Taka Archives

San Marga VII
The Wise who have known the Self, in whose heart is enthroned the Lord, will not be deluded by the joys and sorrows of the earth, but will live benignly in the world as the drops of water floating on the lotus blooms. Those who do not cultivate discrimination will be unequal to face the challenges of life. The wise man who practises dispassion and fosters self- knowledge will overcome the sway of good and bad forces, and cease to be selfish and self-centered. It is certain that he will attain the abiding felicity of the Lord's blessed Feet. Those ignorant of this Path will be subject to much confusion and bewilderment.

As the bees rejoice in sipping the honey of the flowers after a long quest, so also doth a devotee experience bliss after searching in the petals of his heart, and by ceaseless worship shall he find the honey of immortality. He will no longer be tossed by shifting values. Behold a farmer who tills his field, sows paddy, separates the weed from the growing plant and gathers the corn in the fullness of time. Even so doth a devout worker till field of his heart where abides Siva. He sows the seed of devotion, plucks out the extraneous weeds of lust, anger, desire, cruelty, and envy, and enjoys the harvest of plentitude in Sivam Sarvamayam. (All is Siva)

Cybertalk: This is a radio interview conducted by Loni Petranek with Gurudeva. The interview gives an overview of Gurudeva's worldwide mission. In the tenth part today Gurudeva and Loni talk about the new millennium. And Gurudeva also shares with Loni a little about the Hindu calendar. They also talk about the new resurgence of the mother spirit.

Cybertalk Ends"
For more information about listening to Gurudeva's talks online and to hear them in other formats, click here.

Gurudeva will be happy to hold "Prasnottara Satsang" -- "Questions and Answers" over the telephone with any Hindu religious societies, Hindu youth groups, Radio talk show hosts etc. All you need is a phone with a speaker and an enthusiastic audience. Arrangements may be made in advance by sending email to Sivadevanathaswami

Click here if you have a question Gurudeva answers questions from CyberCadets, and welcomes your spiritual queries. However, he responds only to matters of general interest and not to personal or intimate matters.

transcription begins
Date: March_07_2001
Title: Gurudeva Interviewed by Loni Petranek, Part 4
Category: The Guru
Duration: 3 min., 40 seconds
Date Given: August, 2000

Loni: You also participate in what is happening for the 'Vision for Kauai'. Can you maybe enlighten us as to what you are supporting and what you are moving with?

Gurudeva: Well this little group, 'Vision for Kauai, Vision 2020', is looking ahead 20 years and finding out in our minds what the island is going to be like, what the people are going to be like, who is going to come to the island and what they are Has worked out extremely well. We have been meeting now, for 2 years. First every month and now, every other month. We sit around, talk, look ahead and out of it has come these 'Aloha' posters. You have seen them?

Loni: Yes.

Gurudeva: We recently asked Larry Rivera to create a song. Have you heard it?

Loni: No, I haven't but I know Larry.

Gurudeva: It is a beautiful song and he sang it before the County Council the other day. A really nice song of the Aloha spirit and it is called the 'Kauai Anthem'. So Kauai now has an anthem, which all the school children will sing in every school. We are going to ask Larry to go around and teach the children. You know, he is our State Treasurer. He has been singing for so, so many, many years and so we are very enthusiastic about that. We do our part to help the community. We have been printing these little 'Aloha' cards, hundreds of thousands of them. It is very easy for us to do, because we print it right along with our magazine and they have been distributed.

Also recently, we have done something else for the island. We have been working with community to create a 'Drug Free Kauai' CD, along with six posters which will be seen on all community bulletin boards. This CD is sort of a scared-straight CD. It shows the consequences of what will happen to a young person or anyone, matter of fact, if they take ice or start on one kind of drug or another. We interviewed the Chief of Police and some Vice Squad detectives. They told us, step by step, what they do and how they set up a 'sting operation'. The Mayor is giving an interview. We have DQ Jackson, who works for the emergency room of the hospital, give a chilling report on people coming in, dead on arrival, because they lived too far away from the hospital. Four inmates of KCCC, two ladies and two men, give their experience in their own voice. Then we show the Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto point of view of karma, which is very, very important. How it plays a part of the karmic chain, if somebody gets started. If you start somebody on drugs and then they kill somebody, you are a party karmically. Maybe not legally but karmically. You are karmically responsible.
transcription ends

Our Sun One homa was energizing as ever:

The Rig Veda (X, 190) says:

1. From blazing Ardor, Cosmic Order came and Truth;
from thence was born the obscure night;
from thence the Ocean with its billowing waves.

2. From Ocean with its waves was born the year
which marshals the succession of nights and days,
controlling everything that blinks the eye.

3. Then, as before, did the creator fashion
the Sun and Moon, the Heaven and the Earth,
the atmosphere and the domain of light.

The main "mandapam" in temple hall is bright with the sacred flames, the light of consciousness, the gateway to inner worlds.

On San Marga everyone sings the Arati song. Yajatadeva sleeps on the shoulder of his uncle, Kumar Katir. Born in Malaysia to Amala Nagappan, he is a "cross national" child. One half Malaysian Tamil and one half American, he comes into a world bringing hope of peace for the future where people of all colors and nationalities will see beyond national boundaries. Amala is on Kauai to spend some time with her birth family and to let Yajatadeva get a chance to be with his grandparents.

Mr. Folco, an Italian film producer joins the group. As mentioned in a previous issue of TAKA, he is working on a feature length movie depicting India's holy men.

