Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Shanmuganathaswami are off on another mission, this time to Tennessee. Satguru will give a slideshow presentation, "Hinduism: A multifaceted Religion" at the Hindu Temple of Nashville and be present for all three days of the Satarudreeya Maha Yagam at the India Cultural Center and Temple.

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In Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami's most recent upadesha, He discusses not letting down on our sadhana. Success comes with consistency of conduct. Improve and control our mind and behavior standards twenty-four hours a day. Monistic Theism, our tradition, is a dual approach. Worshiping God on the outside; claiming and realizing God on the inside. Going deep within to find That which does not change. The path of Saivism: "Bhakti-raja-siddha yoga leading to oneness." Aum Namah Sivaya

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Dr. Larry Payne, founder of the Samata Yoga Center in Los Angeles, has had many yoga retreats on Kauai. Each time he brings the retreat group to attend Siva puja at our monastery temple and meet with the late Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, and now with Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami. Larry is celebrating Samata Yoga's 35th anniversary by inviting various teachers and friends to submit a short video message of best wishes and some wisdom. Here is the message from Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami.

International Day of Yoga web site www.idayofyoga.org Read Yoga's Forgotten Foundation

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In Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami's most recent upadesha, He discusses various levels of realization and samadhi. In short, the experience of ananda in savikalpa samadhi has to cease before you can dive deeper into nirvikalpa samadhi. Agitations of the mind are released by the attainment of shanti in the anahata and vishuddha chakras. These distinctions are important for understanding where we are in consciousness. The realization of one's self as a soul is the first stage of Self Realization, then Satchidanada, then Parasiva. Aum Namah Sivaya

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This afternoon, the Aadheenam's Natyam and young sadhaka took part in a special class with Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami. The subject was Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Verse by verse Satguru went through explaining and answering questions about this profound yogic text. Much of a monastic's training at Kauai Aadheenam is experiential, so a chance to sit down with their satguru for a in-depth discussion of high philosophy was a rare treat. Aum Namah Sivaya.

"Yoga is the restraint of mental activities" Patanjali

On January 31st, Bodhinatha visited the Sivapoomi School which provides educational services for 212 children with special needs. They welcomed Bodhinatha with a parade with children playing traditional instruments, holding an umbrella over their honored guest and carrying banners. The event was well attended by students, teacher, parents and other devotees.

Last Sun One (March 28th) Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanwami gave this wonderful upadesha following the weekly homa.

Activating Kundalini; Patanjali's Kriya Yoga
Unless kundalini is active, the deepest meditative states are not available to us. But to activate kundalini, Gurudeva tells us we must invoke the grace of Lord Ganesha and Lord Murugan. "Yoga is internalized worship which leads to union with God." Experience the inside of you in a profound way. This requires dispassion. The popular term "kriya yoga" usually refers to a form of pranayama, but the original kriya yoga is defined by Sage Patanajli as the practice of three of the niyamas: tapas, svadhyaya and Isvarapranidhana. To achieve samadhi we practice yoga, steady restraint of mental activities, austerity, meditation, detachment, self study and worship of God. Communion with the Ishta Devata, one's chosen Deity is a key.

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There is a small project in the Ganapati Kulam of gathering more photos of Bodhinatha and Gurudeva for the website. Here is a small collection of photos for you.

Above is Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami's Sun One talk from three days ago. He advises us to follow Gurudeva's teachings in a serious way; take up a daily vigil, sandhya vandana, worshiping at the change of days (sunrise and sunset). It takes time to change and master our character, soften the ego and purify the subconscious. Welcome correction from a living guru and take up the spiritual path, the path of change. The challenges of daily sadhana slowly lifts up the energy from the instinctive and intellectual mind into higher realms of experience.
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