Sheela Venkatakrishnan and her Amma pose with our wandering monks in Chennai following the lunch they engineered, bringing together 20 of the artists and friends and pundits we work with all year long but seldom have a chance to be with in person. Thank you Sheela.

Off our itinerant monks go to Sri Puram in Vellore, a citadel that arose in the early 90s from a 14-year-old boy's vision of the Goddess. The day was rich and over-rich. We were guided to the site of the original vision, a 6-foot-tall anthill in a village home, and then to the first temples that Shakti Amma built here, full of radiant and benevolent energies. Yogi Mayuranatha remarked he had never felt such a Kindly and gentle shakti from a deity.

Then off to the Golden Temple. Amma's devotees speak of this as "sugar-coated medicine," by which they mean Amma covered the entire temple in real gold to draw the world to the feet of Lakshmi Narayani. They come for the outer show but then leave with the inner glow, as Gurudeva would say.

It is a remarkable sight, a traditionally-designed temple floating in a pond in the middle of a vast garden. Their strict no photos policy does not allow us to share what we saw, but you can use Googlenatha to find images online.

Hundreds were waiting in long lines, but we were ushered down a special corridor to find ourselves seated before Sri Lakshmi Narayani and there we sat for the puja and stayed for a sweet meditation on the All and everything.

On our way out, they allowed us to pour water over the 70-kg solid gold Swarna Lakshmi. Then off to their newest Perumal Temple where we encountered a nine-foot-tall Vishnu with the sweetest smile ever seen in a murthi, something like the Ho Tei happy faces of Buddhism.

Our hosts took us to their old and new hospital facilities, an amazingly busy and high-tech healing center with 70 surgeons and 700 staff, outnumbered three to one by all the local people waiting for help with their issues. Never have we seen a hospital so full of people, in every hall and waiting room. The hospital here prides itself on providing world-class care at a fraction of the normal cost.

The highlight of the day was a long meeting with Shakti Amma. At Sadasivanathaswami's request, Amma spoke to the two yogis about Sannyas, with a profound emphasis on the mysteries of puja, yantra and tantra. Then off to the gardens where Amma is experimenting with growing tomatoes. Not in the ordinary way, but adding a special devi yantra to the soil and changing a bija mantram 108 times. Amma showed how a tomato grown this way is 5 times the size of an ordinary tomato.

Then to the goshala where Amma keeps 15 species of Indian zebu cows from all over the nation. There are hundreds here, so many each year Amma give 108 cows to temple and priests to help them spiritually and economically.

Then a short visit to the two elephants who enjoyed a mouthful of cookies.

After a festive guest-pleasing dinner (we counted 27 items on our banana leaf!), Amma invited us to the last puja of the day. It's amazing how central puja is here. From 4am to 10pm one follows another and we enjoyed Amma's final puja along with some 100 devotees.

The 2018 Innersearch has come to an end. Our hope is that we were able to give you a glimpse into what these pilgrims went through, but to be sure it is like a grain of sand sitting atop an entire beach. Enjoy this final slideshow of work from our long-time church member and Innersearcher Indivar Sivanathan. She has captured some moments in time that can never be forgotten. Sign ups are now open for the 2019 program, less than one year away.

Initiation, called diksha in Tamil, is an all-important part of the Saiva path. Tirumular speaks lovingly of the potencies created by Siva diksha, of the need for initiation if one ever hopes for progress on the path within. So when students and members were brought before Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami after the puja, it was a highpoint of the Innersearch and a high point of their spiritual lives. The place was a small chamber just in front of a black granite murthi of Kadaitswami, so the parampara was fully present. Past and present. One by one they came forward, touched the Satguru’s feet, made traditional offerings and sat to recite their vows aloud before him. Satguru blessed them and accepted their loyalties and commitment to the path. In all there were ceremonies for six Church members: two vishesha diksha, three vrata shishya and one arul shishya. Vishesha Diksha for Jegadessa & Nalini Chenganna of Mauritius; Vratashishya for Vandana Nathoo, Shanthi Suresh and Rajeshwari Parasivam. Arulshishya vows were taken by Sakuntalai Periasamy of Singapore. Nuckiren Pyeneeandee got his ears pierced.

From 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM the Innersearchers were blessed with our richest, longest, most elaborate temple rites. An amazing Siva homa and abhishekam was held at the Siva temple which has a shrine for Kadaitswami's mahasamadhi. A team of ten priests worked tirelessly (and clearly had been working for days to prepare all of the kumbhas, offerings and conches.) A large crowd of devotees filled the entire temple hallways and drums and nagaswaram played loudly throughout. This temple holds a special place in our hearts. It is where Kadaitswami's body is interned and in 1983 Gurudeva was asked to participate in a kumbhabishekam ceremony here. Sadasivanathaswmi stood by anxiously as Gurudeva climbed a rickety bamboo ladder to the top of the temple vimanam to pour holy water over the golden kalasams. It seemed a dangerous moment. Several of the trustees today recounted that morning today. Siva was taken around the temple toward the end in a small chariot, and hundreds of devotees rushed forward to touch Bodhinatha's feet, or even the hem of his robes, seeing a brief moment of grace. Men held to monks' arms, tears streaming down their cheek, eyes wide open in gratitude. Such a long puja is rare these days, but the power released was equal to the love of Siva present.

Coming back from our temple visit, we were regaled with a rich pre-dinner musical concert. A group of five musicians had gathered a number of instruments on the stage. It began with a Yogaswami Natchintanai followed by six or seven major vina pieces of varying kinds, played to perfection. Then the real fun began. A marvelously gifted musician, Thuvarakan, started with some simple drumming. This gave way to a wide-ranging display of his skills (honed since he was five year old) on every kind of drum, old and new. He was equally adept at all of them.