John and Jennifer Crittenden and their little girl Cassidy from
the Bay Area, California. John works for Kulapati Deva Rajan and was eager to see the Iraivan Foundation.

Peng Leng Tay and Stephen Chan, residents of Kauai. Peng sells the produce to the monastery that we don't grow and Stephen is soon to open a restaurant in Kapaa.

Meanwhile, two days ago on our retreat Martine Thom and her two-man film crew undertook a daring adventure flying over Kauai Aadheenam and San Marga in a helicopter with no doors, trying to capture "the big picture." Not having a big Hollywood budget, they could not afford the thousands of dollars required for a "steady cam" boom that is usually used for helicopter shots. Instead Zachary had to do his best with his hand held video camera.

Beginning at the ocean and flying up the Wailua River, Zachary said today: "Wow, I didn't realize that with doors off it was going to be so windy. It was a really difficult shoot and I was really worried about the footage. But when we got home for the dub [transferring hi-res digital video to regular VHS tape for previewing and to plan the subsequent shot list] we did find some excellent cuts."

Also on retreat Sannyasin Guhanathaswami performs a special blessing in our carpentry shop.

The puja begins with the worship of Lord Ganesha.

The new equipment that has been installed is a gift from a master carpenter, providing the monks with tools they need for on-going building renovations and numerous carpentry projects. The blessing invokes the divine energies into the equipment, helping to bring an attitude of safety and informing the carpentry devas.

Our 11-acre village in India is home to 75 Indian master craftsmen who live there and work each day on the carving of the sacred white granite Siva Temple which will soon be shipped soon to Kauai and assembled. See our latest February 2001 Building Fund Progress Report and join our family of contributors today!

Meanwhile in Bangalore, no fancy machinery there! Just thousands of years of knowledge and skill, all culminating in the hands of master stone carver Perumal who is the lead artisan for the detailed carving work.

Great News... The first 4 courses of stone were crated and loaded into the containers and there is still room for another course, so course 5 will be crated and added to the shipment and sent over. A course is a "layer" beginning at the bottom, the very first course is the one that sits on the foundation. Course number two sits on top of those stones etc. The final course being the 11 ton capstone, shown here on top of a model of the temple.

Gurudeva's other monastery in the island country of Mauritius
in the Indian Ocean near South Africa

Usha Mareachealee is visiting from London. On her left is her niece, Shikha
Baichoo from Phoenix. Usha's a devotee of the Ramakrishna Mission near
London. Besides coming to see Ganesha she's hoping to get the past issue of
Hinduism Today that has the big article about the Ramakrishna Mission. She
did not go away disappointed.

A gift of star fruits and caramsole custard fruits from Lalmatie. Wow!

Gurudeva's devotees pose with his portrait after the Sun One satsang homa.

12 Glorious Days, 8 Enchanting Countries and One Chance in a Lifetime! Imagine spending 12 days with one of the greatest spiritual leaders of this century. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami will be leading this exotic educational and spiritual voyage himself combining the mystical path of Indian spirituality with a superlative retreat from it all. Take advantage of this one chance to be in close proximity with a living master. Come with us on an inner and outer voyage to Northern Europe and Russia. www.innersearch.org

Cybertalk: This is the ninth part of a radio interview conducted by Loni Petranek with Gurudeva. The interview gives an overview of Gurudeva's worldwide mission. Today Gurudeva shares more about the book Lemurian Scrolls and also mentions how the monks in his monastery have modeled their monastic living over some of the advice in this book. He also share with Loni some of the visions that he has had.

Cybertalk Ends"
For more information about listening to Gurudeva's talks online and to hear them in other formats, click here.

Gurudeva will be happy to hold "Prasnottara Satsang" -- "Questions and Answers" over the telephone with any Hindu religious societies, Hindu youth groups, Radio talk show hosts etc. All you need is a phone with a speaker and an enthusiastic audience. Arrangements may be made in advance by sending email to Sivadevanathaswami

Click here if you have a question Gurudeva answers questions from CyberCadets, and welcomes your spiritual queries. However, he responds only to matters of general interest and not to personal or intimate matters.

transcription begins

Date: March_06_2001
Title: Gurudeva Interviewed by Loni Petranek, Part 3
Category: The Guru
Duration: 3 min., 38 seconds
Date Given: August, 2000

Loni: Now we are speaking about Siva, I believe. Is that the latest book, 'Merging with Siva'?

Gurudeva: 'Merging with Siva' is the latest book. It is 50 years of my inspired talks and writings all put together in one book. It is very easy to read because it is organized in 365 daily lessons. So, there is a lesson each day. It takes about 7 minutes to read it and to think about it. Then, there are various sadhanas or spiritual exercises every week, 52 of those
too. So, a very popular book. Actually, it gives you a different look at yourself. Most people's self-image is very poor these days. They don't see themselves as a soul, so they are rather discouraged. It takes away the discouragement and convinces the individual that he is a soul with several tools, one of which is the mind, another of which is the emotion. He is a soul, living in a physical body and an astral body. Therefore, it creates a transformation in an individual and brings up his spiritual self of the spirit. That is what this program is all about. It is about the spirit within and bringing it forward and I think, the island of Kauai is a wonderful venue for that.

Loni: We did experience something different here. When you were speaking, I was thinking about all of the violence that we have experienced in schools. You mentioned about self-esteem and not feeling guided or at home, so to speak, with ourselves. What is your perspective on what is happening with the new generation, this young generation?

