Blog Archives

Be surprised! No new audio today.
Take this opportunity for an adventure.
Close your eyes and click to get a message
picked at random from our vast audio archives

Click to send Gurudeva a spiritual question he will later answer for all to benefit.

transcription begins

Date: September_23_1998
Topic: Give, Make a difference
Category:
Duration: 7 min., 48 sec.
Date Given: September 23, 1998

Today at Kauai Aadheenam, September 23. It is a beautiful, sunny day. Yesterday, we had a havan, a beautiful homa in the Kadavul Hindu Temple. All the devotees, who live on the island, were all there. The youngest was about 6 years old. We invoked Lord Hanuman, to carry Iraivan Temple to the Garden Island of Kauai. Only He is the strongest God, closest to the physical plane who can do this momentous task.

We had some beautiful visitors, too. Mr. and Mrs. Krishnaswami and family. Sixteen years, they have been lifetime subscribers to 'Hinduism Today'. They read every word, have great compliments. "I mean, this is better than 'The National Geographic'." I thought that was really wonderful. "There is nothing like it," they said, full of praise.

Well, we have to take praise and blame, equally. One follows the other, the next one follows the other and that is the life in this bhuloka. 'Bhu' is kind-of scary. But, it is a word, bhuloka. Why do they call it that?

Everyday, including today, I talked from 12:00 to 12:30 to the 'young men' here at Kauai Aadheenam. 'Young men' means they are 17, 18, 19 years of age and they are here for 6 months. During those 6 months, they learn Saiva Atmartha Puja, about the Vedas, the Yajurveda and the other 3, Rig and all. They get a good foundation for their future, which would be one of two ways. These are young men, who are born in Saiva Siddhanta Church. I held them in my arms when they were babies and now, they are much too big for that. They will make up their minds, months after they leave after 6 months of being here, as to which of the two paths they will follow. Either that of the householder or that of the sannyasi. Most choose the householder path and we arrange a nice marriage for them, with girls who are also born within Saiva Siddhanta Church. How does this happen?

In 1999, we celebrate for an entire year, our 50th Anniversary. 50 years of bringing the best of the East to the West. Of course, the best of that is culture, art, music, song and dance.

I hope you enjoyed my little song. I am not really very good at singing. But, I have been practicing 'I will be seeing you'. It is a theme song now. But, before we do the theme song, let us talk about something that you can do to make a difference in your community.

You can smile. That is one thing you can do. Keep a smile on your face. You can show appreciation and say, 'Thank you". For every little thing that comes your way, show appreciation. That makes the other person feel good. Now, philosophically you know that everything that comes your way, good and bad, is because you put that into motion in a past life. There is one language in India, where they have no word for 'Thank you". Everybody assumes that they are getting back what they, at one time or another, gave out. But, this is today. This is 'Hinduism Today'. We have to show appreciation. We have to be grateful to make the pranas flow properly. We have to do that. That is how you can make a difference. Smile and whenever possible, say "Thank you."

Another way you can make a difference is to give. Give little things. Just give. Be helpful. Never leave a room unless you improve that room. That is an unseen gift that will be appreciated by others, who enter the room at some future time. There are many little things that you can give, physical things, I mean, and little things you can do that don't cost anything. Just a little bit of extra energy, that is all it costs. That extra energy that you put out feeds back to you, keeps you happy. That 'Thank you' feeds back to you and keeps you happy. That smile feeds back to you and keeps you happy. There are a lot of lonely people in the world today. You can make them happy, giving, giving appreciation, smiling and having a positive affirmation in your mind that you are alright, right now.

I am seeing you
in all our old familiar places
that this heart of ours embraces
all day through
in Chennai
in our cyberspace cafe
in our hi-tech way
our internet highways
under the banyan tree
I see your reflection
on the waters in the well
and if you get too far away
out there is another guru
Vishwaguru Maharaj
that will keep you
so entertained, so educated
that you will want
to rush back home
to Gurudeva

He is the world, the world is the Guru. He teaches learning through experiences of making mistakes and correcting yourself.

We follow dharma. The corrections in our great scriptures are always made clear to us, of how to live. So, we have learned from other people's mistakes, what not to do. They have made it very clear in the 'Thirukural' and the Vedas, how we must live, have a happy life and a good birth next time around.

So, I'm looking for you
I will find you in the morning sun
and when Siva's moon is new
I am looking into cyberspace
right now
and I am seeing you
in this darshan

Our darshan session is wonderful. We'll see you tomorrow. A big hug and a lot of love.
transcription ends

Sannyasins Sivakatirswami and Guhanathaswami wrapping up the final task before the book left: to make a complete photo copy of the entire manuscript.

