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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.

“If you were to travel through India on a spiritual pilgrimage, you would undoubtedly hear much about the Sanskrit word darshan. The religious leaders of the Orient are categorized according to the darshan they give, for there are various kinds of darshan. Darshan is the vibration that emanates from the illumined soul as a result of his inner attainment, be he a yogī, pandit, swāmī, guru or a ṛishi. Usually the yogī, swāmī, saint or sage attracts his following not so much by what he says as by the darshan he radiates. Hindus travel for miles to receive the darshan of an illumined soul established in his enlightenment. Perhaps he doesn’t even speak to them. Perhaps he scolds some of them. Perhaps he gives the most inspired of talks to them. In any case, they feel the darshan flooding out from him.“

A collection of photos that Senthilathiban took while here at Kauai Aadheenam on our taskforce program

Senthilathiban takes a stroll through the rudraksha forest

One of his projects while here was to help clean this entry arch

He also enjoyed attending pujas at Iraivan Temple

Sadhaka performs the daily San Marga puja. Our wild chickens are very devoted to this daily event.

He got to see a wonderful event, the sea turtles coming to shore at the beach

Many islanders gather for this event

In another act of Seva, Senthilathiban cleaned these granite bonsai stands

It’s longan fruit season here, and the trees are loaded

Aran returns Senthilathiban to the airport

Aum Namah Śivaya

Aum Namah Śivaya

Yesterday, Senthilathiban Rajasankara finished his several week visit on our taskforce program. He has been doing some temple construction projects on the US mainland, and was able to take some time to come here. While at the Aadheenam he helped the monks of the Siddhidatta kulam with a variety of tasks, such as helping in the gardens, doing cleaning an maintenance projects, and much more. Aum.

Jai Ganesha!

On last retreat, Sannyasin Mayilnathaswami and Sadhaka Shankaranatha took out taskforcer Senthil and our Iraivan Temple priest Pravinkumar and our Head Chef Subramanium for an outing. They went to mahogany forest, located in the town of Kilauea on Kauai’s lush North Shore. This moderate 5-mile circuit meanders through Wai Koa Plantation, a working farm on 500 private acres. They had a relaxing walk and a wonderful time. Aum

A family stands at a crossroad. To the left is a dark and rocky future which the deva in the clouds is advising against. To the right is a brighter path. A small decision here will have lifelong impact.

CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES: This well-to-do lady could easily afford the outfit in the department store. Yet, in a moment of weakness, she chose to steal it. The store’s security guard caught her, and soon she faces a day in court. Every choice we make plants a seed whose results inevitably return to us.

SEEK DIVINE GUIDANCE: Facing difficult karmas, this devotee turns to Lord Ganesha. By sincerely worshiping Him, we find that confusion gives way to simplicity, and tangled problems become manageable.

MITIGATE PAST KARMA: In a fit of anger, a father has beaten his son earlier in the day, forgetting his vow to his guru never to strike the child again. Now, filled with genuine remorse, he fasts at dinner in a self-imposed penance, seeking forgiveness and cleansing his heart of regret.

DON’T RETALIATE: The protest march led by Gandhi on May 21, 1930, is attacked by police. The injured protestors did not retaliate or defend themselves, but allowed the injustice of the attack against them recoil against the administration that ordered it. It helped to free India years later.

The monks are working on the final stages of editing and designing the next Educational Insight for Hinduism Today, a 14-page feature on how to handle karmas in our life. It has Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami’s deep insights into the art and science of dealing with karma, something we can all benefit from. Satguru gives ten basic precepts. We share here a few of them, along with the art that attends the precept.

“Treat everyone as you would like to be treated. Because karma is watching.” 21st-century proverb

Senthilathiban Rajasankara (whose family oversaw the Iraivan Temple carving project in Bengaluru) is with us for a couple weeks. He attended our bi-weekly Pradosha Puja yesterday and took many photos, some of which are shown here. He is doing seva with the Siddhidata Kulam, and one photo in this collection shows him sorting a tomato crop from the greenhouse.

The last photo show our Bhairava a few weeks after taking his lifetime brahmacharya vrata (neutered). He was heavily medicated and had to wear a neck barrier. Now he is very happy to roam about once again on his daily walks.

Our papaya-mango sunset after a long day of light rain.

“See yourself everywhere. You are the whole world.” – Yogaswami

“Your eyes are everywhere. Your ears are everywhere. Your mouths are everywhere.”

“See God everywhere and see bliss!”

“You don’t want powers or siddhis. You don’t want powers. You want to find out the Truth.”

“Examine yourself every day—examine yourself in heart, body and mind.”

“You are on the top, but you have forgotten. You must think that you are there; then you will be there.”

“You can enjoy—enjoy what comes!”

“He is a sannyasi, who surrenders possessions, life and spirit to God.”

“Just go about and do your work. Enjoy the beauty of the world!”

“Middle path. No extremes.”

“We are all bubbles in the ocean. The bubble is in the ocean; the ocean is in the bubble.”

“All is dream. I am dreaming. Here all are dreaming—all mirage.”

“All is play. God is just playing everywhere. All are bubbles-small bubbles going down and coming up to the surface.”

“Too much talk is nothing. Talk is nothing. Keep silent.”

“Be unknown. God is unknown.”

“Nothing has happened.”

“Truth is everywhere. All is Truth. you can see it from here, from there, from everywhere.”

“Everything is going on well. I say! Everything is going well!”

“Everything is in you. The whole world is in you. All are the same. All are the same everywhere. There is no movement, no change. Nothing changes. Changing in the changeless; changeless in the changing.”

“All the world is a playground. Very fine world!”

“I am not a master. I am only my own master.”

“Everything is impermanent.”

“Be loving!”

“I am everywhere. You are everywhere, but you don’t believe it.”

“All are flowers. Some flowers smell sweet; others have no smell—just for show.”

“Everything should be an offering to God. The world is an altar.”

“From what I have learnt of the scriptures and my own experience of great souls, I can tell you-there is no imperfection. God, the Infinite, overwhelms the finite universe. What a rare and beautiful world! The world is sacred and secret.”

“Chellappan used to say that there is not a thing that is evil. When God is everywhere, how can there be a place for evil? There are changes and they sometimes appear evil. Everything is at work. Only God knows what He is about. There is balance and order in the universe. Parashakti adjusts Herself to maintain this balance and order.”

“Everything emanates from the Great Silence.”

“Beautiful world. Dance! Dance as you like. Be as a child. Do as you please.”

“Don’t go halfway to meet difficulties. Face them as they come to you; God is always with you-and that is the greatest news I have for you.”

The Aadheenam has been getting some much appreciated rainfall in recent days, and our plants sure are loving the sweet tropical waters. A great time to take a walk through the gardens and appreciate the gleaming and glistening jungle flora at its best. Please enjoy this pictorial walking meditation, complete with some wise words from Paramaguru Siva Yogaswami. Aum Namah Śivaya.