Bodhinatha watches the morning Arati ceremonies at Gurudeva shrine. The devotees have covered him in garlands.

The second day ceremonies and events begin in the morning with arati at Gurudeva’s shrine.

The songs of Yogaswami to his Guru were often addressed to “the one who lived at Nallur” So, when we hear or read those songs we often think of “the one who lived on Kauai.” Yogaswami sang this song, in playful refrain of children tossing a ball as they sang:

TOSS AND LET GO

That which is Formless assumed the form of Guru
At Nallur to shower His Grace–Toss the ball and chime
That Siva is the Self, Toss and let go.

He cut asunder the cluster of desires
Praise the Peerless One and toss the ball and chime
That there’s no birth nor death, toss and let go.

That He is or is not, none can tell,
But He did come to Nallur, so toss the ball and chime
That I am He–Toss and let go.

He o’er-powered and made me His at Nallur
And succoured me–Toss the ball and chime
He’s the ocean of grace–Toss and let go.

Freed from delusion, they who bide by His will
Enjoy limitless bliss–Toss the ball and chime
That desire hath no charm–Toss and let go.

He who has no fixed abode nor name, came
Of his own accord to entice me–Toss the ball and chime
That sorrows have fled–Toss and let go.

The Supreme Being who pervades the whole world,
He came to Nallur–Toss the ball for thus
Said He, ‘that we know not’–Toss and let go.

He cannot be eulogised in definite script,
He’s acclaimed as Guru in this land–Toss the ball
That we lack nothing–Toss and let go.

He’s the lord who can subdue my senses five.
The beloved of Nallur also is he–Toss the ball
That doubts there are none–Toss and let go.

Sublime is He and full of sweetness
Is this sage of Nallur–Toss the ball and chime
That anxiety is dispelled–Toss and let go.

He who is the essence of the mystic Aum
Hast eradicated the I-ness–Toss the ball and chime
That delusion’s spell is over–Toss and let go.

Incomprehensible to the envious, He showers
The bequest of Grace, Toss the ball and chime
That He is Guru-Chellappa–Toss and let go.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Following the ceremonies the monks chanted for the members and later in the morning Bodhinatha gave a seminar and then everyone watched one of his DVD’s on awareness and spiritual practice. Below is a video of some of these events. Of course, early morning is very dark in the temple from a camera’s point of view!

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And in the aftermath… we have the joyful satsang with devotees. Tandu Sivanathan on the left had his Vishesha Diksha initiation yesterday.

And below we bring you the video from yesterday’s homa. We are presently doing a lot of work on refining our video delivery systems and creation. Note today’s video has a “real” sound track!

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[If you are not able to see this video please email studyhall@hindu.org with details. We appreciate your feedback.]

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It is a rare time for the devotees to get to spend a little time with our monks who are usually cloistered away all year long.

….Dora Kovacs from Boston Massachusetts, Ganga Sivanathan from Adelaide, Australia and Devi Tandavan from Seattle… satsang: the fellowship of like mind souls in the spirit of “truth seeking” is soooo sweet…

It has been some years since Shailesh Trivedi came to the Aadheenam on Task Force. He went home to take over his father’s flower business in Southern California and is doing very well.

Shymadeva from Alaska and Mrs. Carole Khan from Kauai

The weather has been spectacularly clear to bless the festival with vivid colors and light shows everywhere.

Bodhinatha gives a seminar to the devotees.

On Sunday October 15, Mauritius sishyas including Church members and enrolled Master Course students were at the Ganesha Mandapam to joyously celebrate the Guru Jayanthi of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami.

The ceremony started with a pada puja to the sacred Tiruvadi…

Prior to the ceremony, sishyas came early to the Ganesha Mandapam to decorate the shrine and set everything ready for the event which started at 10:00 AM.

The 108 Names of Bodhinatha are being chanted. Before the chanting, Nuckiren and Rajen explained the meaning of each name in French/creole.

It was a wonderful opportunity for sishyas to pay obeisance to Bodhinatha…

Everyone had a clear view of the the ceremony.

The peak moment of the pada puja was when the flame was passed over the Tiruvadi.

