Aum Nama Sivaya, everyone! Today we bring you a slideshow of our Satguru's gift of seventeen beautiful koi. The story begins with Masa and Miyeko, two Japanese residents of Kauai. Masa worked in Japan as an English teacher and when he retired seven years ago they moved to Kauai.

One of our island members connected with Masa and Miyeko just last week and when it became known that Mara was selling some worldclass koi he had imported from Japan, the idea came to get Satguru these garden gems for his 73rd Jayanthi. When Masa and Miyeko heard who the fish were for, they reduced their price by 80%.

Yesterday they all arrived about 5 pm in a small pick up, with the fish swimming in a child's water pool. Slowly, Mara caught the fish in a special net and transferred them to holding tubs that were carried over to the pond chosen as their new home, one that many visitors can enjoy on tour days. Bodhinatha was called to the pond to receive the gift, and stayed to help release them. Enjoy the visuals.

Jai Satguru Bodhinatha Veyalanswami!

Today is Satguru's 73rd Jayanti celebration. As satguru likes to keep things simple, the monks will be having a special Jayanti dinner for Satguru tonight.

From the Kularnava Tantra:
And Lord Siva said: How can My subtle perfection, which is one, omnipresent, attributeless, indifferent, undecaying, unattached like space, unbeginning and unending, be an object of worship for the dualistic mind? Hence it is that I as the Supreme Guru have entered into the bodies of human Satgurus.
Even My gross aspect, being full of light and energy, is imperceptible to human eyes. For this reason I have assumed the form of the Satguru in the world, and thus protect the race of sishyas.
As Mahesvara, in human body I secretly wander on the Earth in order to favor sishyas. As Sadasiva, I assume the modest and merciful form for the protection of sadhakas. Though remaining above samsara, yet I appear and act in this world as though I were a man of samsara.
When the fruits of sin predominate, Satguru is seen as a person. And when the fruits of virtuous acts prevail, Satguru is seen as Siva. Like blind men deprived forever of seeing the sun, unfortunate jivas are unable to see the real Satguru, the embodiment of Mahesvara, though He is present before their eyes. It is undoubtedly true that Satguru is Deva Sadasiva Himself, for who is it that grants Liberation to seekers if Satguru be not Siva Himself?
O Beloved, there is not the least difference between Deva Sadasiva and Sriguru. Whoever makes a distinction between them commits a sin. For by assuming the form of a preceptor, the Gurudeva severs the multitude of bonds which bind jivas to the state of pasu and enables them to attain the Self, Parasivam.
Om Namasivaya,
Sivaya Namaha

Bodhinatha's Sun One, September 9th, upadesha has wonderful guidance on dealing with the external, conscious mind in our spiritual life.

"Dealing with the Conscious Mind" (September 9th, 2015)

On the spiritual path be careful to not let the worldly approach of others influence us. Take time each day for spiritual practice; turn off the externalizing and limiting conscious mind thinking. Overcome the use of anger in the world. Become strong, get greater willpower, gain control over the mind. Consciousness of the Sat Yuga is in the mind of those of us who are spiritually oriented but not in the world of those who are oriented toward violence.

Master Course, Merging with Siva, Lesson 171.

Click here to go to an index of all of Bodhinatha's and Gurudeva's online audio.

"Bhakti, Devotion, the Key to Meditation" (September 6th, 2015)

It's easier to meditate after puja. If you try and practice meditation without devotional practice you can build up the ego and spiritual pride. External and internal worship. Give up pride, build up humility through devotion and worship; see Siva in everyone, even one Being. Good character is needed to be successful in bhakti yoga. Stay tuned for the release of our new book on this topic - "Character Traits".

Master Course, Merging with Siva, Lesson 147.

Click here to go to an index of all of Bodhinatha's and Gurudeva's online audio.

An invited to attend a religious ceremony and an Inspired Talk by His Holiness Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, Spiritual Head of Kauai Aadheenam who is on a short visit in Mauritius.

Event: Friday 11th September 2015

Today begins a new phase for the monks after having had a two day retreat from their regular routine. Today is also Ardra nakshatra, so at 9am it will be celebrated with our monthly Ardra abhishekm to Lord Nataraja. Following today's homa, Satguru gave an upadesha on today's Master Course lesson about internalizing worship.

What do we mean by internalizing worship? In external worship we are trying to see God and communicate with God with our two eyes and our physical nerve system. We enjoy His darshan and feel His shakti. In deep meditation, the external worship is deliberately internalized, and we are trying to see God with our third eye and feel God's all-pervasiveness through our psychic nerve system. Externalizing bhakti is really much easier than internalizing it. But once the externalized bhakti is perfected, it will be easy and natural to internalize bhakti right along. When this is accomplished, the most rigorous hurdles and time-consuming practices of yoga, which often lead the person onto anava marga, will have been side-stepped.

