Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami and Acharya Arumuganathaswami left for Denver yesterday where they will participate in the Uberoi Foundation Conference. They will continue the initiative to improve the teachings on Hinduism and India in our public education system in the US.

Gurudeva had a powerful presence at this months Chitra Puja. Jai to our beloved Gurudeva.

Our Siddhidata Kulam continues work on the Maha Fence project along the north boundary line between
San Marga land and the adjacent University of Hawaii Agricultural Research station land. This boundary runs from Kuamo'o Road on the east from the highway at the Rudraksha grove and parking lot, all the way down to the Wailua river below iraivan. It is registered on our property maps as being 2,849 feet long. Over 1/2 a mile!

This area has been completely left to go wild for decades. The previous fence line was virtually gone. It has been increasingly important for us to establish some security measures to protect San Marga and iraivan from intruders as well as wild boar whose population on Kauai now, estimated to be about 66,000 out number humans! Our Siddhidata Kulam undertook the Herculean job of removing all the trees that were on along the fence line. The original giant and very beautiful Blue Gum trees and Norfolk Pines were not the problem. Over the years, large numbers of invasive species had taken root. Every single Java plum tree was infested with roque banyan. Albezia trees, which are official pests in Hawaii (as they take over and destroy native habitat) had grown to sometimes 3 feet in diameter and 60 feet tall. It is only about a 15 foot swath to be cleared, but the amount of jungle to be removed is enormous! This job, had it been contracted out would probably have cost $100,000.00. Instead the SK has been putting on their boots twice a week now for nearly a year and slowly whittling away, and they are nearing completion.

In recent days we are seeing some assistance from the Univerisity of Hawaii Ag station workers who are happily helping the monks with a small bull-dozer and an occasional high-lift.

Ojibwe Chief Con-nos-semitig (aka Robert TallTree) and his 83-year-old young mother Akwa-gish-nuquay visited the Aadheenam today. The Ojibwe (Chippewa) Indians originally hailed from the Great Lakes area around Lake Superior and are are split across USA and Canada. They are the fourth largest First Indian nation in the US with over 56,000 members. Another 77,000 live in Canada. The priests of their Ojibwe, initiated medicine men of Midewiwin religion of of the Ojibwe, were well respected as the keepers of detailed and complex scrolls of events, history, songs, maps, memories, stories, geometry, and mathematics. Chief Con-nos-semitig and his mother now live near Colorado Springs, Colorado.

When touring Iraivan Temple Con-nos-semitig was very happy to see many symbols carved on the pillars that he grew up with as part of his tradition. The Chipowa are known for their birch bark scrolls that are carved with hieroglyphics. When Sivanathaswami explained about the significance of Lord Kartikeya in Kadavul, Chief Robert excitedly said the Pleiades was also important in his tradition and that his tribal history speaks of arriving here in a shell shaped saucer.

Read more about the Ojibwe on Wikipedia

As the renovation of the Ganapati Kulam publications building proceeds through its design phases, a great enthusiasm is building. We are getting to the point that plans can be submitted in the weeks ahead to the Kauai Planning Department. It's a dense space, but elegant and functional.

Plans are to take the amazingly nondescript and architecturally absent ceiling that we now have (and have had for some 30 years) and change it into a wooden ceiling, hand made from our own Blue Gum timbers.

For months now Adi Srikanta has been hand planing the 600+ pieces needed for this. In the final photo of this slideshow we see a pile of shavings from this morning's session, and behind a stack of finished wood. There are about two dozen such stacks!
Yesterday Tandu Sivanatha joined, applying a clear finish to the pieces. It's a massive undertaking, and fortunately many hands are coming forward to assist.

Happy Birthday to NBW! Almost one year has passed since we began our Natchintanai/Bhajan (NBW) workshops in both Mauritius and here on Kauai. They have been a great success for all the participants as well as advancing our long term goals. We added "Bhajan" to the name of the program because the Saiva Dharma Shastras stipulates that only Natchintanai are sung at Mission Satsangs, but in other venues we sing many other genres. Also Bodhinatha would like us to develop a full repertoire of songs and chants for our educational curriculum.

This is also a fulfillment of Gurudeva's directions for Saiva Siddhanta Church activities for our members as described in the Saiva Dharma Shastras:

"376 Types of Nurture Service
Religious service is of two general forms: nurture and outreach. Nurture is taking care of the religious life and welfare of the local congregation, and outreach is serving those outside its circumference. Nurture religious service maintains a strong, healthy, vibrant religious life for the immediate membership. Below are listed some of the many kinds of nurture activities in our Church missions internationally….5. Providing, through our Rajaraja Chola Gurukulams and other agencies, classes in music, art, drama and dance, cultural skills such as kolam design, garland making and cooking, bhajana and Natchintanai singing, and hosting of guest teachers and lecturers."

It is also one of the goals of the monks to work to promote these activites for our Church members as described in the activities of the Ekadanta Kulam where the swamis are directed to provide, among other things, "Encouragement of cultural richness through the promotion of music, art, drama and dance among members."