Gurudeva: Well, the new generation is very different than previous generations were. They are very intelligent, they are very independent. If you need help with your computer, ask a 14-year old and he will train you like a professional. But, a lot of the youth are very discouraged because of the home conditions, with mom and dad both having to work and necessarily not being such super good examples for them in home life. That is very discouraging. So, members of our Saiva Siddhanta Church, our family people are running some very good classes in 'Positive Discipline' here on the island and school teachers are taking the classes, as well as parents. It is Jane Nelson's work, 'Positive Discipline' and it shows a different way of, shall we say, managing and bringing up the goodness out of someone, rather than putting them down or hitting them or yelling at them.

Loni: The violence is really pervasive in our society. I remember when Mother Teresa came. Well, we have poverty, as you may well know. She said, "We have poverty in India, but you have spiritual poverty." It was so profound for her.

Gurudeva: Yes, violence and drugs have become some sort of a way of life. So, we are trying in our small way, to change all that and do our part too, for our community, country and society.
transcription ends

Sun Five brought our island devotees for the Muruga puja.

Kumar Katir plays the drum while everyone sings the Natchintanai songs of Siva Yogaswami.

The Face of Lord Muruga in the Temple.

Songs of Yogaswami:

San Marga -- VI.
The mind flits like a prancing monkey. One knows not how to quell its frolics; Well said. There is a fine remedy within you. Perhaps you have forgotten it. Listen.

Take in daily the medicine of 'Siva Dhyanam'--contemplation of Siva. The pranks of the impish mind will be subdued. When you take it, mix it with a decoction which also you possess. Restraint of the tongue and control of desires are the ingredients which form the decoction. Even this will not suffice.

Everything depends on the correct diet. And that too is within your control. This will consist of balanced diet, adequate sleep and moderate exercise. Thus fulfilment is assured. Follow this prescription for the well being of your Soul.

If one yearns to control and subdue the mind fully, one should practise Siva Dhyanam--contemplation on Siva. It is the ceaseless and constant remembrance of Siva. He will then begin to concentrate step by step and focus his mind on the One Supreme Reality. Peace, serenity, patience and endurance will then blossom within him. His mind will be brimming with contentment. Praise or blame will not affect him; He will dwell in the light of his inner self; He will radiate benevolence and the good of others shall become his own blessedness.

If one takes a hand lamp at night, will he falter in the dark? He will not stumble. Like-wise no evil can shadow the path of him who meditates on Siva? He will not see any imperfection. Practice is better than precept. Ill-will has no place where good-will reigns.

Natchintanai. 374-375.

Later that morning our monastery was very busy. Martine Thom Productions, after having shot nearly 40 hours or raw footage, now begins intensive series of interviews with the monks. The voices will later be dubbed in over the imagery.

Today, the last day of this phase, was tour day bringing a diverse group of visitors.

Another fascinating visitor, Folco Terzani, a young Italian man, his wife Anna and their little boy came to visit. Folco's parents live in India and he spent most of his life in India. He spent an entire year following one sadhu on his journeys through India and the Himalayas. He is working on a 90 minute long movie on India's famous ascetic holy men. Here he has a discussion with Arumugaswami. Together they explore how the western media coverage of India has not really captured the "magic" of India. His camera man is an award winning cinematographer and Folco hopes in his movie to unveil the true spiritual nature of the holy men and their lives.

Our 11-acre village in India is home to 75 Indian master craftsmen who live there and work each day on the carving of the sacred white granite Siva Temple which will soon be shipped soon to Kauai and assembled. See our latest February 2001 Building Fund Progress Report and join our family of contributors today!

Here are the "bhuta" panels that will line the outside of the foundation of the temple. "Bhutas" are earth spirits and in respect for our Hawaiian land some of them have been carved in the form of the ancient indigenous people of these islands who were known as "menehunes." The menehunes were a short-statured, very powerful and resourceful people that built massive rock structures on the island long before a wave of Polynesians arrived who were the ancestors of the current "Hawaiians" we know of today.

Here are finished "top stones," ready for Kauai.

12 Glorious Days, 8 Enchanting Countries and One Chance in a Lifetime! Imagine spending 12 days with one of the greatest spiritual leaders of this century. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami will be leading this exotic educational and spiritual voyage himself combining the mystical path of Indian spirituality with a superlative retreat from it all. Take advantage of this one chance to be in close proximity with a living master. Come with us on an inner and outer voyage to Northern Europe and Russia. www.innersearch.org

San Marga V.

Believe in God; Believe in Him with perfect trust. Consider Him as sweeter than the sweetest of earthly joys. Ponder that He is the incomparable One. Reflect on His glory night and day and at all times. Let the constant remembrance of Him fill the interstices of your being.

Meditate that, "I am naught--He alone Is." Let the worship of God be the goal of your life. Whatsoever you think, that you become. Cherish the Lord in the recess of your heart. Everything, everywhere is subject to His Will. Ultimately it will be seen that he is All in All.

--372.

Siva Peruman is the non-dual Reality. I glory in contemplating that He and I are inseparably linked in Oneness. Whatever one yearns for, that he becomes. Therefore meditate that Thou and He are in unison. Then shall all thy acts pulsate as His acts. The Supreme Reality Is He. He is immanent everywhere. The One has assumed many forms. He is beyond birth and death, transcending time and timelessness; He is eternal, and ever unchanging. The perfection of Truth illumines All.

