Vetri Vel Muruganukku!

Happy Vaikasi Vishakam.

Today was a great day for the monastic order. Satya Subramaniam took his supplicant pledge and became “Sivanadiyar Satya.”

This important ceremony signifies the stage where the young pre-monastic has made a firm decision to follow the monastic path. He is now in a state of “supplication” begging the monastic order to take him into their midst and to become a postulant, or full Sadhaka.

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END OF PHASE
Today is the last day of our phase.
This edition of TAKA will remain posted
over our coming three-day retreat,
until Tritiya Tithi, Sun One, Tuesday, June 13th.

The pledges are Purity and Humility.

Sivanadiyar Satya first discovered Gurudeva’s teachings in Brazil in 1999 when he found Dancing with Siva on the internet and purchased a copy from a bookstore in Australia.

The sacred pledges are repeated aloud and then signed in an official book.

Nearly six years ago, Satya emailed Gurudeva and asked: “Can I become a monk?” Gurudeva replied, “That’s a God question.”

Satya has certainly proved himself. Alone without support in Brazil, he stayed on the path for six years, through all the possible temptations and maya that life might try to throw at any young man. With endless delays for his Visa and challenges in getting his name changed, he faced obstacles that might have turned the head of a lessor man, but Satya stayed on track and now he is home!

Welcome to Sivanadiyar Satya Subramaniam..

Vetri Vel Muruganukku!

A truly beautiful day for the celebration of Vaikasi Visakham which began at 6:00 a.m. this morning. The Darshan emanating from Lord Muruga’s Sanctum was powerful and spiritually uplifting for all. It reminds one of Gurudeva’s saying that “there is nothing Higher than Spiritual Love.”

We will let the pictures tell the story.

A group shot with the silpies after the puja.

Though not a tour day, the temple was very active with guests and pilgrims.

Following the Muruga puja a large group went down to the Bali Hai falls. The sun is very hot these days and it was very cool and welcoming in the shade of the trees and waterfall. We all went back up to the Iraivan Temple where one of the pilgrims acted as an interpreter as the shilpis explained their work on the roof. Some visitors then went down San Marga to Muruga Hill while others visited the Sacred Lingam near Iraivan and also the Narmada Lingam on the path of the Nayanar Saints. More came later for the 9 am Siva puja

Among the guests in the photo: Natalia and Alex Ershov also returned for the morning puja. The lovely Alvappillai family returned with their two sons, Arun and Theepam for the 6:00 a.m. Abishekam to Lord Muruga and came back again for the 9:00 am Siva puja. Garani Nadaraja, daughter of our long time Iraivan supporters Dr Ravi and Gauri Nadaraja arrived for the Siva puja. She is studying at the National Institute of Health and is in her fourth year of medical school. She brought two friends, also medical students, Ahmet Altiner NY University and Lauren Shapiro, Stanford University, School of Medicine.

Bodh and Chitra Kunwar from Danville, California, originally from Assam and Bihar, came to visit on the recommendation of their son, Dr. Sandeep who was here about six months ago.

Naren and Prabha Nayak came with their four-year-old daughter “Maya.”

Here is Logarajah Thambyrajah and his wife Asha Rathina Pandi. Asha is studying for her Ph.D in Sociology at the University of Hawaii. Both are originally from Malaysia.

A short Torch Ginger and Heliconia photo documentary.

This coming retreat is a 3-day retreat, so we will see you all again on Tuesday evening.