Sishyas stood up and chanted Nachintanai

pada puja ceremony

Sishyas came forward to give a few inspiring testimonies. Here is Ananda saying how he is happy now that his whole family is studying with Bodhinatha.

Vandana, a Master Course student told everyone how she came to know about Gurudeva’s teachings as a young girl. Now both her husband Roshan and herself are studying with Bodhinatha and said how happy she is to be in a group of like-minded people.

Another peak moment… A special cake for Bodhinatha… Our most senior couple, Kulapati and Kulamata Mardemootoo were asked to cut the cake for Bodhinatha.

Happy Birthday Bodhinatha…Many Happy Returns from Mauritius!

Everybody instantly joined in to sing Happy Birthday to Bodhinatha…

The ceremony over, devotees had vibhuti…the children were very happy and a little impatient too to have a taste of Bodhinatha’s Birthday cake.

Food was served to everyone attending by the Nathoo family.

Devotees sitting under the mango to enjoy a nice time together as a great family…

One MC student kiran, offered Bodhinatha an artistically hand designed Rajastan ‘chowki’ on which the sacred Tiruvadi would be placed in the future.

Bodhinatha giving a seminar this morning for all the devotees who have come for the annual Gurudeva Maha Samadhi observances.

Bodhinatha reviews the Preparation for Meditation that Gurudeva gave us many years ago. Here is a short video of Bodhinatha reading from the steps.

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Today we had a very auspicious homa in the morning… lamps are light to help those arriving before dawn to find their way.

Today’s homa was important because three souls took vows to move forward in their religious life.

First, Tandu Sivanathan, who has been a devotee for several decades, received his Vishesha Diksha.

This is the most advanced initiation that can be given for grihasthis (family people).

Ceyonswami reads the Vishesha Diksha vows.

Tandu also reads them aloud to affirm his commitments.

This initiation opens a gateway to the stage of kriya practice through daily Siva worship and brings with it the obligation to perform Siva puja in the home each day. It is the opening also into the deeper practices of yoga. Such initiations have been the power sustaining the Nandinatha Sampradaya for thousands of years. Requiring much purification and preparation, they bring infinite blessings into the lives of those who strive to qualify.

Bodhinatha has formalized the process by having the monks prepare a booklet that clearly outlines the nature of each initiation and the expectations for its fulfillment.

The sacred moment when the Satguru passed on the spark from the Parampara to the devotee by placing his hands on Tandu’s head. It is then up to the devotee to take that power and bring it to fruition in his next phase of spiritual evolution.

Dharmaraj is next. Today he received his Namakarana Samskara and formally takes his Hindu name and enters the Hindu religion.

I, Dharmaraj Tillai

formerly known as Tyler Comer , having declared of my own volition acceptance of the principles of the Sanatana Dharma, including a firm belief in all-pervasive Divinity and the Vedic revelations of karma, dharma and punarjanma, and having severed all previous non-Hindu religious affiliations, attachments and commitments, hereby humbly petition entrance into the Saivite sect of the Hindu religion through the traditional namakarana samskara. I plead for recognition and acceptance of this irrevocable conversion to Saivite Hinduism by the community of devotees witnessing this sacred rite.

Signature of devotee:
Dharmaraj Thillai

It is Hereby Certified
that this devotee, at a namakarana samskara held at Kadavul Hindu Temple on the auspicious day of October 18, 2006, duly given a Hindu name in accordance with the traditions of Hinduism before God, Gods and devas. This person is thus bound eternally and immutably to the Hindu religion as a member of this most ancient faith with full rights of access to all public Hindu temples, shrines and institutions throughout the world from this day onward.

He writes his new name on a plate of rice before the sacred fire.

We all welcome Dharmaraj to our Hindu family!

Next Teja takes his vegetarian vrata.

A new life begins free from the karma of taking the life of animals to feed oneself.

Later in the morning after the ceremonies are over, everyone goes for breakfast. Our silpis are with us today. They love to buy T-shirts at Walmart!

Mrs. Manickam from Vancouver, Canada.

Dasan Mahadevan from San Diego.

A hearty repast for breakfast.

Easan Katir from California talks with Shiela Young.

