Today is Sun One of a new phase… Bodhinatha giving his talk…

Sadhaka Jivanandanatha does the homa today.

We’re having some quiet days since Sivaratri. Pilgrims have all returned home and everyone is back to their regular duties…

Everyone is attentive to Bodhinatha’s talk.. .stay tuned for more in the field of audio. We are looking into Pod Casts and in a few days the whole world will be downloading ….

Today’s homa was dedicated to the Annaprasana Samskara or first feeding for Veylan Sendan.

April 1st is the official launch date for the Digital Edition of Hinduism Today…

Sadhunathan Nadesan is our official Postmaster for all the daily lists and helps Sivakatirswami with our web server…

He also is very competent with PostGreSQL databases and he came today to review the “back end” of the Hinduism Today Digital Edition subscription web site.

This is Ashley Baumann, the sister of Sadhaka Tejadevanatha who came for her last visit this morning before flying off to Maui to join her family again.

Ashley is starting a career in the broadcasting industry as an Assistant to the Executive Producer of one of Hollywoods top producers of reality TV shows.

We all encouraged her to try and bring higher values into the world through this powerful TV medium.

Venkat and Jeyashree from the Bay Area in San Francisco were among our Maha Sivaratri pilgrims. They were here last year and returned this year specifically to share in last night’s event.

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END OF PHASE<>br />
Today is the last day of our phase.
This edition of TAKA will remain posted
over our coming two-day retreat,
until Tritya Tithi, Sun One, Wednesday, March 1st.

We bring you photos and video from Siva’s great night. …our captions will be brief as we’ve been spending our TAKA time getting some video ready for you….

Bodhinatha arriving for the homa…

The temple ground lit and decorated…

Bhajans were followed by a powerful homa…

We all sat quietly and listened to a talk about Siva by Gurudeva and then from Bodhinatha.

The everyone took a break and next the Siva Linga Abhishekam and puja were done. We bring you video from the Abhishekam and the video of the final puja, but since picture of Nataraja are not allowed you see the fire where prayers are burned while listening to the final chants.

Paramacharya’s Palaniswami and Ceyonswami begin the abhishekam…

Vibhuti…

Other monks, Arumugaswami, Muruganathaswami, Saravananathaswami and Natarajnathaswami are chanting Sri Rudram…

Acharya Kumarswami and Sannyasin Sivakatirswami take the next shift, pouring milk….

It is a mystical moment… for the devotees in the temple it is far away, up in the inner sanctum…we are happy to bring this to you now very close up.

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The following two videos are from the Abhishekam and then final ashtottara and arati. The first is 45 megabytes and may take some time. The second movie opens to a white screen. Click the controller to start. If you do not have quicktime, try right clicking on the movie to save to disk and play with Windows Media Player.

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Sadhaka Jivanandanatha and Yogi Japendranatha are next…The takes place during the final hour of our Sivaratri worship, at the feet of Lord Nataraja whose peedam is decorated with giant yellow hibiscus flowers.

Special giant conches are used, and the crystal lingam is bathed continuously for about thirty minutes.

Seldom do we take photos outside at night, but on this Night of Siva we find ourselves in the dark during the short breaks. Here Saint Tiruvalluvar scribes his verses on ola leaves.

The anthuriums look different in the dark.

As does this giant cluster of staghorn ferns, hanging from a tree in the temple garden.

And a bromeliad named “Picasso” comes to life under the flash.

Offerings for the puja arrayed in the Guru Peedam awaiting their turn for decoration.

Sivaratri day today… lots and lots of water falling from the heavens!

Then, following the Great Night… Sadhaka Tejadevanatha’s father visiting with his family….

Hong Wongji Mission from Lihue came to visit as well.

Mark Anderson and his wife… they are subscribers to Hinduism Today.. discussing the California text book issue and the lamentable place in the global media given to Hinduism and how we can find way to correct it.

Mark is a consultant in internet applications and he and Sivakatirswami were talking the same language… only a few could understand. “Do you think Quicktime will be ubiquitous by the end of 2006? Or do should we consider the near 100% penetration of Flash as something to take seriously?”

