Today at Kauai Aadheenam

We share with you a few more photos of the Bodhinatha seminar on Saivism which was so uplifting to everyone. Those who have studied Saiva Siddhanta had their faith reinforced, while newcomers were really happy to know the true nature of the one Supreme God Siva who is the creator, the preserver and destroyer of all existence. Each of Bodhinatha's explanation was accompanied by an appropriate visual display from the projector.

Lunch time in the atrium where all participants sat down in a relaxed family spirit.

It was also an opportunity to meet new people and make friends….

Acharya Arumugaswami sat at a table with a few participants.

Bodhinatha and Sadhaka Nandinatha at the same table with the kulapatis.

This day will do doubt be a memorable event for all those who were present on that Sunday.

At the end of the event, Bodhinatha wanted to have a souvenir photo with everyone present.

Devotees come forward to be Blessed by the Guru.

One participant wants her pocket copy of Dancing With Siva be signed by Bodhinatha.

Meanwhile, while the participants were waiting for their turn to meet Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, Sivarathna and Padmasri some live saivite songs creating a temple like atmosphere in the amphitheater.

Two participants, the Moodley couple (in the middle), made it all way from South Africa to attend the seminar in Mauritius. They wanted a souvenir photo with Rajen and Premila before leaving for the airport.

Sishya Vimala Munian….

Dr. CM Pillay, editor of a local Hindu monthly publication…

Our silpis went on their monthly outing and visited Lydgate Park and saw the Peace Pole the monks installed there.

Yesterday we had another big tour day.

Long time sishyas, Chellappa Deva and Banudevi are conducting satsangs and classes in Arizona. The sent this brief report.

Om Sivaya Satguru Bodhinatha

Jai Ganesha!

We had satsang today at one of our regular satsang attendees home Shamly Needi and Radhika Arora.

Some devotees had questions about Pancha Ganapati as they had not seen a five faced Ganesha before. So we talked today about the five shaktis of Lord Ganesha and read Gurudeva’a upadesha from Loving Ganesha.

In 2 weeks is the next satsang.

Om Om Chellappa

Bodhinatha, Arumugaswami and Nandinatha have reached Rishikesh where millions are gathered for the once-every-12-years Kumbha Mela on the River Ganges.

They are staying at several major ashrams, having been invited by the swamis as special guests.

In two days they will cross the river and stay at Parmath Niketan, to be with Swami Chidananda Saraswati, shown here in red shawl. After visiting the Kumbh mela of 1895, Mark Twain wrote: "It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining."

" It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination marvelous to our kind of people, the cold whites."

Bodhinatha's visit in Mauritius was uplifting at many levels. On Sunday 14th, a seminar was organized at the Swami Vivekananda Convention Centre at Pailles, a state of the arts Conference Centre for international events. The main topic of the seminar was Saivism, precisely on Saiva Siddhanta philosophy. Here we see Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, arriving at the centre in the morning led by traditional nadeswaran and Tavil

Bodhinatha performs an arati at the small Ganesha Shrine seeking the Lord's Blessings before starting the event of the day.

Everything was nicely set up by sishyas on the eve. This morning the conference room was already full with participants from all over the island to hear the lofty teachings of saivism from the Guru Himself.

Kulapati Manon, Acharya Arumugaswami and Sadhaka Nandinatha in the front row…

The keynote presentation was amazingly well done and everyone was stunned at the graphic display and appreciated the way age old truth of saivism could be so hi tech taught.

At a time the national MBC TV crew was there to take a few shots.

Bodhinatha explained about the beliefs and practices of saivism, about the Vedas and Agamas in such clear terms that everyone could grasp their meanings easily.

All the eyes are on Bodhinatha…

We had a few guests invited to the seminar. They showed their appreciation the way Bodhinatha presented the teachings of Saivism.

Bodhinatha also talked about the relevance of the Tirukural in the modern age and everyone laughed with the pleasant anecdotes used by the Guru to better illustrate key concepts on human values as elucidated by Tiruvalluvar.

One can see Sivachariya swami Umapathi,( with the shawl), a highly respected priest in Mauritius. Many temple leaders also attended the event.

After the end of the first session, just before the coffee break, a group of sishyas came on stage to humbly offer Bodhinatha and the participants a taste of Saivite traditional music. Here is member Padmasree Ramsamy from Henrieta, singing in carnatic a song to Lord Ganapati. Padmasri is only 17, and to what observers say, is very good in carnatic music which she has learnt since her childhood at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, run by the Government of India, in Mauritius.

Then a vina recital followed by Kulamata Premila Manick who has completed her degree studies in music and has just passed her BA Music (Vocal & Vina) at the University of Madras, India. Premila has been one of the key Church members setting up Bodhinatha's seminar at SVICC.

The artists were accompanied on the mrdangam by Sivarathna Manick, 16 years, quite talented for his age on this age old percussion instrument so sacred to Saivism.

Here is Jambalini, playing the vina. We shall be posing a second series of photos of Bodhinatha's Mauritius Seminar at SVICC in next coming TAKA.

Sadhaka Nandinatha will be sending photo documentaries of the trip at later times as he is able. Today he brings us his view of the first day in Mauritius.

Our arrival in Mauritius was filled with ebullient singing and lots of smiles from our beautiful devotees there. Here we see Bodhinatha being greeted just outside Mauritius’ airport.

Directly from the airport, we visited Swami Pranavananda of Chinmaya Mission on the island. Here, Swami welcomed Bodhinatha in the mission’s temple/ashram complex. This is a Siva temple.

Bodhinatha spoke on the similarities between Gurudeva’s teachings and Swami Chinmayananda’s.

Swami Pranavananda and Bodhinatha had a long and stimulating conversation on the nature of Hinduism in Mauritius. Mauritius is impressive in it’s ability to house vast and varied ideologies while maintaining respect and harmony.

Swami and Bodhinatha stroll along the outside of the Siva temple.

Swami Pranavananda, a direct disciple of Swami Chinmayananda, lives here alone at the ashram. He maintains the power within the temple by doing daily pujas to the Deities therein. Swamiji makes frequent trips to the neighboring isle of Réunion. Nearly 80, Swamiji works tirelessly at fostering maintaining a positive Hindu identity for the Hindus of his native land of Mauritius.