← Saiva Dharma

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What Is Saivite Hinduism

Bodhinatha reviews the main characteristic of Saivite Philosophy with an indepth focus on the four stages of religions evolution, chariya, kriya, yoga and jnana. This highlights how different Saivite Hinduism ...
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What Is Saiva Siddhanta?

Saiva Siddhanta is our school of Hinduism. Siva and Shakti are a one gender-less being represented as Ardhanarishvara. It is Siva-Shakti and not Siva and Shakti. Guru, Lingam, sangam (fellowship) ...
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What Are the Beliefs of Saivism?

In our teachings we're both monistic and theistic. Its good to memorize the twelve beliefs of Saivism, which is our creed. In the beliefs of Saivism the idea of the ...
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Four Stages On the Path of Personal Evolution

The soul body takes many lifetimes to mature. The height of divine consciousness: There is no difference between you and God. Spiritualize what you are doing as you engage in ...
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What is the Nature of Life for Saivites?

"Stand strong for Saivism." The nature of life for Saivites is to turn work into worship, to turn the secular into the sacred. Each day give a little extra warmth, humanness and upliftment ...
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Karma Yoga

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives a presentation entitled "Karma Yoga". In this presentation, Bodhinatha delves into the spiritualizatio of action, outlines how the orderly fulfilment of duties to the best of ...
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Dancing with Siva

Every spiritually-inclined human being will be enriched by the path revealed in this extraordinary book. India's tolerant and diverse vision of the Divine is all here: meditative, devotional, philosophical, scriptural ...
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Ten Tales About Religious Life

Ten Tales About Religious Life is a series of short stories for 10 to 12-year-olds illustrating key concepts for good conduct for Hindus in a modern context in a cultural ...
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Making Dharma Your Own - Publisher's Desk

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads his editorial from the October/November/December 2016 edition of Hinduism Today magazine. "Dharma is a complex and comprehensive term with many meanings, including religion, divine law, law of being, way of righteousness, ethics, duty, responsibility, virtue, justice, goodness and truth." Bodhinatha refers to Auvaiyar's Atti Chudhi verses - first verse focusing on the desire ...
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Making Dharma Your Own

Bodhinatha's presentation is based on the Oct/Nov/Dec 2016 Hinduism Today edition and is entitled "Making Dharma Your Own". Dharma is a complex and comprehensive term for religion, ethics, duty, virtue and is ...
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Six Levels of Practice

Bodhinatha's presentation is drawn from Gurudeva's teachings on daily practice and is entitled "Six Levels of Practice". In this presentation, Bodhinatha explores each of the six practices, namely (1) Making Dharma Your ...
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The Journey To Liberation

Bodhinatha's presentation is based on the Oct/Nov/Dec 2015 Hinduism Today edition and is entitled "The Journey to Liberation". Bodhinatha highlights the mystical view that each time a soul takes birth into a ...
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Ten Tales About Self-Control

Ten Tales About Self-Control is a series of short stories for 10 to 12-year-olds illustrating key concepts for good conduct for Hindus in a modern context in a cultural setting ...
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Weaver's Wisdom

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, a living legend, yoga master and author of Merging with Siva, recognized the immense value of the Tirukural in 1949 as a young seeker in Sri Lanka. ...
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Yoga's Forgotten Foundation

Ancient secrets from the yoga tadition for building good character and self-discipline, the seldom-taught but essential first steps for knowing God within. ...
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What Is Dharma?

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads from Lesson 32 of the Himalayan Academy publication "Path To Siva," explaining dharma. Dharma is defined as the orderly fulfilment of an inherent nature or destiny (which encompasses ...
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What is Reincarnation?