Happy Maha Sivaratri! The atmosphere at the monastery is still, windless and quiet…

Lots of decoration in progress. Kulapati Deva Seyon cleans and oils the two statues of Tiruvalluvar …

and Tirumular.

It is a quiet day at the Aadheenam, the Pillaiyar Kulam shared news today. They are distributing all old editions of Dancing with Siva and Merging with Siva to libraries in Australia. Shanmuganathaswami continues to work hard on developing new efficient mailing programs and will be getting a shrink wrap machine soon to mail Hinduism Today out to people who signed the guest book along with a Mini-mela catalog…..

An amazing book has arrived at the monastery from India. It is a volume containing the eleven Samhitas, or hymn sections, of the Vedas.

The text is in Sanskrit, of course, beautifully assembled and printed.

Coming in its own wooden case, this book helps fulfill Gurudeva’s wish to have the Vedas and Agamas at the monastery. They have been quite elusive. This book is titled “Shabda Veda,” published by Rajasthan Patrika, ISBN# 818632600121. The book is priced inside the cover at Rs5500 or US$300 and can be ordered through Moltilal Banarsidass, mlbd@vsnl.com. We should advise if you do order the book that the binding is not quite as well done as it might be, and may need to be rebound. It also weighs 30 pounds, so shipping is substantial.

Umbrellas left open in front of Kadavul temple today, as pilgrims enjoy the 9am Siva Puja on a wet morning.

Inside the women are on the left, following tradition.

Outside, Tandu Sivanathan has brought us a new bonsai creation. It appears to be a forest of trees, but this entire forest in only two feet tall! Two bonsais are set by the temple pool to charm visitors.

We close today’s TAKA with photos that speak for themselves, water, water everywhere..is Kauai Today and it is all rushing to merge with the Wailua and then on to the sea… these are from the lovely “secret” tiny “Bali Hai” falls by the river below Iraivan temple…

From the “eye” of Sadhunathan… we bring you a series as seen by a pilgrim…

“Bodhinatha contemplates his talk after the homa yesterday.”

Dasan Mahadevan (of San Diego) and Satya Subramaniyam (of Brazil) reconnect, they met on Innersearch India. Satya is an aspirant monk on a 3-year visa from Brazil.

Paramacharya Palaniswami chats with some mainland Mahasivaratri visitors. He told us about a marvelous transformation that occured for one of the down under Innersearchers.

Dhanya Nadesan of San Diego, Bhavani Palani of Concord, and Bhavani’s grandaughter (6.5 years).

Acharya Kumarswami tells us about the visa process that he works with, helping young men in foreign countries and our silpis, to come to Kauai.

Dayavati Murugan of Palm Springs, California is here on the right

After over 18 inches of rain on Mt. Waialeale yesterday, the Wailua River is plump with abundant water.

Maha Sivaratri Dedicated for Peace in Sri Lanka

Preparations are underway for this year’s Maha Sivaratri Celebrations at the Sri Subramuniya Kottam’s Sri Shanti Lingam Temple. The celebrations will include a Palkudam procession (that is the procession where devotees carry a milk pot from a mile away to the temple). The milk will then be used for abhishegam for Shanti Lingam. During the all night vigil there will be abhishegams and pujas. Devotees will all be supplicating to Lord Siva to bring about a lasting peace in Sri Lanka. This is especially needed as the Sri Lanka peace talks will resume again in Geneva, Switzerland today the 22nd of February, 2006.

Thus Sri Subramuniya Kottam will dedicate this year’s Maha Sivaratri Pujas as a peace prayer. On this auspicious day the Kottam would like to invite everyone to join in prayer to Lord Siva and Gurudeva, that permanent peace will settle in Sri Lanka soon. Achieving permanent peace in Yogaswami’s Holy Land was a goal dear to Gurudeva’s heart.
Here are some photos from last year’s Maha Sivaratri.

Devotees carrying milk pots in a procession to the Shanthi Lingam Temple.

Abishegam at the Temple

The monks who have late night vigils are blessed with a silent three hours of worship, meditation, solitude, singing to God and religious study. Sadhaka Dandapani took the camera with him during his 12 midnite to 3 am vigil… images from inside the Golden Hall of Lord Nataraja….

