After husking around 330 cocos for the Iraivan Pranapratishtha last month, the husking party took a break, but now we're back to husk another 250 or so for the final days of Mandala Puja from May 8--11.

Six monks and three grihastha devotees reached Kauai's shores after planning a trip for decades. They are from SGVP, Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratishthanam, a major Swaminarayan institution based in Gujarat (and around the globe). They are led by HH Swami Shree Madhavpriyadasji Swami, a disciple of P.P.Sadguru Shastriji Maharaj Shree Dharamjivandasji Swami, the founder of ancient Gurukul system in modern era. Swamiji is one of 12 Hindu spiritual leaders governing the renowned Hindu Dharm Acharya Sabha, a leading organization of Hinduism for interfaith religious harmony. They spent two days discovering the Aadheenam and Iraivan Temple, meeting with Bodhinatha, exploring Kauai (yes, helicopters were involved!) and enjoying a bit of downtime from their intense daily service. Such a joy to be with them.

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Śivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Śiva.

"Observing the great vastness of the mind, we can draw another conclusion and say that there are five states of mind: conscious, subconscious, subsubconscious, subsuperconscious and superconscious. The first state is the conscious mind, in which we perform our daily routines. When awareness is in the conscious mind, we are externalized. This means we take our direction mainly from memory of past experiences, from other people, from newspapers, magazines, radio, television or our emotions. The average man is aware in the conscious mind from the time he awakens in the morning until he falls asleep at night. That’s what makes him average. Only when he becomes mystically inclined does he become consciously aware of some of the other four states."

Yesterday Sivajnani Nagappan arrived at Kauai Aadheenam, visiting from Malaysia. He's here for a few weeks on our taskforce program to help the monks with various projects. Welcome to Kauai Sivajnani! Aum Namah Sivaya.

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai's Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Śivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Śiva.

"Observing the great vastness of the mind, we can draw another conclusion and say that there are five states of mind: conscious, subconscious, subsubconscious, subsuperconscious and superconscious. The first state is the conscious mind, in which we perform our daily routines. When awareness is in the conscious mind, we are externalized. This means we take our direction mainly from memory of past experiences, from other people, from newspapers, magazines, radio, television or our emotions. The average man is aware in the conscious mind from the time he awakens in the morning until he falls asleep at night. That’s what makes him average. Only when he becomes mystically inclined does he become consciously aware of some of the other four states. "

With the prana pratishtha ceremonies finished, the tents are going back up over the front section of Iraivan Temple around the Nandi Mandapam, and the tiling team is about to start laying down the red granite tiles. They expect to take six to eight weeks. They will take a break during the final big Mandala Pujas from May 8--11 so all the extra priests can move about and perform the rites undisturbed. Also, our employess Doug and Jim today are installing the roof of the Iraivan Temple shoe pavilion next to the entrance steps coming up from the river.

For 48 days after a prana pratishtha, "Mandala Pujas" are performed to stabilize the newly created vibration. The final three days worth of pujas from May 8th afternoon through May 11th morning are more elaborate and preparations are in full swing for them. Ten priests will be here to perform them. New homa kundas are needed for those pujas, and a retired plaster specialist was sponsored to fly to Kauai and guide the process. He and our resident silpis are creating five new homa pits, each in a different shape and having a naga serpent slithering up the side, the head of which serves to hold the ghee container!

In the late 1990s when Gurudeva was meeting with the island leaders each month, one of his themes was that all islanders are Kauaians. Up til then no one used the word, but they listened as he shared that all the people in California identify as Californians. Whether they are latino, asian, black or mixed, they share an identity as Californians. So too, he went on, whether our residents are Chinese, Portuguese, haoli or Japanese, we are all Kauaians. "By thinking and speaking thus, we bring the separate communities together," he would stress. And so began a movement in the media and in government, to use the word "Kauaian." To drive the idea home, and to share it with islanders not at these meetings (and with visitors as well), Gurudeva had the monks make six rose granite signs, carved at our workshop in Bengaluru. The 2' by 6' polished signs were shipped to the island and leaders helped find volunteers to install them at strategic points from the north to the south.

Recently they were showing some wear and tear, so the monks hired a team to renovate them. You can see before and after shots in the slideshow. All part of keeping Gurudeva's legacy alive.

For optimal viewing, click the "full-screen" button in the top-right of the image

presentation by Rajkumar Manickam

Happy New Year of obhakta!

Yesterday our monks began the phase with our seasonal homa and a parade out to our flagpole to raise the new dvaja for this spring season and the new year as the Sun enters Mesha (Aries).

Here follows the passage from Saiva Dharma Shatras about how we should approach this new season:

Nartana Ritau, the season of Dancing with Siva, begins on Hindu New Year. This is the period of creation, the warm season, from mid-April through mid-August. The key word of this season is planning. The colors are orange, yellow-gold and all shades of green--orange for renunciation, yellow-gold for action, and green for regeneration. High above, the main Hindu flag flies the color orange, heralding the Nartana Ritau throughout this season, symbolizing sadhana and self-control. The other colors adorn smaller flags. This is the season of giving special attention to those in the grihastha ashrama. It is a time of awakening, renewal, review. The emphasis is on seeing ahead, planning for future years. It is a time of planning retreats and other activities for youths and adults for the entire year. During this time of looking forward, the Church's six-year plan is updated by the Guru Mahasannidhanam and stewards and another year added. The Saiva Dharma Shastras are studied; and any needed additions in supplementary manuals, representing new growth, are made.

The practical focus is completion of unfinished projects. Secular holidays to observe among the families include Mothers Day in May, Fathers Day in June and Grandparents Day in August. In the monastery intensive cleaning of buildings and grounds takes place. New clothing is issued and old garments mended.

This season of harvest and new growth is also the time to review and reestablish picking and planting routines for the gardens. It is a time for ordering seeds and plants for the year, of planting trees, fragrant vines and the annual crop. Review is made for scheduling the care of all realms of the Aadheenam. Kadavul temple and the Guru Temple are cleaned and renewed during this season, and the adjacent grounds receive special, abundant attention.

The daily sadhana is the Sivachaitanya Panchatantra: experiencing nada, jyoti, prana, shakti and darshana. In Sanskrit, it is a time of learning new shlokas and mantras. Shrine rooms are renewed and redecorated for the year, and the clothing of all is renewed in the Hindu style of the current fashion. It is a time of doing things for others, religious outreach. In the missions, Nartana Ritau is the time of bringing in new students and Church members. It is a time of hatha yoga and philosophical teaching.

The main festival of Nartana Ritau is Guru Purnima. The mathavasis hold special conclave on Vaikasi Vishakham, the full moon day of May.