As you know, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Sannyasin Shanmuganathaswami spent several active days in India, called there to attend a massive conference in Bengaluru that brought together some 500 swamis, gurus, madhapatis, yogis and teachers. It went well.
To welcome Satguru, the Velayudham family created this marvelous art, depicting the passing of the power of parampara from Siva down to the present. Madan created it, and had copies prepared as a poster Satguru could hand out in Malaysia and Singapore on his way back to Kauai.
Passing on the Power
From The Guru Chronicles
A parampara is like a mighty river, its waters ever fresh, its vitality unremitting. Branching out and winding through the centuries, through many nations and cultures, the Kailasa Parampara brings life-giving waters to all who thirst for Truth.§
We have glimpsed seven lives in this story—seven great beings who strode the Earth, who spoke of the inseparability of man and God, the unity and perfection that pervades every atom of the universe, seven satgurus who realized God and exemplified spiritual life as few have. What we have not seen is their yet-to-be-known impact: the illumined satgurus of millennia to come, who will meet in wisdom challenges these seven did not know would exist; and those who, upon encountering monistic Saiva Siddhanta, will fall at their feet, only to learn that they are the All in all. They are the Truth they seek. §
No one can say how a guru should initiate another. In some traditions, such as the Dashanami orders, sannyasa diksha is a formal ritual following rigid protocols. In others, such as the Natha orders, it is usually more spontaneous and unstructured, a potent awakening that can be transmitted by a thought, a word or a touch. The Kailasa Parampara gurus commonly pass on their spiritual power through touch. Kadaitswami was touched by the rishi and passed his power on to Chellappaguru by placing a large rupee coin in the disciple’s open palm. At the auspicious moment, Chellappaguru knocked a cup and a bowl out of Yogaswami’s hands. Yogaswami nearly knocked Gurudeva to the ground with that resounding slap on the back at his compound gate. By such otherwise mundane gestures, spiritual power is transmitted from one generation to the next. §
That special touch, full of purpose at the crucial moment, acknowledges the realization and maturity already unfolded in the disciple and confers upon him the mantle of spiritual authority of the parampara, much as a father might pass a family business to a worthy son. The full weight of this responsibility is assumed only when the initiating guru leaves his physical body. §
To assure the continuity of the parampara, each successor leaves the lineage in the illumined hands of the next, thus fulfilling his part in a chain extending from the grace of Siva, a chain that began with man’s first search for the realization of the Absolute and will continue ineluctably to the end of time, and a few days beyond. §
The drone hovering above and bathing one of the towers.
A close shot of the top of the flagpole, a rare view.
This is Timo, the Maui-born pilot, landing his drone, named Kaimalu which means “Sea Breeze”
The gold right after it was applied, so pristine.
Deva Rajan and Jill, a gilder, at work.
A close look at this image reveals the drone half way up the flagpole.
Yes, that really was a five-foot-wide agricultural drone hovering above Iraivan Temple—no, your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you! And no, it wasn’t lost on its way to a pineapple farm. Let us explain.
In our lush, tropical paradise, even gold needs a little TLC. Though it’s famously resistant to rust, tarnish and decay, the tropics are home to some very determined microscopic critters that just love humidity. They don’t care if it’s 23-karat gold—they’ll settle in anyway!
To keep them at bay, we’ve been applying an anti-mold treatment a few times a year. In the past, this meant renting a huge cherry-picker to reach the soaring towers and golden flagpoles. Effective? Sometimes. Expensive and finicky? Always.
Enter: the drone.
Thanks to the Aloha Aina Drone company from Maui, we’ve found a high-tech solution. Their team brought in a specially outfitted agricultural drone and treated Iraivan’s five gilded towers and two stunning gold flagpoles with two gentle, gleaming coats of protective liquid. Think of it as an airborne abhishekam—but instead of milk and rosewater, it’s mold-defense magic from above.
The best part? It worked beautifully—and instantly. The towers glistened. The flagpoles gleamed. And we all breathed a sigh of relief (and maybe a bit of awe).
With this drone-powered approach, we now have a fast, affordable, and frankly cool way to care for the temple’s golden features. Expect to see our airborne helper buzzing by every few months, keeping Iraivan as radiant as ever.
Who says tradition and technology can’t work together in perfect harmony?
A formal homa is conducted to honor the temple’s founder and visionary. Jai Gurudeva!
For many years a small shrine in the basement of the Concord Siva Muruga Temple held Gurudeva’s photo, honoring the founder. Now that the temple has been completely rebuilt, a more formal space has been designed for this, and devotees worked to have a sculptor in India make a proper bronze murti, which was then gold plated.
