Kauai Aadheenam

Swamis Visit the Bay Area

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  • Arrival at the Concord Shiva-Murugan Temple
  • The temple is looking wonderful!
  • A blessing before entering
  • Shivacharya brings our swamis around to the temple shrines
  • Starting with Ganesha of course
  • After darshan from Murugan, we sit down for a short satsang
  • The next day, a picnic under some California redwoods
  • A short hike in a nearby forest riverbed
  • Nice to be in nature again after airplanes and hotels
  • Evening dinner

Recently our traveling monks, Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami and Sannyasin Tillainathaswami, enjoyed a visit to the Bay Area for several days. The two are making their way across the globe to Mauritius. On their first day in the Bay Area they traveled to see the Concord Shiva-Murugan Temple which was recently completed. They were warmly welcomed and went around to visit each shrine, with a short worship at Muruga’s central shrine. They also took a brief tour of the still-under-construction community center nearby. One thousand copies of the October issue of Hinduism Today (which features the temple and Murugan on the cover) had been sponsored for the Temple to have and distribute. After some unexpected delays, the magazine copies finally arrived on the same day our monks did. Several were placed in the Muruga shrine for the blessing.

After the puja, our monks, members and students sat down in the temple for a simple satsang. Paramacharya gave some insightful information about Tayumanivar and played some of the recently recorded Oduvar work we’ve had done. He also covered some useful advice for our members there. Tillainathaswami gave a short presentation on self-discipline. 

The next day everyone headed up to the nearby redwoods for some nature time and a picnic, followed by a small evening dinner. The next day the monks flew to the East Coast in continuation of their journey. Aum

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Senthilathiban’s Taskforce Experience

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A collection of photos that Senthilathiban took while here at Kauai Aadheenam on our taskforce program

  • Senthilathiban takes a stroll through the rudraksha forest
  • One of his projects while here was to help clean this entry arch
  • He also enjoyed attending pujas at Iraivan Temple
  • Sadhaka performs the daily San Marga puja. Our wild chickens are very devoted to this daily event.
  • He got to see a wonderful event, the sea turtles coming to shore at the beach
  • Many islanders gather for this event
  • In another act of Seva, Senthilathiban cleaned these granite bonsai stands
  • It’s longan fruit season here, and the trees are loaded
  • Aran returns Senthilathiban to the airport
  • Aum Namah Śivaya

Aum Namah Śivaya

Yesterday, Senthilathiban Rajasankara finished his several week visit on our taskforce program. He has been doing some temple construction projects on the US mainland, and was able to take some time to come here. While at the Aadheenam he helped the monks of the Siddhidatta kulam with a variety of tasks, such as helping in the gardens, doing cleaning an maintenance projects, and much more. Aum.

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A Walk in Nature

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  • Our papaya-mango sunset after a long day of light rain.
  • “See yourself everywhere. You are the whole world.” – Yogaswami
  • “Your eyes are everywhere. Your ears are everywhere. Your mouths are everywhere.”
  • “See God everywhere and see bliss!”
  • “You don’t want powers or siddhis. You don’t want powers. You want to find out the Truth.”
  • “Examine yourself every day—examine yourself in heart, body and mind.”
  • “You are on the top, but you have forgotten. You must think that you are there; then you will be there.”
  • “You can enjoy—enjoy what comes!”

  • “He is a sannyasi, who surrenders possessions, life and spirit to God.”
  • “Just go about and do your work. Enjoy the beauty of the world!”
  • “Middle path. No extremes.”
  • “We are all bubbles in the ocean. The bubble is in the ocean; the ocean is in the bubble.”
  • “All is dream. I am dreaming. Here all are dreaming—all mirage.”
  • “All is play. God is just playing everywhere. All are bubbles-small bubbles going down and coming up to the surface.”
  • “Too much talk is nothing. Talk is nothing. Keep silent.”
  • “Be unknown. God is unknown.”
  • “Nothing has happened.”
  • “Truth is everywhere. All is Truth. you can see it from here, from there, from everywhere.”
  • “Everything is going on well. I say! Everything is going well!”
  • “Everything is in you. The whole world is in you. All are the same. All are the same everywhere. There is no movement, no change. Nothing changes. Changing in the changeless; changeless in the changing.”
  • “All the world is a playground. Very fine world!”
  • “I am not a master. I am only my own master.”
  • “Everything is impermanent.”
  • “Be loving!”
  • “I am everywhere. You are everywhere, but you don’t believe it.”
  • “All are flowers. Some flowers smell sweet; others have no smell—just for show.”
  • “Everything should be an offering to God. The world is an altar.”
  • “From what I have learnt of the scriptures and my own experience of great souls, I can tell you-there is no imperfection. God, the Infinite, overwhelms the finite universe. What a rare and beautiful world! The world is sacred and secret.”
  • “Chellappan used to say that there is not a thing that is evil. When God is everywhere, how can there be a place for evil? There are changes and they sometimes appear evil. Everything is at work. Only God knows what He is about. There is balance and order in the universe. Parashakti adjusts Herself to maintain this balance and order.”
  • “Everything emanates from the Great Silence.”
  • “Beautiful world. Dance! Dance as you like. Be as a child. Do as you please.”
  • “Don’t go halfway to meet difficulties. Face them as they come to you; God is always with you-and that is the greatest news I have for you.”

