Aum Namah Sivaya

Here are some more photos of our recent Samvatsara Puja for Iraivan Temple. This two-day annual event is performed for the temple each year that follows its consecration. Photos by Rajkumar Manickam

On the day of sankalpam preparations for the April 12 Samvatsara Abhishekam (one year anniversary of the opening of Iraivan Temple) Siva showed His tangible presence by offering the island His own abishekam in the form of a massive rainstorm, a tropical downpour that brought 14 inches of rain to the monastery in 12 hours! We have rain guage records back decades, and even back to 2017 and 2010 we only once in 40 years of record keeping went beyond 10 inches in a day. So this was memorable. Then, showing the soft side of His grace, Siva flooded the island with sunshine on the following day, allowing for parades, pradakshina, marvelous dance and more in summer sun. There was, as you will see, some garden damage, but considering the scale of the storm, not that much. Interestingly, it reminded us of the Kadavul Temple kumbabhishekam day, 1984, when another impressive storm struck.

The first annual anniversary of Iraivan Temple's consecration has arrived. Events take place on April 11th afternoon and April 12th morning. Besides footage that will be posted after the fact, we've set up a temporary album where footage will be posted live, as it happens. Feel free to regularly check the link below over these two days if you'd like a semi-live experience. (Footage from this month's Krittika Homa on April 11th morning is also posted in this album.) Iraivan Temple Samvatsara Puja 2024

Today we took a walk along the six-pointed start path that defines the Shadkonam (six points) Desert Garden at the monastery. It was built in the Northwest corner of Iraivan Temple, following vastu science (See slide #2). It is a rare creature on Kauai, where there is so much rain that most desert plants don't tolerate. But over the years we have found which ones will endure 100 inches or more of rain, and we know that of 10 we plant one will survive. But if you plant 300, then you have 30 survivors. So these are the brave ones. The resiliant ones. And many happen to be beautiful as well, as the slideshow from this morning proves. We also share a before and after slider below.

Preparations have been in full swing for Iraivan Temple's first anniversary pujas on April 11-12. From husking coconuts for kumbhas, to securing tents, to installing sitting platforms, a temporary homa kunda and hanging tombai decorations, these photos show a small portion of the details involved to get ready.

Trenching for water piping and optical fiber continued from the San Marga parking lot corner down the pasture slope and to the edge of our water ditch winding through our property and feeding the ponds. The second photo shows the ditch, and Pradip, our contractor, is going to dig a tunnel underneath the ditch to sending the piping through. Then he will continue trenching parallel to the San Marga Path.

The third photo shows a just-painted pyramid structure that will hold about 130 small kumbhas for the first annual Iraivan Temple anniversary pujas on April 11-12. More preparatory photos will come soon.

Jai Ganesha!
Today Kodiswara arrived on Kauai after many hours travel from Malaysia. He had spend a full 6 months here on our taskforce program in 2016, so he knows the monastery well. Despite the long flight, he was full of energy once at the Aadheenam again.

Kodishwara is already under the formal pledge of an aspirant and is here to pursue monastic life.

"In enjoyment, there is the fear of disease; in social position, the fear of losing face; in wealth, the fear of government; in honor, the fear of humiliation; in power, the fear of enemies; in beauty, the fear of old age; in scriptural erudition, the fear of opposing views; in virtue, the fear of temptation; in body, the fear of death. All the things of this world pertaining to man are attended with fear; renunciation alone stands for fearlessness." Vairagya Shatakam 31

It is said the greatest offering to God Siva is our love and gratitude, both of which are embedded in the traditional Bharatanatyam dance, offered for thousands of years in Hindu temples (with about 90 years hiatus when the British colonials banned it). Kadavul Temple and devotees were blessed to have such an offering, performed by Fenulla Jiwani during the alankara. She shopped at the Kapaa Farmers' Market the following day and prepared an Italian pasta dish and fresh salad for the monks.

One of the unique features of her dance is this: the last time she performed it in public was 23 years ago. And she still soared. Enjoy the short slideshow.

After over fifty years of being on this land, we are finally bringing a underground water line and fiber-optic cable out to the future site of Iraivan Temple's parking and reception center, then all the way down next to Iraivan Temple.

The photos show the first stage now complete, having reached the corner of the future parking lot.

Watch Satguru's latest Publisher's Desk Video from his article in Hinduism Today magazine. This article as well as the rest of Hinduism Today's April/May/June, 2024 issue is now available online at https://www.hinduismtoday.com/.