Everyone rushed to meet the deadline. The timing was not what was planned; it was better. The original schedule had the arrival scheduled to coincide with the May 9-10 kumbhabishekam, the Grand Opening. But the shipment was delayed and it arrived weeks later. This was great, because all of the intensity of 50,000 devotees, and all of the sacred chaos had settled, so when Gurudeva arrived the temple was quiet and the priests could focus solely on taking care of him. The slideshow shows the simple greeting. At a time yet unknown to us Gurudeva will be moved to his permanent place and be installed.
As this never-before-seen new portrait by Baani Sekhon in India depicts, Challappaswami (the guru of Yogaswami) was a remarkable and unusual sage. He lived at Nallur Temple under a bilva tree and once he finished a meal, he often broke the clay pot it was served in. He said little, and would repeat a single sentence for a year, as if it were his meditation for that time and he wanted to keep it alive in the minds of those who came to him. Yogaswami captured the sayings, and four among them became his Mahavakiyam, his Great Sayings.
They are cryptic and not necessarily obvious though people quote them freely and frequently. At the request of devotees in Sri Lanka, we have this week offered some insights (a bhashya) into their meanings and we share those with you today.
ஒரு பொல்லாப்பும் இல்லை
Oru pollappum illai
There is not a single imperfection.
The ordinary point of view regarding events in our personal life and the lives of our family, community, nation and the world is that some things should not be happening, such as violent conflicts between nations. As unfortunate as these things are, they are, from a higher perspective, right and necessary. Such events need to happen for mankind’s evolution. They are the fruits of mankind’s past actions—karmas working themselves out.
The mystically minded understand that Śiva, a perfect God, has created a perfect world. If we accept this as true, then we begin to see all things—great and small—as His work, His divine creation. Not just the vast and troubling realities like global hunger, national poverty, or devastating storms and droughts, which the reasoning mind may judge as flawed or chaotic—but also the more personal experiences: an uncle’s dishonesty, a child’s untimely passing, a friend’s terminal illness. Though it is natural for the mind to see such events as wrong or unjust, in the deepest sense, Chellappaswami assures us: all is Śiva, all is good.
Gurudeva said: “When through meditation, we view the universe from the inside out, we see that there is not one thing out of place or wrong. This releases the human concepts of right and wrong, good and bad. Our benevolent Lord created everything in perfect balance. Good or evil, kindness or hurtfulness return to us as the result, the fruit, of our own actions of the past. The four dharmas are God’s wisdom lighting our path. That which is known as evil arises from the instinctive-intellectual nature, which the Lord created as dimensions of experience to strengthen our soul and further its spiritual evolution.”
எப்பவோ முடிந்த காரியம்
Eppavo mudintha kariyam
The work was finished long ago.
By saying “The work was finished long ago,” the mahavakya pulls us out of linear thinking. The soul’s evolution, liberation, and even its current state are not “in progress” as the mind tends to think. The goal has already been reached—because from the vantage point of Paraśiva, there is no journey, only realization of what is and always was.
This saying affirms that the ātmā is eternally pure, perfect and untouched by karma, maya, or duality. Whatever spiritual struggle we seem to undergo is part of the relative experience, but in truth, the soul is ever-liberated, ever-complete. The kāriyam—the work of knowing the Self, of reaching Siva—has already been done.
Chellappaswami’s phrase collapses the apparent duality between effort and result, seeker and sought, path and goal. In the monistic theism of our lineage, Siva is not apart from the soul—He is the soul. Thus, there is nothing to be attained, only a veil to be lifted.
The ego says: “I must reach God, realize Sivaness,” “I must progress,” “I am not there yet.” Chellappaswami’s mahavakiya declares: “That is an illusion. The journey is already over.” What remains is awareness, not effort. Being, not becoming.
Gurudeva said: “From an absolute perspective, our soul is already in nondual union with God, but to be realized to be known. We are That. We do not become That. Deep within this physical body, with its turbulent emotions and getting-educated mind, is pure perfection identical to Śiva’s own perfections of Parāśakti and Paraśiva. In this sacred mystery we find the paradoxes of oneness and twoness, of being and becoming, of created and uncreated existence subtly delineated. Yea, in the depth of our being, we are as He is.
நாம் அறியோம்
Nam ariyom
We know not.
Even the greatest scientists—let alone the sages—know the limits of knowing. They realize that Siva’s universe is vast beyond imagining, inconceivably vast and complex, and that what the rational mind comprehends is but a pittance compared to the fullness that truly is. To know the limits of knowledge is a wisdom reserved for the wise.
