Blog Archives
January 15, 2001 
Gurudeva continues to do better and better everyday. He is working now both mornings and afternoons on the editing of Living with Siva, to catch up for the month and a half of "down time" .
Yogaswami says:
"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 ! "
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Title: Sacred leaves for pada puja , Should one have a Guru who is alive?, Is everything that happens good? |
Cybertalk: A cyber cadet in Malaysia wonders if it is ok to use sacred leaves for a pada puja. Gurudeva says that it is fine and that he is creating a wonderful future for himself by giving respect to his guru. A cyberspace devotee in Botswana asks if one should have a guru that is alive or does it matter if he is not alive. Gurudeva says that a guru who is not alive will not be able to talk to you and that by having a guru who is alive one can communicate freely with him and it will be of a greater benefit. Another question this time from the state of Virginia where a cyberspace devotee asks is everything that happens to you good? Gurudeva says that everything that happens to you is because you put it into action. Gurudeva also says to accept your karma cheerfully and get the lesson out of the experience and you can carve a beautiful future for yourself..
Cybertalk Ends"
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Do you have questions for Gurudeva? Send to questions@hindu.org.
Please note: Gurudeva only responds to questions from the general public on matters that are suitable for our public cyber audience. Personal or intimate questions sent to this address are not answered.
A detailed index of past inspired talks is available here.
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Transcription of One of Gurudeva's CyberTalks
Date: January_11_2001
Title: 2001, 75th Jayanthi Talk, Part 4
Category: Change and Transformation
Duration: 3 min., 20 sec
Date Given: January 5, 2001
From Kauai Aadheenam, we have been instrumental in stimulating temples throughout the world, for the Tamilians to worship Lord Muruga, Amman and all the Gods of our great religion. To feed thousands, not only physically but mentally and emotionally, just to sustain the community for the new generations being born this very moment.
The Tamilian people are one of the oldest races in the world. They are special people, blessed people and in every temple that has come up within the Western world in the last twenty years, there has been a Tamilian there promoting the worship, promoting the philosophy and keeping harmony among the financiers of the temple.
I haven't forgotten the six magical words, the mantra for you from Lord Murugan. But first, let me tell you something.
When this - shall we say divine? - accident occurred and the pain occurred, everyone was thinking, "Gurudeva is on His last legs. We won't see Gurudeva anymore. He is 75 years of age, reached the end of His life." Not true. Through the years, seeing my lifeline from my hand, all the astrologers and the Nadi Shastris have said, "Gurudeva can live as long as He wants."
A guru, a Satguru is like a knife. He is like a pen. He is like a pencil, just sitting there on the table and is of no use unless you pick it up and use it. We want you to use Gurudeva. I am here to be used.
I am a very practical person. I listen to the Shastris, the Nadi Shastris, the astrologers who said that I can live as long as I wanted. But, I needed a practical example and invited to Kauai Aadheenam two years ago, last year and again this year, a great rishi, Swami Bua Maharaj to celebrate his 112th birthday. He was with us in the United Nations General Assembly for Spiritual Leaders and Religious Leaders, blowing the conch and opening the grand event. At a 112 years of age, He doesn't have to wear glasses, moves around quite freely, teaches yoga and passes on all that He knows to those who are open and ready to receive it.
transcription ends
This is Deepa Param on the left, wife of Jothi Param ( who you saw in the Guru Purnima photos last week) She is standing with Tiruselvi Katir who is holding Deepa's little baby Sandhya. You also met Sandhya last week, but today she has no hair! Having received her head shaving and ear-piercing ceremonies during the Ardra Puja last week.
Today was tour day and brought the usual bright souls on the spiritual path.
Thambynathan Nutanaya is part of the hosting team and has a fun time meeting all the interesting people from around the world. Here he is calculating the total sales cost in our book store for Ann West from Scotland, now living on Kauai. She is coming back for the Sun 1 early morning homa to record the monks chanting Sri Rudram for a special CD she is producing of spiritual sounds.
