knocked down several weakened palm trees as well as many leaves and branches
  • A group of tiny Kauai pigs search for tasty ground-goodies
  • The banyan tree above Kadavul Temple catches the evening glow
  • A stormy day among the foxtail palms
  • This moss is happy to get the rain though
  • Shiva’s moon above Iraivan Temple’s kodimaram several weeks ago
  • One of our monks picking flowers for the temple at 4am
  • Down by the ocean, our monks get this photo of the full moon with a plane flying by

Jai Ganesha.


As some of you may know, Kauai has slightly shifted warm and cool seasons compared to areas in cooler climates. We have a late summer that sometimes peaks in October, with humid weather in the mid-80s °F, and a late winter that you don’t really feel until late January through February. It may look like a tropical paradise out here, but this past week has been a little chilly for anyone acclimated to constant warmth, and surprisingly windy on some days. Here are a few photos of our clear skies and our gusty days and nights.

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Did You Know?: Our Available Book Epubs

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  • Simply go to our books page and select a book by clicking its cover
  • To download a free Epub, click on the EPUB link
  • Then ENJOY!

It has recently come to our attention that some people might not be aware of our free EPUBs that we have on this site in our books page. Most of our books can be easily downloaded to your device. Simply click the book cover of the book you’d like, then find the EPUP link above the description and click it to download.

For those unaware, we also have most issues of Hinduism Today Magazine available in EPUB as well.

Aum Namah Shivaya

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A Sunrise from the Sky

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  • A Garden Island
  • As the Sun first lights the day, we get some wonderful purples and pinks behind the mountain
  • The half moon above Waialeale
  • “If you remove illusion, you will see that Śiva pervades everything.” – Yogaswami
  • At this hour the sun shines right inside the front doors of Kadavul Temple, lighting the tandavas
  • “Everything will turn out successfully, when the mind is not agitated” Yogaswami
  • “On the highest level, where is the guru? Where is the disciple? Everything is Brahman” – Yogaswami
  • “We must taste God just as we taste sugar-candy” – Yogaswami
  • “God and you are inseparable” – Yogaswami
  • “Only you can do it. Nobody can do it for you, nor can anyone give it to you.
    Why can’t they give you the Self? Because it’s already there. You already have it.” – Gurudeva

Aum Namah Shivaya

When our Kauai Sky is spotted with higher-altitude clouds just before sunrise or sunset, it’s time to grab your camera! Or in this case, our quad copter. While we adjusted exposure, clarity and saturation, there’s no ai touch-ups here. The world really is this beautiful.

“God can only be discovered by God” – Yogaswami

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