After the midnite puja…

It is Sivaratri week… the vibration at the Aadheenam is very, very high… Subha Subha Sivaloka Days. And we are overjoyed to have a new monastic aspirant join us today from Brazil!

Here is Bodhinatha, answer questions from a spiritual group that visited us today.

Sun One morning, beginning of a the spiritually powerful days before Siva’s Great Holy Night.

The temple is charged with actinic force…

Sadhaka Jivananandanatha conducts the homa ceremony.

And here is our new Aspirant, Satya Subramanian from Sao Paulo, Brazil. He went on the 2004 India Innersearch and has working hard in Brazil to stay on the path, patiently overcoming all the karmic barriers and Lord Muruga watched over him at the airport where he was given a 3-year visa!

We know there are many avid viewers of TAKA in Brazil and we asked Satya to pen a short word in Portuguese:

“Aos amados brasileiros: As fotos lindas do TAKA n�o t�m como fazer justi�a. A vista espetacular; os monges amorosos e precisos; a vibra��o inacreditável. É melhor do que eu possa descrever. Aloha from Kaua’i!”

Saravananathaswami puts up new signs, indicating our tours are canceled temporarily while we make parking improvements for visitors.

This is the sign.

We visited the Pillaiyar Kulam, headed by Shanmuganathaswami.

Muruganathaswami was there, always cheerful.

Jothinatha was working on an exciting project, a TV documentary was being filmed at our Bangalore worksite that day by one of India’s major TV stations. We expect it to be aired in March, and we are getting a copy to hopefully share here on TAKA.

During the retreat Yoginathaswami shows our young task forcer from Malaysia, Nutanaya, how to pick just the right betel leaves, which will be used for the Homa ceremony.

These leaves are used for Hindu ceremonies and are also eaten. They are a rarity in this part of the world, costing up to $1 each. So having vines with tens of thousands of leaves is a kind of wealth.

A tropical storm came our way this retreat, and the river rose many feet. Here the falls are overflowing.

This happens once or twice each year. The river turns mocha brown and the roar is enough to drown out conversations.

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And here it is alive… on video…

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Pilgrims are arriving for Sivaratri, which is just three days away now. Dasan Mahadevan is here from San Diego, and is helping in Siva’s Garden.

What a wonderful Sivathondu!

Today we had Satya Subramaniam arrive from Brazil to begin his life in the monastery.

He began by working on 20 rolls of old photographs we had digitized, putting the digital files on our server and storing the original negatives in special binders.

Satya called home to tell his grandmother and mother that he arrived safely after 26 hours of travel. They we so glad to hear his voice, and blessed his new life in the monastery.

Satya went to India on the 2004 Innersearch, then went home to Brazil to prepare himself for monastic life. He has been living there under simple vows for over a year. He is glad to be at his spiritual home, and we are delighted to have him among us.

Billy Topa Tate, of native American Indian heritage, brings a group of students to visit the monastery every year and today she had with her a group of 35 bright souls.

They attended the 9am Siva puja, which they really enjoyed, then went on a tour of the grounds.

After seeing Iraivan they enjoyed a talk by Bodhinatha followed by a deep question and answer session with him.

Here is Billy, the leader. She is a wonderful soul…

Billy has taught everyone the spirit of gratitude and each one comes forward to offer a small gift to Bodhinatha….

Billy at Iraivan

This is Billy’s daughter, Monique. She accompanies her mother on these educational trips and coordinates the entire program.

This is Jaime Little Wolf, Billy’s brother who visiting our monastery for the first time.

Hindu couple that dropped by today…

It was silpi outing this retreat…our current team is young and full of life!

A trip to the Princeville Five-Star Hotel….

Sitting in the incredibly luxurious lobby… it’s not something they would normally be able to do in India.

Chellaiya looks at some cards in one of the local hotel shops…

Then it is off to the beach for some fun.

The very strong Rajendran…

This crew loves the water…

Kabbadi on the sand!

An ancient “tag” game. For an explanation, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabaddi

Our monastic hosts for the silpis today: Sadhaka Dandapani and Sadhaka Jivananandanatha… taking a meditative break…

Sadhaka Jivananandanatha… another blissful day in paradise…

Today is the last day of the phase. Tour days have been “suspended” for a while, until we working out more parking. Nevertheless there were a lot of visitors today.

