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.
For the past few months, Sannyasin Kumaranathaswami has been guiding Sadhaka Shankaranatha in building a base for the fish tank in Siddhidata Kulam’s new office. Now, the project is nearing its final stage. It needs a few more rounds of sanding and a coat of oil before it is ready to be installed. Sadhaka has learned a lot from Kumaranathaswami about woodworking and is eager to apply this knowledge in his upcoming projects.
A palm tree sheds its bark, looking like a super close up of violin strings or an electron micrograph of human hair and scalp
Lichen up close resembles dried coral or weathered bone
Intricate moss carpet, a miniature forest growing on a log
A chlorophyll oragami with folds trapping the Sun’s light resembling a drone shot of a farmer’s field
The amazing cordex of the South African Turtle Vine, its bark resembling cork or maybe an alien planet’s surface
Hundreds of palm flowers fallen to the ground, their work done as pollinating bees fly away to their next meal
A desert euphorbia, a visitor favorite that is a cabbage wannabe
Palm bark looking like woven hemp fabric. Does Siva use a loom for this work?
A tropical Calocasia, glossy with rain and hiding in the shade
Like succulent scrolls, each leaf of this densely crowded sanserveria folds and bends to make room for its neighbor
It’s called Black Coral, with shiny dark leaves that look wet even in the dryness of midday
A Shell Ginger leaf looking like like wet paint on a canvas
The Everglades Palm, reminding us of Cinnamon Bark and woven from the threads of years
A young Poincianna branch (a rare yellow-flowered variety) with its little leaf soldiers all lined up in parade formation.
The lungs of the jungle, facing the sky to make sugar from photons. Or is it a satellite photo of the Amazon jungle?
If a hundred and one visitors walk through Siva’s Sacred Gardens, they will have at least 102 differing experiences. There is the plant/stream/stone relationships to understand, there is the color pallet to admire, there is the contrast of massive and miniature, there is light and shadow everywhere, clusters of color and never-saw-that-before moments.
For today it is all about looking more closely than usual as we chronicle 15 botanical creatures from up close. Challenge: before reading the caption, try to guess what you are looking at.
Yesterday was our monthly “Iraivan Day” morning where we all do various tasks related to Iraivan Temple. First thing in the morning we gather as a group to prepare the next Kauai’s Hindu Monastery monthly newsletter mailing. They are now all in boxes in the postal room, ready to be run through the postage meter. Muruganathaswami uses a laptop to keep track of our multiple organization budgets—Hindu Heritage Endowment, Himalayan Academy and Saiva Siddhanta Church—that pay postage for parts of the mailing.
Recently, the mathavasi of Siddhidata Kulam harvested tomatoes. Among them was a “Gladiator” tomato, known for being larger than usual, which they offered to Lord Ganesha. They also harvested cucumbers and bell peppers. Enjoy the photos!
