How sweetly He smiles
my dear Lord Murugan
reflection true of what is
in my heart
My face may, perchance,
show it not

At the start He seemed serious
just as surely I was
anxiety, anticipation
a little trepidation
so many feelings
so many thoughts

He stands unadorned
just a single cloth on Him
ready to accept all that is offered
gross, dense, sweet and sour
ash and water when they are poured

Blessed are those who draw near
touch Him as they are touched
one chants, one invokes
sacred words ring so true
subtle gestures have powers too
another carries His Vel
while he who proudly bears that name
bears the holy waters
with which He will bathe

I watch as in my mind
I offer much the same
my dense thoughts, actions gross
big and small, however they come
poured at His Holy Feet
Out pour the sour feelings
and emotions sweet
unplugged by hours
at the Guru's Lotus Feet

Washed clean I stand
as the waters on Him pour
preparing for the days ahead
strengthened by His words of solace
encouraged by actions Brave
as He slays the demons
that held me in sway

He now stands, shining
holding His blazing Vel
dressed in stately garbs
befitting the Prince of Hearts
that He is!
The drums beat
conches blow
cymbals clang
'tis the silence inside
that is unbearbly loud
Flames pass over His Face
and He smiles
and then
He smiles a little bit more

And, I smile too
and even dare to chuckle
at the drama and dance
that the egos serve
for the souls to progress
finally to merge
sparks into the Light
drops into the Ocean -
Knowing this He smiles!

How sweetly He smiles
my dear Lord Murugan
reflection true of what is
in my heart
Now, knowing why He smiles
my face smiles too!

Infinite love and eternal gratitude

Aum Namah Sivaya!

People from all over India have been turning our attention to The Hindu, a prominent Hindu newspaper, whose recent article covers our 2012 Hindu of the Year Award. The award was presented to the world's temple carvers. The article also focuses on Kauai Aadheenam and paints a very positive picture of the work we are doing here Click here to download a PDF of the article

Today is ashram sadhana day, meaning the monks spend the day cleaning the monastery. Here Jaya is giving Dakshinamurti a much needed scrub

A group of students from a private school using the Waldorf system of education visited today. The class is currently studying Hinduism and got a chance to sit down with Acharya and discuss Hindu beliefs and ask a few questions.

Click here for all photos of November Ganesha Homa at Spiritual Park

Yesterday, many of the Pilgrims had a wonderful time planting two different, special trees with Sadasivanathaswami. They then took a stroll through the temple gardens.

This afternoon, shanmuganathaswami gave several classes for pilgrims. The first was an explaination of the Panchangam Calender and the second was on writing the tyeif script. He then taught a color meditation and a meditation on prana.

The blessings of Bodhinatha's presence in the Mini Mela after the public tour gives everyone an opportunity to thank Him, offer books for signing and even pose a question or two. It is always a rare privilege to watch how Bodhinatha seems to "read" the guest and give them just what they came for. The magic that surrounds the Guru is always there in a subtle way but on occasion not so subtle.

A beginning health practitioner sat before Bodhinatha recently and appeared a little depressed. He confessed that while he loves his new field he can't seem to avoid "taking on" the feelings and moods of his clients and feels quite burdened once the treatments are over at the end of the day. Bodhinatha asked us to go get "Merging With Siva" off the bookshelf and we brought the pocket book edition. After a few long minutes of searching he told us - "go get the big one, it is not in this edition".

We then handed Bodhinatha the hard back full edition and he opened the 924 page book to where the silk book mark lay gracefully along the page. You might have guessed it - that was the page - and there was Gurudeva's lesson on how to build a strong force field when working with others!

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPhuaCfPjbc Exciting even for our non-Telugu-speaking viewers!

We recently received a communication from Kerala about an amazing statue of Lord Nataraja Carved entirely out of rosewood. A truly amazing piece. If you would like to purchase this for your temple or cultural organization, contact the BaronIndia Group in Trivandrum