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads from Lesson 33 of the Himalayan Academy publication "Path To Siva," explaining Reincarnation. In essence, it is the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. In each life, we ...
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Karma Management Part 1

I get many questions about karma that are way off the mark. We need to understand karma and apply it to our life. Here are 4 of the principles Principle ...
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Valentine's Day to Lord Siva

We received an invitation to give a blessing at the County Council meeting tomorrow. It'll be Valentine's Day. But what is Valentine's Day to a Hindu monk? We can turn ...
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The Self is like Waking Up

The Realization of Parasiva is like waking up from a dream during which you were dreaming that you weren't the Self. But you were all along. Claim it. Tamil word ...
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Mahasivaratri Talk Part 3 Realizing the Self

In Part 3 of his Mahasivaratri talk for 2002, Bodhinatha quotes from Living with Siva on "the mission of the mission." A dynamic band of devas in the inner worlds guides and assists our ...
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Dealing with Discouragement

How do we deal with discouragement? Gurudeva gave us a tool, the vasana daha tantra, to deal with events that hit us emotionally. The subconscious mind dutifully throws up memories ...
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Karma Management and Ganesha

With karma management it is important to apply our philosophical understanding to our life in order for it to really benefit us. A new concept is"divinely influence karma." Through the ...
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Temple Messages

I receive requests to send letters blessing various activities at Hindu temples around the world, just as Gurudeva did. The New Zealand Tiru Murugan Temple is having its kumbhabhishekam after ...
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Passing Your Knowledge On

The Master Course lesson of the day and the sutra are on the senior monastics accepting new monastics for training. We have a duty to pass the wisdom of our ...
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Dancing with Siva in Tamil

Every spiritually-inclined human being will be enriched by the path revealed in this extraordinary book. India's tolerant and diverse vision of the Divine is all here: meditative, devotional, philosophical, scriptural ...
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Danzando con Siva

Una fuente ricamente ilustrada de la espiritualidad de la India en formato de preguntas y respuestas, explorando cmo conocer lo Divino, honrar a la creacin y ver a Dios en ...
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Karma Management Day 3, Part 3

2002 Kauai Innersearch Day 3, Part 3 Bodhinatha unveils the 5th principle of Karma Management, "create no new negative karmas." This involves making a promise to ourselves, a vrata of a sort. To fulfill ...
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Bringing a Gift for the Temple

Continuing with highlights from his talk on God Siva, Bodhinatha talks about Gurudeva's admonition that devotees should never come to the temple empty-handed, even if the only offering they have ...
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Nallupada Saivam

Bodhinatha recalls a segment of his talk on Nalupada Saivam where he compared the Vedanta and Siddhanta paths. He also gives us a preview of his talk about God Siva, ...
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Gurudeva Mahasamadhi Observance Sneak Peak

We're beginning to think about the upcoming first anniversary observance of Gurudeva's mahasamadhi. Bodhinatha tells us of the phase full of activities we'll be having for the many pilgrims who ...
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Bodhinatha's Travels to Mauritius part 2

Bodhinatha continues his narrative of his visit to Mauritius (part 2). At a Siva temple Bodhinatha gave a talk on God Siva as the perfect parent. At the Mardemootoo family ...
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Bodhinatha's Travels to Mauritius part 3

Bodhinatha continues his narrative of his visit to Asia (part 4), ending in Malaysia and Singapore. There was a grand booksigning at the Kandaswami Temple, inspiring coordination with our youth ...
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The Nature of Desire

Bodhinatha gives a wonderful discourse on the nature of desire. Gurudeva never asked us to give up desire. Desire is life. However, on the spiritual path it is important to ...
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The True Sources of Happiness

Bodhinatha describes how harmonious relationships are maintained in grihastha life, in which the natural state is to be surrounded by family and friends. These relationships are important and help us ...
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How Does Moksha Ritau Apply to Family Life?

