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“Devotion in Hinduism is known as bhakti. It is an entire realm of knowledge and practice unto itself, ranging from the child-like wonder of the unknown and the mysterious to the deep reverence which comes with understanding of the esoteric interworkings of the three worlds. Hinduism views existence as composed of three worlds. The First World is the physical universe, the Second World is the subtle astral or mental plane of existence in which the devas, or angels, and spirits live, and the Third World is the spiritual sphere of the Mahadevas, the Deities and the Gods. Hinduism is the harmonious working together of these three worlds. Religion blossoms for the Hindu as he awakens to the existence of the Second and Third Worlds. These inner worlds naturally inspire in man responses of love and devotion and even awe. They are that wonderful.”
–Gurudeva
Bodhinatha is back now and having darshan as usual with the Chandrasekharans, from Chennai.
TRAVEL NEWS! Bodhinatha’s next travel is October 8-12 in San Francisco Bay Area, California. See travel page for more information.
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Click for most recent TAKA page with an Iraivan Temple progress update. |
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The parents actually live in Chennai. They always wanted to come here.
So when they visited their son Shankar on the mainland US, they took the opportunity to come to Kauai Aadheenam.
They are subscribers to Hinduism Today, and also receive the Master Course by email.
Bodhinatha listens intently to their questions.
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami
In Mauritius
More photos from Mauritius. You will forgive us if there is some repetition from photos before, but we have collections coming in from different sources, and sometimes they took similar shots. It is easier just to use them all. Here are Saravanathaswami’s last set from the final days in Mauritius:
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Here, Bodhinatha is meeting Mr. Narainen and family. Narainen was the brainstormer of a plan to develop the former sand quarry next to our Spiritual Park/dharmasala into an eco-tourism waterfront area, which will create jobs for the local community. The Mauritius government has started the work.
Kulapati SK Moorghen receiving vibhuti just after the Mauritius Council on Missions (COM) meeting
Group photo of COM after meeting with Bodhinatha to discuss various facets of our Saiva Siddhanta Church life in Mauritius.
Church sishyas Logadassen, Pakion Vedee and Kirtideva Peruman
Kulapati Souria Kumaren and Kulamata Moilavadee Moorghen, a Church sishya family, with sons Bhaveshan, Shanda Kumaran and Udeyadeva
Bodhinatha meets with Sir Anerood Jugnauth, President of Mauritius. He was Prime Minister for 20 years before power finally changed hands. When he was head of the country in 1991, he met Gurudeva. Today he meets with Gurudeva’s successor.
In the meeting, Bodhinatha and Kulapati Manon Mardemootoo updated him on progress of our Spiritual Park development including the successful Ganesha Chaturti festival held a couple days earlier.
Preparing for photo opportunities at Kulapati Siven Koothen’s home in Chemin Grenier, Mauritius
Kulapati Siven and Kulamata Poospawadee Koothan’s extended family in the south, Chemin Grenier…
Tiru Paramaseeven and Tirumati Maga Devi Canagasaby with daughter Gayavatee and son Dayananda
Tiru Kartikeyen and Tirumati Kannigai Manick family. The couple received samaya diksha from Bodhinatha a few days earlier.
Tirumati Meeravadee Koothan and her husband
Tirumati Jayaluxmee Mooroogen with her husband and children. She received samaya diksha from Bodhinatha a few days earlier.
Mauritius parliament’s Deputy Speaker of the House, The Honorable Minister Prithviraj Putten. He has been a devotee of Gurudeva from the early days when he was still a young man, now in his capacity in the government, he tries his best to put Gurudeva’s teachings and the Tirukural verses into practice in his profession. He came to seek blessings from Bodhinatha to maintain the forces of dharma in politics, which is a challenge at times.
After Mauritius, Bodhinatha stopped in Singapore for one night before the long flight home to Hawaii. This is Changi Point… an unusual experience in the otherwise highly urban environment of Singapore.
Taking a walk on the beautiful Changi Point Beach boardwalk..
And just about ready to fly home…
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transcription begins
Date: January041999
Title: Gurukula Priest Training
Category: Hinduism and Tradition
Duration: 7 min., 29 second
Date Given: January O4, 1999
Given By: Gurudeva
Today at Kauai Aadheenam. This is Gurudeva. This is January 4th, the day before ‘Happy Birthday to me’ day.