--Natchintanai. 373.

Cybertalk: This is part 8 of a radio interview conducted by Loni Petranek with Gurudeva. The interview gives an overview of Gurudeva's worldwide mission. In the eight part today Loni asks Gurudeva to share about his book the "Lemurian Scrolls". Gurudeva tells of how he read the book clairvoyantly about 20 years ago.

Cybertalk Ends"
For more information about listening to Gurudeva's talks online and to hear them in other formats, click here.

Gurudeva will be happy to hold "Prasnottara Satsang" -- "Questions and Answers" over the telephone with any Hindu religious societies, Hindu youth groups, Radio talk show hosts etc. All you need is a phone with a speaker and an enthusiastic audience. Arrangements may be made in advance by sending email to Sivadevanathaswami

Click here if you have a question Gurudeva answers questions from CyberCadets, and welcomes your spiritual queries. However, he responds only to matters of general interest and not to personal or intimate matters.

transcription begins

Date: March_05_2001
Title: Gurudeva Interviewed by Loni Petranek, Part 2
Category: The Guru
Duration: 3 min., 20 seconds
Date Given: August, 2000

Loni: Now if someone is not familiar with Hinduism or the temple here on Kauai, could you maybe, just give a brief overview, historically, about the lineage and the temple?

Gurudeva: The lineage comes from Sri Lanka, Loni. Basically, 'One God, One world' is the theme of the temple. The Sri Lankan people who were my Guru's devotees and now are my devotees, are scattered throughout the world because of the war in Sri Lanka. There are over two million of them. We have been working very hard through the years, to get them settled in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand and Canada and built temples. So from our temple here on Kauai, we oversee over 47 temples, not only in America and Canada but other countries too, as well in Sri Lanka and India as well. Overseeing temples means, we help get the temple started. We work out major difficulties with management and with priests that are hired for the temple. Then, once it is rolling along we don't have a lot of contact except on very special festival times.

Loni: So, you are the spiritual leader for forty temples, I have read, as well as the Publisher of 'Hinduism Today'.

Gurudeva: International magazine.

Loni: Yes, yes. So, you are very busy.

Gurudeva: Well, I have a lot of help.

Loni: You have a lot of help.

Gurudeva: If you were to paint a picture of me, you would draw a circle and put a dot in the middle - that would be me. I am trying to always stay in the center and do as much of nothing as I can.

Loni: Sort of the nuclei.

Gurudeva: Yes, that is it.

Loni: Now, you also write?

Gurudeva: Yes, we have just been on the island, not travelling for three years, to put out 'Lemurian Scrolls'. We finished that book. We finished a beautiful translation in American English, of a ancient scripture called 'Tirukural', which teaches us how to live daily life, all aspects of life. 'Dancing with Siva', 'Living with Siva' and 'Merging with Siva' and lots of other books and pamphlets.

Loni: Now, Siva seems to be a central theme for you. Can you explain?

Gurudeva: Sanskrit name for God.

Loni: Oh, okay, okay.

Gurudeva: To explain Siva very simply - the energy in your body, Loni, and my body, comes right from Siva. The light that lights up your thoughts, Loni, and my thoughts, comes right from Siva or right from God. So, there is no place in the Universe where Siva isn't. But, there is one thing He cannot do.

Loni: And what is that?

Gurudeva: He is so powerful. He creates the Universe, preserves the Universe and can absorb it back into Himself. But, He cannot take Himself out of you. That is pretty reassuring, isn't it?

Loni: That sure is.
transcription ends

Martine Thom, Canadian producer and director for the documentary film being done, sits quietly in the temple (foreground) going over the schedule, her "shot list." Meanwhile a shoot is in progress. Sannyasin Guhanathaswami sits on vigil in the temple meditating by the Crystal Sivalingam and chanting Sanskrit. Tall Zack Green holds the sound boom on the left while Zachary the camera man on the right takes the shots. Zachary is really excited about the footage he has taken: "It's really incredible, I can't stop, there's something to shoot here everywhere. I'm up to 33 hours of raw footage now. We only have 5 days left. We will take a minimum of 50 hours of raw footage and really I think we want to go for 60." The final cut show will only be 45 minutes. Starting tomorrow, Martine begins intensive interviewing for all the voice-overs to run with the images.

Saravananathaswami is about to take his place for a 3-hour vigil in the temple today from 12 noon to 3 pm. The walls of Kadavul Hindu temple have mirrored shelves with the 108 Tandava dance poses of Lord Siva brightly lit.

A Japanese spiritual teacher brought a group of 10 people to the temple today. Only the teacher could speak English. The Japanese spiritual seekers always come with great reverence and deep attunement to our temple.

It is uplifting for us to have such beautiful, joyful souls with us.

Everyone is always awestruck by the view from the monastery, looking across the property to the Iraivan temple site and up the Wailua River toward Mount Waialeale.

Our 11-acre village in India is home to 75 Indian master craftsmen who live there and work each day on the carving of the sacred white granite Siva Temple which will soon be shipped soon to Kauai and assembled. See our latest February 2001 Building Fund Progress Report and join our family of contributors today!

While the carving of the Iraivan temple is underway, some small side projects are also being undertaken. Here is an exquisite lotus peedam (platform, seat, foundation) that is part of the shipment of 6 containers of stone being packed for Kauai. It was carved for the center of a new "Navagraha Mandapam" or Nine Planets Pavilion, to be builit in front of Kadavul Hindu Temple. Around this 6-by-6-foot lotus peedam will be the 12 squares of the jyotish chakra with the zodiac symbols beautifully etched into polished granite. Gurudeva or the swamis will sit on the peedam to speak with guests, explaining how the energies of the planets influence our daily life.