But then he let loose, picked up a synthesizer and astonished us all with his creative genius and swift and nimble fingers. At one point he played the well known iPhone ringtone, then began to riff on it. Dozens of interpretations and permutations. Quite amazing. Bodhinatha offered them all shawls and they stayed to enjoy dinner with us at the Tinnai.

Here is a short selection...

Off we went to Kaitatady where Yogaswami built a thatched hut for his disciple and commanded him to stay there. Markanduswami settled there at age 60 and in 1985 left his body at age 92. He never left the compound all those years.

We entered into the newly renovated hut, made the same size as the original but of fresh concrete and wood. Thondunatha told the story of how Gurudeva asked him to visit here weekly, which he did for 3-4 years.

Markanduswami lived a pure and austere life here, and kept the compound spotless, meditating, singing Natchintanai and receiving visitors. He would never speak from his own knowledge or experience. Instead, he held to the sadhana of saying only what Yogaswami said, nothing more.

We saw two book, old and dusty, in the room. Taking them down, we saw they were two editions of Natchintanai! Not only did he only speak his guru's words, he seems to have only read them as well.

We Visit the Vedanta Madam Off we bussed to one of the important institutions of our lineage. Kadaitswami had a disciple they called Sargaent Swami (since he was of that rank in the Jaffna police). He founded this madam which follows the Tirumular interpretation of Vedanta. We were greeted by the current swami, the seventh in their lineage. He spoke lovingly of Satguru Bodhinatha’s visits (2015 and now), and after Bodhinatha gave a brief discourse and vibuthi blessings to all gathered, swami fed all the Innersearchers, personally filling the monks’ banana leaves. So pure and humble a soul he is.

Sivan TV captured the Innersearch adventures at Gurudeva’s Pasupatiswar Sivan Temple and later at the famed Kumbhalavalai Pillayar Temple where Gurudeva visited often in 1949. The video closely follows two pujas that morning and the parade to the Ganesha temple through the narrow lanes of Alaveddy. Sadasivanatha noted at the first one that this was the very place that Gurudeva initiated him into Sannyas in 1970.

Off to one of the ancient temples of Sri Lanka, located on the northernmost shore, just next to the sea. In fact, there are natural springs here and the Innersearchers were able to
bathe in the holy waters. Puja and abhishekam followed.

The priests here are of the ancient Chola lineage like yesterday. The puja was offered to a lingam into which 1008 lingams are carved. Each Innersearcher took a small pot of milk from the nearby Sivabhoomi Madam where Yogaswami's golden murthi is installed, walking half a mile to the temple and offering the milk at the high point of the abhishekam. As with the other temples, the chanting is precious and precise, honed by decades of practice. The priest told Bodhinatha they had met him before, and also met Gurudeva back in the 80s. They said the blessings of the puja would flood into Kauai Aadheenam in Hawaii.

The wonderful Yogaswami devotees then hosted us for a banana-leaf lunch at their madam. We are falling in love with the Sri Lanka country rice and veggie curries. We can fast when we get home, right?

Pasupati Sivan Koyil
This morning our buses made their way through a series of villages and rural byways that one of the monks thought looked like a movie. Fields of paddy and tobacco, farmers harvesting rice and growing bananas and papayas. When we arrived in Alaveddy, hundreds were waiting at the gate. Nandi flags fluttered in the mild wind and radiant faces welcomed the Innersearchers to this site, so important in Gurudeva's life and history.

This was the compound where stood Kandiah Chettiar's house where Gurudeva stayed in 1949, where he absorbed the culture of pure Saivism and did his sadhanas in preparation for meeting Yogaswami. In subsequent years the home was razed and Gurudeva had this small Siva temple erected. All entered to enjoy an hour-long puja and abhishekam. Dozens of small children, perhaps 7 years of age and all born after the end of the conflicts here, were brought by their teachers to have Satguru Bodhinatha's blessings.

Above the sanctum large photos of Yogaswami and Gurudeva radiated. Aru Thiru Murugan, one of our trustees of this land, spoke of its history and importance, though small and humble in many ways. Some of our swamis were initiated into Sannyas on this very spot.

Kumbhalavalai Pillaiyar Koyil
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami lead a long procession from the Pasupatiswara Temple to the Kumbhalavalai Pillaiyar Koyil. Amazingly this one village has five major Ganesha temaples, and this one was visited often, almost daily, by Gurudeva when he lived with the Chettiar family. For nearly a mile we walked along the narrow lanes Innersearchers singing Namasivaya and locals on scooters stopping, pulling over to the side to let this holy procession pass.

A long and marvelous puja ensued, and Ganesha abhishakam. The priest had a heavenly voice and his Sanskrit was beyond beautiful. We captured some of his mantras and songs. The largest team of tavil and nagasvaram played in the stone chamber, their music reverberating, their powerful rhythms uplifting the hundreds who had come for darshan. Then followed the famed Panchamukha Ganapati arati, with five priests surrounding the murthi, each offering a large camphor lamp to one of the faces. This is, in fact, the very place where Gurudeva conceived the idea of a large Panchamukha Ganapati for his Spiritual Park. We had returned to the source.

In a nearby hall all the Innersearchers and hundreds of others were served prasadam on banana leaves. The afternoon was open for Innersearchers to return to temples, shop for friends back home or rest, as the schedule has been intense and full in every way.