Part 1 of 4 - Bodhinatha talks about the moksha ritau, the cool season and one-third of the year when we focus on the inside of ourselves and making improvements ...
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The Importance of Controlling Anger

Part 2 of 4 - In Bodhinatha's moksha ritau address for 2002, he continues with a practical explanation of the affects of anger and how important it is to get ...
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Pancha Ganapati's Five Shaktis

Part 4 of 4 - Bodhinatha finishes his moksha ritau address for 2002 by talking about the nature of the Pancha Ganapati festival and how each of Ganesha's five shakti's ...
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Making the Temple Worthwhile for Children

A hundred years ago the temple was the fascinating activity around, with festivals, dances, music, stories. Nowadays, there is a lot more going on and the temple faces a lot ...
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Uplifting Those Who Don't Want to Be Uplifted

Many of our members take care of elderly parents, which can be a stressful situation if the parent is in a negative state of mind and refuses to budge from ...
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Strengthening Hinduism in Your Community

Bodhinatha delivers a wonderful talk which he will be giving at the Hindu Renaissance 2, the second rally on Hindu Rennaisance organized by the Malaysian Hindu Sangam. Gurudeva encouraged Hindus ...
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Siva's Five Actions

Saivites worship God Siva as the Supreme Being. One popular misunderstanding is that Siva is the Destroyer. While one of God Siva's five actions is destruction, He is the Supreme ...
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Gurudeva's Description of the Self

Siva exists in three perfectionsas the personal God, as omnipresent consciousness and as the transcendent Self. One of the many unique teachings Gurudeva gave us was a very accurate description ...
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Saiva Siddhanta, a Path of Knowing Thyself

Bodhinatha is getting ready for his trip to Toronto, Canada. His talk is titled "Saiva Siddhanta A Path of Knowing Thyself". In summarySaiva Siddhanta focuses on both devotion to God and meditation. Siva Yogaswami was ...
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Niyama 1 - Hri, Remorse and Modesty

Bodhinatha speaks on hri, the niyama of remorse, which is needed to resolve problems. Niyamas focus on helping us to express our divine qualities. Criminals will repeat crimes unless they ...
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Putting Gurudeva's Teachings to the Best Use, Part 4

Bodhinatha continues his Gurudeva mahasamadhi observances class with this part on the importance of The Master Course Trilogy in helping us establish our foundation of philosophical understanding (Dancing with Siva) ...
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Becoming a More Spiritual Person Part 1

Part 1 of 3 - Bodhinatha gives a second class during Guru Purnima on the role of the guru. Beginning with a glorious quote from Gurudeva about the spirit of ...
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Becoming a More Spiritual Person Part 2

Part 2 of 3 - Bodhinatha continues his second class during Guru Purnima, talking about becoming a more spiritual person and how we can do that through learning from our ...
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Becoming a More Spiritual Person Part 3

Part 3 of 3 - Bodhinatha continues his second class during Guru Purnima, talking more about not making the same mistake twice. Using the yamas and niyamas as a reference ...
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Tolerance as a Hindu Value

Bodhinatha began by speaking of the troubles in the world today, in the aftermath of 9/11. At the core of the problem is hatred, and we need to counter all ...
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God is Love; Putting This Into Practice

The deepest perception of Love: Love is the ultimate Truth. Our Affirmation of Faith: "God Siva is Immanent Love and Transcendent Reality." You are also that Love, you are also God Siva. There's only one Being and ...
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Control of Thought, Includes Purifying the Subconscious

Mechanism for major change in the subconscious mind from an ordinary to a spiritual state. Vasana Daha Tantra to clear suppressed memories. Be observant of what's going on inside. Devotion ...
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Nine Ways to Merge with Siva; the Nature of Liberation

The celebration of Mahasivaratri is to have a deeper experience of God. Realization, liberation and merger. Nine progressive ways to merge with Siva. Parasiva, the eighth: becoming and being timeless, ...
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Attenuating Obstacles, Meditation

