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Yoginathaswami and Yogi Dayanatha in India, Part Two

Arriving in Kumbhakonam, they first visited Dharasuram Airavatesvara Temple, another ancient Chola Siva temple. It feels like a tourist attraction at the moment.

Next they met with Muruga Sthapati to plan for making a swarnabandanam, gold band, to be placed around the base of the Iraivan Temple Mahalingeswara crystal Sivalinga as the focal point of the public Kumbhabhishekam in several years.

After that meeting, they drove an hour to visit the Chola Thanjavur Brihadeeswara Temple, famous for the really tall vimanam/capstone and huge Sivalinga.

Next on the itinerary was to visit the water element Siva temple, Tiruvanaikovil Jambukeswarar temple in Trichy. It has amazing carvings, huge pillars and constant water flow in front of the Sivalinga that no one can explain.

Mahalingeshvara

This is the story of the remarkable crystal Sivalingam now fully present and aware in Iraivan Temple's sanctum and receiving daily worship. Today's is a long story with lots of details, but you will get the jist of it by reading the first few paragraphs. The longer story dives into the finding of this gem, as told in The Guru Chronicles.

To begin, each time we get an email from the Adisaiva Sivacharya who was head priest for our Big Event in March, he adds more to the name of the lingam. His latest full name is Maha Spatikakruthi Jyothiswarupa Sri Mahalingeshwara Swami at Iraivan Kovil, which roughly translates to "The great, radiant and crystal-like form of God Siva, also known as Sri Mahalingeshwara Swami."

Here is the tale worth tellilng again:

In the spring of 1987 Gurudeva's vision for Iraivan Temple was evolving from a mystical revelation to a real-world plan. Working with sacred architects in South India, he was de ning its physical form, establishing the principles of its creation and considering the style of the massive stone edices built during South India's Chola Dynasty a millennium ago. The big question was still pending: What form of Siva would inhabit the inner sanctum? It was a meditation that continued for months, for he knew the relevance of this decision. It would dene the temple more than any external style. It would be its life and essence, the most holy and powerful force around which all else would circle.

A Clear Crystal Vision
One day, in an early-morning vision in his private quarters, Gurudeva saw the future, as he would later say. In fact, he often said, if you want to know what you should do, do this: In your mind, travel into the future, and from there look back and witness what happened. The present-day decision will be obvious.

In this vision of the yet-to-be, Gurudeva saw a massive crystal Sivalingam shining brightly in the sanctum of Iraivan Temple, radiating out to the world. It was a titan among crystals. In fact, it seemed in this rst seeing impossibly large, fantastical and beyond reality. Perhaps, he thought, it is merely the spiritual form of the Sivalingam and not the physical one.

Downstairs a few hours later, he shared this vision with the monks, letting them know he had his answer as to which form of Siva that Iraivan Temple would embody. It would be a crystal Lingam, known in Sanskrit as sphatika Sivalingam. In the ancient texts it is said that a Lingam, which is the aniconic form of the Creator-Preserver-Destroyer of the universe, is the highest of worshipful icons. It represents That which is beyond representation, beyond form and even imagination. It is the All in all, the Self beyond time, form, space and cause.

The Agamas say one can worship this Great God Siva in the form of a Lingam made of mud or sand, of cow dung or wood, of bronze or black granite stone. But the purest and most sought-after form is the quartz crystal, a natural stone not carved by man but made by nature, gathered molecule by molecule over hundreds, thousands or millions of years, grown as a living body grows, but in nitely more slowly. Such a creation of nature is itself a miracle worthy of worship.

The monks were delighted to hear of their guru's revelation and imag-ined the meanings behind it. Kadavul Temple already housed God Siva as Nataraja, the divine dancer who creates and inhabits every atom of the cosmos, and Iraivan Temple would host Siva as the transcendent Beyond, immanent and transcendent, form and formless. It was perfect. But the monks were not at all prepared for what would happen next.

Gurudeva paid a visit the next day to the Crystal Journey shop at Kilohana on Kauai. He was there looking at the wares, asking the proprietor about crystals, looking for a large one he had visualized. She did not have such a crystal, but eagerly shared her own similar vision of a giant crystal.

Some weeks later, she called requesting to meet with Gurudeva, arriving at the monastery mid morning. She was a kind of mythical character, a child of the 70s, a cherubic, intelligent lady about 40 years old. In her long dress, looking a bit Roma, her round cheeks pink with the pleasure of her visit, she shared that she had an important message for him. She was taken to Gurudeva's ofce, where he listened to her tale. "Gurudeva, I had a dream last night. In my dream I saw, even more clearly than before, a giant crystal. Very tall and perfectly formed, just like the one you described. Not only that, I saw where it is. If you will allow me, I want to go there. I want to nd the crystal and bring it to you. Will you buy me a ticket?"