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Today’s video from the Iraivan temple, a close up of the silpis at work. Hopefully it will work for you. We are doing all of R & D these days to bring more digital content but still keeping file sizes down.

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We close today’s TAKA with a somewhat delayed last installment of photos from Ganga Sivanathan’s collection… More pictures with her write up from the final days of Innersearch in New Zealand.

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When we arrived in Auckland there were local devotees patiently waiting, even though we were nearly 2 hours late arriving. I always marvel at the dedication of Siva and Gurudeva devotees who often travel for hours to spend a few minutes with Bodhinatha. In Wellington, one devotee, Neil, drove for 4 hours to meet Bodhinatha at the hotel, have dinner with us, followed by a relaxing coffee back in the hotel, and then returned home. We as Innersearchers also receive their love and wonderful welcome to their country or city. Bodhinatha had been talking in his classes about “offering hospitality” as a key Hindu practice. In Sydney and in New Zealand we saw it in action.

From the train we caught a bus to a lively, noisy, very popular Mexican Restaurant.

Although there were a couple of days left, we all knew that we were coming to the end of Innersearch.

Again, we ate well at the Restaurant. They did an outstanding job, as did every restaurant that we visited. Feeding 50 hungry vegetarian Innersearchers must have been a challenge at times, and we appreciate the outstanding efforts of every place that we visited.

Well, of course in New Zealand you must visit a sheep farm, as sheep outnumber people in that country. So we travelled to Sheep World the next day. Steve was our host, very funny, and clearly showed the friendly rivalry that exists between Australia and New Zealand.

We saw a lot of sheep

of all different types

and colors

and with blue, green and pink markings on their heads (more on that later…..).

And then there were sheep dogs

that could round up a mob of sheep and bring them towards their master (Steve) with very few commands. His commands consisted of Stop, Here, Left, Right etc. Subsequently Palaniswami tried training some of the Innersearchers with the same commands, but it appears that we are not as bright at the sheepdogs.

Then Steve demonstrated to Devi how to sort the sheep according to the colors on their heads. The gate is a 3-way sorter – and the aim is to separate the sheep according to color.

Rudi had a go as well…..

But it wasn’t as easy as it appeared….

Top Sheep Shearers can shear a sheep in under 17 seconds. That is fast!

We fed sheep

and Lisa and Lynda milked goats.

Raman and Krishnan took photos

and Joel passed on to the donkeys some of Bodhinatha’s teachings on Karma. “We must embrace our karma, accept and bear it cheerfully.”

Small ponies,

pigs,

emus

and “chooks”.

We stopped at a beach on the way back to Auckland, where Palaniswami lead an activity based on Helice Bridges’ “Who I Am Makes A Difference”. In pairs we presented the other with a blue ribbon with gold lettering, which we proudly wore for the rest of the day. Then, in our pairs we told each other the things that we most appreciated about them – how they made a difference in our lives.

An then finally to a Maori museum and a performance of Maori song and dance.

The next day saw our last breakfast where each of us gave a testimony on what Innersearch meant personally, our very special people were honoured, and we presented Bodhinatha with his gift. Innersearch 2006 was over. Thank you Bodhinatha. The messages of each Innersearch stay with us for years. The opportunity to be on a study tour with 50 great friends, to hear stories of Gurudeva, to bring more spirituality into our daily lives, to travel with Bodhinatha and the monks for 2 weeks, to absorb the formal and informal teachings of Bodhinatha and the Swamis, is priceless. A big Australian “Thanks mate” to all involved in the organization of 2006 Innersearch Down Under.

We want to welcome into our international family and to the Bhuloka a new born baby boy… Sivanathan and Puvana Batumalai are proud parents of a child born on Thai Pusam day. His name has yet to be chosen so we call him “Thai Pusam” for now…

We have known Puvana Murugesu since she was a little girl and its wonderful to see that through all these years she has stayed true to Gurudeva teachings. Now Sivanathan and Puvana will be carry on the heritage of our sampradaya to the next generation– their own children.

This couple is visiting for the first time coming from Fresno, California. They felt privileged to meet with Bodhinatha, who shared with them some thoughts on how to spiritualise daily life.

