Today is Sun Six, the last day of a long and very productive phase. Bodhinatha has completed the work on the 12 “Mamsane” comprising a set of Shum meditations for each month. The booklet will go into production now for use by his sishya.

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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 two-day retreat,
until Dasami Tithi, Sun One, Tuesday, March 13th.

Today we share more pictures of Sivayogapathy who is the son of one of Siva Yogaswami’s closest devotees.

In the early years after Yogaswami began guiding devotees, satsangs were held in people’s homes. In 1950, Yogaswami instructed Thillaiambalam, Sivayogapathy’s father, to purchase land and build the Sivathondan Niliyam.

Sivayogapathy, when asked what teaching in particular did you receive from Yogaswami, said that what was taught, in so many unspoken ways, was the spirit of service, karma yoga, Sivathondu. He observed that among the devotees, from wealthy, high-class ladies, professionals and dignitaries all the way to the poorest devotees, Yogaswami instilled in everyone the spirit of selfless service. The dedication of their time, money and energy in so many ways to feed the poor, conduct the traditional Hindu festivals and take care of each other.

We bring you a 10 minute excerpt from the hour-long interview in which Sivayogapathy shared his life and times with the great sage of Jaffna.

Another unusual project is underway which is granite carvings of the line of gurus. In order to give the sculptor a good image we will be taking pictures of Bodhinatha from various vantage points.

Task Forcer Robin Jesse has been commissioned to serve as a model to check the lighting in the Gurupeedam from different angles.

Brahmacharini Shama Kumaran hosted Sachiko Kasahara who is here for four days visiting. She lives just outside Tokyo and heard about the sacred all white granite hand-carved Hindu Temple.

Sachiko did not believe the turquoise jade was real and had to touch it to be sure it was.

The lion pillars with the carved ball inside the mouth, “was it put there?” some ask.

Iraivan’s Inner Sanctum which will be lit up using optic fiber and the rays of the sun.

Sachiko beside a pillar with the carved image of Siva Nataraja, the Primal Soul, representing God Siva’s five powers of creation, preservation, dissolution, concealing grace of Tirodhana Shakti, and revealing grace of Anugraha Shakti.