Today at Kauai's Hindu Monastery

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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Maha Sivaratri 2010

We thought you might all enjoy singing some older slideshows as we test including these right inside Taka. To view captions, click the small "i" icon. Captions will then appear (if the image has one). Click on an image to go full screen. Then click again to go back to TAKA.

The magical night of Maha Sivaratri arrived last night. The temple is decorated with Shum flags and toranam (coconut frond decorations). All the devotees gathered for bhajans at 7 pm.

A powerful homa followed, conducted by Yogi Jivananandanatha.

The vibration was high and deep at the same time as the fire grew and grew.

Some of the monks chant Sri Rudram

Offering of grains

Lord Agni rises and takes on a life of his own.

The final ghee offering before the purnahuti (main offering tray)

Bodhinatha offers the tray of flowers, fruits and grains.

Bodhinatha parades the kumbha pot around the temple.

The Kumbha is taken into the main sanctum, behind the Maha Sphatika lingam

Curtains are closed and there is time for a break. Our camerman goes outside and there are lamps burning everywhere.

The night sky is incredibly clear and our camerman zooms in on the constellation Krittika, the six-famed stars of the Pleides.

Everyone watches a short video of Gurudeva giving a marvelous Sivaratri talk years ago.

Aran Sendan and Shyamadeva Dandapani.

Bodhinatha gives a talk on Siva and Shakti being one and the same, and elucidates the process of Shakti merging in Siva. It is our energy moving back into the source: God Realization.

Next the monks do the abhishekam to the Sivalingam. After milk, panchamritam, sandalwood and water, Paramacharya Ceyonswami and Paramacharya Palaniswami do the final vibhuti (sacred ash) and water abhishekam.

This vibhuti will be packaged for devotees around the world

Then the final abhishekam with water.

After this Bodhinatha poured the kumbha pot. The rest of the night is

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