Sun One Homa was recommenced today. We have a number of pilgrims with us this morning. Bodhinatha is back, presiding over the sacred fire rites.

This morning Bodhinatha gave a discourse…

It was a spontaneous upadesha on a recent lesson of the day… watch for it in the days ahead.

Monks are wrapped in attention…Sadhaka Tejadevanatha

Blessings to start the day

Dasan Mahadevan from California.

Stepping out from the temple, we are greeting with a magnificent vision of Mount Waialeale, with a faint haze in the air, which is “vog” from the smoke of the volcano on the Big Island.

These six bright souls from Chennai are computer engineers and programmers with TATA Consultancy Services and are performing computer services through their company for Hawaiian Airlines on Oahu. Today Karthie, Siva, Prasad, Venkat, Lakshman and Sashish all arrived from Honolulu to attend the morning puja and tour the Iraivan Temple.

Also attending (left) was Siva and Jana Kesavan with their two children, Nathan (age 9) and Meera (age 11). All of our guests were Tamil-speaking and could easily communicate with the silpis who are also from Tamil Nadu.

After returning home there is lots and lots of follow up to do. The post Innersearch mission took Bodhinatha, Palaniswami and Dandapani throughout India and involved many contacts and discussions with people in India who will be collaborating with us in the publications area.

The lady here, Soumya Sivaraman,is the authoress of the remarkable book, “Following the HIndu Moon”–reviewed in the April, 2008, issue of Hinduism Today.

Soumya and her husband are involved in many pro-Hindu activities in India. She came to meet Palaniswami for a couple of hours in Bangalore. She will be working with us on our media initiative to create materials for the mainstream US press and religion editors who need information on Hindu festivals, which are gaining a higher profile in the US as the years go by. She is proud of her son, who “wears a dothi without even being asked.” Father is a great example there.

We continue with photos from our Asian Odyssey. It’s the 16th of January and we have an early start to the 1,000 Lingam river in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The drive takes over an hour to get there.

The group gathers at the base of the hill and Saravananathaswami gives instructions on how to perform ganga sadhana when they reach the 1,000 Lingam river on top of the hill.

Indra Dhaksinamurthi from Boston, USA.

Lucy Soutter from London, UK.

Deva Rajan from California, USA and Ganga Sivanathan from Adelaide, Australia.

Chidambaram Sendan from California listens attentively.

Clive Roberts from the Netherlands.

The group begins the climb crossing a dry river bed.

The climb is not easy by any means and it takes more than an hour to get to the top.

Arumugaswami makes his way up the hill.

At the top our volunteers, Kartikeya Katir, Aubrey Burke and Niraj Thaker hand out flowers to be used in the ganga sadhana process.

Full of smiles and ever ready to help. Thank you for trekking ahead and setting up the flower station!

The ever helpful Babu Chandreswaran assists a few Innersearchers through a narrow and steep part of the climb.

We come across the first set of Lingams. The river served as a water source to an ancient town and the king wanted the water blessed by the Lingams.

Nandi is carved into a big rock.

The group sits along the banks and begin their ganga sadhana.

Circumambulating one of the lingams.

More lingams carved into the rocks.

A nearby cave houses a Siva Lingam and it looks like worship of some form is still going on here.

“The Lost Group” who bravely detoured into the Cambodian jungles before being discovered by the coordinator. Here they proudly pose for a photo.

Puvaneswary Roberts from the Netherlands.

Here she is helping a fellow Innersearcher. We are extremely proud of the entire group for making this very strenuous climb to the top to see Lord Siva. The trip back down was equally strenuous and a bit more hazardous.

We cross this very old and unstable bridge one at a time.

A wonderful vegetarian lunch awaits the group at the Borey Sovanna Khbal Spean restaurant not too far from the base of the hill.

All is quiescent at the Aadheenam. The external intensity of traveling and visitors went on the “in-breath” … Even the wind stopped today… no news from home… monks busy as bees, inside the hive… We bring you more wonderful picture from the innersearch below.

