Celebrating Tai Pongal and Mattu Pongal
January 16, 2015Over the last few days we celebrated Tai Pongal with a special lunch, which of course included a pot of boiled sweet rice. This is a time to celebrate the harvest and all the natural abundance we receive. A small shrine and bowl full of freshly harvested vegetables accompanied the...
January Padapuja
January 15, 2015Over the retreat, the aadheenam celebrated the chitra Nakshatra with its monthly padapuja to Gurudeva's tiruvadi in Kadavul Temple. Immediately following the Natyam ceremony for Natyam Mayuranatha, the monks gathered in the temple and began Sri Rudram. Sadhaka Jayanatha and Nirvani Tejadevanatha were the evening's pujaris. Oil, milk, yogurt, honey,...
Astrologer Interviews Bodhinatha on Camera
January 14, 2015On the occasion of Makara Sankranti (Tai Pongal), San-Francisco-based Hindu astrologer Sam Sadasiva Geppi interviewed Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami about the monastery and his perspectives on astrology and timing, including the monastery's bold but minority opinion on the calculation of the beginning of uttarayana (the period of the year when the...
Happy Tai Pongal!!!
January 14, 2015httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOi5fOgrUBE From Sloka 100 of Dancing with Siva: "Tai Pongal, in January-February, is a harvest thanksgiving and invocation for prosperity. God Surya, the Sun, is honored, and daughters are presented with gifts."
Our New Natyam
January 14, 2015Yesterday, on the chitra nakshatra, Sadhaka Mayuranatha was accepted as a Natyam in a short ceremony just before Gurudeva's padapuja. The Natyam is one whom Bodhinatha has qualified as a potential candidate for the dharma of the Saiva sannyasin. He was given a yellow sash and is now in preparation...
Aarti Visswanathan Contributes to Graphics Production
January 11, 2015The Ravi and Sheela Visswanathan came to Kauai for an extended mid-winter pilgrimage. For several weeks both their children, Aarti and Mayuresh offered to help during their stay. Aarti worked for the Ganapati kulam on several important graphics projects. This young lady turned 15 in November and she has Super...
Wishing Vel a Nice Journey Home
January 10, 2015Tomorrow, Brahmachari Vel leaves Kauai to return home to Mauritius. He's been here for about three months and we are very thankful for all the seva he has done during his stay. His humble service to the monastery and to his guru has been a great example. "What is Saivism?...
In Green Pastures
January 10, 2015Recently, several monks moved our three holstein cows from our nearby pasture to our retirement pasture across the river. There they have a many acres of grassland and join several retired cows already there. Now the only cows in the main Aadheenam pastures are our three Jersey Cows, who are...