The bronze navagraha or "Nine Planetary Deities" that will sit on the chakra have been specially designed with metal wheels hidden on the bottom so they can be easily moved into the proper zodiac square, according to the planets' true astronomical positions. The statues are 19 inches tall.

Here is "Sani" the deity of the planet Saturn.

The pavilion to house the entire jyotish chakra, lotus peedam and deities will cost US$20,000. We are needing a sponsor to begin the work soon so it is ready for the arrival of the deities. Anyone who would like to sponsor the pavilion or participate with financial contributions by sponsoring one of the nine bronze navagraha, please email Acharya Ceyonswami

Here is Kuja or the deity of Mars. All of the bronze deities have been completed and will also be part of the next shipment of stones to Kauai.

Sukra, the deity of Venus.

Gurudeva's other monastery in the island country of Mauritius
in the Indian Ocean near South Africa

Two friends, Arvesh Dabedeen and Ashwin Chummin came to visit today. Arvesh is from the Hanuman temple in Cassis. While at Grand Bassin for Sivaratri he received a Gurudeva card from the La Pointe des Lascars kanwar group. Since then he's been tuning into this website every day.

It must be Wednesday! Mr. and Mrs. Dinassing are here again to pay their respects to Panchamukha Ganapati.

Mr. Bucktowar came to purchase a copy of Merging with Siva with Dameeantee Sookur. He's been reading a lot of positive thinking books lately and recognises the potential of a life-changing study in Gurudeva's book.

12 Glorious Days, 8 Enchanting Countries and One Chance in a Lifetime! Imagine spending 12 days with one of the greatest spiritual leaders of this century. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami will be leading this exotic educational and spiritual voyage himself combining the mystical path of Indian spirituality with a superlative retreat from it all. Take advantage of this one chance to be in close proximity with a living master. Come with us on an inner and outer voyage to Northern Europe and Russia. www.innersearch.org

Cybertalk: This is part seven of a radio interview conducted by Loni Petranek with Gurudeva. The interview gives an overview of Gurudeva's worldwide mission. Today Gurudeva talks with Loni about the location of the San Marga Iraivan Temple being on sacred land to the Hawaiians. Loni then asks Gurudeva about the magazine, Hinduism Today, that he and his monks produce.

Cybertalk Ends"
For more information about listening to Gurudeva's talks online and to hear them in other formats, click here.

Gurudeva will be happy to hold "Prasnottara Satsang" -- "Questions and Answers" over the telephone with any Hindu religious societies, Hindu youth groups, Radio talk show hosts etc. All you need is a phone with a speaker and an enthusiastic audience. Arrangements may be made in advance by sending email to Sivadevanathaswami

Click here if you have a question Gurudeva answers questions from CyberCadets, and welcomes your spiritual queries. However, he responds only to matters of general interest and not to personal or intimate matters.

transcription begins

Date: March_04_2001
Title: Gurudeva Interviewed by Loni Petranek, Part 1
Category: The Guru
Duration: 3 min., 25 seconds
Date Given: August, 2000

Loni: Aloha and welcome to 'In Spirit'. It is my great pleasure to welcome my guest today and he is Gurudeva from the Hindu temple. His formal name is Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. I hope I did that correctly, Gurudeva?

Gurudeva: You pronounced it really, really nice. It is nice to be here, Loni. Thank you for inviting me.

Loni: Thank you, thank you. I was looking forward to it. As we mentioned before, we actually started the program, the first day that I met you. The first time that I actually met you at the temple, I was so taken with your beautiful, lovely hands and I said to myself, being a dancer, "He must have been a dancer." Can we speak about your past?

Gurudeva: Well, dancing ... led me to dancing with Siva.

Loni: Oh, perfect ... perfect metaphor!

Gurudeva: To learn the Asian or Hindu dancing of Siva took me to Sri Lanka. That took me to my Guru. That took me to sannyasin initiation and back to the United States, where I started the first writings 50 years ago. That is a long time to remember back. But, I have been taking Ginkgo Biloba. So, I can remember some things!

Loni: In fact, that was one of my questions. How do you keep so healthy? Share some secrets with us.

Gurudeva: We eat really well. We grow most of our own food at the monastery. All the natural things that are grown easily on Kauai - breadfruit, taro and cooking bananas. We also put our medicine right in the food, all those wonderful Indian spices. We actually have the best Indian restaurant on Kauai. Everyday, wonderful food. Everybody here is very, very healthy.

Loni: Does everybody cook?

Gurudeva: Most everybody can cook a little bit ... yes, indeed.

Loni: Oh, my goodness! So, you are vegetarian?

Gurudeva: We are all vegetarians.

Loni: I guess, you attribute also meditation and just the whole life style?

Gurudeva: We are up in the morning early at four o'clock, meditating in the temple after beautiful ceremonies, sometimes a fire ceremony and at other times, other kinds. Everybody, about 27 of us, sitting there without moving for about 45 minutes or an hour. Occasionally one nods off, but he is getting better.

Loni: He looked at you!

Gurudeva: Well, we have here today all of our young monastics. Our youngest one here, just arrived from Malaysia with his Daddy. He is going to be with us for a year. He is 13 years of age, going on 18.