At 8:30 there is a special gathering with Bodhinatha for those who have received Visesha Diksha then everyone comes at 10:30 after the Siva puja for a class.

Bodhinatha reviews the Preparation for Meditation that Gurudeva gave us many years ago.

We pick up the story of Bodhinatha quick trip to San Diego and San Francisco for satsang with the sishya and students and Donor Appreciation reception events.

Here he is opening birthday gifts for his Jayanthi.

Our photo story today is for the 14th. A morning walk in San Diego outside the hotel.

Walking next to the Bay.

Then off to a birthday breakfast with the “core group” of Saiva Siddhanta Church sishyas and Academy students

Opening the box…

Inside are brass murtis for Saivite saints

Four saints up close

Now we are having the San Diego “Thanks for Giving” reception at Humphreys Inn on Oct 14

Guests arriving and find their assigned seats

Bodhinatha shows an arati to Ganesha to invoke an auspicious beginning

Saravananathaswami giving an introduction

The welcoming committee

Listening carefully

Reading a brochure for the 2008 Asian Odyssey Innersearch program

Deva Rajan flew down from San Francisco to speak about the history and details of high volume fly ash concrete used for the Iraivan Temple foundation, explaining how this innovation by our temple sparked a major change in the building industry.

Bodhinatha gives his Keynote presentation which included sharing about recent travels, Hinduism Today Digital Edition progress, new Podcasts, and some metaphysical teaching segments about the three worlds of existence, and exercises for experiencing our awareness. He runs the presentation his Apple Powerbook onto a large screen.

His Keynote presentation was well received, especially the teachings segment.

Happy guests

Mohan Ekambaram talks with Bodhinatha.

The marina view outside the reception room.

The core team of sishyas and students chats with Bodhinatha informally at a park before we departed for the airport.

Check check out this really great show of the whole team behind the events. The monks want to thank you all for all the hard work put it to make the satsang and reception a grand success!

Click for a big team photo

At home here on Kauai devotees are arriving for the coming four days of observances for Gurudeva mahasamadhi. Shelah Young is one of the pilgrims and chats with Ceyonswami about her astrology chart.

A beautiful sunny day today, perfect for our festival.

Bodhinatha has arrived home today from his short trip to California.

Monks standing by for his arrival

Pilgrims are here for the annual observances of Gurudeva’s Maha Samadhi.

A magnificent hibiscus for our arriving Satguru.

It was tour day today… about 25 visitors in the 9 am group.

Chipping the stone at Iraivan is always an intriguing moment.

Another 25 or so in the 11 am group.

On Sunday October 1, a special ceremony was organized at the Spiritual Park at our center in Mauritius, for students sitting for their end of year exams. Many youth attended the ceremony…

….to seek the special Blessings of Lord Pancha Mukha Ganapati.

Many devotees came earlier to give a helping hand.

Devotees inside the Mandapam

Many children could have a seat closer to the Deity…

Devotional songs filled the air while the sivacharya conducted the elaborate puja.

Everyone had their minds on the ceremony.

The puja about to end. Kulapaties Manon and Moorghen making offerings under the guidance of the hired priest.

An artee is being performed at the framed photo of Gurudeva.

The crowd outside waiting for the arati flame and a special gift is about to be offered to students.

Students and parents going for the blessed gift….

Blessed writing materials for those taking their school exams soon…

Our two senior Ammas, Mrs Iyaloo (left) and Indranee Veerasamy always encouraging the youth to move forward.

devotees at the food serving station.

Due to lack of parking space on the adjacent roads, a few vehicles are parked inside the Park.

The Dakshinamurthi has now a new tiles and bricks base replacing the old base.

Devotees are happy to freely worship Lord Siva here now.

The wooden Ganesha Bridge leading to Ganesha Mandapam is being reconstructed. It will now be fitted with concrete pillars to resist decay. The new bridge is at present under construction. The new plan….

Bodhinatha arrived safely in California. Here he is with Swami Shantanand of the Chinmaya Mission at a satsang gathering…

We have photos of his departure and events from the 13th and his short synopsis of events:

“Om Sivaya, everyone,

Our flights on the 12th went smoothly to San Diego on Hawaiian Airlines. Met at airport by a group of members and students and settled into the Humphreys Half Moon Inn and Suites in a suite near the bay.