Announcement:

Bodhinatha’s next trip is to Singapore and Malaysia where he will give a second keynote (powerpoint) presentation on our What is Hinduism? book. Go to his travel page to download flyers about these free seminars.

~~~~~~~~~~~
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, Saturday, March 1st.

We continue our retrospective of the 2008 Asian Odyssey. Here we are, still in Cambodia, on the 15th of January (afternoon).

In order to visit the temples we need to get ourselves a 3-day pass. This is the most efficient line in all of Asia. Within a matter of 10 minutes our entire group of 95 have been photographed individually and passes printed.

Back on the bus for our first temple visit.

Giles and his son Oisin Thompson from Kansas. Young Oisin was on that historic 2001 Europe Innersearch with Gurudeva.

The Rulous group of temples are our destination this afternoon.

Some amount of reconstruction work is taking place on these temples.

The base of a Siva lingam still present within the sanctum.

Ancient script found on some of the walls.

A weathered Nandi sits patiently over time in front of the temple.

Our guide gives us some background information on each of the temples we visit.

Aran and Tara Veylan from Edmonton, Canada.

Buddhist monks watch the crowd go by.

Ravi and Sheela Rahavendran with their children Mayuresh and Aarti.

Saraswathi Gowda from Nashville, Tennessee.

Palaniswami and Jeffery Thomas.

After a long day our group is ready for a wonderful dinner.

One of the precious moments on Innersearch, sitting with the satguru during meal times.

Babu Chandreswaran from Sri Lanka celebrates his birthday. We surprise him with a cake.

Bodhinatha presents him with a shawl. Babu is overwhelmed.

A couple small gifts. Happy birthday Babu! It was great having you with us on the trip. Thank you for your ever present smile, enthusiasm and willingness to help.

We had a busy tour day today with 60 visitors in the first group and about 80 in the second a total of 140 souls!

A side view of Iraivan. This is taken from the same location by Paramacharya Palaniswami who has been shooting this view from the under the northwest side Rudraksha trees for several years… giving us a very interesting time lapse view of Iraivan’s development over many years.

Anna Danam (Mass Feeding) Sponsored by Sri Subramuniya Kottam

From time to time, the Sri Subramuniya Kottam of Kopay, Sri Lanka sponsors Anna Danam (Mass Feeding) at the Kottam or in a local temple. These photos are from the recent December feeding at the Kopay Sri Nachchimar Temple.

Kottam volunteers cook and serve the lunch, first offering the food to the Temple Deity, and then later to the devotees.
Hundreds of villagers benefit from these feedings due to the serious food shortage in Jaffna.

Due to the raging civil war, the city of Jaffna has been essentially cut off from the rest of the country. The disruption of travel by road and railway has resulted in a shortage of supplies that has affected all its residents.

Ganesha worship in Mauritius has become synonymous of the Spiritual Park. Devotees have their first Sunday of every month booked for the worship of this great Lord of Dharma in the north of Mauritius. Here are a few photos of the February 2008 Ganesha Homa.

The Kerala style wooden structure Mandapam is always filled to capacity with ladies who come very early in the morning to secure a seat inside.

Everyone happily and devoutly seated near Lord Pancha Mukha Ganapati.

The side behind the huge murthi…

On the right side of the deity…

Allowing enough space for the leading bhajan singers and musicians. Everyone inside sings thus creating a very nice spiritual vibration that attracts and allows inner beings to hover around….

The tent outside too is filled up. Devotees are seen everywhere outside…A few lucky ones are seen in the shades of the mango trees.

Devotees coming down the Ganesha Bridge with their their loving offerings.

The kulapaties officiate the Homa in the large sacred pit. Hundreds of written prayers are sent to the inner worlds.

A view of the crowd outside during the ceremony….

A priest from a Muruga Temple on a hill at Port Louis gives a testimony about how happy he is to see Guudeva’s teachings in action at the Spiritual Park. He recalled how Gurudeva once went up that hill and said a temple was to be built there… now the Temple has been built. He would like stewards of the Spiritual Park to help with religious teachings at this new temple.

Kulapati Siven Koothan giving a Talk on Lord Ganesha…

Many devotees stay standing all through the ceremony, happy and fulfilled…

The ceremony is about the end and arati will be offered to everyone.

Dr. Bundhoo (left) with his wife, also a doctor and his family. They are on their first visit to the Park. They never thought such a fine place of worship could exist here on this part of the island.

Today we bring you photos from the first day of our Innersearch, 15 January 2008. Here we are gathered in the conference room of the Casa Angkor hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia for our orientation meeting.

96 participants from 15 countries came together for this 3-week odyssey.

Bodhinatha welcomes the group and shares some of the material he will be covering in his classes.

