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Date: May_02_2001

Title: Temple Prasadam; The Inner Body of the Soul

Category: Hinduism and Tradition

Duration: 2 min., 22 seconds

Date Given: April 28, 2001

A cyberspace devotee, Radharama, asks about Mahasivaratri prasadam that she received from our temple. What is it made of and can she eat it? Can she share it with others?

Well, prasadam is blessed by the Gods and contains the vibration of the entire ceremony. Yes, you can eat it. Yes, you can share it with others. Of course, non-Hindus wouldn't understand. The vibhuti is made from burnt cow dung, which represents the entire Universe will be ashes one day, when Siva has His Mahapralaya and then begin again.

By applying the vibhuti to your forehead you participate in the ceremony, just as if you were here physically.

A cyberspace devotee by the name of Girish, wonders about the soul and asks all kinds of questions from the Gita and also from the Vedas about the soul..

Girish, it is very, very simple. You are a soul and you are a soul body that has various tools. One tool is an astral body to move on the astral plane. Another tool is the mental body to move on the mental plane and another is the physical body to move in the physical world.

But essentially, you are the soul. You are the observer. You are the motivator of your mental body, of your astral body, of your physical body.

Look to the Vedas. The Vedas came from God, through the Rishis. Bhagavad Gita came from man.
transcription ends

Today was Ganesha Chaturthi and the morning puja, usually to Lord Siva, was performed for Lord Ganesha instead. Later in the afternoon we had a lovely Ganesha Abhishekam... pictures of which will come tomorrow. Happy Birthday Lord Ganesha!

Hindu festivals are celebrated quietly at the Aadheenam as we don't have huge congregations, but they are always profound. Ganesha Chaturthi bring that blissful awareness of the "perfection of the universe" and the sense of "saranam," whiich is the feeling of great protection and security as a child under the watchful care of The Great Elephant God.

Kaleinani Larsen (left), one of our Kauai neighbors, with her friend June Tanoue. Nani wanted June to see the Iraivan Temple site.

June is originally from the Big Island of Hawaii but now lives in
California. She's a network director for the Peacemaker Community, a group
of Zen Buddhist peace activists. www.peacemakercommunity.org

Nani is a Foundation Officer at the Hawaii Community Foundation's office on Kauai. (www.hcf-hawaii.org). She's been involved with the recent creation of the Kauai Aloha Endowment (under the auspices of the Hawaii Community Foundation) which will benefit the island of Kauai. Helping the Kauai Aloha Endowment get started is one of the services that Gurudeva and some of the senior swamis have offered to the community. In this regard, we have gotten to know Nani quite well.

Acharya Palaniswami speaks to the group in Finland. Northern European countries are avid readers of English literature and Gurudeva's books are quite popular in Finland.

One of those "old world" exquisite works of architecture and interior finish... wow!

Finnish songster and player.

Two of the young ladies on our cruise were well trained in Bharata Natyam and they performed for the group.

Gurudeva signs books at the end of the event.

Here we are with the last set of photos from St. Petersburg.

Shrilyn and her daughter Cindy from Pennsylvania.

A few Russian devotees came to meet Gurudeva in St. Petersburg.

Sadasiva with his wife and one-year-old daughter Mushika. Mushika celevbrates her birthday today Aug 20th. Happy Birthday!

Jnana Sivananda

Devika Ajaya

Our wonderful Innersearch group in front of one of St Petersburg's fantastic Churches.

Group photos again. This is a once in a lifetime visit for most of these people.

Shyamadeva Dandapani

More happy innersearchers.

Good bye to the vast and beautiful land of Russia! May she prosper and grow.

MORE UPLIFTING THINGS		One Chance in a Lifetime! Imagine spending 10 days with one of the greatest spiritual leaders of this century. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami personally leads his annual Innersearch Travel Study programs combining the mystical path of Indian spirituality with a superlative retreat and joyous satsang with Hindu communities in far off locations. If you couldn't make it on the European Innersearch now in progress, make your plans today to come with us on an inner and outer voyage to Canada and New England in October 2002! www.innersearch.org
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