We Are Safe!

As the map shows, our island of Kauai is about 200 miles away from Maui island, where the devastating fires happened on August 9th. It was the most destructive disaster in the history of Hawaii, with the loss of over 80 lives and total destruction of an entire town, Lahaina, with a population of 12,000. It is estimated that it will cost 5-6 billion dollars and decades to rebuild everything.
Many around the world have worried if the monastery is OK, and we want to assure everyone we are.
Nene Geese
Silpi Outing Included First Time Participant

Aerial Photos – May 2023

Aum Namah Sivaya
We recently took a short survey flight with our drone, attempting to map out some future improvements along San Marga. While up there we took a few other shots just for fun. From the air, we're continually reminded of how lush and pure our island environment is. A perfect place of prana and a plethora of pretty plants.
"The whole world is an ashram in which all are doing sadhana. We must love the world, which is God's creation. Those who despise, hate and fear the world do not understand the intrinsic goodness of all."
Coconut Husking Extravaganza and Recent Sunrise
Iraivan Temple Sivalinga Installation Ceremonies

As most of you already know, the large crystal Sivalinga has been “temporarily” residing in Kadavul Temple since August 1987, awaiting its move to the Iraivan Temple sanctum. Our architect, Selvanathan Sthapati, has indicated that now that the Iraivan Temple structure is complete and the 11,000-pound panchaloha Avudaiyar base has been moved into the inner sanctum, we need to move forward with installing the Sivalinga. Actually, Sthapati was more colorful in his urgings, reminding us that the temple is a living being, with a conception (Gurudeva’s three visions), a birth and a lifespan. And, he offered, we have waited long enough, to the point that the temple is like a pregnant woman who is two weeks overdue, and we can no longer delay the event. Based on that instruction from our Master Builder and guidance from India’s Sivacharyas, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami has set the Sivalinga installation rituals for March 21-26, 2023. These historic rites will be professionally filmed and livestreamed on our youtube channel for everyone to have a front row seat wherever you live around the world.
A just-uploaded trailer video for the ceremonies can be viewed here. If you would like to plan ahead for watching the livestreams, here is the schedule of morning and afternoon streams: March 21 Morning Ceremonies 8:00 AM Start 12:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam Afternoon Ceremonies 3:00 PM Start 7:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam March 22 Morning Ceremonies 8:00 AM Start 12:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam Afternoon Ceremonies 3:00 PM Start 7:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam March 23 Morning Ceremonies 7:30 AM Start 12:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam Afternoon Ceremonies 3:00 PM Start 7:30 PM Distribution of Prasadam March 24 Morning Ceremonies 8:00 AM Start 12:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam Afternoon Ceremonies 3:00 PM Start 7:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam March 25 Morning Ceremonies 8:00 AM Start 12:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam Afternoon Ceremonies 3:00 PM Start 7:00 PM Distribution of Prasadam March 26 Morning Ceremonies 6:00 AM Start 10:19 AM Auspicious Moment 12:00 PM Anna DhaanamAccess to Iraivan Temple for these installation ceremonies will be through the monastery, with cars utilizing our existing parking lot of 37 spaces. Our maximum capacity of confirmed attendees for the event has already been reached, based on the existing facilities of the Aadheenam and Iraivan Temple. Permitting greater attendance would create substantial issues for us with our neighbors and the county over traffic and parking.
The good news is that starting on March 28th and thereafter, all Saiva Siddhanta Church sishyas and those on a prearranged pilgrimage to Kauai Aadheenam will be able to attend a daily puja at Iraivan Temple, something we have been waiting for all these years.
After March 28 visitors to the Aadheenam who are not formal pilgrims, Saiva Siddhanta Church sishyas or students of Himalayan Academy can still access the rudraksha grove and the monastery entrance areas, including Kadavul Temple, the Meditation Banyan and the MiniMela gift shop. But they will not have the opportunity to attend the Iraivan Temple daily puja until we fully establish additional facilities at the rudraksha grove entrance, thus meeting county regulations to have more parking and bathrooms to accommodate greater numbers of visitors before we can host large crowds. This development is still a couple of years away.
Construction Updates and Outing
The Many Moods of Mount Waialeale

About 40 years ago Gurudeva noticed that the mountain which dominates our Western view (and is the long-extinct central volcano of Kauai island) changed from day to day, sometimes spectacularly so. He asked the monks to begin collecting photos of what he called "The Many Moods of Mount Waialeale." The years passed and the mountain revealed its wet self, its sunset self, its rainbow self, its waterfalls self, its cloud-shrouded self. One by one these different mountains were captured. We will probably never print that fancy coffee table book, as that is so last millennium. But we do plan to put the images in a newly-designed Virtual Tour in 2023. Ahead of that, we offer over 150 photos and art that reveal the dance of light that Siva performs each day to entertain and amaze monks and visitors alike.
Timelapse:
Happy Skanda Shashti
Preparation for Silpis’ Return– Take Two
From Our Gurus' Teachings
Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.
