Today at Kauai Aadheenam

Total Surrender, Part One

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Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Satguru Śivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Śiva.

“The yoga of pure devotion is found at the beginning, the middle and the end of the path. Merging with Śiva is more and more a deeply felt experiential reality when the soul gives of itself to Śiva inwardly and outwardly in unabashed devotion. Prapatti truly is the key that unlocks the love needed as merger increases as the years pass by and, as Satguru Yogaswami said, “Love pours forth to melt the very stones.” Bhakti yoga is not an intellectual study. It is a practice. It is also not an emotional experience. It is a devotional experience. There is a difference, which we will come to understand. Bhakti yoga is not a cure-all, nor a means to fast enlightenment. Rather, it is the foundation for enlightenment. It is not a technique. Nor is it a magic mantra. It is a way of life. The transformation that comes from living in the state of bhakti yoga is the softening of the heart. “

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Ganesha Chaturthi Celebrations in Mauritius

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Jai Ganesha!

Ganesha Chaturthi was celebrated with great devotion and enthusiasm at the Spiritual Park in Mauritius. The grand celebration brought together more than 500 devotees to honour Lord Ganesha and seek his blessings. It was a joyous and meaningful occasion for the Hindu community in Mauritius, reflecting a shared spirit of faith, unity and devotion.

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Annual Students’ Prayer at Our Mauritius Spiritual Park

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A report from sishya Rajen Manick:

Here in Mauritius it is the Ganesha Chaturthi fever in the Hindu community of all denominations, usually done in the home and at public beaches for Visarjana immersion.

For many years now, days before the official Ganesha Chaturthi puja, the Saiva Siddhanta Church Mauritius Mission has organized a very special annual Ganesha ceremony for primary, secondary and university students preparing to sit for their end-of-year national and international examinations. This year, as in previous years, the ceremony drew a large flow of devotees, with hundreds of young people attending, accompanied by their supportive parents who travelled from different parts of the island to the Spiritual Park. The large mandapams were filled to capacity as everyone participated in an elaborate homa performed by Sivacharya Devakumar, Sivacharya Kannen Venkatakrishen Kaylassom and Sivacharya  Mootoo. Powerful Vedic mantras, devoutly chanted during the ceremony and carried throughout the property by loudspeakers, created a deeply sacred and uplifting atmosphere.

Following the recitation of a blessing message from Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami several announcements were made for the benefit of the youth. They were encouraged to read Satguru’s book Path to Siva and were also given information on how to enrol in the forthcoming online Saivite courses to be conducted by the local Himalayan Academy catalysts.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, each young participant received a special pouch containing writing materials, vibhuthi and a printed flyer providing information about Lord Ganesha and the Spiritual Park founded by Gurudeva. In this way, everyone returned home not only with Lord Ganesha’s blessings for their forthcoming examinations, but also with a meaningful spiritual souvenir and a simple teaching to carry with them beyond this special day.

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September 2026 Chitra Padapuja

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Jai Gurudeva!

Recently we observed our monthly padapuja to Gurudeva’s tiruvadi in Kadavul Temple. At 6am the monks and devotees arrived to place flowers at Gurudeva’s shrine, chant Sri Rudram and offer milk, honey, sandalwood, incense and more. This day is always a good time to inwardly connect with Gurudeva for blessings and insights.

Aum Namah Śivaya

“Peace is the natural state of the mind. It is there, inside, to be discovered in meditation, maintained through self-control, and then radiated out to others.” – Gurudeva

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Saying Goodbye to Two Giant Sugar Palms

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  • The palm has long, drooping fronds.
  • A shot befor the storm, with two seed clusters left and right and a new one just flowering in the center.
  • A few days later, they are felled by the 90+ mile an hour winds.
  • We will replant and regrow them in the months ahead.
  • When they flower, it is a spectacle, loved by the bees.
  • The green pods open up to reveal the yellow flowers, eich with pollen.
  • A pile of spent flowers, probably 10 gallons in volume for each pod!
  • The flowers before opening. This cluster is 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide.
  • Finally ,the seeds develop looking like large grapes.

Today we say aloha to two amazing trees, mature Sugar Palms (Arenga pinnata) that towered near Rishi from the Himalayas for some 32 years. They were called (by us) “the world’s most overachieving palm tree.” And for good reason, several times a year they would produce massive clusters of seeds, tens of thousands of seeds the size of large grapes. The clusters, sometimes six at once hanging from the trunk, weighed 300 pounds each, or more. No other palm we have produces such abundant seeds, not even close.

They lived a good life, looking down at Rishi’s black granite murti and able to see Bodhinatha’s murti across the pond. A life well lived. Let us all live such that we can say the same, and live with pure detachment so anything can come to us, even calamity, and we will remain centered, unchanged, trusting in Siva’s Dance.

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