We are off on our first excursion, down a bumpy dusty road to the edge of the Tonle sap lake.

3 boats await to take us on a boat ride on this large lake.

We head down a river before it opens up into the lake.

The river banks are filled with floating markets, homes, schools and everything else you would expect to find in a village.

Innersearchers climb to the top of the boat to get a better view.

Shailesh Trivedi from California (on the right) and Dr. Hiranya Gowda to his left.

Jeffery Thomas from Oregon. His first Innersearch.

During our boat ride small motor boats would speed up next to our boat and young children would jump on and off with drinks, snacks and trinkets to sell to the visitors.

This young girl expertly jumps on the speeding boat.

We make a stop at nearby floating market and come across a pool of crocodiles.

A young girl hops to impress us with her snake and earn a couple of dollars while at it.

From the left, Devi Marks from California, Joel Knepp from Ohio and Nilufer Clubwala from New York.

Another boat filled with Innersearchers.

A young boy rows out in a tub in search of a few dollars.

Sheela Rahavendran and her daughter Aarthi from Southern California.

Mark Boyer from New York.

Enjoying a nice vegetarian lunch at the Prum Bayon hotel in Siem Reap. After lunch we explore our first temples in Cambodia. Photos to come tomorrow.

Here is Bodhinatha, actually in Cambodia… at home we are working on processing a huge amount of follow up from the innersearch. Sadhaka Dandapani is hand selecting photos from our of our best cameras that were never shown during the trip.. and will be bringing you a daily retrospective of the Asian Odyssey, this time directly on this TAKA page.

At the Aadheenam it was today the sacred day of Chitra. Our Gurudeva is ever present, we feel him everywhere, as close as our breath and he comes in visions to the monks in their dreams…

After the puja… off to San Marga to see the silpis…

Nature’s wonders along the way…

Climbing up on top of Iraivan we find the silpis at work on the sun shade roof eve stones.

A shot from underneath.

Today’s Innersearch Slide Show Links

Today we finish the series of shows that Paramacharya Palaniswami built on the road. These are two of the really special events of the journey.

Innersearch 2008 at Rameshvaram, Part 3, Sacred 22-Well Bath

Thai Pusam Celebration at Batu Caves, Part II

Note: To see the full-sized images and captions, click on the thumbnails

Today we begin a retrospective on our 2008 Asian Odyssey bringing you some of the choicest photos we did not get to send back while we were on the road.

We start our photo chronicle on 14th Jan 2008 (day before Innersearch begins) in Siem Reap, Cambodia where Bodhinatha and the monks take a helicopter ride to survey and photograph some of the ancient Hindu temples of the Khmer empire.

Our first temple, the world’s largest, Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat’s entrance wall and gopuram.

A close up of the main temple complex.

An ancient Hindu temple…

Another temple within the jungles of Cambodia.

A beautiful Siva Lingam that was located outside a local restaurant.

Taxi service anyone? Locals pile into a truck as it begins to move.

Cambodian children with their ever welcoming smiles.

Tomorrow we begin day one of Innersearch.

Bodhinatha is back, leading our morning Shum meditations and receiving visitors in the Guru Peedam. Palaniswami is focused on some complex follow-up of the 42-day Odyssey and the various teams of publishers, filmmakers and artists they met with along the way. Sadhaka Dandapani is diving back into the Ekadanta Kulam duties and preparing his final reports on the Innersearch for the stewards.

Today’s Post Innersearch Slide Show Link

Bangalore Iraivan Temple Worksite

Note: To see the full-sized images and captions, click on the thumbnails

A large group of visitors arrived yesterday. Far right is Girish Bhat, his wife Srigouri and their two children Nilabh (8 yrs) and Anusha (2 yrs) from Calif. Next to them is Bahadas and Reshan from Canada. Also Drs. Santoish and Rajinder Bahal from Wisconsin. Dr. Raghu’s son, Gopal and his friend Darin Bahl from Connecticut and lastly two young ladies, Kristen Packard and Brande Sager from Arizona who are ardent students of Gurudeva’s trilogy, “Dancing with Siva,” “Living with Siva” and “Merging with Siva.”

Nilabh and Anusha wide awake and ready to go on the people mover.

Today Francesco Garripoli returned with his Bhutanese guests, Jamgoen Rinpoche on the left who is a young 24 year old Buddhist monk who was sent to the West by the King of Bhutan for a period of schooling. He is scheduled to Head three large monasteries in Bhuthan. – With him is his assistant, Lama Hodo.

Jamgoen Rinpoche is amazed at the sacred South Indian granite artistry. Here he holds a handcarved blue-black granite chain which hangs on the east side of the Iraivan Temple.

Lama Hodo and Jamgoen Rinpoche in front of the temple entrance.

Three Hindu couples also joined our morning tour. Ara and Usha from Chennai; Hari and Nithya from Houston, TX; and Ravi and Sudha from Kansas. All expressed their joy to be here and believe this to be one of the most sacred places they have ever visited.

