The Making of Sadasiva Murthi
About three years back, Jim and Natalie Levin approached the monastery with their hope to create something extraordinary for the Aadheenam. Their plan was to sculpt a 4-foo-tall bronze of Siva in His form as Sadasiva, with five heads and ten arms. They knew Gurudeva back in the late 90s and have continued to admire and support his mission under Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami. Permission was given and an amazing process began. A series of sketches were made by Selvanathan Sthapati to guide her hand and make the work authentic. To begin, Natalie spent about a year sculpting a small version, called a maquette. This 14-inch high piece was easier to make changes on and resolve major engineering issues. About two years ago the Levins invited us to their home in Arizona and presented the finished maquette. With that approved, Natalie moved on to the full size sculpture, working closely with Sadasivanathaswami at each stage.
Natalie Speaks of Her Process:
"The process of creating the Murti of Sadasiva was to strip myself bare and lay vulnerable to the powers of Divine direction. The process took me to places of sublime ecstasy experiencing a divine love so profound and soul changing. But the 2-1/2 year process was not without wrestling with my own insecurity, self-doubt, worry, steep learning curves, and lastly, a sense of victorious accomplishment knowing I stayed the course and did not give up when so many forces seemed as major roadblocks to its completion.
"I knew in my heart of hearts, that if I stayed pure and did puja before showing up for sculpting that perhaps the presence of Siva would help me and provide direction on how to do this supremely complicated form. Nightly, I called upon the devas and Gurudeva asking for their guidance in the deva loka. In daily puja, Id call upon Ganesha to clear away all obstacles and to make the energy free from all interference, as I needed all the help I could get!
Slowly the murti emerged."
10 Responses to “The Making of Sadasiva Murthi”
From Our Gurus' Teachings
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October 7th, 2019 at 4:44 pm
Beautiful.. Divine inspiration at its best🙏
October 8th, 2019 at 2:25 am
Such a beautiful story and look forward to the next phase of this story. Natalie, your heartfelt words shine in wisdom – thank you for sharing them with us. Certainly inspired me this morning here in London, and no doubt countless others around the world! Aum Namah Sivaya.
October 8th, 2019 at 4:11 am
Om namasivaya!
thank you for also making my heart sing🙏🏼
October 8th, 2019 at 4:13 am
great job by natalie. i remember meeting jim and natalie at amma’s golden temple. in fact the story for hinduism today on amma’s magnificent temple and the interview of amma was done with their help and support. both of them are highly evolved and divine souls ! aum namah sivaya
October 8th, 2019 at 5:00 am
Aloha Rajiv! Thank you for your very kind comments. 🙏🏼
Yes it was an auspicious meeting- an unplanned walking right towards each other at Sri Sakthi Amma’s Sripuram, and a wonderful article you wrote on this magical place.
This journey of creating the Sadasiva murthi was filled with many divine blessings
October 8th, 2019 at 7:11 am
Natalie’s first statement in her introduction stands alone and should be carved on a stone in front of every temple.
“The process of creating the Murti of Sadasiva was to strip myself bare and lay vulnerable to the powers of Divine direction.”
This is a great axiom for every incarnated Soul. And it is not without a battle as Natalie indicates – but it is a battle for peace, for Truth, for love and this beautiful image is a testament to her power. Yes, if we are earnest in our search we strip away, and are laid bare and vulnerable. . . we learn to acknowledge where our little self ends and Siva’s infinite power begins. It is hard to take anyone on a tour of the San Marga lands without making reference to this amazing couple and the many ways they support and help manifest Gurudeva’s vision.
October 8th, 2019 at 7:44 am
AumAumAum Shiva Perumanae…we see Your Greatness..in these beautiful souls
Aum Namasivaya
October 8th, 2019 at 10:21 am
🙏🏼Om Deva, Naven, Rajiv, Ramai,
We are the blessed ones, for we have found the eternal divine wellspring in this life…
Through service to others and sharing your gifts, your love, your light, is the path of surrendering to the divine …of aligning our will with Thine will…and thus merging with Siva.
October 8th, 2019 at 7:01 pm
Such an inspiring manifestation of your Love for… and Trust… in The Divine.
Just takes my breath away!
You have been Blessed to birth this SadaShiva Murthi… and we, Blessed to have His Darshan.
OmNamahShivaya!
OmNamoNarayani!
October 12th, 2019 at 4:24 am
Wonderful and inspiring. Mahalo and Nandri for this God-sent story of creation and manifestation.