At about 9:26am on October 17th the life-sized bronzes of Gurudeva, the temple architects and silpi sculptors was formally blessed and opened. After a short chant by Kumarswami Gurukkal, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gave all present an overview of Iraivan and how this collection of masterpieces fits into the future visitor's experience. Then Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami offered a detailed history of Gurudeva's instructions to build the pavilion, followed by stories of Holly Young, the sculptress, and the 32 artisans in Colorado who have done this work over the last eight years. He also spoke of some chain handrails that will come next year. Gurukkal then did a series of beautiful pujas, bringing all of the devas of earth, air, fire, water and akasha to bless and support the pavilion into the far future. Enjoy the photos of the opening:

From Gurudeva's mathavasi shastras 6-11-2001
"So Iraivan is a mind merge of working togetherness which we all do very very well and in a extremely very very nice way. That's why everything works so nicely here and why we have silpis out there and why we are building this beautiful temple which is a testament of the harmony and productivity of all the mathavasi with their brahmachariya and the brahmachariya makes you extremely creative when you are doing it properly.

The silpis create these beautiful statues and temples and their names are not there, you don't know who they are. They don't become famous and they don't advertise themselves. That's the tradition. You do something and create a piece of art and it stands on its own. You don't sign your name on it and stand up and do all that stuff. So its best to always take a humble position or a behind the scenes position."

"O king, is there anything unattainable
To them who intensely contemplate
On the fragrant feet of the son
Of Ummaiyal, of sweet and comely speech?
The thunderous thud of the swift elephant
And that of the agile horse must give place
To that of the rider of this old dame!
He is none other than the mighty Mahāgaṇapati."
-Saint Auvaiyar

Majestically seated on the manipura chakra, this scarlet-hued God blesses mankind and strengthens our will when we lift to the inner sky through sadhana and yoga. The yoga pada begins with the worship of Him. The yogi, locked in meditation, venerates Karttikeya, Skanda, as his mind becomes as calm as Saravana, the lake of Divine Essence. The kundalini force within everyone is held and controlled by this powerful God, first among renunciates, dear to all sannyasins.

Aum Namah Sivaya

Wishing everyone a wonderful Ardra Nakshatra. Today, as they do once each month, the monks performed an abhishekam to Lord Nataraja. Today's puja was quite powerful, and we were joined by many wonderful guests in Kadavul Temple.

Now have I realized the path of Hara. In the past I sought Him in narrow paths and strayed. Lo! All the while He stood before me like a beacon light in firmament, guiding my voyage across the sea of my soul's longing. The path of Siva is the proven path. It led them to Hara. It is the royal path that renowned souls have walked, the path divine that took the devout to cosmic space. That path do seek, enter and persevere. Still your wandering thoughts, chant the sacred syllable Si and so persevere on the path of Hara. You shall envision primal light effulgent.
Tirumantiram1562-1563.

Today Lord Ganesha was looking extra nice, bedecked in golden konrai flowers.

"The God with the elephantine visage I shall never forget--Shankara's son, with massive belly and the thodu in His ear, the Lord who gave His grace to Indra, of whom mantra is His very form." Yogaswami's Natchintanai

We have been having a creative time with our Quad Copter. Please enjoy these new aerial shots of our recently installed Temple Carvers Pavilion next to Iraivan Temple. At around 2:20 the camera looks across the river to our Himalayan Acres fields, where you will see our fields of 8-foot-tall Koa trees in the foreground and behind that a large grassy field which has a few hundred coconut trees. Click the gear and watch it in HD

Sivasri Shanmugam Sivacharyar -- son of late Sivasri Sambamurthy Sivacharyar of Kaaligambal Temple, Chennai -- and Sivasri Sundaramurthy Sivacharyar -- principal of the Saiva Agama Pathashala -- came to the monastery recently and paid their respects to the monks. Wonderful conversations were had that detailed future plans for the Iraivan mahakumbhabhishekam and spreading the culture and tradition of Sanskrit to the next generation. These two powerful priests are working with the digitized Agama project and moving that mission forward at their centers.

We thank them profusely for visiting and uplifting us all with their wonderful vibration.

Satguru hasn't visited the Ganesha Temple in Flushing, New York since 1982! Satguru was there in it's humble beginnings and is very happy to see this temple has grown so much and is thriving.

A few weeks ago the monastery was fortunate enough to host Shreelata Suresh and her daughter for a devotional offering of dance at the end of the Siva puja. These two stunningly danced in Kadavul last year as well.

Here are a few more photos that give a nice perspective of the recently installed bronzes