Brahmanathswami says, "We want to thank participants for the dedication and encourage other members to join. We have several goals. First and foremost is to bring song back into our personal lives as part of our sadhana. Learn the songs, know what they mean and then sing and visualize what you sing as you invoke God, Gods and Guru in the temple and in your heart. Before the age of recordings, everyone would sing and there was no big concern for ragam or talam. The spirit of bhakti was the important thing. Yogaswami said, 'Sing to melt the very stones!' In an up-and-coming article on Hinduism Today on the Baul singers of Bengal, Parvathy Baul says it well, 'It is through songs and chanting that that the we converse with the Beloved, call God and try to connect with God in the heart.'

Our Natchintanai Bhajan workshops are oriented to help each of us the "common man, woman and child" to "sing loud, sing clear!" A few sangeetam (music) study exercises are good for strengthening the voice and to learn some music basics, but the most important thing is to learn the song, know the meaning of all the words you sing and then when you sing, merge in the the profound vidya-truths that Yogaswami affirms in his songs and invoke love of God. Natchintani take some study, while bhajans call for simple bhakti, just think your are "talking to Ganesha."

We want to congratulate the team in Mauritius for their dedication. And kudos for Mrs. Arnasalon and Mrs. Kownden for fulfilling the goal of "any one of us can sing."

Listen to their recording of Vel Muruga Velane here:

http://dev.himalayanacademy.com/view/vel-muruga-velane_va-ak

Keep up the good work!


On Kauai Brahmanathaswami and the members are using the workshop as a "beta test site" for development of a repetoire in the areas that would eventually be taught in our Saiva Siddhanta course for youth: we are learning: Natchintanai, simple bhajans, longer gitam, Tirumurai, stotram, some Sanskrit slokas. We also do some pranayama exercises and a little Sangeetam exercise to help everyone with their voice and pitch. Our Kauai members are learning also to sing out and not be afraid to lead. Swami encourages each one to lead, no matter what their skill level is. In our temple festivals here, we let as many different devotee lead the group as feel confident to do so. After one finishes we see if another would like to "go for it." This builds confidence and allows everyone to make their offering of song, not only one or two.

Of course, if you have the time to actually take Sangeetam classes they are very helpful. And we especially encourage children and young people to get a good grounding in music if they have the time and inclination, as it will be a life long asset. But many of us will never reach that level. In response to this question, "Do the gurus also impart the sadhakas a formal singing training as this is primarily a singing tradition?" Parvathy Baul laughs and says, "No! No there is no need of a formal training. This path is of complete love and surrender. Unless a complete surrender of the ego, the self is made, one cannot be called a true sadhaka. Once you start singing, you abandon yourself in the complete bliss of the moment, you merge with the song which is a vehicle to reach the beloved. When you submit yourself to the divine, where is the need of melody and rhythm?"


Another goal is to develop a digital library of music, mostly of our own members. The goal is to have a library of recordings that are simple enough that later, teachers can adopt these as tools for teaching the next generation. In some cases we will include recordings by non-members where we can be sure of the pronunciation and lyrics provide good examples for learning (especially for Tamil and Sanskrit, where the singers are proficient in these languages.). We also plan to increase the library of Natchintanai by professional singers from the Jaffna Tamil community as well over time.

You can see some examples what we have so far here (web site still under construction, soon to be launched, some elements still to be completed):

http://dev.himalayanacademy.com/site/search/media_type/song/page/2

and check out the growing list of artists here:

http://dev.himalayanacademy.com/looklisten/music

And this is just the beginning!

Again, keep up the good work.
"Thondar Naangaley, Siva Thondar Naangaley!"
"Thondar Naangaley, Siva Thondar Naangaley!"
Happy Birthday to NBW! Almost one year has passed since we began our Natchintanai/Bhajan (NBW) workshops in both Mauritius and here on Kauai. They have been a great success for all the participants as well as advancing our long term goals. We added "Bhajan" to the name of the program because the Saiva Dharma Shastras stipulates that only Natchintanai are sung at Mission Satsangs, but in other venues we sing many other genres. Also Bodhinatha would like us to develop a full repertoire of songs and chants for our educational curriculum.

This is also a fulfillment of Gurudeva's directions for Saiva Siddhanta Church activities for our members as described in the Saiva Dharma Shastras:

"376 Types of Nurture Service
Religious service is of two general forms: nurture and outreach. Nurture is taking care of the religious life and welfare of the local congregation, and outreach is serving those outside its circumference. Nurture religious service maintains a strong, healthy, vibrant religious life for the immediate membership. Below are listed some of the many kinds of nurture activities in our Church missions internationally….5. Providing, through our Rajaraja Chola Gurukulams and other agencies, classes in music, art, drama and dance, cultural skills such as kolam design, garland making and cooking, bhajana and Natchintanai singing, and hosting of guest teachers and lecturers."

