During this morning's homa, Sivarathna Manick took his Vratasishya vows, becoming an official sishya of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Saiva Siddhanta Church. Sivarathna is currently at Kauai Aadheenam finishing up his stay on taskforce.

In taking this step, he pledges himself to uphold two vratas: The Nandinatha Sutra Vrata and the Saiva Sraddhadharana Vrata. He read aloud:

"I believe in You, the one Supreme God, Lord Siva, and the Gods of our Saivite faith, and in the Saiva Dharma. In love and trust I recognize Your goodness in providing for my every material and spiritual need. I understand that the 365 Nandinatha Sutras, created by Gurudeva, summarize our monistic Saiva Siddhanta philosophy, our articles of faith and conduct, and other Hindu codes of culture, ethics and right living. I affirm that I understand and agree, one hundred and one percent, with each sutra, having read and reread and related it to my personal life. I now pledge to uphold and pass on to the next generation the wisdom contained within each of these quatrains. I hereby reaffirm the four vratas that I took as an arulsishya--noninjury, spiritual lineage, vegetarianism, tithing--and blend them into this 365 sutra vrata, as a collective vow that I will uphold and defend throughout my lifetime.

"I believe in You, the one Supreme God, Lord Siva, and the Gods of our Saivite faith, and in the Saiva Dharma. In love and trust I recognize Your goodness in providing for my every material and spiritual need. I affirm that the twelve beliefs of our Saivite Creed, and our Affirmation of Faith, fully and unequivocally express my own beliefs, and I wholeheartedly vow to uphold and preach them as an authoritative, distilled formulation of our venerable faith. I understand the importance of beliefs, which have the power to create our attitudes, which shape our actions and reactions throughout life. I appreciate that our Saivite Creed serves to maintain the continuity and purity of the Vedas and Agamas and give strength and guidelines to individuals seeking to understand life and religion.

"In humility and gratitude, having received the blessings of Lord Siva through these spiritual vows, I promise, now and for my entire life, to be an ardent, dynamic, responsive, loving, grateful, loyal vratasishya of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, serving as a member of his global Saiva Siddhanta Church among my kulapati's extended family."

Satguru then blessed Sivarathna in his new life as a Vratasishya.
Aum Namah Sivaya

A few days ago Satguru held his February webinar, organized for all our formal sishyas and advanced students preparing to become sishyas. This time the topic was Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.
(For Information about being a formal sishya click here)

Recently we had our annual pizza lunch with members of the Wailua Mission to show appreciation for the work they do in raising money for Iraivan temple, working at the visitor center, greeting guests, answering visitor's questions and guiding the weekly tours. As special guests to this event we had Aran and Tara Veylan. They live in Canada where they help run the Edmonton Temple and Mini Mela Canada. They recently acquired a house here on Kauai and Bodhinatha came by to give his blessings. He also came to see how the Wailua Mission makes the Rudraksha products, as this was the mission's monthly Iraivan day at the Veylan's new house. Bodhinatha gave a wonderful speech at the pizza lunch about Iraivan Temple's mystical significance.

Click here for more story and photos of the event on November 30th for Saiva Siddhanta Church sishyas and their families, plus advanced students.

Part 2 collection

Click here for part 2 collection

Click here for more about the seminar for Saiva Siddhanta Church sishyas and advanced Himalayan Academy students

Recently the Wailua Mission members held their monthly rudraksha beading get-together. Sivarathna, Adi and Vel all joined them for the day to help. Sales from Rudrksha malas and jewelry have been a big help in the support of Iraivan temple.

During our recent weekly homa, Roshan Sivayogam took his Vratasishya vows, becoming an official shishya of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Saiva Siddhanta Church. Roshan is currently at Kauai Aadheenam on taskforce for the next few weeks.

In taking this step, he pledges himself to up hold two vratas: The Nandinatha Sutra Vrata and the Saiva Sraddhadharana Vrata. He read aloud:

"I believe in You, the one Supreme God, Lord Siva, and the Gods of our Saivite faith, and in the Saiva Dharma. In love and trust I recognize Your goodness in providing for my every material and spiritual need. I understand that the 365 Nandinatha Sutras, created by Gurudeva, summarize our monistic Saiva Siddhanta philosophy, our articles of faith and conduct, and other Hindu codes of culture, ethics and right living. I affirm that I understand and agree, one hundred and one percent, with each sutra, having read and reread and related it to my personal life. I now pledge to uphold and pass on to the next generation the wisdom contained within each of these quatrains. I hereby reaffirm the four vratas that I took as an arulsishya--noninjury, spiritual lineage, vegetarianism, tithing--and blend them into this 365 sutra vrata, as a collective vow that I will uphold and defend throughout my lifetime.

"I believe in You, the one Supreme God, Lord Siva, and the Gods of our Saivite faith, and in the Saiva Dharma. In love and trust I recognize Your goodness in providing for my every material and spiritual need. I affirm that the twelve beliefs of our Saivite Creed, and our Affirmation of Faith, fully and unequivocally express my own beliefs, and I wholeheartedly vow to uphold and preach them as an authoritative, distilled formulation of our venerable faith. I understand the importance of beliefs, which have the power to create our attitudes, which shape our actions and reactions throughout life. I appreciate that our Saivite Creed serves to maintain the continuity and purity of the Vedas and Agamas and give strength and guidelines to individuals seeking to understand life and religion.

"In humility and gratitude, having received the blessings of Lord Siva through these spiritual vows, I promise, now and for my entire life, to be an ardent, dynamic, responsive, loving, grateful, loyal vratasishya of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, serving as a member of his global Saiva Siddhanta Church among my kulapati's extended family."

Bodhinatha then blessed him in his new life as a Vratasishya.
Aum Namah Sivaya

After many years of fundraising and overcoming many obstacles, the devotees of Yogaswami were finally able to buy a piece of land in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This is the only center for Swami in Colombo for now. The old house on the property was demolished and a smaller building next to it was renovated to host the monthly Guru pujas until a proper center is built. Once the loan on the land is paid, building work will start with a generous contribution from a devotee. The first puja was held recently and here are some of the pictures to share with you. For further details please go to this link. http://www.sivayogaswami.com/

On Septemeber 7th Golden Gate Mission members in California celebrated the Ganesha Visarjana with devotees of the Concord Shiva Murugan Temple. There was a grand puja at the Riverview Park in Pittsburgh California by the Delta and the immersion took place after that. Pictured are the puja, Ganeshas ready for the immersion and the devotees who attended.

Click here for short report and more photos