Gurudeva with an image of Lord Ganesha that has been blessed and is ready to go off to be the first worshipped deity at some small temple somewhere on planet Earth. Most were much larger than this.

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Innersearcher Rakesh Chandranatha from Colorado was an inspiration for what he had done: studied Gurudeva’s teachings, completed his conversion studies on his own as described in How To Become a Hindu, then proceeded to have his Namakarana and change his name. Congratulations to Rakesh for joining the global family of Saivite Hindus!

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Today is the last day of a six-day phase.
And we have a three-day retreat.
This edition of TAKA will remain posted until
Dasama Tithi, Sun 1,
the first day of our Spring Sadhu Paksha
Tuesday, March 30th.

Bodhinatha’s next journey is brief, on the weekend of April 3-4 in the San Francisco Bay Area of northern California. He will visit with Saiva Siddhanta Church members and Himalayan Academy Students.

Click for most recent TAKA page with an Iraivan Temple progress update.

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Venita Katir dances in Kadavul before Lord Nataraja and Gurudeva.

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This dance before the Lord in a temple is part of the traditional completion of her training.

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We want to congratulate Venita for all the hard work and dedication to this art. She certainly has become an accomplished dancer.

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The Sivamani family and friends meet with Bodhinatha

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Vibhuti…

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Kulamata Asha Alahan and daughter Darshani Alahan were another great addition to our Innersearch team. Asha and her husband Adi have been with Gurudeva for over 30 years and Darshani was born a Hindu….this was Darshani’s first trip to India and she did super well transiting from California to Bharat!

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We had a huge crowd of guests today who braved the rains…

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The Kauai Guide book’s little write up on the monastery was, interestingly, the spark for every visitor today.

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Bharath Tolappa visited with his mother, Revathi Srisailam, today.
Originally from Tamil Nadu they now live in Chicago. Barath was here 2 years
ago with his family but this time he came only with his mother – a surprise
1 week vacation for her on Kauai. They also had a nice meeting with
Bodhinatha.

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The Sivamani family who is here on pilgrimage with Easan and Sundari Katir had the grand tour of the publications facility…. they enjoyed the presentation especially as several of them are involved in HT work. They enjoyed meeting Arumugaswami and explained how when they were in India at a library, Hinduism Today was in huge demand, in fact people were in line to read the current issue.

Being into programming they enjoyed seeing how we had built our own software to do these TAKA pages.

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Easan with Sannyasin Saravananathaswami… he will be staying on Task Force for a few days after the pilgrims all return to California.

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Here is some more incredible seva being done for Iraivan Fund raising… Damara Shanmugam in San Diego has a sewing machine that she can program…. Sannyasin Natarajnathaswami sent her a CD with artwork that is carved on the pillars of Iraivan… these hanging tapestries are the result… to be sold to help Iraivan fund raising… she writes:

“It is sewn on silk shantung fabric with silk thread. Sewing is done right through 3 layers; top silk layer, batting (the padding used in making quilts), and backing fabric. It is hard to see in the picture but the 3-D effect is stunning. Looks almost like it was carved!”

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“I scan a drawing into an embroidery program. Then sit with a greatly magnified section of that drawn image and with my mouse I actually create a sewing program for each design. Where I click the mouse for the first time is where my sewing machine will eventually take the first stitch. With each click of the mouse, each successive stitch is planned. It actually takes about 5, 000 mouse clicks for every 6, 000 stitches sewn. I can click on the beginning of a straight line, then on the end of that line and the program will fill in the rest of the stitches. However for any curves, each and every stitch must be placed with individual mouse clicks. Most of the designs are mostly curves. After the design has been digitized and saved, I then hoop the stabilized fabric, attach the hoop to my Bernina 180 sewing machine and download the design. The machine then sews each and every stitch in the exact order I told it to.
“The Aadheenam logo Shiva Nataraja design on the canvas bags (sent to the Mini Mela to sell for Iraivan) took 7 1/2 hours (in one sitting) to digitize and contains over 17, 000 stitches but the detail is remarkable and 99% true to the original drawing. ”

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	Himalayan Academy Travel Study Programs
	Images from the Recent 2004 Indian Odyssey January 19, 2004 – February 5, 2004 Bangalore, Madurai, Tanjavur, Chennai and Nearby Temples: Palani Hills, Pillaiyarpatti, Chidambaram, Swamimalai, Kanchi and others

The joyful faces of children are always uplifting. Here at the Bangalore work site, these boys were captivated by the swami with the computer who could show them a movie from his lap top about the far away land of Kauai.

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Posing for the camera and also looking at the camera itself… wow, cool!