It is also one of the goals of the monks to work to promote these activites for our Church members as described in the activities of the Ekadanta Kulam where the swamis are directed to provide, among other things, "Encouragement of cultural richness through the promotion of music, art, drama and dance among members."


Brahmanathswami says, "We want to thank participants for the dedication and encourage other members to join. We have several goals. First and foremost is to bring song back into our personal lives as part of our sadhana. Learn the songs, know what they mean and then sing and visualize what you sing as you invoke God, Gods and Guru in the temple and in your heart. Before the age of recordings, everyone would sing and there was no big concern for ragam or talam. The spirit of bhakti was the important thing. Yogaswami said, 'Sing to melt the very stones!' In an up-and-coming article on Hinduism Today on the Baul singers of Bengal, Parvathy Baul says it well, 'It is through songs and chanting that that the we converse with the Beloved, call God and try to connect with God in the heart.'

Our Natchintanai Bhajan workshops are oriented to help each of us the "common man, woman and child" to "sing loud, sing clear!" A few sangeetam (music) study exercises are good for strengthening the voice and to learn some music basics, but the most important thing is to learn the song, know the meaning of all the words you sing and then when you sing, merge in the the profound vidya-truths that Yogaswami affirms in his songs and invoke love of God. Natchintani take some study, while bhajans call for simple bhakti, just think your are "talking to Ganesha."

We want to congratulate the team in Mauritius for their dedication. And kudos for Mrs. Arnasalon and Mrs. Kownden for fulfilling the goal of "any one of us can sing."


Listen to their recording of Vel Muruga Velane here:

http://dev.himalayanacademy.com/view/vel-muruga-velane_va-ak

Keep up the good work!


On Kauai Brahmanathaswami and the members are using the workshop as a "beta test site" for development of a repetoire in the areas that would eventually be taught in our Saiva Siddhanta course for youth: we are learning: Natchintanai, simple bhajans, longer gitam, Tirumurai, stotram, some Sanskrit slokas. We also do some pranayama exercises and a little Sangeetam exercise to help everyone with their voice and pitch. Our Kauai members are learning also to sing out and not be afraid to lead. Swami encourages each one to lead, no matter what their skill level is. In our temple festivals here, we let as many different devotee lead the group as feel confident to do so. After one finishes we see if another would like to "go for it." This builds confidence and allows everyone to make their offering of song, not only one or two.

Of course, if you have the time to actually take Sangeetam classes they are very helpful. And we especially encourage children and young people to get a good grounding in music if they have the time and inclination, as it will be a life long asset. But many of us will never reach that level. In response to this question, "Do the gurus also impart the sadhakas a formal singing training as this is primarily a singing tradition?" Parvathy Baul laughs and says, "No! No there is no need of a formal training. This path is of complete love and surrender. Unless a complete surrender of the ego, the self is made, one cannot be called a true sadhaka. Once you start singing, you abandon yourself in the complete bliss of the moment, you merge with the song which is a vehicle to reach the beloved. When you submit yourself to the divine, where is the need of melody and rhythm?"

Another goal is to develop a digital library of music, mostly of our own members. The goal is to have a library of recordings that are simple enough that later, teachers can adopt these as tools for teaching the next generation. In some cases we will include recordings by non-members where we can be sure of the pronunciation and lyrics provide good examples for learning (especially for Tamil and Sanskrit, where the singers are proficient in these languages.). We also plan to increase the library of Natchintanai by professional singers from the Jaffna Tamil community as well over time.

You can see some examples what we have so far here (web site still under construction, soon to be launched, some elements still to be completed):

http://dev.himalayanacademy.com/site/search/media_type/song/page/2

and check out the growing list of artists here:

http://dev.himalayanacademy.com/looklisten/music

And this is just the beginning!

Again, keep up the good work.
"Thondar Naangaley, Siva Thondar Naangaley!"
"Thondar Naangaley, Siva Thondar Naangaley!"

The Aadheenam hosted a distinquished guest from India today, Sri Ram Madhav. He is national spokesman for the RSS, India's largest social service organization with more than one million members. Its volunteers are also known for their role in the relief and rehabilitation work during natural calamities and for running more than 100,000 service programs in the field of education, health care, rural development, tribal emancipation, village self-sufficiency, Farming Programmes in rural India and the rehabilitation of lepers and special needs children.

This week Amma Anne (Jaya's Mother) Visited the Monastery for the first time from Seattle, WA. It was also her first time on Kauai. She is very excited to be here, and loves all the unique plant life and the warm ocean. But most of all she says that she loves that her son is becoming a monk and that she is really happy for him.

September and October can bring very intense sun to the island of Kauai. The group (this week almost 100) takes refuge under some 80 foot palm trees while our newest monk Brahmachari Jaya snaps a group photo for us. Brahmachari Jaya's mother - pan far right with plumeria garland - Our newest Amma Anne, joined us for a walk out to Iraivan. What a great soul!