Gurudeva tells about the public service to the world by Kauai Aadheenam and talks about Hinduism Today. Gurudeva tells us about innersearch pilgrimages of the past and one to come in June as the 50th year celebrations approach.

Unedited Transcript:

Today at Kauai Aadheenam. December 14th.

We enjoyed a wonderful Publisher's Desk meeting. That means we talked over the next issue of 'Hinduism Today'. They come one after the other, month after month, and have been doing so for the last twenty years. It is a joy. It is our public service. Some ashrams have orphanages, others have schools. We live on a garden island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, away from every place, in the middle of nowhere. So, we rely on the mail, internet, e-mail, faxes and phones. Therefore, our public service is to unite the Hindus of the world into one common bond of an invincible Hindu front, through education. 'Hinduism Today' goes to the educators, those who hold the microphone, as I am doing right now talking to you through cyberspace.

We encourage our cyberspace viewers and listeners to write to me for a free copy of 'Hinduism Today', if you have not seen it. We know many, many people in many, many countries are tuning into our cyberspace ashram. We would like you to receive a few copies from me personally. No charge. Just send your name and address in the little box saying questions@hindu.org .

We are training a new journalist, Jivananda, who was born in Saiva Siddhanta Church from this beautiful family, Satya and Savitri Palani, who live in California. He was raised up by us, in my arms when he was just a tiny little baby, fresh out of the womb. He is now about eighteen years of age. He has decided of his own accord with blessings from his mother and father, to train to be a Hindu minister, or Swami. Training to be a journalist, he is doing very well actually.

A new generation is coming up. We are in our third generation. 1999 is our fiftieth anniversary, a golden jubilee. Saiva Siddhanta Church, 1949-1999, fifty years of service to mankind, the Saivite Hindu way.

We have had lots of visitors. Yesterday a team came from the very famous, strongest man in the world, Sri Sri Sri Chinmoy, who was pronounced 'Hindu of the Year', by 'Hinduism Today' last year. He sent over three wonderful ladies, one from Canada, and two from the United States, who are avid readers of 'Hinduism Today', to give his blessings to all of our Mathavasis, or monks here. Sri Sri Chinmoy is in Hawaii, with a hundred of his devotees on their way to Singapore and Malaysia. Members of our Saiva Siddhanta Church are going to meet him in both countries at the airport with garlands and a grand reception, introducing them to outstanding people in those two countries.

Our favorite family from Sri Lanka, the Anandasankarens, are here. They are having lunch with us today and a grand tour of the property. They haven't been here for many, many years and we welcome them wholeheartedly.

This is holiday season, a time for getting a lot of wonderful little boxes in the mail, for all the Mathavasis from their mothers, fathers and loving relatives.

Here is an announcement and an invitation to you to join me in June for seven days, on a cruise from Vancouver, Canada to Anchorage, Alaska. We are going to give the blessings for a Ganesa Temple to come up in Anchorage. This is a wonderful cruise. We will be having classes in the 'Shum' language of meditation and answering questions that, maybe, you have held in your hearts for a long, long time. If you are interested in joining me on this cruise, again go to questions@hindu.org and mention that you are interested and would like information about it.

We have had many Innersearch programs. We took the largest group that India ever had come, into the sub-continent of eighty people, in 1972. We have traveled through Europe. We have traveled through many, many countries, over sixteen wonderful travel-study programs. As you may know, I have not traveled for three years. This, perhaps, will be the very first time leaving the Island of Kauai because we've been working on, constantly for three hours a day, on several books - 'Merging with Siva', 'Holy Tirukural', 'Living with Siva', and lastly, 'The Vedic Experience' which we hope will be done by that time, before the ship takes off. We hope you are aboard.

This is our fiftieth year. Golden Jubilee celebration on a beautiful, ancient Norwegian cruise ship, of an old design with many conference rooms, and a very special Indonesian host to guide our entire group. There is no limit to how many we can take, except that the ship itself will take only 1200 passengers! So, get onboard and here we go to Alaska, to greet Lord Ganesha who is right now, also on a ship coming from Mahabalipuram, South India, Tamil Nadu to Anchorage, Alaska. He will reside in a home until we arrive, and who knows what Ganesa has in store for us. So, we leave June 18, from Vancouver. We all fly into Vancouver. We gather on our ship for a grand re-union. Everybody meets everyone else. They talk about cyberspace ashram, their studies, the Master Course, their readings of 'Hinduism Today'. Many lifetime subscribers, I guess, are going to come, definitely, for seven nights on the ship and then, a big surprise! In Alaska, another optional tour of going into the National Glacier Park for three or four days, where we will have more deeper classes living on a glacier. If you want to do that, let us know. Welcome aboard! This is a wonderful opportunity for togetherness. This is a wonderful opportunity for meeting people who are thinking like you are.

We urge each and everyone to click on the 'Lesson of the Day', and listen to 'Merging with Siva'. Because of that, you will automatically gain a new image of yourself, a new self-image. It won't be a self-image of your roots, which are your hereditary roots of your physical body. It will be a new self-image of your roots, which are your spiritual roots of your soul. I'll be seeing you tomorrow.

Aum Namah Sivaya!