Today at Kauai Aadheenam

Jai Gurunathan!

Join us just after 6am (Kauai time) on the morning of July 8th for Kauai Aadheenam’s live stream of our Guru Purnima padapuja, honoring Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami. The event begins with the parade to Iraivan Temple, where the padapuja will take place. This is where the livestream will begin, as Satguru is seated in meditation for the padapuja and abhishekam. This annual festival is always observed on the full moon (Purnima) of the month of Ashadha (June–July), it is a time for devotees to express gratitude, offer worship, and rededicate themselves to the path of wisdom and discipline as outlined by their lineage, and of course to honer their spiritual guide and teacher. Aum.

Kularnava Tantra:
GURU devotion

Lord Siva: “There is One Real. Call it Siva. This Parabrahman is formless, stainless, one without a second, changeless, beyond the highest. This Mahesvara is all-knowing, all-doing, sovereign of all, self-luminous, without beginning or end. All embodied souls, jivas, all the born creatures, are portions of Me, like sparks of the fire. But human birth is the most important, for it is then that one becomes awake, aware of his state of bondage and the necessity of release. It is then that one is in a position to take steps for his liberation from bondage’s hold.

“Humans have a self-will and are not totally subject to the impulses and drives of nature as are other creatures. It is only on this earth–and that too in a human body endowed with a soul–that one can choose one’s path for spiritual progress. But not all are aware of the precious opportunity afforded by human birth, which is truly the ladder to Liberation. The Self is to be realized only here in this life. If here you do not find it and work out the means for your Liberation, where else is it possible? It is possible nowhere else. It has to be worked out by yourself from within yourself.

“The world you reach after the physical body is shed is determined by the level of consciousness reached while in the body. So, as long as the body lasts, exert yourself towards the goal of Liberation.

“Remember, the physical body does not last forever. Age prowls like a leopard; diseases attack like an enemy. Death waits not to see what is done or not done. Before the limbs lose their vitality, before adversities crowd in upon you, take to the auspicious path.
Therefore, choose, then worship a Satguru. Worship his feet. Cherish the very sandals (paduka) which hold his feet. All knowledge is founded on those paduka. Remember and cherish those paduka, which yield infinitely more merit than any number of observances, gifts, sacrifices, pilgrimages, mantra-japa and rituals of worship.”

Jai Ganesha!

Many moons ago, our Ganapati Kulam monks hired a talented Oduvar, Vivek Raja, to sing all the sacred songs of Tayumanavar in Tamil. Tayumanāvar was a revered Tamil poet-saint and spiritual philosopher from Tamil Nadu, India, who played a vital role in spreading the profound teachings of Saiva Siddhanta philosophy to the world. A few months ago, we joyfully completed the entire collection of his songs and have now created a dedicated category on our website. You can listen to them online and immerse yourself in the deep spiritual wisdom of his verses. Aum.

Two orders meet and align in Mumbai. That’s Arumuganathaswami in the bottom right corner.

Our monks greet the holy visitors and hear Brahmaviharidas
speak of his meetings with Gurudeva when he was a young monk.

Bodhinatha receives a photo of the Abu Dhabi temple and an invitation to see it in person as their guest.

“Milk poured into milk.”

Off to see Mahalingesvara.

Sadasivanathaswami explains the symbolism of the pillars.

Climbing Hanuman’s small mountain.

The Media Studio with Iraivan in the distance.

Let us return to 1995. Gurudeva is traveling around India with Sadasivanathaswami and Arumuganathaswami, and is invited to attend the 75th Jayanthi of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the head of the BAPS Swaminarayan Fellowship. It is held in Mumbai where one evening Gurudeva gave a stirring talk to 50,000 devotees, telling them all, “Obey your guru. Obey your guru. Obey your guru.” Those words still resonate today inside the 1200-strong swami order. In the first photo Gurudeva and Pramukh Swami meet afterwards. There is a young monk present, seated in the center listening to Gurudeva. He is today one of the senior most members of the 10 million strong BAPS group, based in Gujarat. It was this young monk who visited a few days back with three of his brother monks. His name: Brahmaviharidas Swami. He was traveling with Prieshmunidas Swami, Atmavatsaldas Swami and Shukmunidas Swami.

Swami has wanted to come to Kauai Aadheenam for decades, but has been kept busy building the first Hindu temple in a Muslim nation, a $100 million masterpiece now sitting in Abu Dhabi. Swami, who single-handedly guided the complex Abu Dhabi project, was finally free to come. It was a great meeting of minds and hearts. The BAPS monks and support team were greeted by our swamis at the gate with Sanskrit chants and Hawaiian leis. Brahmaviharidas Swami told those gathered that although Gurudeva’s order is not large, it has impacted their own life and work, both through the magazine and by the Kauai monks’ simple example. He noted that “Size is not a measure of any greatness. It is relevance that matters. And all of you have proven your relevance to the Hindus of the world.”

After a short blessing in Kadavul Temple, a longer-than-usual time was spent in the Guru Pitham talking with Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami who received a formal invitation to come to Abu Dhabi and see the amazing temple there. There followed a tour of Iraivan Temple and the grounds. And some “talk story” time in the Media Studio. As Gurudeva loved to say, we and the Swaminarayan monks are “like milk poured into milk.”

Happy Sadhaka, Happy Monastery

This is where the button size wood decor will be placed. It will look better when it’s oiled and dried

One of the finished sides of the fish tank stand

Sadhaka shows us how to use one of the tools in the wood shop

Sadhaka is focused on cutting the right size

Some of the finished pieces

That’s our boy Yali cat. Always loves attention.

Jai Ganesha!

Today, July 1st, we took a walk around the Aadheenam and found Sadhaka Shankaranatha working in the wood shop. Acharya Kumaranathaswami manages the equipment in the wood shop, and since Swami is an expert in woodworking, he has gradually upgraded the shop with many useful machines and pieces of equipment. We asked Shankaranatha about the new fish aquarium stand update which he has been working on. He told us that it’s almost done and showed us the piece he’s currently working on. Right now, he’s cutting small, button-sized wooden pieces to use as decorations. He also showed us the finished sides of the stand. Aum!

SSC sishyas Erasenthiran and his son Naavalan have arrived from mainland USA for a month to serve in the Siddhidata Kulam at Kauai Aadheenam during Naavalan’s summer break from school. In today’s photos, Naavalan is picking Abiu fruit that is abundantly in season right now. He says he enjoys being out in nature, with the cooling trade wind breeze and birds chirping.

A group of Nene geese also decided to visit the nearby avocado orchard this morning.