A final group photo of everyone, including Francesco Garripoli (left) who is hosting the monks from Bhutan at the Kahuna Valley Spiritual Center and his friend Kyong-Ho Lee (far right) who acts as interpreter.

This is the last week of February and already it is a very warm 74 degrees.

On the right is Senthilselvi Nanthakumar who happily stated she was named by Siva Yogaswami. She is originally from Jaffna town. With her is Arathi and Pathmini Thiyagaratnam from Colombo, Sri Lanka. They all now live in Vancouver

Michael Borden and Karen Joost are students of Ganapathi Sthapati. They frequently travel back and forth to Chennai from their home in Iowa to be with Ganapathi Sthapati. Michael explained that their work was mostly secular where they build homes, offices and factories all over the world according to the principles of Vastu.

Vyagrapada our Big Blue Macaw Parrot.

Today we bring you a longer show of the raising up of the 16 Kodungai/Sun Shade stones from yesterday… the pictures tell their own story…

Our whole monastic order is home! And Bodhinatha is well and meeting with pilgrims once again.

Here are Gopal and friend Darin visiting from Connecticut. Gopal is the son of our good friend Dr. Raghu who has hosted Bodhinatha at the Hindu Temple of Atlanta.

Another major stone lift occured at Iraivan today. It was marvelous sunny day and a successful operation.

Most of the stones that arrive by container from Bangalore India must wait on site for a while for their final placement. These Kodungai (Sunshade Stones) which form the eves on the outer edge of the roof have been waiting for some time.

After the completion of the beams now the Silpis and the Siddhidata Kulam are gearing up for the installation of the Kodungai stones or the Sun Shades. Due to the unusual shape of the stone we have to do almost 90% of the pre-jointing work on the ground. By doing the work on the ground, we can utilize the forklift to move, flip and rotate the stones.

We are utilizing the temple’s foundation slab as if they were the beams on the temple. A heavy duty bench was build by the Siddhidata Kulam which will serve as the tempory stand for the Kodungai stones. Another plywood platform also build so that the silpis can work comfortably.

Close up

A quick tent was assembled and all the needed Kodungai stones was moved with the forklift in position for the silpis work mark and carve.

Work in progress

Another view

Crocodile stone which will serve as a rain water drain spout. We have six crocodile stones for Iraivan temple.

While the silpis are working on the pre-jointing task the Siddhidata Kulam is busy building scaffolding. It is being built with some heavy duty lumber to stand the weight and pressure. As usual we always build it stonger than it needs to be. The scaffolding and logistics for providing arial work platforms for the silpis is an on-going major seva for our team.

Work in progress

We use the forklift to raise the wooden scaffolding frames

Finished wooden scaffolding with safety handrails and again a bench similar to that which we have down on the ground to help the silpis with the jointing work.

Finally, today Larry Conklin arrived and these kodungai stones were raised to its final resting place after waiting almost two years. They don’t realize that they would be sitting here for more than thousand years!

We placed 16 pieces of kodugai stones today totaling about 65 feet of the roof eves, about 20 meters. For the next few weeks the silpis will be fine tuning and do the final 10% of the jointing.

Kodungai stones before their fine tuning work. Stay tuned for more photos.

Post Innersearch Mission Slide Show Links

Visit to Rajapalayam, Feb 6, 2008

Pillaiyarpatti, Land of Saiva Priesthood, Feb 7, 2008

Note: To see the full-sized images and captions, click on the thumbnails

Stepping back in time to the Innersearch stop over in Kuala Lumpur…

Honoring Swami Guhabhaktananda at a dinner for the Innersearchers sponsored by Dr. Arjunan Subramaniam, pictured to the right of Bodhinatha.

Swamiji talks about his longtime relationship with Kauai Aadheenam

Dr. Arjunan, ardent supporter of Iraivan and Hinduism Today, is presented with a painting of the six Murugan temples in Tamil Nadu.

Honoring Dato Vijay Easwaran

Innersearcher Tatiana celebrates her birthday

Petronas Towers in Malaysia, photographed from a moving bus

After the Innersearch, Arumugaswami and Saravananathaswami traveled to the French Institute at Pondicherry (now Puducherry). Here they meet with Dr. Jean-Pierre Muller (left), director of the French Institute and Dr. Dominic Goodal, head of the Pondicherry Centre of the French School of the Far East and person in charge of the Institute’s vast palm leaf collection.

Professor Abhiraman, one of our hired Agama translators, as dedicated his life to the Saiva Agamas.

He is very knowledgeable and teaches at the Vivekananda College in Chennai.

Bodhinatha is in transit and probably in Taiwan at the moment and will arrive home tomorrow.

We bring you today some “Hindu Solidarity” photos from the consecration of Balagangadharanathaswami’s new temple. Here is Bodhinatha with swami. The silver chair called a “Simhasana” is a give from Kauai Aadheenam to swami for all his years of support. More news in the slide show by Palaniswami.

