Today is the second of our 5 days of Pancha Ganapati, Gurudeva's new festival created decades ago to allow Hindu kids and families a holiday of gift giving. It has spread around the world.

December 22, Color Is Blue
The family sadhana for the second day of Pancha Ganapati is to create a vibration of love and harmony among neighbors, relatives and close friends and presenting them with heartfelt. Today's sadhana is to offer apologies and clear up any misunderstandings that exist. Relatives and friends in far-off places are written to or called, forgiveness is sought, apologies made and tensions released. Gifts received are placed unopened before Pancha Ganapati.

The Five Saktis of Lord Ganesa
A Seasonal Doxology by a Saiva Monk

Loving Ganesha! Dear to Siva's men,
Within whose form the world of form resides,
Who earned the mango by a ponderous ken
And made the moon to wax and wane in tides.

Aum Ganesha! Loved by saints and sages,
Whose skillful arms five potent shaktis wield
To guide men now as in forgotten ages--
The seeker's shield, the farmer's fertile field.

Aum! Ganesha's first shakti is home life,
Protection, harmony, fertility--
Respect becomes the man, as love the wife,
Obedience their cherished offspring's glee.

Aum! Ganesha's second shakti's family--
By blood, by marriage and proximity.
Word and thought controlled, like minds agree,
While faithful friends preserve community.

Aum! Ganesha's third shakti's the market,
Where commerce earns the earth stability,
Where forthright, selfless merchants, free from debt,
Conceive, produce, exchange prosperity.

Aum! Ganesha's fourth shakti brings culture--
Refined expression, graceful artistry
In music, dance, in poetry and sculpture
Or common conduct performed consciously.

Aum! Ganesha's fifth shakti is dharma--
Fair merit found in virtue's charity--
Where love of God does conquer ancient karma
And Siva's slaves earn grace's rarity.

Jaya Ganesha! Come, our hearts protect
From discord in the home, from strife with friend,
From business misfortune, from art's neglect,
From soul's dark night--these griefs asuric end.

Recently, the monastery held its evening celebration of Sivalaya Deepam, worshiping God Siva as a pillar of fire. This year, deepa lamps were placed throughout Iriavan Temple. Earlier in the day we observed the monthly krittika homa at Iriavan, and into the evening the deepas were lit, setting aglow Iriavan Temple's intricate architecture. After a puja to Mahalingeshvara, special flames were brought out to a pillar of wood, ghee and palm fronds, which was set ablaze. Aum Namah Sivaya. Sivaya Namah Aum.

We share here a few photos of the Skanda Sashti puja a few days ago (which was also livestreamed), and in the middle of the puja, while Karttikeya was decorated, Brahmachari Shankara Veylan took the six-month Supplicancy Pledge. Having already taken the vow of purity, he now takes on two more vows, the vow of Humility and the vow of Confidence. This pledge declares his intention towards a life of monasticism, as he now begins the final process, by which he will ready himself for the life of the Postulant. From the Sacred Pledge booklet:

"The supplicant's foremost objective is to strive for mastery of the charya marga, or path of service. This begins with the avoidance of wrongful actions and the overcoming of base instincts and emotions as he learns to transmute worldliness into the higher states of devotion and selflessness. At this stage on the path, the Saivite devotee is content not to strive for profound spiritual attainments but to work diligently with the faults and flaws that are stumbling blocks on the path, learning at the same time to depend not only on his own resources but on the limitless abilities of the Gods to resolve all difficulties and dissolve all obstacles. The Supplicancy is a time of profound worship of Lord Ganesha, Lord Murugan and Lord Siva and of deepening commitment and service to Saivite Hinduism and to the Church. It is also a time of study, challenge and inner change. The supplicant is encouraged to strive for the perfection of service and for the monastic ideals of humility, industry and responsibility, renouncing personal needs for the benefit of others. In this service, he should strive for transparency, that quality of anonymous virtue in which the premonastic lives in full harmony with others, remaining centered within and not standing out or disturbing the surroundings. It is this ancient tradition of unseen service and unperturbable stability that the supplicant seeks to emulate, realizing that serving in unheralded ways and renouncing the fruits of even good deeds averts the pitfalls of the spiritual ego and nurtures the state of unpretentiousness. By putting great energy into premonastic life and by serving tirelessly for the benefit not of himself but of others, the supplicant opens himself to the inflow of Lord Siva's grace."Aum Namah Sivaya.

Join us on November 18th at 3:00pm (Kauai time) for our 2023 celebration of Skanda Shashti. Each year in Kadavul Temple, our monks perform this special abhishekam for Lord Murugan . Om Skandaya Namah

As the annual Gurudeva Puja events have winded down and we head into Skanda Shashthi, sishya Rajkumar Manickam shares additional photos, taken with his fancy camera, of scenery and the San Marga murthi moves on day three. The final afternoon will be a separate post.

We took taskforcer Tarun Nathoo (in green) over to Himalayan Acres for the first time, to join us in picking hundreds of pounds of noni fruit. Suresh and Rajkumar also joined us. They got to briefly experience the picking platform to reach the higher fruits, while spending most of the time picking the younger trees from the ground.

The second group of photos shows the Ganapati Kulam updating our Guru Puja pilgrims on some of its media activities, including new artwork commissions, videos to show US sixth graders about students visiting the eastern dharmic religions' places of worship, and the Sanskrit pronunciation website we recently created.

This morning the silpis and monks observed Ayudha Puja at the small carving site located on the property. Pravinkumar performed the puja for everyone present.

"Ayudha Puja" simply translates to "implement worship," and is performed on Vijayadashami - the day immediately following the last night of Navaratri.

At this time, whatever items used to do his or her profession or other duties are cleaned well, adorned with vibhuti, chandanam, and kumkum, flowers, etc. and offered arati and incense. Any tool that is personally or professionally vital to the devotee is blessed. This could include computers, motorcycles, power saws, dish washers, calculators, musical instruments, theatre make up, farming trackers, etc. In this case it was for the tools that the siplis use to do their incredible carving.

The blessings of Goddess Saraswati are invoked, as well as Lord Ganesha. Everyone enjoyed sweet rice following the worship.

As it has around the world, the annual day arrived to celebrate Lord Ganesha's sweetness with pomp in Kadavul Temple.

Because our puja was early, at 6am, Iraivan Temple's priest Pravin Kumar was able to attend and also offer some chants and songs at toward the end. He wanted a few photos of himself to share with family, so you'll see those in this collection.

The puja livestream--

Jai Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami!

Early this morning the aadheenam celebrated Guru Purnima with a 6:00am parade to Iraivan Temple, followed by a pada puja honoring Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and the entire Guru Parampara. To begin the day, monks and devotees paraded Satguru's chariot down Siva Saalai—the concrete road leading down to the temple. Upon arrival, Pravinkumar welcomed Satguru with and arati and the whole group continued inside the temple for a padapuja at the northeast corner of the temple. Yogi Dayanatha and Sannyasin Siddhanathaswami performed the puja as Satguru entered deep meditation. Afterwards, Satguru gave vibhuti blessings to all present. Aum Namah Shivaya.

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.