The 13th was a morning satsanga with Chinmaya Mission members and Swami Shantanandaji from New Jersey in question and answer format.

Late afternoon early evening member/student/devotee satsang at the Mahadevan’s home with Dasan and Sadhunanthan performing the Guru Puja with about 30 in attendance.

The morning of the 4th began with an 8 AM birthday breakfast at the hotel with members and students and some darshan meetings.

At noon our donor reception began and lasted until four. Deva Rajan gave an interesting talk on how Gurudeva’s suggestion to look for another way to do the concrete has resulted in a major shift in the construction industry in the US in using fly ash in the mix which, besides lasting so much longer, has major ecological benefits as well. My keynote presentation was well received and the finale was the slide show of Aadheenam events which was a great hit. A few darshan sessions followed. About 100 attended the event. (picture coming later)

Then an evening flight to San Francisco and drive to Walnut Creek where we are at the Holiday Inn.

Om Namasivaya,
Bodhinatha”

Departure from the Aadheenam two three days ago.

Bodhinatha is off to San Diego for satsang with local devotees, meeting a Chinmaya Mission swami and conducting the “Thanks for Giving” reception on Oct. 14

Loading the luggage

Saravananathaswami is accompanying Bodhinatha on this trip

Sunset sky en route to San Diego

After settling into our hotel… a family of ducks appears outside our room

the view from our San Diego hotel room

Bodhinatha sits in Sadhunathan’s new car to give blessings

Saravananathaswami performs a short puja to help bless the car

sprinkling water

Bodhinatha blesses Sadhunathan’s office

Bodhinatha was invited to conduct a satsang at the home of a Chinmaya Mission family and to meet a visiting swami there from New Jersey, Swami Shantananda. In this photo, we are presenting Swamiji with a blow up of Swami Chinmayananda’s powerful first public talk on December 23, 1951.

Handing the poster to Swamiji

Bodhinatha gives good answers about Hindu solidarity in diversity.

Attentive audience

Answering more questions

This beautiful gold-plated bookmark was just made by San Diego devotees as a fundraising item. It actually clips over a page.

Now arriving at Dasan Mahadevan’s home for satsang with our local devotees and some well wishers

Short feet washing outside

The shakti of the home, Shakti Mahadevan and her daughter Chudika have labored to decorate the home so nicely

A beautiful Ganesha murti in their home

preparing for pada puja

all the items for puja

puja is performed

Arati

Attentive devotees…

Having some fun conversation with our Satguru during question and answer time…

Enjoying prasadam at the end

A new phase begins today. It’s very quiet here, some pilgrims have arrived for Maha Samadhi Observances. We had our Sun One Homa as usual.

Tiruvadi sit in Bodhinatha’s seat while he is traveling.

Paramacharya Palaniswami gave a short talk after the homa, reading out a chapter of a book, “Touched by Truth” entitled “The Gift of Giving” by Sivakumar Saravan. Sivakumar, a long-time devotee of Gurudeva, tells how he was encouraged by Gurudeva to be courageous in the face of adversity.

Bodhinatha left for California this morning. He will be holding receptions called “Donor Appreciation” events in San Diego on Saturday and San Francisco on Sunday and he will fly home on Monday. The program will provide an update of his mission work, travels, and the progress of the Iraivan Temple over the past year.

He will also have private satsang with the close devotees of the parampara in both regions.

We don’t have any photos from today, but bring you a fascinating “walk thru” time lapse movie taken by Sadhaka Jivanandanatha and refined in our new video software tools. He starts at the entry way of 107 Kaholalele Road and goes for a walk to Iraivan and back again.

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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, Sunday, October 15th

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The exquisite art of S. Rajam: paintings commissioned for the book on the Guru Parampara. Here a devotee prostrates before Siva Yogaswami.

A few devotees are singing in Yogaswami’s small hut. A vision of Lord Siva appears.

Chellappaswami was a very austere tapasvin. He would train Yogaswami with tests of renunciation. Here they walked many miles in the hot sun to take a bath in the ocean. At the ocean’s edge, in an act of self-denial, Chellappaswami said: “We have bathed!” and then turned and walked back to Nallur, without entering the ocean.