Understanding keys to the mind and transformation. Kriya, the yoga of action, comprised of tapas, svadhyaya and Ishvara pranayama. Living in the soul nature; attenuating the kleshas. Detaching from the ...
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Uphold Behavior Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Don't let down. Success comes with consistency of conduct. Improve and control our mind and behavior standards twenty-four hours a day. Monistic Theism, our tradition, is a dual approach. Worshiping ...
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Handling Life's Experiences

The three gunas: brightness (satya,) activity (rajas), inertia (tamas). Each soul needs a certain amount of experience before it is ready to transcend the world through achieving liberation. How many ...
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Sadhana: Establish Daily Practice

In the past forty years temples and priests have come over to the U.S. from India. The daily spiritual practice of Hinduism, has been left behind. In youth it is ...
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Stabilize Consciousness in the Muladhara Chakra and Above

The challenge of not falling below the muladhara chakra. "Achieve freedom with responsibility," living in the box of dharma. Ahimsa and himsa: Patanjali advises: to overcome the propensity to do harm, cultivate the ...
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Chakras In Relation to the Gods

An important feature of Saiva Siddhanta is the mixing of Monism and Theism. Worshiping in the temple and meditating are inter-related quite dynamically. In our tradition the kundalini force requires ...
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Nine Ways to Merge With Siva

On Mahasivaratri, February 27, 2014, Satguru Bodhinathaswami comments on Gurudeva's introduction to Merging with Siva, where he elucidates nine different ways that we can merge with God Siva. Everyone on ...
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All Religions Not the Same; Right Beliefs; Accepting

"Truth is one, paths are many." Some religions feel that it's their duty to try and convert, that theirs is the only true path. For someone starting on the path they need to discard the ...
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ayudha puja, Work is worship

ayudha Puja day. Blessing day for the tools of our work. Whenever our actions are in accordance with dharma it is worship. Motivation is the key: Am I doing this ...
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The Mission of the Mission - Our Monastic Order

Bodhinatha comments on lesson 331 from Living with Siva in which Gurudeva describes the spiritual inner work of his monastic order and the general guideline for how they live and ...
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Path to Siva Audiobook

A richly illustrated catechism of Saiva Siddhanta for youth, drawn from the Master Course Trilogy, exploring how to live life, know the Divine, honor all creation and see God everywhere, ...
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Visiting the Temple Purifies the Mind, Grants Humility

Religion needs to be of the present. Mankind is evolving spiritually; mass consciousness is rising. When we go to the temple, in the right spirit, contributing devotion and prana, being ...
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Living with Siva, Spiritual Law

Today Gurudeva explains to us that we are wonderful persons and that we can do anything if we work within dharma. Gurudeva gives an informative talk today about dharma and ...
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Ahimsa, All is One, See Others As Yourself

The desire to harm comes from discontent. A profound basis for ahimsa is that everything is One and everything is Divine. See the Divine shine forth in all beings, all ...
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Not Getting Upset, Viewing Reaction from Higher Faculties

A measure of how serious we are in making spiritual progress is that we've learned the lesson from experience. Develop the ability to watch the mind think, understand the patterns ...
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Eight Features of the Natha Sampradaya

We have to discover that part of us that is the Self. One of the important benefits of temple worship is it softens the ego. Recognize and love a Being ...
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Face and Accept Karma; Three Ways to Mitigate Karma

Human nature is very strange in that we tend to blame others when things go poorly. Avoid that. Accept whatever happens as our own creation. Karma can be mitigated or ...
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How to Realize God: A Path Of Love

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami reads this chapter from his book Merging with Siva ...
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How Can We Be Strong Saivite Hindus?

Gurudeva: "The time has come for Hindus of all races, all nations, of all cultures, of all sects to stand up and let the peoples of the world know of the great religion of which they are one of the staunch adherents." The first way of learning religion is to memorize its tenants. The challenge of living with Siva means bringing religion into the home, into the family, into our ...
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How Do We View Other Faiths?