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Lunch somewhere in India….

And now we bring you some testimony from one of the Innersearchers who share their insights on returning home:

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Lord Siva and Gurudeva have been quietly responsible for a great number of the wonderful experiences the Innersearchers have had. I for one cannot forget the wonderful experiences at Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple amongst yet others. As I alighted from the coach at the East Tower on the first day, Friday 23rd Jan I purchased a very substantial length of very fragrant Jasmine garland and was hoping the Goddess would accept and had to look for a priest who would oblige and, no sooner had this desire surfaced, a priest was near at hand, and I was overwhelmed when I was able to get a good view and he wrapped the entire length on HER Crown! I was so moved to tears. On the next day I purchased a rich Saree for the Goddess, as my dear husband and I have done on previous occasions and did not who I could find to take to her and as I neared the North Tower along came an elderly priest who agreed to do so and also do a Kum Kum Archanai, of course I did reward him adequately, for to make him would also be to gladden Mother Meenakshi whom he serves and while I was seated in her presence for substantial time while she was adorned and the Kum Kum was offered, I noted a devotee singing off a book a long song of praise that I sing daily in my prayer! Such is her kindness perhaps to say “I Hear you daughter everyday”

The Abhishekam and Shanmuga Archana at Thiruparam Kun ram was soul stirring. Although I stood on the side while most inner Searchers were seated in the centre, I was so moved by the serenity of the occasion, and I was also able to give the sachet of Saffron Flower I had brought from the U. K to be added to the Milk for the Abhishekam, whilst singing to myself stanzas of Skandar Anupoothy and Alankaram I felt the warmth in my heart that spilt over as tears. The Lord in his resplendence could not have done otherwise. The presence of Bodhinatha and revered Sannyasis contributed considerably to the serenity of the occasion. As the old man came in with the peacock feather fan and each of us had been given fans, and we fanned others within our reach, I had taken out some money to give the old man, but as I noted many inner Searchers were offering him money, I noted a little boy standing near me, whoaappeared to somewhat needy, I decided I will give him, and a fleeting thought in my mind to the effect that this could be BALA MURUGAN (Young Murugan)himself. Sometime after I had given him, something made me to inquire from him what his name was, and to my utter surprise, and perhaps expectation he said “BALA MURUGAN”!The ways of the Lord are beyond Comprehension.

The fabulous Homam and Abhishekam done at Sri Brihadisvarar Temple in Tanjavur were soul stirring, The cascading of Honey and milk, and Panchamirtham along the height of the Majestic Sivalingam reached only from elevated platforms, was such a celestial experience and the large quantity of pristine white Vibhoothi that created such felicity in our hearts. The beautiful festoons of flower garlands and depiction of the Lords Eyes including the third and the Sun and the Moon so elegantly was totally out of this world. I noted even more the outermost thick Garland in Crimson and Yellow Crysanthemums in alternating segments, hanging regally from the summit of the Sivalingam, as this was exactly a reminder of the garlands I make when I go to the temple in London, my dear husband buys the flowers in quantity, and it is a wonderful feeling to make these standing with CDs of Thevarams and Slokas playing, and the unique feeling, that the deity one intends it for, somehow makes room by having the old one removed, although the priest may not know one is coming, but they believe one would come! As we were leaving the outer fringes of Thanjavur, I spotted a very tall Sivalingam beside a railway line and seen over the tops of fairly tall trees, so much as to say goodbye to the Sannyasis and the Inner Searchers! In fact Our Bodhinatha was in our coach and I remember drawing his attention to the Sivalingam with its resplendent three stripes of Vibhoothi. It was such an eventful and wonderful pilgrimage with many more experiences and I have no doubt many Innersearchers would have had as many or more.

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MORE UPLIFTING THINGS		Color Trilogy Complete! We are happy to announce that the new edition of the enormously popular Dancing with Siva is now available in hard back with all new color artwork. It’s truly an amazing and beautiful work, with more art than any of the collection. This completes the fulfillment of the vision that Gurudeva had of his Master Course Trilogy being produced in full color. In addition, Bodhinatha is taking pro-active steps to bring Gurudeva’s teachings out in a new forms that can be broadly disseminated in the mass mind. With this in mind we, are also pleased to announce that the Dancing with Siva pocketbook is also available. Keep the three-pound book in your shrine room, and take the little one with you on the airplane or subway! How little? It’s just 3″ by 4.5″ — truly pocket-sized, and just over half an inch thick. Yet it is a full 375 pages, containing ALL of the 155 sutras. Available now at our online store. The complete Trilogy is being offered at a discount.
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