Nearly two-and-a-half years of work, drawing together another amazing compilation of Gurudeva teachings on the practical aspects of life is here distilled onto 11 CD's containing about 7 Gigabytes of data comprising Quark Express page files and tons of artwork in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop eps files.

Everything into the box ready to ship. Here is a sneak previow of the book's Table of Contents. (please excust the Diacritical Marks which are not here translated to the standard ISO character set.)

Dedication�
Author's Introduction�xiii
The Master Course�� xix
Hindu Family Life�Hindu Grihastha Dharma� xxv
Part ONE: Dancing Joyously
chapter page
1 See God Everywhere 3
2 Noninjury and Truthfulness 17
3 Nonstealing and Other Virtues 29
4 Compassion, Honesty and Diet 43
5 Purity and Remorse 55
6 Contentment and Giving 69
7 Faith and Worship 81
8 Scriptural Study and Cognition 95
9 Vows, Incantation and Austerity 109
10 Celibacy and Fidelity 121
11 Physical, Mental, Emotional Foods 133
12 Chemical Chaos 145
13 Discipline for Self-Transformation 157
14 The Meditator 171
15 Obstacles to Meditation 183
16 Harnessing Willpower 195
17 Life Is Meant to Be Lived Joyously 207
18 The Power of Penance 221
Part two: Living Dharmically
19 The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Rules the World 239
20 Her Power, Her Domain 251
21 Marriage and Family Life 263
22 Family Togetherness 275
23 The Wisdom of Early Marriage 289
24 Modern Matchmakers 303
25 Divorce and Abuse 315
26 Bringing Up Children 327
27 Positive Discipline 339
28 Teenage Trials 353
29 Language that Hurts 367
30 Bribery and Bad Money 381
31 What about Computers? 393
32 Adultery and Pornography 405
33 Birth, Abortion and Suicide 417
34 Old and Gray 429
35 Beyond Death, Astral Life 443
Part three: Merging Courageously
36 The Joys of Hinduism 461
37 Duty and Destiny 473
38 The Wheel of Karma 487
39 To Do No Harm 499
40 War and Peace 513
41 The Power Called Forgiveness 527
42 Nurture Gratitude, Be Considerate 539
43 Zero Tolerance for Disharmony 553
44 Why We Need Religion 567
45 Palaces of the Gods 579
46 Sending Prayers to the Gods 591
47 The Spirit of the Guru 603
48 S�iva's Monastics 617
49 Passing On Our Heritage 631
50 Saivite Culture 645
51 Hindu Solidarity 659
52 Stand Strong for Hinduism 675

Part FOUR: Hinduism's Nandinatha Sutras
Introduction 693
Section 1: Right Living
s�tras page
1-5 The Purpose of Life 698
6-10 Facing Life's Challenges 699
11-15 Yoga in Action 700
16-20 The True Values of Life 701
21-25 Spiritual Disciplines 702
26-30 Personal Disciplines 703
31-35 The Nature of God 704
36-40 The Nature of Souls and World 705
41-45 Evil and Expressions of Faith 706
Section 2: Ethics
46-50 Yamas: Ten Classical Restraints 710
51-55 Niyamas: Ten Classical Observances 711
56-60 Ahi�s�, the Foremost Discipline 712
61-65 Regrettable Exceptions to Ahimsa 713
66-70 Reverence for the Environment 714
71-75 Self-Control 715
76-80 Worldly Activities 716
Section 3: The Family Path
81-85 Instructions for Men 720
86-90 Instructions for Husbands 721
91-95 Instructions for Women 722
96-100 Instructions for Wives 723
101-105 Instructions for the Widowed 724
106-110 Instructions for the Unmarried 725
111-115 Arranging Marriages 726
116-120 Sustaining Marriages 727
121-125 About Divorce 728
126-130 Hospitality 729
131-135 Household Ethics 730
136-140 Raising Worthy Children 731
141-145 Preserving Family Unity 732
146-150 Preparing Youth for Adult Life 733
151-155 Duties of Young Adults 734
156-160 About Wealth 735
161-165 God's Money 736
166-170 Guidelines for Business 737
171-175 Politics and Vocation 738
176-180 Edicts for Parliamentarians 739
181-185 Edicts for Scientists 740
Section 4: Personal Life
186-190 Diet and Food 744
191-195 Health and Exercise 745
196-200 Tobacco and Drugs 746
201-205 Alcohol 747
206-210 The Four Stages of Life 748
211-215 Approaching Death 749
216-220 Death's Aftermath 750
Section 5: Spiritual Interaction
221-225 Respect for Saints and Dignitaries 754
226-230 Social Injunctions 755
231-235 Interfaith Harmony 756
236-240 Avoiding Alien Influences 757
241-245 Devotion to the Satguru 758
246-250 Working with the Satguru 759
251-255 In the Satguru's Presence 760
Section 6: Religious Culture
256-260 Temples and Priesthood 764
261-265 Weekly Gatherings 765
266-270 New Members 766
271-275 Coming Home to �aivism 767
276-280 Detractors and Adversaries 768
281-285 Raising Sons for the Monastery 769
286-290 Sacred Scriptures 770
291-295 Temple Worship 771
296-300 Symbols, Mantras and Names 772
301-305 Cultural Accomplishments 773
306-310 Spiritual Study 774
311-315 Occultism 775
Section 7: The Monastic Path
316-320 Monastic Holy Orders 778
321-325 Monastic Mission 779
326-330 Monastic Spirit 780
331-335 Monastic Attitudes 781
336-340 Monastic Restrictions 782
341-345 Monastic Personal Care 783
346-350 Monastic Travel and Retreat 784
351-355 Monastics and the World 785
356-360 Instructions for Sw�m�s 786
361-365 Instructions for �ch�ryas 787
Resources
Hatha Yoga 791
Religion's Dues 819