This is a picture from the front of the publications buildling looking across to the "Pihanakilani trail" which is a pathway that runs along the top of the edge of the "Pali" where the monastery land "drops off" into the valley of the Wailua river far below.
Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaii Islands. Various weathered and beaten lava formations bear witness to the eons ot time that have passed since the hot molten rock erupted from the earth's surface to make these islands. 500 miles away, on the island of Hawaii, the process continues as the "hole" that exists under the island continues to pour forth hot lava to this very day. Over time the upper plates of the earth shift northward and one island is formed, also moving northward. Its base is slowly shifted away from the opening to the earth's core, which continues to bubble away far below, beginning the formation of another, younger island. Speculation has it that at one time the Hawaiian Islands were at the center of the vast continent called Lemuria, and were as such likened to the "Himalayan Mountains" of the ancient continent which comprise a land mass which included South Africa, Southern India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and the west coast of both North and South America. There is a great deal of physical evidence to indicate the unity of this land mass. In the Sierra Nevada Mountains one finds sea shells and sand, as if the Eastern side of California was once the eastern shore of Lemuria.
An eleven acre site in Bangalore, India, where 75 Indian families live and daily carve the sacred white granite edifice of Iraivan Temple which will soon begin to be assembled on the island of Kauai
We continue our "stone chains" documentary with the work of ornamental carver C. Ravi working on another set of 7 rings. This rings are oblong in shape and a different carving method. Again the piece is laid in the sand to absorb the impact of the blows.
A close up view how this set of chain is carved.
He will take another 40 days to complete the chain.
Gurudeva's other monastery in the island country of Mauritius
in the Indian Ocean near South Africa
Here's Krishna Narayanagounden (left) and his family with Sadhaka Jothinatha in front of their home in Bel Air. Krishna's taken several hours off from his work to show the sadhaka and Brahmachari Navind the temple at Clemencia (see yesterday's photos.) Here we are saying goodbye to Krishna and his wife (right), his brother and daughter Kevina (center). Kevina is a past participant in the youth retreats that our swamis organized for several years running. Here she's holding a flyer inviting her and her parents to participate in the Northern European Innersearch with Gurudeva this coming August.
Terry Subramoney is from South Africa and has stopped in Mauritius on his way to Chennai. Terry is an active member of the Siven Kovil in Chatsworth, Durban. He'll also be helping to organize the World Saiva Conference to be held in Mauritius in September of this year. He bought a copy of Merging with Siva to read on the plane to India. See you again in September, Terry!
From Dancing with Siva: "The keynote of karma yoga is seva, religious service given without the least thought of reward, which has the magical effect of softening the ego and bringing forth the soul's innate devotion." These girls, Padmini and Bijamati, learn how fun karma yoga can be. Here they're seen cleaning up leaves from the mandapam garden pathways with their mom, Mrs Amutha Pareatumbee.
Here's Mr and Mrs Mootoosawmy in front of the Ganesha Mandapam. They participated in the Positive Discipline teacher training seminar which was held here recently.
Gurudeva feels we can have 500 teachers giving classes in Mauritius within the next five years. This group, led by Vedapragasen Peruman, is just getting started learning how to teach parents the Positive Discipline way. Go to www.positivediscipline.comto get a facilitators manual or learn more about using Positive Discipline in the home or classroom.
"How to Become A Hindu"! Gurudeva's latest book release is now available Hot Off the Press! Visit the Himalayan Academy Book Store Web Site get the book and read the incredible testimonies of the early pioneers from the west who chose to make a full and complete conversion to Hinduism, legally change both their first and last names to Hindu names, change their lifestyles, sever their formal connections to previous faiths and joyously face the challenges in joining the tribe of the Sanatana Dharma
Visiting Kauai's Hindu Monastery
If you are planning to visit Kauai, please go first to our our visitor's page. Thank you.
Click here for information about Gurudeva's travels. He is presently staying on Kauai and has not immediate travel plans.
And
12 Glorious Days, 8 Enchanting Countries
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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.
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