The Aadheenam has been getting some much appreciated rainfall in recent days, and our plants sure are loving the sweet tropical waters. A great time to take a walk through the gardens and appreciate the gleaming and glistening jungle flora at its best. Please enjoy this pictorial walking meditation, complete with some wise words from Paramaguru Siva Yogaswami. Aum Namah Śivaya.

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August 2025 Chitra Padapuja

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  • Sadhakas Sabanatha and Shankaranatha offer flowers to Gurudeva’s granite tiruvadi
  • “The cosmos is perfect, you know. Its laws are divine, its timing flawless, its design unique.” – Gurudeva
  • “If we are still reacting to our experiences, we are only starting on the yoga path to enlightenment.” – Gurudeva
  • “We make very little progress when we strive to conquer these baser instincts in a good mood. However, vast strides are possible when we are miserable and work with ourselves to replace our misery with joy and understanding.” – Gurudeva
  • “Humility is intelligence; arrogance is ignorance. To accept one’s karma and the responsibility for one’s actions is strength. To blame another is weakness and foolishness.” – Gurudeva
  • “Turn awareness back in on itself and simply be aware that you are aware. Try to penetrate the core of existence.” – Gurudeva

Jai Gurudeva!

Early this morning, our monks celebrated August’s Chitra nakshatra with our monthly padapuja to Gurudeva. This was the first time Sadhaka Sabanatha performed the puja as the main pujari, with Sadhaka Shankaranatha assisting. Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami is traveling, but our monks and island members attended, invoking the love and blessings of Gurudeva. Aum.

“We do not follow the way of words, which is repeating from memory verses and stanzas of scripture with meager mental interpretations of their meaning. We follow the way of transformational spiritual unfoldment. We follow the mārga of sādhana and tapas.” – Gurudeva

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Satguru’s Visit to London – August 2025

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Report from devotees in London:

Vanakkam, Namaste and Aloha,

Jai Ganapati!

With great joy, we humbly share news of the much-anticipated visit by Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Shanmuganathaswami to London in August 2025.

Six years since their last visit, the Satguru and Swami were warmly welcomed at London Heathrow by devotees with garlands and flowers, before continuing on to rest after significant travels.

The following evening marked the first gathering, a satsang at the Santhirapala home. After a traditional welcome, accompanied by the recital of thevarams, devotees were uplifted by a melodic chanting of the Sri Rudram, offered by disciples of Sri Jeyandrapuriswami and father–son duo Keshav and Jijjit Thukaram. This set the divine vibration for the satsang, further elevated by the iconic voice of London’s orthuvar, Sri Sami Thandapani, who led the London Pan Isai group in renditions of Thirumurai and Natchinthinai.

The presence of the Parampara was profoundly felt, especially through Satguru Bodhinatha’s upadesha, in which he spoke with clarity on questions often faced by Saivites in the West, such as “Aren’t all religions the same?” He expanded on the four goals of life—dharma, artha, kama, moksha—offering practical wisdom for spiritual seekers. The evening was further blessed with the Samaya Diksha of Niraj Thaker following decades of preparation, concluding with sacred vibhuti blessings for all in attendance.

The next day brought an impromptu vegan lunch with close friends of the Aadheenam. Over beautifully prepared Japanese-inspired dishes, conversations flowed from the philosophical to the practical, and many cherished the opportunity to personally connect with Satguru and Swami.

The finale of the four-day visit was a Youth Workshop on Saivism at Shree Ghanapathy Temple in Wimbledon—a temple with long-standing ties to Kauai Aadheenam. Satguru and Swami were lovingly welcomed with devotional thevarams and escorted to the first floor shrine of Paramaguru Siva Yogaswami. The décor, themed to honour the Parampara flowing from Lord Nataraja, provided the perfect setting. A short gift was offered to Satguru Bodhinatha by 9 year old Anju Kumaran who lovingly and expressively delivered a speech on the life and times of Paramaguru Yogaswami.

Satguru Bodhinatha’s talks at the workshop were both profound and accessible, covering topics such as Lord Ganesha, the chakras, the ladder of consciousness, the purusharthas, the yogas, and much more. The youth listened attentively, some taking notes, and engaged in question-and-answer sessions. The closing comments deliver by Saivite Youth relayed Satguru Bodhinatha’s unique ability to explain complex concepts simply, while showing their relevance to daily life as Saivites in the West, left a lasting impression. Geetha and Satkurunathan Maheshwaran, a dynamic husband and wife duo, who industriously work to support Hindu activities within the UK and are senior management at Shree Ghanapathy Temple, were duly honoured for their kind efforts and love in supporting this beautiful visit (and many prior).

Alas, after a whirlwind four-day stay, Satguru Bodhinatha and Shanmuganathaswami departed for Oslo—pausing for a final coffee with devotees at the airport. The visit was truly divinely timed, filled with love, grace and blessings for all.

Aum Namah Sivaya.

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