Loni: Oh, I see.

Gurudeva: He is a little bit tall for his age.

Loni: He is. He is very tall.

Gurudeva: Very intelligent young man.

Loni: Yes. Is everyone from different countries or different areas of the United States?

Gurudeva: {pointing to each monastic} He was born in Malaysia, but educated in Australia. He is from America. He is from America. America and Malaysia.

Loni: Malaysia, oh my! So it is very international.

Gurudeva: Very international. We also have, from Sri Lanka, and from the country of Mauritius.
transcription ends

Sadhaka Mahadeva looks down at the river and across the valley. Today he was part of our film documentary. He performed the "Wailua Ganga Sadhana" which anyone can do near any flowing river. It is a purification tantra that is performed as follows:

1. Get a basket..
2. Pick some leaves, putting them on one side of the basket.

3. Pick some flowers, putting them on the other side of the basket.
4. Go to a river where the water is flowing swiftly by.
5. Sit on a rock close to the flowing waters.
6. Meditate on the perfection of the universe as you listen to the water whisper "Aum Namasivaya.
7. Tune in to pure "acceptance." The water is not complaining that it must flow around the rocks. The rocks are not complaining that they are being washed over by the water.
8. As soon as a thought from the past arises, take a leaf, put that thought into the leaf and offer it to the water and watch the water wash the thought down the river, on to the sea.
9. Take a flower, put the flower in the river and thank the river for taking away the thought.
10. Return to the meditation on the perfection of the universe.

On-going engineering research in "rudraksha cleaning technologies" has been an ever fascinating pursuit of the monastery here. The challenge is to clean off the thin laywer of blue fruit matter, completely and efficiently without damaging the beads. Here is the latest model, a slotted box with a wire grill ovet the top. Through this we will wash the beads off with a high pressure washer. Yes, it works!

San Marga IV.

We are the servitors of Siva;
Siva's servitors are we
We are Sivanadiyar;
Sivanadiyar are we.

This is Sariyai--moral excellence
This is Kriyai--service
This is Yoga--harmony
This is Jnana--wisdom.

This is the sacred mystery. In this Truth lies the soveriegn remedy. Steadfast contemplation leads to the bliss of serenity. A contemplative is not swayed by rules of conduct. An ascetic life of fasting and norms of discipline have no impact on these ardent servitors of
Siva.

These noble legion have so lived, and do live and shall continue to live ithe
world ever so spontaneously. No one can fathom their greatness. The
sweetness of sugar-candy can only be relished by those who have tasted
it.

1. Oru Pollappumillai--Intrinsic evil there is not.

2. Eppavo Mudintha Kaariyam--That is what it is--
Accomplished is His Will.
3. Naamariyom--We know not.
4. Muluvathum Unmai--All That IS, is Truth Abolute.

--Natchintanai. 371

Our 11-acre village in India is home to 75 Indian master craftsmen who live there and work each day on the carving of the sacred white granite Siva Temple which will soon be shipped soon to Kauai and assembled. See our latest February 2001 Building Fund Progress Report and join our family of contributors today!

These are the "Curls" that adorn various point so the temple.

The family of donors that are helping build the temple live in countries all over the world. Please read the current progress report and donate generously!

Gurudeva's other monastery in the island country of Mauritius
in the Indian Ocean near South Africa

Sadhaka Jothinatha talks with Mr and Mrs Thibaud in the shade of the newly trimmed Konrai trees. It is not often that tourists visit the Spiritual Park as we are not on any tourist map. Those who do come are rather special, as our guests today. The Thibauds are on two weeks holiday from Marseille in the south of France. A chance meeting with a Mauritian Hindu brought them here today. They were on their way to Grand Bassin but their new acquaintance said "Why don't you go to the Spiritual Park at La Pointe des Lascars instead?"

The Mrs. feels a close affinity with Ganesha as her mom had a statue of Him in their home while she was growing up. One clue that she could have had past lives in India is her reaction to a Spiritual Park newsletter which we gave them. It had the faint odor of vibhuti. "What's that wonderful smell?" she exclaimed with an ecstatic look. Even though they speak only a few words of English they took a copy of Merging with Siva home with them. Perhaps they'll use it as a pillow and absorb the knowledge from it while they sleep!

Sadhaka Jothinatha is phoning our friends in Mauritius--a few every day--to invite them on the next 12-day Innersearch cruise with Gurudeva. If you are having a birthday in mid-August you should treat yourself and your family and go on this once-in-a-lifetime type of adventure! Visualize yourself in this photo. Seen here is a shipboard birthday party for two participants of the last innersearch presided over by Gurudeva and Acharya Palaniswami. See below for more information about the cruise.

12 Glorious Days, 8 Enchanting Countries and One Chance in a Lifetime! Imagine spending 12 days with one of the greatest spiritual leaders of this century. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami will be leading this exotic educational and spiritual voyage himself combining the mystical path of Indian spirituality with a superlative retreat from it all. Take advantage of this one chance to be in close proximity with a living master. Come with us on an inner and outer voyage to Northern Europe and Russia. www.innersearch.org

Cybertalk: This is part six of a radio interview conducted by Loni Petranek with Gurudeva. The interview gives an overview of Gurudeva's worldwide mission. Today Gurudeva shares with Loni about the San Marga Iraivan Temple and the crystal lingam which will be the temple's central icon.

