Sun Four at the Aadheenam. The Pillaiyar Kulam gave their news today. Shanmuganathaswami continues work on the major upgrade of our 4D data base. He’s also doing research on the possibility of a small scale hydro-electric generation unit for the Aadheenam. Muruganathanswami handle the Minimela sales over the web and describe how it all works. Yogi Jothinatha is working on the advertisements for the October issue and only has a few days left to finish and Yogi Jivanandanatha has been finalizing a lot of accounting and getting reports together for the month finance meeting with the stewards.

Today the last two sketches came from India, a series of nine that will be repainted by Kerala’s master muralist to adorn the ceiling of the Swayambhu Mandapam on Kauai. These tell the story of Gurudeva’s mystical encounter with Lord Siva, an encounter that was to be the seed of Iraivan Temple. Gurudeva wrote:
“One early morning, before dawn, a three-fold vision of Lord Siva came to me. First I beheld Lord Siva walking in a valley.”

Then I saw His face peering into mine.

“Then He was seated on a large stone, His reddish golden hair flowing down His back. That was February 15, 1975.”

“Upon reentering earthly consciousness, I felt certain that the great stone was somewhere on our monastery land and set about to find it. Guided from within by my satguru, I hired a bulldozer and instructed the driver to follow me as I walked to the north edge of the property that was then a tangle of buffalo grass and wild guava.”

“I hacked my way through the jungle southward as the bulldozer cut a path behind me. After almost half a mile, I sat down to rest near a small tree. Though there was no wind, suddenly the tree’s leaves shimmered as if in the excitement of communication. I said to the tree, ‘What is your message?'”

” In reply, my attention was directed to a spot just to the right of where I was sitting. When I pulled back the tall grass, there was a large rock the self-created Linga on which Lord Siva had sat. A stunningly potent vibration was felt. “

“The bulldozer’s trail now led exactly to the sacred stone, surrounded by five smaller boulders. San Marga, the ‘straight or pure path’ to God, had been created. An inner voice proclaimed, ‘This is the place where the world will come to pray.’ San Marga symbolizes each soul’s journey to liberation through union with God.”

“This was the fulfillment of the quest for a vision of what the future might hold, which led me and my followers to the lovely Garden Island of Kauai, held the most sacred of all by the Hawaiian peoples long, long ago. It is alongside the sacred Wailua River, leading to the top of Mt. Waialeale, that this place of pilgrimage is being built, a temple of kaivalya, granting freedom from the past and a vision for the future.”

“The temple’s 700-pound 50-million-years-in-the-making crystal icon is a kalpaka (spiritual wish-fulfilling) ever-giving Sivalingam. So many blessings await each pilgrim. None is ever neglected.”

Remember, these are just sketches for the final art!