~~~~~~~~~~~
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 Dvitya Tithi, Sun One, Saturday, February 23rd.

In Madurai with the Madurai Aadheenam Kartar.

Swami Omkarananda, Theni, Tamil Nadu

Swami Pragyananda in New Delhi.

Sri Gopal Charan Maharaj, Delhi

Jeyendrapuri Swami.

Assembly of Natha leaders at the Bellur Mutt.

The young, popular Swami Nithyananda

For more, see the slide show below.

Innersearch Slide Show Links

Temple Consecration at Bellur Mutt, Karnataka

Note: To see the full-sized images and captions, click on the thumbnails

Rajitha Goli with her husband, Charles Johnson, in front of the sacred Swayambhu Lingam on the path of San Marga. Rajitha was previously here with her family; however, this is Charles first visit. Rajitha’s father, Chellam V. Goli, wrote a book “Pebbles on the Seashore of Wisdom” which she and her father are donating to the Aadheenam as a contribution to the Iraivan Temple building project.

Rajitha is a cardiologist who is also assisting mentally disabled people and mentally and physically abused women in a Social Services capacity. Similarly, Charles is a Social Services Administrator who assists Veterans rehabilitate physically and psychologically.

A visiting Hindu family, Rajan and Sugantha Subramanian (both Software Engineers) with their two children in the Banyan Mandapam. They pose in front of a portrait of “Gurudeva” Sivaya Subramuniyaswami and the Kalasha stone that will be placed on the Lotus on top of the Capstone of the Iraivan Temple.