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads from Lesson 68 of the Himalayan Academy publication Path To Siva, discussing how Hindus view other religions ...
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The Language of Meditation

Master Course Recording. Chapter 12. Religion is the result of evolution. Are you a Hindu soul? Saivite lifestyle, Saivite thinking. Tirukural. Summa. Kanif. Become a natye. Meditation as a fine ...
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Using drugs for spiritual unfoldment

A cybercadet from Australia wonders what he can do about his 15 year old son that uses drugs for spiritual awakening. Gurudeva warns that there is a consequence to every ...
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Aum Saravanabhava mantra, Monastery for ladies, Merging with Siva

A cyberspace devotee wonders if he needs to be initiated into the mantra "Aum Saravanabhava". Gurudeva says the first step is to become a member of the Hindu religion and ...
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Where to place the home altar, Should we meditate everyday?

A cyberspace devotee asks where she in the home should she place the altar. Gurudeva says to place the altar in the top floor of the home and face east ...
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Genetic Engineering, Can one have two Gurus?, How do we get to the astral plane?

The first question comes from Holland where a cyber devotee wishes to know Hinduism Today's view on genetic engineering. Gurudeva says that a lot of in depth study and research ...
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Drugs as a spiritual stimulant. Kumbha Mela. Spiritual unfoldment and college.

A cyber cadet wonders if it is ok to take certain kinds of drugs to help with one's spiritual journey. A cyber cadet asks if going to a prestigious college ...
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Organ Donation, Vedic Astrology

A cyberspace devotee asks if it is alright for Saivites to donate their organs upon death. Gurudeva says by donating our organs we become earth bound and tied to the ...
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End of the World; How to be a Saiva Swami?

Nine year old cyberspace cadet Yatrika from Sunnyvale, California wants to know where does everybody go when Siva absorbs the entire universe during the time of Mahapralaya. Gurudeva reassures her ...
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New Year Part 1

Gurudeva sends his best wishes and blessings to all to mark the beginning of the New Year. In his New Year talk he speaks out to temple trustees around the ...
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Nandinatha Sutras

A cyberspace devotee asks how closely should we follow the Nandinatha sutras. Gurudeva says if we were to ask the elders that visit us here at Kauai Aadheenam as to ...
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How Saivism views Krishna

A cyberspace devotee wants to know how Saivism views Krishna. Gurudeva says that Lord Krishna is looked at as one of the hundreds of thousands of Gods and that in ...
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The Many Benefits of Temple Worship

The most important teaching of Gurudeva: "Siva's followers strive for God Realization as the first and foremost goal of life." Gurudeva's mystic and psychic abilities. Gurudeva is the only teacher in modern time to stress temple worship. How the temple works and the ...
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Find Your Divinity Within, Do Sadhana and Service

We don't have to do anything to become God. Religion gives us an age-old, well proven structure to move forward. Daily vigil is the discipline, practice and the maturing of ...
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Importance of the Saiva Agamas

This talk was prepared by Bodhinatha as an address to the conference of Adi Saiva priests in Bangalore, July, 2012, wherein the various Sivachachariya priests and heads of Saiva padasalas ...
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Theism and Monism in Saiva Siddhanta

In Gurudeva's teachings both approaches, monism and theism, are found in one tradition: monistic Saiva Siddhanta. Keep them aligned properly. Theism in the temple: the concept of the three worlds. ...
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Bhakti, the Foundation, Leads to Humility

Attainment beyond anava marga. Acknowledging and coming closer to the Deities. True humility and devotion result from sincere temple worship. Charya involves shutting out anger with love. Dancing with Siva ...
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Wisdom from Gurudeva on His 1994 Jayanti

As part of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's 1994 Jayanti celebration he gave this upadesha in Kadavul Temple, sitting in the same space where his guru shrine resides today. ...
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Dancing with Siva Audiobook

A richly illustrated sourcebook of Indian spirituality in question-and-answer form, exploring how to know the Divine, honor all creation and see God everywhere, in everyone. Read by Ansh Rajput ...