Never in his life had Gurudeva bought a ticket for a near stranger on a dream-induced mission. But this was different. Gurudeva then told the visitor of his own dream that same morning, of how he had seen the giant crystal, too, but never imagined someone else might have the same dream at nearly the same time. He took it as a sign, and did the unthinkable--bought her a round-trip ticket to Arkansas, the Natural State.

Soon she was on a crystal quest. Having never visited Arkansas, she took the logical course and began visiting the various mines in the area. Along with Brazil, Arkansas is the world's most productive crystal source, and there were dozens of mines to be tracked down at the end of long, unpaved roads.

Ultimately she found the crystal at the mines of one James Coleman, a hard-scrabble man dressed in denim with a scrappy beard and callused hands, whose father and grandfather had mined crystals and who knew the business like none other.

Ambling to his Jeep, the taciturn miner motioned to her to get in. Off the two drove, about a mile on a pitted coral path some called a road that ended at an old wooden warehouse. Getting down, Coleman walked through the double doors and headed to the back of the open space, stop-ping at a pallet in a dark corner. On it was a musty mattress, worn and worthless, rolled in a circle and tied with a hemp rope.

Without so much as a word, Coleman cut the rope with a pocket knife and threw open the mattress. There lay the huge, milky white, quartz crystal. It was a marvel to behold, a perfect thing that could be an artifact in a museum of art or a masterpiece in the foyer of a billionaire's mansion. But it was here, not far from nowhere.

His customary reticence overcome by the urgent need to relate his story, Coleman turned to the woman, who stood speechless, with happy tears washing down her cheeks. He said: In 1975 my brother and I were digging for crystals. Below these hills there are honeycombs of caves where our rocks are harvested. We were 65 feet under that day, when we found our way into a new cave. Nothing unusual about it at rst; it was some twenty feet across and ve feet high, all dark and dank. But then our light fell on this crystal. It had fallen and lay on its side, broken away from the cave oor. Around it on three sides was a colony of smaller crystals, ten or so, which were all still intact and growing. This one had stopped growing, of course. As you can see, it has six sides and is perfectly pointed, and its surface feels like cool ice, day and night. We went up to get the mattress and wrapped the crystal in it, dragging it inch by inch to the surface. Took all day.

"It was, to both of us, an amazing discovery. Though our family has been mining crystals for three generations, no one ever heard of such a gem. My brother and I knew it was one of a kind, and we both sensed it had a destiny, though we didn't know what that might be. Something extraordinary. We kept it in the mattress and brought it here, out of sight, vowing not to tell a soul about it. But somehow you saw it. How else would you know? We gured that one day we would learn what the crystal was meant for. I think it was meant to go with you, to Hawaii, and to be with that holy man who saw it. The crystal has been waiting, and I'm glad you came to get it."

The crystal seeker was exultant. She called Gurudeva, who asked for photos to be sent. When he saw them, he said, "Yes, that's it!" She arranged for the purchase and packing of the crystal, then ew home. The 700-pound, 39-inch-tall sphatika Sivalingam arrived at the monastery on August 14 and was formally installed in front of Lord Kadavul Nataraja two days later, awaiting the day Iraivan Temple would be completed. Gurudeva's morning vision had manifested in a magical way.

One afternoon years later, a deva with whom Gurudeva often communicated signalled that he was present and asked if there were any questions. The monk with him asked about the signicance of the huge crystal. With the same ease that ordinary people listen to a friend speak, Gurudeva clairaudiently heard the inner-plane deva's answer and dictated it, in two- and three-word volleys, to his amanuensis of the day. His message: "Now, the large crystal we have is very special, having been especially prepared for its mission as a relay station for peace on Earth, harmony, contentment, healing and patience, freedom and goodwill and close cooperation among the life forms and humans beings on this planet. It is at this very moment relaying trillions of messages through every crystal on this planet, energizing and educating even the smallest insect." Aum Namasivaya!



Pool Renovation Begins in Earnest

Before we begin the pool report, a sharing. When Shanmukha Sivacharyar was here in March left a bit of wisdom for all to ponder. He told all gathered for the Big Event:

When turbulence is experienced in our life (health, loss, career changes, karmic challenges, relationships), buckle up. Just pretend you are on a plane that has hit a some rough weather. What do you do? Reach for the seatbelt and buckle up. Then sit back, stay calm and let the pilot, who is Siva, do his duty.

A new project has begun, the renovation of the Kadavul Temple Tank. It is long overdue, and will bring new beauty and color for pilgrims to enjoy. The tank has been drained and now the old surface paint is being removed. Plumbing is being rerouted and improved to make maintenance work easier for the monks.

The pool with then be covered with deep blue, one-inch square tiles. The Tamil Aum, which has faded over the years, will now be remade in tile, never to fade again! The project will take 6-8 weeks.