Conclusion� 843
Glossary� � 851
Sanskrit Pronunciation� a 901
Index� 903
Scriptural Bibliography���str�ya Sandarbhagranthas�ch� 923
Index of Inspired Talks�Preraka V�rt�nukrama�� 925
Colophon�Antyavachanam 933

The box is placed at the feet of Lord Nataraja in our temple for a blessing before being carted off to DHL.

We will share here a review from one of the few great Mahatmas of our age.

=========

"Swami Chidananda Saraswati
President of the Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, India

All the Hindus of our global Hindu brotherhood are verily indebted to Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami for his super compendium of Hinduism so carefully compiled, classified, carefully arranged, edited and published by this great soul, Mahatma, and lover of Hinduism and the sincere followers of Hinduism all over the world. Today it can be unhesitatingly proclaimed that he is a genius of Hinduism. He has put millions under a deep debt of gratitude by his unprecedented literary work. This marvelous practical guidebook for all modern Hindus is a stupendous task undertaken by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami as a labor of love. It is a most comprehensive and almost complete summary. True, books have been produced to present to the public with the knowledge of our religion, but most of them have been limited in their scope.

This present second edition of Living with Siva is a super publication which will doubtlessly girdle the globe. Once upon a time the saying that was current declared, "The sun never sets upon the British Empire." Even so, the light of Hinduism will never stop shining all over the world as long as this great book remains in circulation. The very praiseworthy feature of this book from the Hindu Monastery of Kauai is the interesting way it has been presented in four parts and in the form of 365 lessons for a systematic perusal which makes for easy reading. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami has broken new ground and become a pioneer in the field of religious and socio-cultural literature, even as Sir Edmund Hillary and the renowned Sherpa Tensing Norkay in the field of mountaineering and scaling of unscaled peaks. Nevertheless, inspite of the greatness of this achievement, it is inspiring to note his great humility as a chela, or disciple, of his worshipful guru, Satguru His Holiness Sri Siva Yogaswami of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, who was a living guru even till the year 1963 when he attained mahasamadhi. [continued below]

The box is blessed with vibhuti which will "shine" in the astral world and allow the devas to keep track of the package and follow it to Malaysia.

[Swami's comments continued:]

"What greatly enhances the value of Living with Siva is that its pages do not merely constitute a learned dissertation upon a subject, but rather they address themselves to the reader, i.e. the devout religious minded Hindu individual living his life in the framework of Hindu society as well as human society as a whole and carrying on his daily duties and activities as a brahmachari, or a grihastha, or a retired vanaprasthi, or as a monastic sannyasin even, in the true spirit of Saivism and of Hinduism. The ideals of all four of these stages, or ashrams, just mentioned are brought and presented in a nice manner so as to constitute a guideline for the individual reader to live up to it.

I warmly congratulate revered Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami for this gift of his to 21st century mankind and wish the book the widest possible circulation that it richly deserves. May God bless you. Aum Namah Sivaya.

The warm summer has allowed our Siddhidata Kulam to undertake a lot of beautification with a focus on flowers at the temple.

The ever classy and elegant antherium.

The Remarkable Vision

Iraivan Temple Progress Update

Join this historic undertaking. Please contribute generously. Sponsor a stone today! Monthly Report Sponsor a stone Iraivan Wonders

Progress continues daily. Here we have one of the silpis working on a high spot...

Here he is smoothing out a joint, making where the two stones meet absolutely flush.

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