Rangan and Lakshmi from Houston were among our Hindu pilgrims today. They first visited 2 years ago after their wedding. Now Iraivan is their place of pilgrimage in paradise.

A small group of boy scouts from the Kapaa Middle School came today to visit our temple. Sadhaka Dandapani took them to the temple.

We interupt TAKA to present something new, an experiment really, as we find more ways to bring life to TAKA in the digital age… very small video clips… This 17- second clip is a walk from the Nandi Mandapam, just outside Kadavul Temple, to the path leading to the river valley. We see more short video clips in our TAKA future. If this works, that is!

Here our visitors are admiring a palm tree. Almost to the temple. Just another 200 yards.

Nearing the temple, they hear the story of Gurudeva, with his Shum meditation carved on a pillar.

They were fascinated with the whole stone carving process and could not have enough at trying their hand at chipping a stone.

A nameless monk meditating this morning at the wall of the monastery.

At the temple site today three of our carvers are working on the foundation and the others are high up in the tower.

Making special “key” stones which tie the beams of the roof together.

The stones are small, and there are 8 of them in all.

This chisel is a “sandpaper” chisel which smooths the stone, making it flat.

Here is the Ganesha Mandapam in Mauritius. Our report writes from the island nation:

“We had a wonderful Thai Pusam celebration in all temples of South Indian origin in the island.

This week the island is fully focused on Maha Sivaratri. Radio and national TV have already started to broadcast special programs on this festival and on the pilgrimage to Ganga Talao.

At the Park, other than our grand public Ganesha Homa, facilitators of the Himalayan Academy Committee are running our weekly classes on Saivite Hindu Religion Book IV for the children. For the adults there is now a monthly gathering for enrolled MC students each month at the residence of one of the students.”

“An activity was organised to teach about the existence of the four major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. We had the group divided into four clusters representing each one of the major religion. Then each group in turn would explain their religion in simple terms like way of worship, place of worship, simple beliefs, scriptures etc… It was possible to then draw the differences between each religious group. The youth liked this game …..

“The children attending classes at the Park are now studying Book IV of the Saivite Hindu Religion which is a six-book graded course based on the holy Vedas, the world’s oldest scriptures.

The first lessons from Saivite Hindu Religion Book IV develop from the following questions: What is Religion? What is Hinduism?

We leave the Spiritual Park and go to the town Quatre Bornes where a monthly seminar called ” Bodhinatha’s MC students Gathering” is organised for adults who enrolled themselves in the Master Course studies. We are at the residence of MC student Ananda for this gathering. A nice altar has been set …. The format for this gathering is kept simple. Enrolled MC students meet one day each month at the residence of one of the students. The parlor or terrace is set with a Ganesha shrine for this purpose. The activities of the day starts with a simple Ganesha arati performed by the host.

The lesson of the day is an Upadesha from Bodhinatha entitled “The World is an Ashram” drawn from the lofty saying of sage Yogaswami: The world is an ashram, a training ground for the achievement of moksha, liberation. The main focus of Bodhinatha’s teachings were on the way Bodhinatha provided a practical understanding of the concept of Ashram and the World. Bodhinatha says ” This common perspective is not the viewpoint of great souls such as Yogaswami. Such souls know that much spiritual progress can be made during our time in the world if we hold the right perspective. I call this approach “spiritualizing daily life.” Let’s bring this concept down to Earth by dividing the occasions for spiritual progress when out in the world into two categories: facing life?s challenges and finding opportunities to serve.”

Time for a coffee break…. Vandana enjoying a conversation with Kulamata Premila Manick, one of the facilitators.

Everyone had the time to socialise and come to know each other better.

A group from Flacq looking forward to have the gathering in their region soon.

Ananda and his wife Ananda gave a warm welcome to everyone and lovingly spoiled them with with home-made sweets.

Yesterday was ashram sadhana day and each kulam spends time cleaning and upgrading their work areas.

Yesterday a metal Siva Nataraja was placed on a pedestal in the publications offices.

It’s a traditional form but executed in a contemporary way, but the metal is highly polished and painted.

A gracious face indeed!

Out in the gardens our Blue Jade vine is in full bloom.