When asked to explain the purpose of the Hindu temple tank, ChatGPT said: "The temple tank in a Hindu temple serves as a sacred water reservoir, symbolizing purity and spiritual cleansing. Here devotees perform ritualistic ablutions before entering, offering prayers and seeking blessings. It also facilitates religious ceremonies and plays a vital role in fostering a serene and divine atmosphere within the temple complex."

Jai to Siva’s Men, the Adisaiva Priests

This is Day 3 of the New Mahalingesvara Era. Everything is changed, only the Self beyond the Beyond remains unchanged, it seems. We wish to honor the Sivacharyars who performed their magic to install Mahalingesvara at Iraivan Temple. We asked Vivek Sivacharyar how many mantras he intoned during the 45 days of Mandala Puja and he said, "One lak, 20 thousand." That's 120,000 mantras. He added that that meny again were intoned by the Sivacharyars in March and again in May! The monks press their palms together to honor this noble clan.

2023 Iraivan Mandala Puja Events – Final Day

Jai Ganesha!
Jai Kailasa Parampara!
Jai Gurudeva!
Jai Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami!
Om Namah Shivaya!

Today our Mandala puja events concluded. This morning began at 6am with the sankalpam and a Ganesha Puja. Again the homas were kindled and the Deities invoked at the yagasala. This included a Panchakshara and Pancha Brahma Homa. As the final event, the mathavasis passed 1008 kumbhas into the shrine to be poured over Mahalingeshwara. More images and video of the events to come over the next week.

"We never outgrow temple worship. It simply becomes more profound and meaningful as we progress through four spiritual levels." - Gurudeva

May 9th Afternoon Through 10th Morning Events

Here are photos of the next set of pujas. Yesterday afternoon was the first kala homas in the yagasala. Five different shapes of homa kundas were operating simultaneously, each representing one of Sadasiva's faces-- Isana, Tatpurusha, Aghora, Vamadeva and Sadjyotata.

Surrounding the large middle kumbha are 108 little conches in preparation for Sangu abhishekam.

Silpis were honored at the end of the evening with shawls commemorating the event.

This morning we began at 8am in Kadavul Temple with the priests performing the Bhutashuddhi ritual-- self-purification and "becoming Siva", as it were. This was the first time for many of the priests to visit Kadavul Temple, an important moment.

After that we paraded out to Iraivan Temple, and began blessing the 1008 small kumbhas placed in clusters around the sides. During this time, Satguru was honored with another shawl, and then he honored chief priest Kumar Gurukal with a shawl and rudraksha mala. The priests thanked Satguru for his support of the United States Sivacharyars Association since they launched in 2016.

After that we experienced a marathon of chanting Sri Rudram eleven times. The priests chanted very fast, and anyone else who chants Rudram tried to join and keep up! We then proceeded back to the yagasala for the second kala homas.

2023 Iraivan Temple Mandala Puja – Yagasala

A short clip of the Mandala Puja events taking place this week at Iriavan Temple. This is the yagasala where five special homa kundas are kindled as per Agamaic tradition.

Iraivan Temple Final Mandala Pujas Underway

Led by Kumar Gurukal, nine Sivacharya priests arrived yesterday and today, bringing the total to eleven who are now performing the last of the 45-day Mandala Pujas post installation of the sphatika Mahalingeswara. Of the priests is Anand Sivacharya who officiates at the Concord, California Murugan Temple that we used to own and run. He has wanted to come here for so long, never having visited before.

They began yesterday afternoon, May 8th, with a beautiful Ganesha puja and homa, replete with vigorous chanting.

This morning, May 9th, consisted of the Vastu Shanti pujas to purify all the spaces. It included Panchakavya puja which honors all the substances produced by the cow, and a Bhumi puja which was performed in front of Dakshinamurti and honors Mother Earth.
While all this was happening, many of the devotees were helping with a huge task of preparing 1008 kumbhas to be offered in abhishekam on the final morning, May 11th. We couldn't husk that many coconuts, so we are using oranges instead.

This group of priests have formed the "United States Sivachariyars Association" and created a printed shawl to honor their coming here to perform Mandalabhishekam.

Mandala Puja Preparations

The priests arrive today, nine in all, to conduct the final four days of holy homas and pujas to complete Iraivan's historic Pranapratishta consecration. Many are the items needed to conduct the elaborate rituals. These are being assembled in the yagasala today, and we give you a glimpse.We asked our Vivek Sivacharyar how many mantras he has chanted in the last 40 days and he said 120,000.

Preparing for Final Mandala Pujas

We have just six days before the final Iraivan Temple Mandala Pujas are performed by Kumar Gurukal and many accompanying priests. In the first two photos, Sivanadiyar Vatshalan and Malaysian taskforcer Sivajnani Nagappan work together on setup of the yagasala and audience tent.

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