Good progress was made on the Guru Peedam roof and they are close to finishing the first half. Seven redwood boards were custom cut on our saw mill for the ceiling covering. Rafters were custom made using our band saw. All this wood came from sishya Deva Rajan 26 years back. The wood came from a water tower that was dismantled in California. This is all old growth redwood that is impossible to find today. After replacing wood planks, they laid new plywood sheathing, then tar paper on top of that as seen in the last photo. On Monday they will attach the composition roof shingles, then move to the other side.
Jayendrapuriswami and Satguru meet during their travels
A final day in Malaysia before heading back to Singapore
A good time to meet with member families
As Satguru’s time in Malaysia drew to a close, he took the opportunity to connect with member families before embarking on his journey to Singapore. He also met with Jayendrapuriswamigal, who has been traveling through the area.
For five years in the late 1990s, Gurudeva met monthly with leaders of the island: mayors past and present, business leaders, agriculturalists, real estate managers, university administrators and more. He was the only spiritual leader invited to the table and he ended up being the primary motivator of the group. Their work was to informally create a vision for the island’s future. The Sunday evening gatherings were called “Vision Kauai 2020.”
One of Gurudeva’s important contributions was to push for a shared identity for the diverse groups: Native Hawaiians, Chinese, Filipinos, Haoles and more. They did not have a shared tribe name, like Californians or Texans. So he proposed using “Kauaians,” and that started a slew of projects to get the word out. And it did get out, with his help in printing and in making granite signs for the county, carved in India.
This led to many expressions of the idea of our oneness. Natalie and Jim Levin took his idea, and while he was fasting in October 2001, they made a “Thank you, Gurudeva” poster which the monks presented to him during his final days. Gurudeva saw the art and, with a smile, lifted his hand and traced the rainbow with his finger, first left to right and then right to left. Then he smiled and asked the monks, “How do they know which way a rainbow goes?”
The Levins later produced posters and cards to spread the idea to all corners of our small island. Recently, ten of the larger framed posters were passed around the island by a local leader, Paradise. She sent us photos of two of the small businesses she gave the posters to: an animal shelter and a clothing shop. Gurudeva’s idea of our unity and shared identity lives on!
This early morning we observed Gurudeva padapuja on Chitra nakshatra.
Gurudeva briefly answers a question on karma and the laws of the land–
Later this morning, after some days break due to sickness and the weekend, the roofing team returned to work on the Guru Peedam roof, carefully removing the old rotted boards.
Shifting to Malaysia for satsang at Iraivan Illam hall
Aravindraj Chandrasekaran received Vishesha Diksha
Brahmacharya Vrata taken
Satguru had a number of darshan meetings in Bengaluru, including giving Samaya Diksha to Bhanugopan from Australia. These were followed by group satsang at Rajasankara home, whose family had managed the carving process for Iraivan Temple. Some brahmacharya vratas were taken by youth.
Then shifting to Malaysia, satsang was held at the Iraivan Illam hall, where Aravindraj Chandrasekaran received Vishesha Diksha, and another brahmacharya vrata was taken by a youth. Satguru spoke on “The Parampara’s Three Perspectives.”
This month, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami Sannyasin Shanmuganathaswami are traveling in India. On the 14th they arrived at the Bangalore International Airport’s Terminal 2, where Rishipathi Dohadeva, Rishipathi Jiva and family, the Natarajan family, and the Praveen family gathered to welcome him. To everyone’s delight, the flight touched down a full thirty minutes early.
The next day the Natarajan family received Satguru’s darshan, a deeply blessed and heart-touching occasion. Satguru spoke on the importance of the home shrine and the care of maintaining its spiritual vibrations, and reflected warmly on the ways the family has grown and transformed over the past year. Satguru also shared early insights on the “Two Ds”—Duty versus Desire—a theme devotees can look forward to exploring further in a forthcoming article in Hinduism Today. He answered questions from those gathered and lovingly inquired about the children’s studies and plans for the future, before blessing all present and offering Thiruneeru Prasadam. Shanmuganathaswami, too, graced the gathering with his loving wishes and blessings.
Among the morning’s offerings was a special drawing presented to Satguru, depicting Satguru in 1970 meeting Satguru in 2026—a touching tribute spanning the years of the Parampara. The visit continues this Wednesday with a community lunch, as members from other parts of India join to be in Satguru’s presence. Jai Gurudeva! Jai Satguru!
Seven redwood boards. being replaced