Cybertalk Ends"
For more information about listening to Gurudeva's talks online and to hear them in other formats, click here.

Gurudeva will be happy to hold "Prasnottara Satsang" -- "Questions and Answers" over the telephone with any Hindu religious societies, Hindu youth groups, Radio talk show hosts etc. All you need is a phone with a speaker and an enthusiastic audience. Arrangements may be made in advance by sending email to Sivadevanathaswami

Click here if you have a question Gurudeva answers questions from CyberCadets, and welcomes your spiritual queries. However, he responds only to matters of general interest and not to personal or intimate matters.

transcription begins

Date: February_27_2001
Title: Disciple's Best Gift to a Guru
Category: The Guru
Duration: 1 min., 15 seconds
Date Given: February 24, 2001

A cyberspace devotee in White Plains, New York wonders, "What is the greatest thing a sishya, or devotee of a guru, can do for the guru?"

At this day and age, in our technological age, the best in working with the guru is intelligent cooperation. There are many, many things to do that we could not do even 10, 20 years ago.

Intelligent cooperation, responsiveness to the guru, and the sishya all working together in harmony. Settling their differences before bedtime, so that they don't pile up and become a mountain of problems to be solved, deterring each one involved from his particular path.

So, intelligent cooperation is the best way to serve your guru.
transcription ends

Zack and Zachary filming Gurudeva at work for their documentary on the monastery.

A look inside our newly renovated Ekadanta Kulam office. The ceiling has been redone in a beautiful white textured paint.

Martine Thom the producer and director for the documentary film meets with Acharya Palaniswami and his assistant Sannyasin Sivakatirswami, each day for the documentary film. The film crew has worked out a careful plan for all the shots of the day.

Sannyasins Arumugaswami and Skandanathaswami took our Siva Sevaks, Arvind Raj and Sivaneswaran Sockanathan and Thambynathan Nutanaya on a long hike to continue the assessment of the huge system of waterways that will soon be under the supervision of the East Kauai Water Coalition, a citizen's group that includes Saiva Siddhanta Church.

They hike up towards the slopes of Mount Waialeale, the source of our water, which is the life of the land. This is the river bed up the Wailua River from our monastery.

Here and there wild flowers dot the landscape with splashes of color. At times when the rains are heavy on the mountain these river beds will be raging and full.

Approaching the slopes of the lower foot hills of the mountain one finds a pristine area of great beauty and serenity. This is one of the lower ridges of Mount Waialeale.

We are looking now into an area that was once, billions of years ago, a fiery volcano. One side of the giant crator has long eroded down, leaving the other side as a mountainous ridge that serves to catch high moisture and deliver it to the rivers below. Above us is the rainiest spot on planet earth.

Lush ferns stretch across the face of the canyons.

Here is a typical man made structure to harness and utilize this precious resource. We are looking at the Waikoko Stream diversion. The team took a dip here. It was freezing! The river comes into this small man made pool to collect the water which during high flows or drought times can be diverted to other streams, delivering water as far away as ten miles from this site.

Wild delicate orchids dot the landscape, roots perched in a few rocks, nurtured by the moist air and sun.

This is the typical coloring of the most abundant variety of wild orchids.

Another orchid we are growing at the monastery in the crooks of trees. We close our photo section from Kauai Aadheenam with Section Three of Yogaswami's "San Marga" Natchintanai song series:

Aum Tat Sat Aum

San Marga III.

We are the servitors of Lord Siva. We lack nothing. Our duty is to serve the Lord. It is the fundamental goal of our life in this world.

The moon fulfils the will of Siva. The sun and other planets also carry out His bidding. The gods and demons, and all other beings are also engaged in the performance of the Lord's work.

In everything do we see the will of Siva at work. Not an atom moves but by His will--nothing gained and nothing lost. We continue to be ever the same.

There is no one above us or superior to us; good and evil cannot affect us. There is no beginning and no end for us. We have no likes or dislikes; we have no desire for material goods. The spectre of the mind does not haunt us; neither are we bound by the limitations of place, time or causation. We simply bear witness to everything around us.

Aum! Tat Sat Aum !

Natchintanai

The center of a bromeliad.

Our 11-acre village in India is home to 75 Indian master craftsmen who live there and work each day on the carving of the sacred white granite Siva Temple which will soon be shipped soon to Kauai and assembled. See our latest February 2001 Building Fund Progress Report and join our family of contributors today!

The news from Bangalore is that our silpis there have received their passports. Meanwhile crated stones continue to be loaded into the containers for their journey to Kauai.

We are going to share with you over the days ahead photos from our collection. Here we see the rough cutting of large pieces of white granite that have arrived from the quarry.

This is the exquisite "Gomukai" just after it was uncrated on Kauai. It now sits in our "Bangalore Gallery" and one day it will be attached to the side of the main sanctum. When the giant crystal Sivalingam receives its daily bath, the waters and milk will flow out and down this "spout" where devotees can come to drink and capture the sacred tirtham.

Gurudeva's other monastery in the island country of Mauritius
in the Indian Ocean near South Africa

A few of Gurudeva's devotees did a little tree trimming yesterday. Some of the lower branches were removed from several trees to make shady places to walk and sit for meditation.

Or for savoring one of the custard like fruits that grows in the Spiritual Park!