Anand (age 6) and Aarthi (age 4) have just finished exploring the Mini Mela gift shop, as well as stopping briefly to talk to the love birds, as they depart with their parents on their way home to San Diego, Calif.

Here is Bodhinatha at Kailas Ashram. He and Palaniswami and Sadhaka Dandapani are on their way home with stop overs in Singapore and Taipei.

Meanwhile the weather has cleared at the Aadneenam and another spectacular day brought visitors and pilgrims from all parts India and the Mainland. The Kadavul Temple was filled with worshippers this morning and there was a sweet, peaceful, and quiescent energy permeating the entire temple.

All were taken for a tour of the Iraivan Temple. Several families were from Chennai, Andra Pradesh and Bangalore, as well as Nepal and even Mongolia. A bright and happy group with lots of questions.

We continue with retrospectives from the Innersearch and post Innersearch mission activities.

Bangalore Feb 14th: We visit Jeyandrapuriswami’s ashram. Bodhinatha in greeted in the traditional manner.

Jeyandrapuriswami, Trichyswami’s successor and current head of Kailas Ashram greets Bodhinatha then gives him a tour of the ashram showing some on the additions since Bodhinatha’s last visit. Here a statue of his guru, the great Trichy swami.

The powerful Rajarajeswari temple which is in the ashram grounds. A giant raja gopuram is in the process of being built.

Kailash Ashram

Innersearch Slide Show Links

Kerala Innersearch Meditation Classes

Innersearch Farewall Breakfast in Kerala

Note: To see the full-sized images and captions, click on the thumbnails

Turning to the recent Asian Odyssey trip, here are some more photos of various scenes. In this photo from Cambodia, six people are piled into the motorbike.

Cambodia freshwater lake tour–these locals came up alongside our tour boat trying to sell sodas.

A family displays snakes with request for donations

The little girl is very comfortable handling the snakes

Children also come up to our tour boats to sell bananas

Asking for $2 donation

Our young Innersearcher Ruby was a bit concerned about the snake being so close to her, and stayed very still

An unusual fish from the large freshwater lake

At the highly detailed Banteay Srea Siva temple in Cambodia, looking through the doorway at two Innersearchers on the other side.

Banteay Srea

Banteay Srea

Angkor Thom temple

Angkor Thom temple

Tree trunks wrapped around temple walls

A famous spot which was photographed by explorers and first introduced the world to these ancient temples

Innersearchers pass through narrow, dark corridors in the temple

Traffic–large Japanese tour groups squeezed alongside us through the narrow corridors from room to room

One of the beautiful sculptures

Angkor Thom temple

Large trees growing for hundreds of years inside the temple complex

A yogi who lost his head

emerging on the other side of Angkor Thom temple

Angkor Thom temple

content mother and calf nearby

Innersearcher Niraj poses at Angkor Wat temple

Stopping briefly in Kuala Lumpur on the way to Langkawi, our Malaysian devotees graciously offer a packed lunch to all the Innersearchers

preparing for a flight

beautiful rice paddy in Langkawi

To reach a restaurant for lunch in Langkawi, Innersearchers had to cross a lagoon! Great fun

Happy wedding anniversary to Mr and Mrs. Nadanachandran from Australia

Meeting with the always jovial Swami Guhabhaktananda of Divine Life Society at Batu Caves in Malaysia, right after we climbed the steps to reach Lord Murugan’s cave abode for Thai Pusam

It is a quite Sun 3 at the Aadheenam. The new from India is: our team has concluded their activities and are preparing to come home.

Here is Bodhinatha with a sparkler. Color meditation was part of the teachings on this trip… and they come thru vividly in this shot by Markely Boyer.

Innersearch Slide Show Links

Innersearch at the Taj in Kovalam, Kerala

Cultural Show on Kerala’s Indian Ocean shore

Note: To see the full-sized images and captions, click on the thumbnails

Here is Bodhinatha at Swami Pragyanand’s Ashram in Delhi. That portion of the journey is featured in our pictures below.