To internalize worship, after the puja is over, sit before the Deity and draw into yourself all the pranas you feel around your body. Then draw those energies up the spine into the head. This is done with the mind and with the breath. It is very easy to do. It is especially easy when one is at the end of a major karmic cycle. The bhakti of uncompromising surrender, prapatti, to the God during a temple puja awakens the amrita. The amrita is the sweet essence from the sahasrara chakra. It is the binding yoke to the Divine. Bind yourself in the lotus posture after temple worship and simply internalize all the feeling that you had for the God during the worship. That's all there is to it. The yogi yoked within enjoys the amrita that flows from the cranium throughout his body. Devotees who want to awaken the higher chakras and sustain that awakening on the safe path will throw themselves into becoming uncompromising bhaktars. Then all the Gods of all three worlds will open their hearts and shower their blessings upon them.

Satguru Bodhinatha and Shanmuganathaswami returned from their most recent mission. Natyam Mayuranatha performs the pada puja in front of Kadavul temple.
The monastery needs its Guru. All of the parampara is with him. When Satguru returns home the air is filled with shakti, all of the ether is replenished with this guru-shakti. The guru is a constant reminder of the goal, the embodiment of sadhana well performed. The guru is so special because he is the first person to see you as God and awakens that spark within you. As you see the guru as God and he sees that in you, this completes the "seeing and being seen" that is guru-darshan.

We are excited to bring you Guru Purnima 2015 in 360 video. Feel free to use your cursor to drag the video in a full 360 degree spin to view the whole scene! Best viewed in the highest quality resolution of 4K, now offered by YouTube. This option will pop-up on the screen automatically if your browser is Chrome or Firefox. If not available for your browser, choose resolution options 1440 or higher. We hope you enjoy this inaugural step into the future of our media. Note: For viewing on a smartphone or tablet, you must use the YouTube mobile app to get the experience of moving around in the video. The 360 feature does not work when viewing on this blog or at Youtube.com from a mobile device.

At the end of their last phase, during the full moon, the monks and much of the Hindu world celebrated Guru Purnima. Guru Purnima is for devotees a day of rededication to all that the guru represents.

Early in the morning, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami was paraded down San Marga to the Swayambhu Lingam where a homa was kindled and a pada puja performed to his feet. The monks began chanting Sri Rudram and Satguru entered into deep meditation for the duration of the puja. The air scintillated with silent shakti, which drew all shishya deeper within themselves. The following passage from Merging With Siva helps to describe why we worship the holy feet of the Satguru:

"But Parasiva has to be experienced time after time for it to impregnate all parts of the body--our big toe has to experience it--because we are still human. From a rotten state of consciousness, feeling totally neglected, that nobody loves us, we have to realize Parasiva. When ill and feeling we may die, we have to realize Parasiva. When concentrating on our knees, we have to bring Parasiva into them. The knees are the center of pride, and this helps in attaining ultimate humility. So it is with every part of our body, not only the pituitary center, the physical corollary of the door of Brahman--that is the first place--but with every part of the body. The pituitary gland has to be stimulated sufficiently to open the door of Brahman. But only the strictest sannyasin disciplines would induce this result. Ears, eyes, nose, throat, all parts of the body have to realize Parasiva, and the siddha has to do this consciously. The calves have to realize Parasiva. All the parts of the lower body have to realize Parasiva, because all of those tala chakras have to come into that realization. Then, finally, we are standing on the muladhara chakra rather than on the talatala chakra. Then, finally, our feet are standing on the svadhishthana chakra, and so on. And this is the true meaning of the holy feet."

From the Kularnava Tantra
"Indeed, it is only when the Satguru gives himself to the sishya that this sishya becomes liberated and free from birth. Directed by the compassionate Satguru who is pleased with pure devotion, the sishya attains Liberation from karma and becomes eligible to both freedom and fulfillment.
Devotion to the Satguru is the one main prescription. Without this, all learning, all austerity, family status and observances are useless. They are only decorations, pleasing to the worldly eye.
The sishya who has complete devotion, steady and constant, what has he to worry about? Moksha is in the hollow of his palm. For him who remembers, "My Satguru is Siva Himself who grants Liberation," fulfillment is not far off. As the steady devotion for the Satguru grows, so grows one's knowledge.
Neither yoga, nor tapas, nor ritual of worship are sufficient for spiritual attainment. Only gurubhakti excels. Service to the guru performed with devotion, according to one's means, holds the same merit whether offered by the wealthy or the impoverished.
Even if you give the whole of your wealth to the guru but without devotion, the fruit will not accrue to you, for indeed devotion is the only cause.
The sacred paduka of the guru are the ornament. Remembrance of his name is japa. Carrying out his command is duty. Service to him is worship."
Jaya Gurunathan! Aum Namah Sivaya!