March 12th is the celebration of Mauritius' independence from Great Britain in 1968. National Day, as it is called, is actually a two day holiday for all workers. Pictured here is Jayamini Fonseka (kneeling third from left) and her co-worker friends from Star Knitwear Ltd in Riviere du Rempart. These ladies are part of the 25,000 foreign workers (mostly Chinese) in Mauritius who are helping to power a vibrant textile export industry. (Perhaps a pullover that you own was made by them!) Jayamini and her friends are Singhalese speaking Buddhists who, as our Sri Lankan readers know, also love Ganesh. Most of these ladies come from the Colombo area.

12 Glorious Days, 8 Enchanting Countries and One Chance in a Lifetime! Imagine spending 12 days with one of the greatest spiritual leaders of this century. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami will be leading this exotic educational and spiritual voyage himself combining the mystical path of Indian spirituality with a superlative retreat from it all. Take advantage of this one chance to be in close proximity with a living master. Come with us on an inner and outer voyage to Northern Europe and Russia. www.innersearch.org

Cybertalk: This is a radio interview conducted by Loni Petranek with Gurudeva. The interview gives an overview of Gurudeva's worldwide mission. In the fifth part today Gurudeva shares with Loni about the "Drug Free Kauai" CD that was produced to help eradicate illegal drugs from the island. Loni also asks Gurudeva to share some insight into the Iraivan temple.

Cybertalk Ends"
For more information about listening to Gurudeva's talks online and to hear them in other formats, click here.

Gurudeva will be happy to hold "Prasnottara Satsang" -- "Questions and Answers" over the telephone with any Hindu religious societies, Hindu youth groups, Radio talk show hosts etc. All you need is a phone with a speaker and an enthusiastic audience. Arrangements may be made in advance by sending email to Sivadevanathaswami

Click here if you have a question Gurudeva answers questions from CyberCadets, and welcomes your spiritual queries. However, he responds only to matters of general interest and not to personal or intimate matters.

transcription begins

Date: February_26_2001
Title: Organ Donation, Vedic Astrology
Category: Hinduism and Tradition
Duration: 2 min., 26 seconds
Date Given: February 24, 2001

A cyberspace cadet in Serenban, Malaysia wants to know, "As Saivite Hindus, should we give our organs upon death, for donation for someone else to use?"

Well, if you want to be earth-bound and not go into the higher worlds, that is a good way to do it. To be tied to the person, who gets your kidney or your heart or some organ that you have donated. If you don't want to be tied to the earth, go through all the positive and negative experiences of the person who had the transplant of your organ and you want to go into the higher realms, then don't donate your organ.

A cyberspace cadet named John Lopez in Malaysia asks, "Is Vedic Astrology part of Hinduism? Can it become addictive? Some people here seem to believe in it more than God."

Well actually, in all of Hinduism, Vedic astrology is a psychiatrist, the marriage counselor, the psychologist. It is one of the powers of our Gods.

You should read the little book, John, 'How to Become a Hindu' and get a strong footing in Sanatana Dharma.

A Western approach is always critical of Hindus, what they do, how they think and how they believe. But, the depths of the Vedic Astrology blended with temple worship, blended with meditation, has kept Hinduism alive century, after century, after century. Hinduism has survived Christian attacks and it is still here on the planet, whereas many other pagan religions have gone away, because of the Western religion's attacks upon them.
transcription ends

We had a lovely group of pilgrims and visitors today. On the left, lifetime subscriber, Mrs. Aruna Mittapalli ( in red sari) with her daughter Sarada and son, Sreeram. The family, from Chicago, Illinois, are long-time readers of Hinduism Today. On the right, Mr. N. T. Viswanathan and his wife, Bhooma, from San Jose, have come for a visit. They were here four years ago and have known Gurudeva and the monks for many years. In the middle are other interested souls.

Acharya Palaniswami meets with Martine Thom, "Young Zach", the sound man (in the back) and Zachary, the camera man (in front) -- the Canadian film team that is shooting the documentary on Kauai's Hindu Monastery. They were up at 4 am to drive to the monastery and set up at 5:15 am.They were with us all morning shooting the Sun One Homa. With the temple full of professional lighting, sound equipment and video cameras, they followed the entire ceremony from beginning to end and also the parade out to San Marga. It was a long morning, but we were blessed with sunshine and Zachary, the cameraman said, "It really went well. I don't think we will need to do any second shots at all."

The Siddhidata Kulam vegetable garden nursery is packed with seedlings ready for the ground. They are putting in some of the last cool weather plants to get one more crop of these before summer comes.

Gurudeva's other monastery in the island country of Mauritius
in the Indian Ocean near South Africa

Some of Gurudeva's devotees are arriving today to do some karma yoga.

Trimming the bougainvillea on the fenceline.

And hauling away the overgrowth that has resulted from the generous summer rains.

Many guests today. Among them was the Pydannah family from Vacoas. Mrs. Pydannah, originally from Germany, had read about the Spiritual Park and asked her husband to bring her on her birthday today. Happy Birthday!

Meditation and teachings such as Reiki are very popular subjects among the Mauritian population. Here's a group studying meditation with Jean Claude Monier. They are worshippers of Siva.

Here's their leader, Jean Claude.

12 Glorious Days, 8 Enchanting Countries and One Chance in a Lifetime! Imagine spending 12 days with one of the greatest spiritual leaders of this century. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami will be leading this exotic educational and spiritual voyage himself combining the mystical path of Indian spirituality with a superlative retreat from it all. Take advantage of this one chance to be in close proximity with a living master. Come with us on an inner and outer voyage to Northern Europe and Russia. www.innersearch.org