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Fire Mountain, Rain Mountain: Waialeale

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Mount Waialeale is one of Kauai’s greatest natural marvels, rising from the island’s emerald heart (more technically the island rises from its heart) and cloaked in near-constant mist. Its name means “rippling waters” or “overflowing water,” a reference to the countless waterfalls and ancient bogs that spill from its summit. Known as one of the wettest spots on Earth, Waialeale is revered in Hawaiian culture as a sacred wao akua, a realm of the gods, where clouds gather, nourish the land, and sustain life downstream. Its blue-green cliffs and perpetual rain have long inspired respect, marking the mountain as a living temple of water, fertility and spiritual presence at the center of the island.

We live with it daily and watch it change from hour to hour as the clouds come and go, as the setting sun sets it on fire. Gurudeva envisioned a futuristic coffee table book which would show all of its moods, and we share a few of those in today’s TAKA, taken by various monks over the years.

In December of 1968 Gurudeva brought 32 Innersearchers to Kauai and on the second day we hired Larry rivera, the island’s legendary singer/composer, to regale us all with his song about Waialeale. Larry warned us, as we gathered around what is now the temple pool, that the song makes it rain more often than not. We nodded politely, and asked him to continue. It rained before he ended!

Want to hear him sing it right now? Go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0voBezB05cw

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Our Instagram Contents

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Jai Ganesha!

Here are some of our newest Instagram posts, showcasing teachings from Path to Siva and Gurudeva’s Spiritual Toolbox. We’ve been putting extra care into crafting these carousels and visuals to make the wisdom more accessible, engaging, and visually inspiring. Below are the links to these recent creations—we hope you enjoy exploring them and find them uplifting.

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Sri Karpaga Ganapathi Temple Maha Kumbhabhishekam

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  • A warm welcome at the temple’s Ganesha shrine
  • A Gopuja proeceeded Satguru’s arrival
  • A very friendly face to greet Satguru and Swami
  • First stop is the Ganesha shrine
  • A beautiful black-granite Ganesha!
  • Aum Gam Ganapataye Namah
  • Satguru gives an upadesha
  • Followed by vibhuti blessings for those present
  • Also on the trip, Satguru and Swami have a satsang with our California members and students
  • Aum Namah Sivaya

Jai Ganesha!

Last week, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Sannyasin Yoginathaswami took a short trip to San Ramon, in the Bay Area of California. They were there to attend the Maha Kumbhabhishekam of the Sri Karpaga Ganapathi Temple. The event was conducted on November 10th, 2025, and was preceded by four days of preliminary pujas and prayers. Satguru was the chief guest of honor. The temple was founded by Sivasri Suresh Viswanathan Sivacharyar, whom we have known for many years. Sivacharyar has strong local community support and was very happy to have been able to start this temple. The Ganesha murti was gifted by Bodhinatha, following Gurudeva’s long-standing tradition to give a Ganesha whenever a community starts a temple.

The powerful puja was done successfully and was accompanied by a 3.8 earthquake. The chief priest was Sivasri Swaminatha Sivacharyar from Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, and he was assisted by Sivasri Karthikeya Sivacharyar and Sivasri Balu Gurukkal. Aum.

This video includes a San Ramon local TV interview of Satguru (interview starts at 2m 15s)

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San Marga: THE STRAIGHT PATH TO GOD

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  • Ganesha
  • Muruga
  • Svayambhū Śivaliṅga

Jai Ganesha!

With the discovery of the boulder in Gurudeva’s 1975 vision, San Mārga, the straight path to God, was created just west of Iraivan Temple. Worship of the sacred stone he found, known as a svayambhū Śivaliṅga, was commenced immediately at daily pūjā rites, and a master plan was unfolded from the devonic worlds.

