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transcription begins

Date: October_02_1998
Topic: Listen to Your Soul
Category:
Duration: 7 min., 1 sec.
Date Given: October 02, 1998

Today at Kauai Aadheenam, October 2. It was a wonderful day at our Bangalore Temple site, where we are carving the Iraivan Temple, completely out of stone, in the old traditional way. Today is a very sacred day when the silpis bless their tools. Silpis are stone carvers and that is the traditional name of their 'jati'. Thousands and thousands of chisels, each lasting 3 or 4 minutes, and then it has to be sharpened again, in the ancient way on a fire.

We are reviving the art of the traditional stone-carvers of India. Actually it is a training school for the young aspirants to come forward and learn. First, how to chip a stone, and in later years, how to carve a flower, then a deity and then a face. It is really a wonderful place. If you are ever in Bangalore, visit. Jiva Rajasankara, his wife, Kanmani and sons, Senthilathiban and Thuraisingam are all there a hundred percent, with all of the silpi carvers, over 75 now. Many have been with us for 7 years, working consistently, a puja every morning, meditation in the evening. It is a veritable ashram. We are so happy with what we are doing.

We are talking right to you, Jiva and Kanmani, right to you. Your celebration included a magic show! A long, long, long applause to Jiva and Kanmani, as to the wonderful work that they are doing, the kindness that they are showing to the workers. We have the first plan in India, for a retirement program and of course, we take care of all the nominal hospital needs and much of the food.

We want to tell you, group of silpis, that we are so proud of what you are doing. We are talking to you, through cyberspace from Kauai Aadheenam to the Bangalore Gallery, where you are scattered around our very small computer there. We hope someone will donate a bigger one. That is a request. We are all beggars here, begging to complete this magnificent project of the Iraivan Temple. The wish-fulfilling Siva Lingam is within it and everybody is blessed. Nobody is denied a blessing.

Have you ever felt that you needed to say, "I am sorry"? Have you ever felt that you needed to say, "I am sorry"? Have you ever felt that you really needed to say, "I am sorry" and were too proud to say, "I am sorry."? Too bashful to say, "I am sorry."? Too resentful to say, "I am sorry"? Yet, you knew you had to say, "I am sorry"? Maybe you said it mentally, but you never let anybody know. Well, you are all bottled up on the inside. Your soul was saying, "Say I am sorry. Settle the matter." You knew you were wrong.

Humble yourself. Humility is a great quality of the soul. Humility is a strength of the soul. Humility is really a siddhi, a power. Our Hindu scriptures say that the wheat and the rice stand tall. But, as the grains develop on the top, the head bows down. It hangs its head, because it is so heavy with nutritious grains. So do the wise bow their head, so heavy with the knowledge of the Sanatana Dharma.

I want you to do something today, if you have been coming to the Aadheenam, our Ashram, at least 3 times, through cyberspace. I want you to go to someone and say, "I am sorry. I made a mistake. I hurt your feelings. I really love you and I didn't mean to do it." Speak to them, speak to their soul. Not to their body, not to their mind, not to their emotions, speak to their soul. As your soul is speaking to their soul, you both move forward in your karma so fast. Say "I am sorry." Don't be too proud. Don't be too shy. Don't ignore those inner feelings of your soul. The still, small voice within you knows what is right. Make that still, small voice loud. Listen to it. It is your soul talking to your intellect, trying to remove all your ignorance.

Well, I will be seeing you tomorrow in our familiar place, looking at our computer screen, PC or Macintosh. We will be together. We like it this way.

This is the sadhana of today. If you don't fulfill it, I will be sorry. You don't want to make me unhappy, do you? So, let your soul shine forth. Make a big advancement in your life. I want you to break through the hard crust of the ego, want you to break through the shyness of the ego. Shyness is only an excuse. You will be able to allow your soul to guide your life and that is called spiritual living.
transcription ends

It was another auspicious homa. Young Girish Samugam (short, in the middle) is nearing end of his stay and will be going back to Singapore to re-enter the world of public school and young peers. He's a bit sad to leave the loving care and ever uplifting environment the monks have created here, but it's time for him to "face the world," as it were and become a young man, stand on his own two feet and think about his life on his own. Later, he will make the decision to be a monastic or get married, from the platform of his own heart without the influence of the monastery all around him. Whatever happens he will have received a great training as a boy that will help him on any path he chooses.

