Deep in shady Asian forests, the Amorphophallus konjac sprouts a curious secret — a single, spooky flower smelling faintly of old socks or (some say) dead rats. While its cousin the corpse flower grabs headlines, konjac quietly changes the world. Its underground tuber becomes silky noodles, jellies, and even facial sponges! Blooming only once every few years, konjac’s weird beauty hides its superpower: feeding millions and inspiring some of the coolest plant-based products on Earth.
It is blooming today and it really does stink! But the design is astonishing. And the size impresses, fully four feet tall and seems to be made out of a crinkled taffeta or crushed velvet.
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.
“What does it mean to “get centered” and to “be centered”? Actually, what it means is to feel the primal source within, to feel so centered that you are the center. And we always are something of what we feel, our hands or our legs or our bodies or our emotions or our desires. Most people on the path have the desire to get rid of their desires. It’s an impossible battle. Have you ever tried to get rid of your desires? If you would stop trying to get rid of your desires, then you would be centered, because you then take the energy out of desire. You take awareness away from that world of desire, and you get right in the primal source of the energy which flows through the physical body. It flows through the emotional network, right through the intellectual mind. That primal source of energy is flowing through the spine in each and every one of us this very moment. Feel it?“
Paramacharya gives his presentation, and offers valuable digital resources for all present
Flying over Germany reveals a landscape of countless small towns and farmland, separated by foothills and wind turbines
Several large buses take attendees from the airport to the ashram
Yoga Vidya Ashram in Bad Meinberg is one of Europe’s largest yoga centers, set in a forested campus offering classes, events and quiet retreat.
Each day of the congress included new speakers and topics. Here, Swamini Atmaprakashananda from the UK gives some inspiring words
Our monks got to stay in a 3rd generation, family-owned hotel in the German countryside, with farms on one side and woodlands on the other
After long flights, a walk among meadows and flowering cherry trees is greatly appreciated
There’s friendly, wild bunnies and deer everywhere you go
The air here is perfectly fresh, imbued with the smell of spring blossoms
A nice use for an old well as a flower planter
This pony lived behind the hotel, he wasn’t much of a talker. Maybe he only knew German.
Our monks gave their presentations on the final day. Here, Paramacharya begins his talk.
Earlier in the morning Tillainathaswami guided the group meditation. In the afternoon He gave a talk about personal practice and sadhana
Even the graffiti here is worshipful
Jai Ganesha!
Our two traveling monks have recently returned from a short trip to Germany, where they attended the 2025 European and World Yoga Congress. Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami and Sannyasin Tillainathaswami made the eight-day journey across the globe and back. They arrived in Germany on the 24th to begin the event on the 25th. The venue was the Yoga Vidya Ashram in Bad Meinberg. This ashram is one of the largest in Central Europe and follows the Saivite Hindu teachings and lineage of Swami Sivananda. The event included speakers from Germany, Portugal, the UK, India, Venezuela, Iceland, the US and more. Of the hundreds of attendees, the majority were deeply devoted to their meditations and daily spiritual practice—not merely interested in asana (hatha) yoga, as one might have assumed from the name of the congress. When asked about the ultimate goal of their yoga practice, each responded, “Self-realization,” of course.
We now have the introduction and fourteen lessons of the Know Thyself booklet generated in Gurudeva’s cloned voice, with the “Seeker” questions generated in another voice. This will soon be available on our Audiobooks web page. Here is Lesson One–
Today, we’re excited to share an update about a feature on our website: the Lexicon. The Lexicon is now available online and can be found under the “Books” category. It is a collection of words and their definitions, specifically drawn from the vocabulary used in our books. The purpose of the Lexicon is to provide a helpful resource for readers who may come across unfamiliar words. With just a few clicks, users can search for and understand terms they encounter while reading. We hope this feature enhances your reading experience and makes our content even more accessible. Aum.
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.
“Nowadays meditation is becoming very popular. Everyone is talking about being centered. If you’re right in the center of yourself, you don’t hear any of the noise or activity. You’re just peaceful within yourself. It’s only when we come into the cross-section, the cross-fire of life, that we feel we’re not all right. Then we begin living in the great lie of the universe, the great fear that if we die we might be gone forever. We forget all of the wonderful philosophy and beautiful teachings that we’ve been studying, and we’re just not all right.“