We continue with the quiet celebration of our Satguru Bodhinatha’s Jayanthi in advance here, with gift giving again at lunch. This is a special surprise from Sheela Venkatakrishnan who noted Bodhinatha wearing a bright orange outfit and that a vest to match would be perfect. Indeed it was!

Ravi Naidu and Chaital came on a visit on their first year wedding anniversary. Ravi had stayed at Yogaville and learned of Gurudeva there through Gurudeva’s relationship with Swami Satchidananda. So they made a point of coming to visit this year. They are students of Isha Yoga… a form of kriya yoga.

The monks gave Bodhinatha a special cabinet he has wanted for his otherwise very sparse personal living quarters.

He likes to put his bedding all away in the morning, so, his little room is completely “actinic” during the day.

And other gift from the monks….

Another bright vest!

And yet more…

This outfit is for the cold trips to Canada and the east coast during the fall and winter seasons. The pants and shirt have a thermal lining.

An elegant Siva Nataraja in our publications building inspires us to quote from Gurudeva today:

“Having walked the San Marga through the charya and kriya margas, and having disciplined mind and emotions, the shishya is ready for the fourth merger into Sivaness. This is accomplished through art, calligraphy, drawing divine forms, writing out scripture in one’s own hand and depicting through drama, by learning and playing music, by having all bodily currents move into the rhythm of the sounds of nature, for nature is nada in the external. It has its own choreography, and this merger is with Nataraja, Lord of the Dance. It is also the merger with knowledge of all kinds, of language and mathematics, of the many sciences and arts.”

Iraivan shown in the Sun today, and bathed in the rain. As Mark Twain once said while visiting the island on his way to India, “If you don’t like the weather on Kauai, just wait ten minutes.”

“The fifth merger is deeper: endeavoring to penetrate the intuitive world, communing with nature, encountering the many dreams, visions and other mystical experiences that await the seeker of Truth. It is merger with the selfless life, of seeing oneself in others, and others in oneself, of losing the barriers that divide one from another, and the internal world from the external world. It is living a harmonious life with a heart filled with love, trust and understanding for all, desiring to give rather than wanting only to receive. The light that lights each thought picture when traced to its source is the sixth merger — the yoga of detaching awareness from that which it is aware of and being the light that lights the thoughts, rather than claiming identity as being the thoughts, then tracing this light of the mind out of the mind into the beyond of the beyond. Yea, this is the sixth way we merge into the Divine. The Lord of the Dance emanates His own lighting effects, does His own choreography, creates His own music and enjoys, as the audience, His own performance.”

Visitors hosted by Sivanadiya Satya yesterday.

“The seventh merger is into the nada-nadi shakti, that unrelenting sound heard as an inexplainable “eee,” of a thousand vinas being played simultaneously by Vinadhara, another form of Lord Siva, the maker of sound, the composer of the symphony. The nada is traced to its source, deep within the within, the city of a thousand lights and sounds, for sound is light and light is sound in this sphere of Satchidananda, all-pervasive oneness with all form, the Self flowing through the mind, untouched by it, yet sustaining it in a mightily mysterious way.”

He regales them with tales of Gurudeva’s majestic life and with details of life here in the monastery.

“The eighth merger with Siva is ParaSiva. Becoming and being timeless, formless, spaceless is the total transformation of the soul body, the mental body, the astral body, the pranic body and the physical body. It is the breaking of seals which subsequently makes changes never to be repaired. A new, an entirely new, process begins. It is the ultimate healing of all karmas, the ultimate knowing of dharma.”

Bodhinatha’s birthday will be next week when he is traveling so the monks are giving their gifts to him early. He was invited to open them at lunch since we secretely knew they would be useful for the journey he is about to make.

A new piece of luggage. This is a more high-class hard case style that will stand up to heavy usage.

It fits exactly into the overhead compartment as Bodhinatha often travels very light, with just this one piece of luggage and no check-in bags.

The second gift today was a book on “Planned Giving Essentials.” Bodhinatha was the master mind behind the Hindu Heritage Endowment that he created with Gurudeva’s guidance in early years and he continues to oversee the growth and development of HHE as Gurudeva had done. One important focus is on helping everyone put HHE funds into their wills, a process also known as “planned giving.”