Meanwhile Bodhinatha is resting in India after some intense events in Bangalore the team will be leaving to return home tomorrow or the next day. He writes:

Thu, Feb 14th, drove to Kailas Ashram after lunch, traditional greetings with garlands, nadaswaram and tavil, chat with Jajendrapuriswami. 5:30 PM to temple for end of one of the pujas, then back to Jayendrapuriswami for some philosophical conversation on Hindu traditions in Karnataka, particularly some advaita writings in the Kannada language which he will send us. He hopes to travel to USA in May.

Fri, Feb 15thWe drove to the new Rajasankara family home and Artha Enterprises compound for the grand tour and some opening ceremonies. A Ganesha homa-puja was done from 4-6 AM before we came. We arrived around ten, participated in first chipping on a Raja Gopuram stone, sharpening of chisels in patarai, cutting of a huge stone with their stone cutting machine, then gave a short talk to the silpis and toured the new house which is in a corner of the new compound. My talk focused on sharing some of the details of Gurudeva’s February 15, 1975 three-fold vision of Lord Siva and how Iraivan is a temple founded on a vision, a unique temple, probably the only one they will work on founded on a vision. Afterwards, Jiva pointed out that the days date was February 15, 2008, making the opening ceremony auspicious in another way. Next was a grand lunch at the Rajasanakara current home on Gangaswami’s property, then off to a nearby hotel, the Golden Palms.

A P.S. from Mauritius I thought you would enjoy, “My mother would like to thank you lots for the beautiful gift for Dharmasala. She went for the Murthi Stapana today. There was many of the church members present and Brahmachari performed a beautiful prayer. During the ceremony, they felt the presence of Gurudeva and Bodhinatha and at the same time, the rays of the sun was reflecting on the Shivalingum which no words can describe. All the devotees there chanted the Aum Namshivaya mantra during the ceremony.
We all thank you for this special and priceless gift.”

— Bodhinatha

Kevin Turner, Yukiko his wife, and their little boy Kailash.

Kevin is a disciple of Sri Yukteswar’s successor whose Center he attended for some time in India. Kevin works for the Monroe Institute which is a Center that conducts many studies in energy fields, consciousness, and meditation. Kevin and Yukiko met with Paramacharya Ceyonswami in the Kadavul Siva Temple following the puja.

Kevin and Yukiko lived in Tokyo, Japan (Yukiko’s home) for many years and have more recently moved to Oahu. Bright little Kailash is becoming fluent in both Japanese and English, and his father is teaching him Chinese too!

Here they pose for a photo in front of Dakshinamurthy.

More news from Delhi where the monks had a very productive visit.

Here is Palaniswami at our Hinduism Today’s correspondent, Rajiv Malik’s home and office where he works tirelessly for Hinduism Today. Rajiv is a wonderful ambassador for Hinduism Today in North India and was tirelessly and detailed in helping to plan out our visit here in Delhi. Thank you Rajiv!

Back at our hotel Palaniswami meets with the Jain brothers who are publishers.

Bodhinatha meets with Anil Gupta and his family. They drove 6 hours down from Haridwar to meet Bodhinatha. Anil is our main supplier of items for our Mini Mela. Here he presents Bodhinatha with a silver conch.

Palaniswami shares some iPhone photos with Anil and his family.

We are off to Swami Pragyananda’s ashram for a visit and he welcomes Bodhinatha with a huge loving hug.

Swamiji presents Bodhinatha with a very rare Siva lingam.

Then he takes us on a tour of his ashram.

Posing for a photo outside of the ashram.

Swamiji and Rajiv share a joyous moment.

On our way back while stopped at a traffic light a young hungry girl came up to our car. So we offered her a full box of candy that we had received as a gift much to her delight.

She joyously waves good bye and thank you as we drive away.

Today’s Innersearch Slide Show Links

Today we move on to the fabled land of Kerala where the innersearch stopped in Cochin for a final series of classes and events.

Kerala Classes and Mural Painter

Hatha Yoga in Kerala

Note: To see the full-sized images and captions, click on the thumbnails