Another young couple just recently married: Toshadeva and Carol Guhan from Catalina Island.

Today we had a very long puja in the temple with a special Nadeswaram and Tavil concert which was followed by the annual "Ganapati Kulam" presentation where pilgrims have the opportunity for a close up look at our international publications operations. Acharya Palaniswami introduces the group in our small editorial building under the mango tree.

Manish Damani and his wife Rashmi and Nissa Damani were also on the tour. Milan Damani, Manish's brother couldn't make it today. Manisha and Milan were born in the US and both their wives are from India. These young couples are the future "breed" of Hindus, struggling to find their way in the cultural plurality into which their destiny has brought them. We felt a special affinity for Manish and Milan, being American Hindus. Sivakatirswami and Sadhaka Dandapani show them around.

Natarajanathaswami introduces everyone to the art work and the process by which we work closely with artists in Chennai and Bali to produce finished pieces that eventually go to press in our magazine, books or will be carved on the Iraivan temple pillars.

Everyone is quite amazed at all the work and activity that is going on around the world that is being coordinated from this small building in the middle of the Pacific. With correspondents all over the world contributing to Hinduism Today, art being designed here and then completed in India, books being printed in the Ukraine, New Delhi, Malaysia, ten people in different locations helping with various aspects of our web sites... and dozens of small projects such as sending photos to the National Wildlife Federation, writing up editorial pieces about the temple for local magazines... you would never know it was all going on if you looked from outside.

A final shot of a very happy group. Ravichandran from Johor Bahru left from the presentations saying:

"It is really incredible what you are all doing for Hinduism and the world from here. I am going back to Malaysia and will tell everyone what you are doing and get them to support this work!"

Gurudeva's spiritual center in the island country of Mauritius
in the Indian Ocean near South Africa

Vanessa Maistry and her friend carefully planned a one day retreat and chose the Spiritual Park to hold it. She later emailed us to share her feelings:

" It is a great pleasure to know that in our small island of Mauritius we have such wonderful places....I thank you a lot . We had a nice retreat . We enjoyed our day's work and we hope that we will be back for a next visit soon.....I would like to thank the whole group which is engaged in the maintenance of this Spiritual Park. On behalf of the Eau Coul�e Sai Centre, we wish you all good luck in the work you have been engaged in.

Thank you. Sai Ram
Vanessa."

The participants of the Eau Coul�e Sai Centre are attentively listening to instructions regarding their day's work. The favorite spot for seminars is always in the mango groves because of its refreshing shade and the beautiful sea view in the background. Other spots of natural beauty exist on the park. The next photo speaks of itself.

Visitors can also enjoy the shades in the newly coming up pine forests at the park. This is one of the rare spots in the island where one can see "bengali" birds during the day. These small brownish grey colored beautiful birds are not seen so much now in Mauritius. They like nature and do not usually breed in highly active human settlements. Your kids would enjoy them... Many scriptures in Hinduism associate birds to lovely devas, divine beings that hover in the atmosphere.

A group of ladies of the local Marathi community led by Mrs. Vidula Babajee, of Coromandel, dropped at the park and were fascinated at the keralan architecture of the Ganesha Mandapam. They wanted to know more about Lord Ganesha and our host read them many answers to their questions from the the very informative and instructive book, Loving Ganesha, which is also on sale at the Mandapam.

Another dynamic youth, Sailendra Lochan of Quatre Bornes brought a bus full of Sai devotees to the park one Sunday evening. They sang such beautiful bhajans at the Ganesha Mandapam that one would have imagined being on a great festival day there.

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