[Today we bring you a photo documentary by Task Forcer Scott Falzone, who took the pictures despite some exposure problems our camera is haging and he wrote today’s captions. He is working with the publications team this phase. Here is his photo-tale.]

Our loving Lord Ganesa tenderly guides us along the path of dharma. Here at Kauai Aadheenam, He gently directs us down the path to Iraivan Temple.

This is the grand image we see when gazing at Iraivan’s resplendence from afar. This white granite sanctuary seems to beam brilliantly like a mighty pearl in the powerful Kauaian sun.

Set against a cloud-spotted cyan sky, the gold-leafed capstone reminds us of our own inner golden light, easily seen within the akasha.

Today our silpis had a rather important task before them regarding our drainage system for Iraivan. A few days ago, John Andersen visited us to cut the concrete foundation in segmented areas for the purpose of installing proper drain pipes. The aftermath of the concrete cutting involved the silpis chiseling out the pre-cut areas. Here we see some of our team collaborating on how to get the job done.

John is a licensed contractor here on Kauai who has been working with us for decades, and as a result has done innumerable important jobs for us. Thanks, John! Here we see a more or less completed section where drainage piping will soon be placed.

Since Iraivan is an “outdoor temple,” draining rain water from the floor is necessary. Mt. Waialeale – just near by – is considered to receive more rainfall than any other place on Earth.

Chelliah – one of our dedicated silpis – has been working on Iraivan for much of his life, since he was just 13 working. At our carving site in Bangalore, Chelliah began his work in temple architecture at his father’s side, and now he has been able to come to Kauai and see the manifestation of his life’s work.

A close up view of the carving-out process…

All of the concrete waste accumulated by this process must be dealt with as the work goes along. Here, we see how the silpis scrape away the excess matter.

Our silpis don’t seem to mind the hot, mid-day Kauaian sun. They continue to work tirelessly through the elements. What’s more, is that they do it all with a big smile.

Such time consuming work may appear to many as overwhelming or even mundane. Amazingly, our silpis seem to be unfamiliar with the concepts of frustration or impatience. With each strike of the chisel, they are performing Sivathondu. It’s not easy, but like Gurudeva said, “Anything worthwhile is not easy.”

One always knows when the silpis are working – even if they’re out of viewing range! The “clink, clink” of their tools reminds us throughout the day of how efficiently Gurudeva’s vision is truly coming to fruition.

Here are some of the base stones for some upcoming pillars…They are rose-colored because they are at the floor level and will match the rose flooring pavers when they are installed. Yes, the floor will be two feet above the existing foundation level which you see below.

No, this is not an ancient 2,000-year-old temple in a remote Indian village. It’s Iraivan pretending to be old today. Not long ago, the roof beams were set into place by our silpis. But teh lighting today makes them look well aged. Of course, we can’t neglect to thank the ever-jovial Larry Conklin for helping us with his mighty crane. What a beautiful ceiling to gaze up at while musing over the nature of vastu shastra – temple metaphysics.

Here are some of the metal stencils with which the silpis use to denote ornamentation on the temple’s stones.

A prayerful moment. Here we see a motif atop one of Iraivan’s pillars set against a bright sky. The act of folding the hands in worshipful respect (anjali mudra) is practiced throughout many cultures and in many eras. This truly shows the innate unity of all jivas as Siva on the path to merger.

Our beloved Gurudeva encouraged us to go deep within ourselves, where we are to find the Self. Here, Gurudeva (whose photo adorns the entry to the sanctum so all may look into the eyes of the founder) seems to be urging us inward to the lofty realms of our own being – shown here by the barely-visable sanctum sanctorum.

Just as Ganesa gracefully shades Himself from the late morning rays, He lovingly shields us from the lower realms of the mind.

Lord Skanda as Dandapani – the great renunciate. Dear to all on the path, particularly to sannyasins, the Beautiful One raises the kundalini force within those ready to receive it. This is a particularly adorable Murugan, clearly happy not to own anything but to be everything instead.

