Books and Publications

Artwork Added to HAMSA Site

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Two of our upcoming books are about Sage Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and Saint Tayumanavar’s life and songs. Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami commissioned ten original pieces of art for each book from famed muralist Suresh Muthukulam in Kerala. Though it will be a while before the books are published, the artwork is now available on our Himalayan Academy Museum of Spiritual Art (HAMSA) in the Suresh Muthukulam collection, with detailed captions for each. Here is a sample from each group:

Tayumanavar

Tayumanavar, with accounting journals under his arm, walks barefoot to the castle, where King Nayak has engaged him as his financial manager. Days later, two men examine the footprints he left in the sand, astonished to find they have not disappeared as one would expect. They take it as a miraculous happening. Above, Siva uses His trishula to row a divine Moon Boat through the heavens, watching the events below. On the left, a family of toddy tappers walk the aerial ropes between palmyra palm trees, gathering the nectar for making jaggery and toddy. Below, a woman sells the palm nuts. A bullock cart full of kingly supplies approaches the castle, and elephants, one with a flower in his trunk, greet the saint on his first day. Below, under a spreading banyan tree, two philosophers debate the merits of Vedanta and Siddhanta. It was Tayumanavar’s life mission to show the unity of these two great views.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras

Here, Rishi Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras (ca. 200-500 BCE), meditates while seated on the coiled body of a giant serpent. His hands are held in Shuni Mudra, which is said to awaken intuition and higher consciousness, and to purify thought and emotion. The banyan tree, with its vast rooting tendrils, represents the strength and longevity of Hinduism. Above, Sadasiva rides on His winged vahana, Nandi. In the branches, two cobras have wrapped themselves around the ola leaf manuscript of the Yoga Sutras, protecting it for future generations. Near the bottom, Siva is present in the sage’s personal Sivalinga. Subtly, Siva’s two all-seeing cosmic eyes peer out from the sky behind, just above the horizon.

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Good Thoughts, Natchintanai

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73 Spiritual Songs, The Natchintanai of Siva Yogaswami

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An anthology of wisdom-filled Tamil songs expressing the devotion and enlightened insights of one of the most remarkable Saiva yogis of our times.

The profound tradition of South Indian Saivism migrated to Sri Lanka centuries ago. It was transmitted in recent times through a lineage of siddhars of the highest order. Siva Yogaswami of Colombuthurai (1872-1963) left a rich heritage of Tamil songs known as Natchintanai (“Good Thoughts”) that contain the essence of Siva worship and Saiva philosophy. This anthology of 73 devotional hymns stands as a rich introduction and learning tool for those who would integrate his gold mine of divine wisdom into their hearts and lives.

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Path to Siva — French

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A Catechism for Youth

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A richly illustrated catechism of Saiva Siddhanta for youth, drawn from the Master Course Trilogy, exploring how to live life, know the Divine, honor all creation and see God everywhere, in everyone. In sixty-eight illustrated lessons, this book conveys the basics of a 3,000-page Master Course Trilogy created by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (Gurudeva, 1949-2001), a legacy of profound, approachable teachings in three realms: philosophical, cultural and mystical. Path to Siva is a Mini-Master Course created by Gurudeva’s successor to inspire youth to know and follow that venerable way of wisdom embodied in the Saiva Siddhanta traditions of South India and Sri Lanka. It covers the following and more:

  • Self-Identity: Who am I? How can we see God? What are the three worlds? Being a strong Saivite
  • Philosophy: God Siva; Saiva Siddhanta; Our immortal soul; Death & reincarnation; Dharma & karma
  • Personal Life: A happy home; Virtue; Sin & evil; Religious tolerance; Hospitality; Harmony with others
  • Practice: Yoga, meditation; Appreciating the temple; Home puja; Pilgrimage; Caring for the environment

 

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Artists We Work With Receive Award in Tamil Nadu

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  • A. Manivelu
  • Manivelu visiting Kauai Aadheenam
  • One of Manivelu’s paintings
  • Press release about Kalaichemmal award

Over the decades we have commissioned a large amount of artwork by painter A. Manivelu for our publications, and we also hired sculptor L. Balachander to create the five forms of Siva placed in the niches around Iraivan Temple’s mukhapandam. These two artists are among six being honored by the Tamil Nadu government’s Art and Culture Department, Fine Arts Committee. They are receiving the Kalaichemmal Award for 2024-2025, which annually recognizes both traditional and contemporary artists in the field of fine arts for their exemplary achievements and contributions. The artists each receive a cash prices of Rs.100,000.

Here is a page of A Manivelu’s artwork.

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The Power of Affirmation – Small Book

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The power of affirmation changes and remolds the putty-like substance that makes up the subconscious areas of the mind. For years we have repeated sayings and statements, attached meaning to them in our thoughts and through listening to ourselves speak. This has helped form our life as we know it today, for the subconscious brings into manifestation the impressions we put into it. Therefore, to change the subconscious pattern and increase its vibration, we must remold with new ideas and new concepts its magnetic forces.

 

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A Character Building Workbook–Tamil

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As a tool to help children and adults build, transform and improve their character, we have developed a list of sixty-four character qualities and present them in this workbook. For families with pre-teen children old enough to understand the concepts, the booklet can be used in a simpler way by choosing one character quality at a time, posting it in big type somewhere in the home and discussing it now and then for a few weeks.

 

 

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