On the last Amavasya, dancers from the talented Shri Krupa dance school (based out of San Jose, CA) visited Iraivan Temple to perform a special offering. The group of six dancers came together to express their devotion to Lord Mahalingeshvara through the classical art form of Bharatanatyam. Each dancer performed with expressiveness and great dedication to their art, showing their love and respect for the divine.
As many know, Bharatanatyam is a dance form that combines rhythm, expression and emotion, enabling dancers to tell stories and connect with their audience. On the same day, a large tour group visited the temple. Each pilgrim entered the temple, not only to receive Mahalingeshvara’s blessings but also to witness the unexpected and marvelous performance. The dancers’ devotion to their art captivated everyone present, making it a memorable and spiritual experience for all.
Quote of the day
Moksha comes when earthly karma has been resolved. Dharma well performed and God fully realised
Today we reached the $80,000 goal of our annual Digital Dharma Drive! It was not at all certain we would meet the goal, but in the last few hours before tonight’s transition to 2025, a few generous donors recognized our plight and gave abundantly. We are grateful for this amazing support. It means we can proceed with our highest ambitions in the year ahead, producing a third edition of Lemurian Scrolls, a new edition of Patanjali’s famed Yoga Sutras (fully illustrated by our Kerala artist), a new edition of Saint Tayumanavar’s 1,454 devotional poems to Siva, website enhancements and more. Mahalo nui loa, as the Hawaiian say.
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.
“The two paths—householder and renunciate—every young man has to choose between them. In Hindu tradition the choice is made before the marriage ceremony, and, if not, during the ceremony itself. The choice must be his and his alone. Though guided by the advice of parents, elder family members and religious leaders, the choice is his and his alone as to how his soul is to live through the birth karmas of this incarnation. Both paths take courage, great courage, to step forward and embrace the responsibilities of adult life.“
For many years we used a certain dirt road (in addition to other roads) for vehicles to go past Iraivan Temple towards the Swayambhulingam Mandapam and west borders of our property, but it was steep and consistently gouged from heavy rain runoff. It also negatively affected water drainage on the northwest side of Iraivan Temple, so we finally decided to close it off in preparation for creating a concrete utility road around Iraivan in the hopefully not-too-distant future. Dennis Wong recently brought in dirt and boulders to lift the area and close it. The photos show a few angles, plus a larger visitor group experiencing Iraivan due to the end-of-year holidays.
Shankaranatha preparing all the woods to bring back to Hale Hana
Jai Ganesha!
The monks of Siddhidata Kulam are currently undergoing the final stages of the construction of their new shop and office building. Recently Sannyasin Vishvanathaswami and Sadhaka Shankaranatha have been working on making the blue gum window sills and trim for the second floor office. Over the past few weeks they milled the lumber, cut it roughly to size, and assigned each sill to a window. There are 13 windows in total for the second floor office, and they are now working to sand them and prepare the wood for the final installation. Once they have completed on this, the second floor will undergo the second stage which is finish the walls of the office space. Aum!
Quotes of the Day
Meditation is a long journey, a pilgrimage into the mind itself.
Bhairava on the way to help other monks in the monastery
Drama King
The “good boy” look
A naughty dog
The playful form of Bhairava
Yes he also attends the morning meeting along with other monks
Having good time in the beach when he was a pup
Bhairava when he was 8 weeks old
Jai Ganesha!
We are not sure how many of you are aware that for a while now we have had another monk (and protector) in a non-human form. Yes! A year ago our Siddhidata Kulam talaivar, Yoginathaswami, bought a male German Shepherd dog and named him Bhairava. He is one of use now. Before we deep dive into Bhairava’s story, we want to share this ai response describing this particular breed of dog:
“German Shepherds are highly intelligent, loyal, and confident dogs, known for their protective and courageous nature. They form strong bonds with their families and are affectionate, especially with children, but can be reserved around strangers. Energetic and eager to please, they excel in tasks requiring focus and are highly trainable, making them ideal working dogs as well as loving companions. Their playful yet disciplined demeanor thrives in active households where they receive consistent training, mental stimulation, and exercise to keep them happy and well-behaved.”
So from that you can guess that he is loyal to us, with many of the practical qualities of a guard dog. This means he will go to great lengths to protect his family. Swami has been training him along with an instructor who has been teaching Swami how to train Bhairava and teach him commands. Bhairava is a wonderful addition to the monastery and always cheers us up. Other monks also get a chance to take care of him by feeding him and taking him for walks. One time, Swami and Bhairava were going for an evening walk, and suddenly a crazed, wild boar appeared. It took a charge at Swami, but Bhairava scared it off, saving the day! He reminds us of Kala Bhairava the destroyer of darkness. Of course, like all dogs, he has a bit of an overly-playful side to him as well. He will excitedly run up to anyone new. He will bark at you until you give your attention and pet him, and with certain people who try to give him a command he will simply ignore you. He reminds us that even dogs are individuals and must be treated with respect. We all are very happy to have him with us. Aum!