Young souls, knowing precious little, often count themselves knowledgeable and wise. But the truly wise, like Chellappaswami, know how little they know. They have glimpsed the immensity of Siva’s universe, touched the edge of its unfathomable mystery, and are reflective enough to admit that the human brain cannot contain even an iota of Sivaness—so great is He. Thus, in true humility, it becomes easy for them to say, “I don’t know.”
Gurudeva said: “The Self: you can’t explain it. You can sense its existence through the refined state of your senses, but you cannot explain it. To know it, you have to experience it.”
“The intellect in its capacity to contain truth is a very limited tool, while faith is a very broad, accommodating and embracing faculty. The mystery of life and beyond life, of Siva, is really better understood through faith than through intellectual reasoning.”
முழுதும் உண்மை
Muluthum unmai
All is truth.
From the ordinary point of view, the world is made up of separate things—people, places and objects—all seemingly distinct and divided. But from the awakened view of the siddhar, everything is Śiva. The whole of existence—every form, every thought, every moment—is divine. The phrase “All is truth” is another way of saying “All is God,” or “All is sacred.”
Chellappaswami challenges the common belief that the world is illusion (māyā) to be overcome. For him, and for those illumined like him, the world is not false—it is utterly real. It is truth. The fullness of life is a revelation of the Divine, not a distraction from it.
To such souls, the everyday world shimmers with sanctity. They see multiple layers of existence at once. Where others see chaos and division, they see order and unity. Where others see the ordinary, they behold the miraculous. Water is life-giving ambrosia. A flower is a marvel. A butterfly is a cosmic wonder. All is truth.
Yogaswami said: “Night and day in Nallur’s precincts, Chellappan danced in bliss. Even holy yogis merged in silence do not know him. He keeps repeating, “All is truth,” with radiant countenance. Night and day in Nallur’s precincts, Chellappan danced in bliss. To end my endless turning on the wheel of wretched birth, he took me ‘neath his rule and I was drowned in bliss. “There is nothing in the objective. All is truth”—His grace made maya’s shrouding darkness to depart. In that state, my body and soul were his possessions. O wonder! Who in the world is able to know this? Night and day in Nallur’s precincts, Chellappan danced in bliss.”
Left side shows old edition, right side is our update of the same spread. The second chapter is on life-giving rain.
The part spread on Virtue.
The appendix shows Tiruvalluvar composing the amazing couplets to guide humanity to follow a virtuous, wise and joyous life.
The conclusion now shows a watchman closing up the temple doors at day’s end. Good night!
Instructed by Gurudeva, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Sadasivanathaswami spent 24 years (not full time!) translating the verses of the Tirukural into modern English. Several editions have been published, and it continues to be a popular book, so much so that we have only 11 copies left.
So the Ganapati Kulam went to work and created a new edition, in full color and using, for the first time, the 108 paintings done by S Rajam back in 2002. We also added proper paintings where we had simple black and white patterns earlier. The slide show displays four spreads to give an idea of the comparison of the old and the new.
The monastery cherishes its role in serving the people of Kauai, always striving to foster amity, cooperation, and good-neighborliness across the island. One such effort took shape recently when we were invited to restore a Peace Pole we originally crafted and installed at Lydgate Park in 2009. That same year, we also created a Peace Pole for the SPARK M. MATSUNAGA INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S GARDEN FOR PEACE in Hanapepe—each a quiet testament to the aloha spirit and global unity (a famous one is at the Gandhi Smriti in New Delhi where Gandhi was martyred.
The International Peace Pole Project was launched in post-war Japan by Masahisa Goi, who envisioned a world united under the prayerful message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” From that humble beginning, over 250,000 Peace Poles have since been planted around the world, standing silently as beacons of harmony across nations, faiths, and generations.
Upon inspection of the Lydgate pole, we found it better to create a new one. Just days ago, we milled a Eucalyptus robusta log into a beautiful six-sided sculpture. In just four hours, the raw log, still clad in bark, was transformed into a smooth, golden-reddish Peace Pole. The slideshow captures the story of this transformation.
Next, the original wooden language panels will be restored and carefully mortised into the new pole. Stay tuned as this symbol of island peace and unity continues its journey.
The log is super dense and heavy. The tree is also called Swamp Mahogany.
First cut.
Acharya carefully guides the blade.
Precision is a must if it is to be six-sided
So hard is the wood the blade needs resharpening after two cuts
It worked!
Now to assemble the six language panels and mortice them into the pole.