As Dakshinamurthi, Bestower of Divine Wisdom, God Siva gracefully extends His hand – imparting the timeless truths of the Vedas enscribed on olai leaves.

Gurudeva often likened the soul’s maturation to that of a lotus. In the beginning, as young souls, we reside in the murky depths of our own egoity and fearfulness, like the mud beneath a pond. Later, as we grow, the leave the muck and mire behind to enter the more lucid realm of the reason and higher emotions, similar to water – yet still hidden from the light. Finally, as we become ripened, old souls, we break through all barriers. We get our first breaths of Life, shine flawlessly in the light, and wonder why we didn’t realize this before. Botanists visiting us today will quibble that these are water lilies, and they are right!

A serene moment. The sun is in full force. There is a light breeze. The birds are singing their devarams, and Siva is dancing His dance.

Om Namasivaya…

Meanwhile it was a bright lovely day for this week’s tour day.

Kiran and Leela Patel, from West Virginia. Lila knows Tamil and did a wonderful job translating all that the silpis explained about their work, and our guide could stand back and actually learn some new things about the carving! Nandri Leela!

About eighty bright souls today joined us on the two tours, one at 9 am and the second at 11 am.

Here is the second group, among them Kiran and Lila.

Bodhinatha offers prayers to the homa fire as we begin a short 4-day phase.

Saravananathaswami performs the yagna rites today.

Many prayers from devotees around the world are offered to the homa fire.

Today Bodhinatha has a reading review of the principles of his karma management presentation.

It has been a quiet contemplative few days as some of the monks when off on a camping retreat to Polihale beach and Kokee park for the 3-day retreat, leaving the Aadheenam very quiet… a powerful, full-moon time for setting aside the conscious mind and looking within and beyond.

Sunset at Polihale is a “spiritual experience” as the sun slowly slips below the horizon over the ocean, just north of Niihau Island in the distance, the sky all orange and a myriad of changing crimson coral fire colors, reflecting off the wet sand at the beach’s edge turning the water into a liquid metal mirror of the sky’s amazing show that stops the mind and heart for an awesome twenty minutes of one of the most beautiful experiences given to us by God at the “edge of the world.”

This is Christopher Becker’s photo from his Polihale.com web site. He writes: “…visiting Polihale Beach is such an overwhelming and unexpected experience. Even before you learn the details of its role in ancient Hawaiian mythology as the gateway to the afterworld, Polihale will fascinate you…. Few other places on Earth combine staggering physical beauty with such a pervasive sense of the divine.”

Here is Bodhinatha in Tanjavur temple, India.

It’s quiet at the Aadheenam, we will use this opportunity to encourage you to start making plans to join the 2008 Innersearch.

At home today: Japanese tour group came. You can always know they are from Japan as the shoes are all perfectly lined up outside the temple. The Ganapati Kulam gave their report which is largely centered on two major publications coming up: a 416-page coffeetable book called “What is Hinduism?” and a small but important booklet “All About Kauai’s Hindu Monastery.”

The monks and local families are all beginning to make preparations for the Maha Samadhi observances this year, October 18-21. Isani Alahan and Uma Sivananda were here this morning, caring for the gardens, planting new additions and in general making it even more beautiful than ever. And visitors seemed to come and go all morning, looked after by Shama Vinayaga.

Taskforcer Robert Brown finished his video CD duplicating project and then dove into Photoshop with Natarajnathaswami, making color corrections to our newest artwork by local painter Evelyn de Buhr. It will be the cover of the booklet mentioned above.
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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, Monday, October 9th.

Our light hearted weekly banner to encourage you to come with us to Cambodia, Malaysia and on to India.

Yes, you could make set up a travel program on your own, but consider the benefits of Innersearch: all accommodations and travel are pre-arranged, guides to take care of you, wonderful classes, monks to chat with about spiritual matters, visits with otherwise-impossible-to-approach people and places, open doors to communities and temples. Click here to find out more about the coming innersearch.

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These photos are taken, last July, of the Children’s School at the Sri Subramuniya Kottam, Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

The Sri Subramuniya Kottam provides religious and cultural classes, including Thevaram, music and meditation offering tuition-free tutoring for school-going children as well as providing scholarships for outstanding students of the Sri Subramuniya Kottam.