Aum Sivaya!
On February 25, 2025 (USA date), we will be conducting Mahasivaratri at Iraivan Temple. Since it is an 11-hour-long event, we will not be able to live stream the entire event. However, we will be live streaming Satguru’s Upadesha. The link above is for the live stream. Aum!
2025 Mahasivaratri Upadesha Read More »
Jai Ganesha!
Since it’s the final day of the phase, we took a stroll around the property to see what the Siddhidata Kulam monks were doing. In the morning, we saw Sadhaka Shankaranatha working in the woodshop. He was cutting wood for Siddhidata Kulam’s new office and arranging the pieces in order. Over in the Siddhidata Kulam’s new office, we saw all the mathavasis engaged in cleaning the shop, as their weekly end-of-phase tidying. Aum.
Final Day of the Phase Read More »
Vetri Vel Muruga Arogaraaa!
On February 10th, Mathavasis and devotees celebrated Thaipusam at Kadavul Temple in the presence of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami. The event began at 3:00 PM and concluded at 5:30 PM. We started with an abhishekam, performed by Sannyasin Siddhanathaswami, of milk, yogurt, orange juice, panchamritam, honey, sandalwood water, vibuthi, chandanam and rose water. After completing the abhishekam, we performed the alankaram—dressing the Deity, which took about 30 minutes. Once the alankaram was finished, we continued the puja. Yoginathaswami sang Lord Muruga’s songs and the monks concluded with a final arati. A fun fact: Lord Muruga is considered the first and foremost renunciate—which is why this day holds great significance for us Mathavasis. Aum.
If you missed the live stream, you can watch it here.
Vetri Vel Muruga Arogara!
We will be celebrating Thaipusam here at Kauai Hindu Monastery. The entire puja will be live-streamed, and those who wish to watch can click the link above to join. Aum Muruga!
As we prepare for the afternoon puja, here are some of the items used during the abhishekam:
Jai Ganesha!
On every Krittika Nakshatra, we perform a special puja at Iraivan Temple. Pravinkumar is the head priest for this puja, and this time, Mayilnathaswami served as the assistant. We perform this puja during Krittika because the Maha Kumbhabhishekam was conducted during the Krittika Nakshatra. To maintain this divine connection, we hold this homa every month.
The event begins with a homa, followed by an abhishekam to Mahalingeshvara. Once the abhishekam is completed, the puja concludes with offerings and a final arati. After the puja, prasadam is distributed to all attending devotees.
Being able to perform this puja at Iraivan Temple is a great blessing for us all.
Aum Namah Sivaya.
Monthly Krittika Homa Read More »
Jai Ganesha!
Two days ago, the island of Kauai experienced a challenging day as heavy rain and strong winds swept through. Everyone, including us monks, faced the storm’s intensity as it descended upon the island, causing power outages and property damage. News channels and government issued warnings to locals, and although we had previously encountered similar storms and taken some precautions in advance, we did not expect this one to be so severe. After the strong wind ended, the Siddhidata Kulam monks went around the property, fixing everything they could. In the slideshow above,the mathavasis and taskforce repairing the tarps that were torn off by the storm. Meanwhile, amid all the restoration efforts, Sadhaka Shankaranatha carried out routine maintenance on our new Kubota tractor. Since it requires a piston check every ten usage-hours, he ensured it was in proper working condition and performed the necessary maintenance. The video below offers a glimpse of what we experienced during the storm. Aum!
Stormy Day in Aadheenam Read More »