Pilgrims to Iraivan begin their spiritual excursion to Iraivan in the Rudrāksha Forest, which Gurudeva planted in 1984. He wrote, “Being under the rudrāksha trees in this magical forest has hidden, sought-after healing ­ powers, the key to helping aching hearts, the salve to soothe broken hearts, yearning hearts, sad hearts and ailing hearts.” On a knoll near the Rudrāksha Forest stands Lord Hanumān. Gurudeva asked for a small Iraivan Temple to be placed in His left hand, held aloft. Just as Hanumān brought the healing Sañjīvi mountain from the Himālayas to Sri Lanka, so He carried Iraivan from India to Kauai.

Walking south from the forest, visitors proceed through a bamboo corridor along San Mārga, the lush and tropical straight path to God, composed of three sections denoting the three worlds. The first is overseen by Lord Gaṇeśa, ruler of beginnings. Farther down, Lord Murugan, in the form of a 12-foot-tall Vel, resides atop a small hillock, overlooking the second world. Ringing a bell, pilgrims enter the third world, Śiva’s realm. From this point on, no other Deities are seen. It is all Śiva, nothing but Śiva. Gurudeva made this path perfectly straight to stress that we should go directly to God, avoiding distractions, walking past diversions, pitfalls and fascinations, ever keeping our mind on our goal, on Śiva’s Feet.

The path leads to the Svayambhū Śivaliṅga and beyond to the Wailua River and the entrance to Iraivan Temple. Gurudeva wrote, “When you begin the pilgrimage to Iraivan Temple, you drop off and dissolve the karmas of the past. Then, because of the direction the temple is facing, the temple gives a new start, a new impetus for a wonderful future. It is a boon-giving temple, a gift-giving temple, a life-giving temple, a wish-fulfilling temple.” Following San Mārga is both a sādhana and a metaphor of the inner path that leads to God.

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Rare Views of the Monastery

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  • Drone shot looking Southeast from Kuamoo Road
  • Satellite overview
  • Here we are on Kauai island, 4 miles inland

Like everything in life, our point of view shapes our experience. Here at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, we’re all familiar with the monks’ ground-level photos—bright baskets of vegetables, blossoms unfolding, quiet temple pujas, and those small daily miracles that make monastery life so rich.

But the photo above gives us something entirely different. It lifts us into the sky and turns us toward a direction we’ve never seen before. Suddenly the whole monastery reveals itself in a new light. Footpaths we walk every day connect into larger patterns. Buildings become part of a serene landscape design we didn’t know we were living inside. It’s a gentle reminder of how perspective changes everything.

As Marcel Proust wrote, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

To help everyone orient themselves in this rare bird’s-eye view, we’ve labeled the main areas. Enjoy this fresh glimpse of our spiritual home—and may it inspire a renewed appreciation for this sacred land that holds our daily worship, work and service.

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Moons and Mushrooms

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  • A moonbow lights the sky above Iraivan Temple during our recent full moon
  • We’ve been getting lots of rain these last few days. Here, the setting sun shines through the millions of droplets
  • A good time for this swan neck agave to conclude its life with its one and only flower bloom
  • The rain also spurs forth the mushroom. These ones are blooming with a massive cluster
  • It gets to full size and only lasts a few days
  • Passion Fruit flowers are some of our favorite. Amazingly complex structures and an indescribable aroma
  • A scary sight for some! This mother centipede is about 7-8 inches and is coiled around her recently hatched keiki
  • This species of mushroom can be found all over. Easy to spot in the dark of night.
  • Our fresh mulch always has a few larger ones
  • Nimu doesn’t like the thunderous rain very much. He has to sing much louder whenever it pours
  • Some of our local ringneck parakeets enjoy the fruiting palms
  • “Everything should be an offering to God. The world is an altar.” – Yogaswami

Aum Namah Shivaya

Today marks the 4th day of our Monastics’ short lunar phase. Meaning the next two days will be our retreat days (like a weekend). As a gentle end to our week of seva, we offer you these photos from around the Aadheenam—appreciating the natural world we enjoy here. From the moon in the night sky above Iraivan Temple, to the plants and mushrooms erupting from the earth beneath us. It’s all a sacred sight to behold. Aum.

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