Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Satguru Śivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Śiva.

“Responsibly resolving karma is among the most important reasons that a satguru is necessary in a sincere seeker’s life. The guru helps the devotee to hold his mind in focus, to become pointedly conscious of thought, word and deed, and to cognize the lessons of each experience. Without the guidance and grace of the guru, the devotee’s mind will be divided between instinctive and intellectual forces, making it very difficult to resolve karma. And only when karma is wisely harnessed can the mind become still enough to experience its own superconscious depths.”

Today a glimpse of the golden murtis of Siva that abide in five niches around the Iraivan vimanam. As you know, this form of God Siva (called Sadasiva or Panchabrahma) is among the most important forms of God found in the Saiva Agamas. Enjoy the darshan of the five 32" tall murtis which now are dressed daily in different colors.

For those seeking the ultimate resource detailing Sadasiva in all His profound mysticism and glory, go here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10smkQGLR6MSrvgcJRbK-MvdZBRiEDyTR/view?usp=sharing

Today, a song from Saint Tayumanavar for our contemplations.


CANTO TWENTY

The Indescribable
Song 1

You, the Being Absolute beyond speech, the ocean of bliss, the light effulgent, leaving me in invincible maya, where did You hide? Alas! Alas! You have offered me as victim to the dark God of death. So hard-hearted is He that easier by far is it to spin yarn out of stone than to expect mercy from Him. So tightfisted is He that He would store a whole sea in a mustard seed. Why You did this I know not.









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The recent consecration events at the monastery in March and May have reminded us of the remarkable Adi Saiva community of priests who performed our Mahalingesvara installation with such discipline and purity and who are responsible for most of the Siva temples in nations around the world. Iraivan's opening brought sweet memories of Gurudeva's closeness with this community. From day one he cultivated the relationship with them. One day, in 1995, there was a massive gathering of Sivacharyars in Mumbai, and he was invited to be among them (see the historic photo above.) For many years we have been collaborating with this noble community to protect, preserve and promote the Saiva dharma, as Gurudeva would say.

We asked ChatGPT to tell us a little about this lineage of priests, and here is his answer:

The term "Adi Saiva Sivacharyars" refers to a specific group of priests and scholars who belong to the Saiva Siddhanta tradition of Hinduism. Saiva Siddhanta is a Saivite sect that follows the teachings of Saint Tirumular and the Nayanars, the ancient Tamil poet-saints who composed devotional hymns in praise of Lord Siva.

The Sivacharyars are considered the traditional custodians and interpreters of the holy Agamas and the Saiva Siddhanta philosophy and rituals. They are responsible for preserving and propagating the religious and cultural heritage of the Saiva Siddhanta tradition. These Sivacharyars are highly respected within the Tamil Nadu region of South India, where the Saiva Siddhanta tradition has its roots.

The Adi Saiva Sivacharyars perform various duties and rituals in Siva temples, including conducting pujas (ritual worship), administering sacraments, and providing spiritual guidance to the devotees. They are well-versed in the scriptures and hold deep knowledge of the Saiva Siddhanta philosophy, theology, and rituals.

Aum Namah Sivaya

Today we'd like to announce the release of our latest Web App, which works to fulfill one of Gurudeva's long-standing ideas of a concise collection of our most revered Saiva Siddhanta scriptures.

So click here to view these acred Scriptures of the Saivite Hindu Religion. This online anthology includes english translations of some of our most important and profound texts, with more to come! It includes excerpts from the Vedic Hyms, the Upanishads, the Kamika, Raurava, Sarvajnanottara and Mrugendra Agamas, the Sri Nandikesa Kasika, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the Tirumurai and more. Dive in and start discovering what your scriptures are really about. Aum.

We are happy to bring you the latest four Sun One Upadeshas by Bodhinatha. He continues to weave the threads of the intricacies of Raja Yoga practices as found in Merging with Siva. Get them here, on the talks index. They are also available on your smartphone using SivaSiva app --> Listen --> Bodhinatha's Latest. We suggest you go where you have Wi-Fi or good bandwidth and when you listen, click on the Download button to save them to your "My Audio" library. Get the app here. (For those who tried SivaSiva app years ago, it has much improved and it stable on iOS and Android)
Intuition Requires Careful Handling of the Intellect The Nada Nadi Shakti, Resolved Mistakes Ida Pingala; Daily Realization Ahimsa. All Life is God.

We want to thank Rajen Manick for the incredible work he has done in taking Path To Siva and making a slideshow out each lesson. They were developed in Apple's Keynote Application and we have exported them to PDF. Parents can download them on their smartphone to share with children. Teachers can present them in classes on religion. Go here to download the files. Below is a low-resolution slideshow of Lesson 1.

KURAL 31
Virtue yields Heaven’s honor and Earth’s wealth. What is there then that is more fruitful for a man?

KURAL 32
There is nothing more rewarding than virtue, nor anything more ruinous than its neglect.

KURAL 33
Be unremitting in the doing of good deeds; do them with all your might and by every possible means.

KURAL 34
Keep the mind free of impurity. That alone is the practice of virtue. All else is nothing but empty display.

KURAL 35
Virtue is living in such a way that one does not fall into these four: envy, anger, greed and unsavory speech.

KURAL 36
Don’t tell yourself you’ll be wise enough to practice virtue tomorrow. Do it now, for it will be your deathless companion when you die.

KURAL 37
It is utterly superfluous to inquire about virtue’s benefits, so evident in the difference between the palanquin’s rider and bearer.

KURAL 38
Not allowing a day to pass without doing some good is a boulder that will block your passage on the path to rebirth.

KURAL 39
Only virtuous deeds abound in true joy. All other deeds are empty and devoid of distinction.

KURAL 40
Virtue is merely that which should be done in life, and vice is merely that which should be avoided.

During he 1990's Gurudeva recorded a number of talks that were for a general public audience. In these he used language understandable by every listener. Some were on the phone which anyone could hear by calling "808-822-SIVA". Another was done as a radio pilot. This talk is amazing. Gurudeva says that the gift of Saivite religion is the working together of the three worlds. What are the Deities? How to we approaching the temple. Puja, establishing a shrine, the power of darshan from the deities; the pujari's function; gaining permission to practice yoga, religion. And more. It is also available in the SivaSivaApp

Bodhinatha's later upadesha There is no hell. Only "hellish" states of mind. The state of mind in the here and now is the same state of mind you'll be in in the inner world after dropping off the physical body. Focus on being in the states of mind produced by the higher chakras. If we are constantly unnecessarily analyzing the present, thinking about the past, the future, it's hard to control our meditations. We are meant to have mystical inner experiences not just as a one time event but today, tomorrow and the next day. The world is the place where we can improve our concentration and willpower. Master Course Trilogy, Dancing with Siva, Merging with Siva, Lesson 53