Well, this is a very important day because this is an important message to our 75 silpis, expert stone carvers in Bangalore India, at our Iraivan Temple site there and very importantly, six young men from the age eight to twelve, who came from Singapore and Malaysia with their mothers and fathers to enrol in the Vedic-Agamic Gurukulam. This is a training school that has been going from ten to twelve years producing many, many priests who are now serving in temples throughout the world. These young men were dedicated at birth, or better still, at conception to helping me with this wonderful spiritual mission that so many others are helping with and they are going to be trained in this Gurukulam, a school for training priests in Bangalore.
Under the loving guidance and protection of Sri Sri Sri Tiruchiswami Maharaj and his entourage of Swamis, his other Swamis and many, many helpers, these boys are going to be well-trained in five languages. Karnataka language Kannada, Tamil language, Sanskrit, English of course, and Hindi. They will be trained to become a priest in any temple throughout the world but most importantly, they will be the priests of the beautiful Iraivan temple, the first ever stone temple brought from India to the United States of America and nestled in on this beautiful garden Island of Kauai. They will become the priests. Some will become ministers of the religion, known as Swamis and others will become married men, most probably and run a Gurukulam or priest training school right on this island to train priests, as we have been doing occasionally. Like, we trained the priests for Fiji temples and we trained another priest who is serving in Vancouver, Canada. They will train young men here on Kauai, say fifteen years from now. We plan ahead. We look way ahead. It is a five-year course of training and if they do very, very well, they will also get another certificate from Mysore University.
Also, ‘Hinduism Today’ is being interviewed today by our correspondent reporter, Choodie Sivaram. We are interviewing the Prime Minister of India who is visiting Bangalore today, and we are talking to him about backing up the proposal of teaching Hinduism in the schools throughout the entire country of India. Christianity is taught in schools. Islam is taught in schools. Hinduism is not, at this particular time when it is most needed.
Now my message to the silpis, the tireless stone-carvers who are creating this beautiful Iraivan Temple. Surely, you all will have a wonderful birth in your next life; for being so loyal, year after year after year after year. Some of us have been working together about five or six years, one stone after another. The temple is half-finished now and you are to be praised. You are running a training school for other young men to become professional artisans in this ancient art, which we are keeping alive by building this temple. We hope beyond hope, that there will be stone temples coming out of India in Europe, and Australia, New Zealand, many of the countries of the world, where art like this that you all are doing, has never been seen before. You are to be praised and we praise you on this most auspicious day, Gurudeva’s seventy-third Jayanthi, which is his ‘birthday’. We bless each and everyone of you and your families. Also Sri Sri Sri Balagangadaranathaswami Maharaj, who has so generously made available 11 acres of land for us to build a village, with water, electricity, a retirement program, medical benefits, religious services daily and a happy life for each and everyone of you.
If we can do more, please let us know. We are here to help you, each and every one of you silpis, expert stone-carvers, as you are helping the world by creating an edifice for Lord Siva, who is timeless, formless, spaceless, who is all-pervasive and pervades the Universe as energy, prana and also is a personal God, with a human-like form that has been seen in visions by mystics and depicted more than often by artists in paintings and sculpture.
So, carry on with your work under the skillful guidance of Jiva Rajashankara, his lovely wife and two sons. We praise you, we bless you, and we wish you well on your way. Let’s finish up this temple and bring it to the Garden Island of Kauai. It will take over one hundred containers. Each container will be sponsored by an extended family in one country or another throughout the world.
Aum Namah Sivaya, everyone. Think of us tomorrow, and our Ashram doors are open again tomorrow and we will tell you what happened on this beautiful Jayanthi day.
transcription ends
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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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1. SIGN OUR GUESTBOOK and receive a FREE GIFT |
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| 2. Newest Book: DANCING WITH SIVA — Pocketbook | ||
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3. Visiting KAUAI’S HINDU MONASTERY |
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4. Contribute to THANK YOU, GURUDEVA FUND |
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From Our Gurus' Teachings
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