Up close you see the parrot-beak structure and the amazing blue and purple colorations.

Also in bloom today is our Amherstia nobilis, one of the world’s great flowering trees, from India.

A koi swims contentedly near the Chola Garden waterfall.

It is Ashram Sadhana Day for the month of February, so we will keep our TAKA short… Everyone is cleaning, fixing, upgrading….

Today was also Chitra puja in the morning…..

In the Ganapati Kulam we we reorganizing some art work and uncover a few pieces of Rajam art work that had been hiding for while…

Some of this was commissioned for the new book on our Guru Parampara….

Here is Gurudeva

Saint Tirumular said of the Guru in the Tirumantram:

“In Siva was he rooted: Sivam did he see everywhere.
In the will of Siva did he discern all things,
Transcending consciousness of past present and future,
And duality ceasing did he realize sweet serenity.”

Today we held the Publisher’s Desk meeting, which has been missed for several months due to Bodhinatha’s travels. Here with Bodhinatha presiding, plans are made with the Ganapati Kulam for the future content of Hinduism Today magazine. Managing editor, Sannyasin Arumugaswami brings a draft list of all the articles for the next issue which are reviewed. Bodhinatha shares all his ideas for future stories. Observations on trends and events on the Hindu horizon are shaped by the discussion into concepts for articles, with tentative decisions made for concrete steps to get the research, photography and writing done. In today’s meeting some content was determined for issues as far as two years into the future. A new dimension has come in now as we add to the mix what possible video and audio content might be possible for the Digital Edition.

Thambynathan Nutanaya cut his own hair the other day. Today he is helping the Lambodara Kulam in the morning put together a photo copy of Saiva Initiation rites.

Paramacharya Palaniswami and Sannyasin Sivakatirswami reviewing the roster of all the new things that have to get done for the Digital Edition of Hinduism Today… In the background, a marvelous display of all the covers of the Hinduism Today magazine.

Clifford Isara, CPA, is a prospective new auditor for the Hindu Heritage Endowment accounts. He came by to talk to us and learn about what we are doing.

Saravananathaswami through our wide angle lens… It was the Ekadanta Kulam report day at lunch. Swami shared news of his work with Satellite email news. Those who get this marvelous HTML news letter know of his good work. He has also been communicating with various young men who have expressed interest in monastic life. His fellow Kulam member, Sadhaka Dandapani, who is behind the camera, has been working on Innersearch follow up.

Tropical rains last night, Siva’s rather amazing irrigation system, which can reach every square millimeter of land on the Earth without a single pump or pipe. Great design that! Let’s go for a walk over to Kadavul Temple…

Nandi the bull at the entrance…

Thanks to the wide angle lens you get a great shot of the inside of Kadavul….

Inside Kadavul today, Paramacharya Ceyonswami replaced the astrology board after the homa was completed. Each day he fixes this so it reflects perfectly the stars above our head. The blue circle in the middle is a new addition, showing the Nakshatras, which are the 27 major star groups that surround us on the ecliptic. That’s the Earth at the very center, a blue lapis ball.

Pictures of Lord Nataraja are not allowed, so, we close the curtains and take a picture of the crystal Lingam (from gecko’s point of view)…which is destined for Iraivan Temple.

A shot from our Guru Peedam window, where the monks meditate each morning together.

And then inside to the Peedam….

Inside is a shrine for Yogaswami, an oil painting above by one of India’s foremost painters, Indra Sharma, and a golden metal icon below. To Yogaswami’s left under the glass is a towel he used which is now a precious artifact; and to the right is a stainless steel cup that was his favorite.

We had a special lunch yesterday, February 15th, which was the 31st anniversary of Gurudeva’s vision of Siva, the three-part vision that led to the discovery of the svayambhu lingam on San Marga and the birth of Iraivan Temple. Our chef celebrated by making a sumptuous feast, seen below.

We all gathered for our meal in the Peacock Courtyard, an open, brick-floored space within the main building.

Bodhinatha presides at the lunch, asking for news of the day and sharing his wisdom.

We all chant the Bhojana Mantram to begin, our food blessing. Here Malaysian youth Nutanaya chants with us.

Someone took a picture of a picture… Bodhinatha in New Delhi at the new Akshardam center there…