Our monthly pada puja for Gurudeva is a powerful experience. Yesterday's puja was conducted by Nirvani Nilakanthanatha, with our new Sadhaka Jayanatha assisting for the first time (on the right). There was a deep quiet and profound opening into the inner worlds as the sweet fragrance of Gurudeva's presence permeated the whole temple and all within it.

Saturday is the main festival event. About one thousand devotees attend many of whom drive down from New York/New Jersey. It began around 9:30 with a procession around the temple with about ten of the men carrying kavadi with a spear through the checks and hundreds carrying milk. Lots of dancing by the kavadi carriers. Next was an elaborate Murugan Abhishekam in which the milk everyone carried was offered. When the curtain closed Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gave his talk which had a Tamil transaltion. After yopam pushpam there was elaborate Veda chanting, Devaram singing and nathaswaram and thavil playing before the final arati. Interesting to note that the from the current opening for the alankara to the end of the abhishekam the electric lights in the sanctum are turned off and light is provided by five oil lamps--the same as Iraivan will be.

Next the parade deity was taken out and installed on top of the chariot. It is pulled around the temple with two large ropes. There were eight tables at which the chariot stopped and a short archana was done. The first six were for the six Murugan pilgrimage temples, seventh was for Batu Caves and eighth (with a new large poster we sent them) was for Iraivan. The chariot stops and each temple gives an offering tray. Archana is done and most of the tray's contents returned. Manyof the devotees do kadadi dances while the chariot is stopped.

A computer disk drive containing the Saiva Agamas from the archives of the French Institute of Pondicherry, which was arduously electronically compiled by Kauai Saiva Aadheenam, arrived in Nallur, Sri Lanka. 

This gem, containing over a million photos - including most of the Saiva Agama scriptures - was made available at the All Ceylon Hindu Congress (ACHC) Jaffna Branch in Nallur. A special computer has been dedicated for this and now scholars and priests can use this electronic library for their research and study.

There was a grand celebration to receive these scriptures at Nallur. The Saiva Agama computer disk drive was taken on a  procession with Nathaswaram, drum and dancers that began at the Nallur Sivan Temple and went around the Nallur Murugan Temple and onto the Hindu Congress building at the Temple Road in Nallur. Hundreds of devotees attended the event including the Head of Nallai Adheenam, the Deputy Indian High Commissioner to Jaffna, and priests, university professors and scholars.

ACHC President, Mr. K. Neelakandan, presided over the event, and I had the great privilege of handing over the Saiva Agama computer disk drive to Hindu Research Center Director, Dr. Aru Thirumurugan. 

Deputy Indian High commissioner, Hon. V. Mahalingam, in his speech stated how happy he was that the Agamas from the Institute were now electronically available to the Jaffna people and he thanked Kauai Adheenam and the ACHC for making this possible.

Former head of the Hindu Culture Department at Jaffna University, Prof. Gopalakrishna Iyar in his speech noted that he had travelled to the Institute many years ago to perform research. He explained how important the study of the Agamas had been and how valuable it is that now those who wish to study them can do so right in Nallur!

In my speech, I explained that saving the Saiva Agamas in digital format was a vision of Gurudeva Sivaya Subramuniyaswami; this enormous task - which took over 2 years using the most modern technology - was successfully completed by Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and the monks of Kauai Adheenam. Four hard working Indian youth were hired, to do the copying of the decaying and fragile ola leaves and other manuscripts.  Currently,  a team in India is working hard to index the Agamas; after this, researchers can easily search the Agamas in this Electronic Library.

We also dedicated a Saiva Agama Electronic Library at the ACHC headquarters in Colombo for the use of these Agamas in the south of Sri Lanka. Like Nallur, the city of Colombo also held a grand celebration to receive the Saiva Agamas. (I am enclosing some photos taken in Colombo and Jaffna for you to enjoy). When I took the Saiva Agama hard drive to Sri Lanka, I did not have a clue they would be so joyously received. How much value the Saiva Agamas will be to the priesthood and the academic community remains to be seen, but our expectations are high. My sincere thanks go to Gurudeva and Satguru Bodhinatha for the monumental accomplishment -preserving the Agamas for generations to come. 

Aum Shanthi,
Rishi Thondunathan

Raghu & Durga Toppur with daughter Sonali and son Rahul are making their first visit from northern California. They are on pilgrimage and have wanted to visit for a long time after hearing about the monastery from friends. Their parents met Gurudeva around 1994 at the Siva Murugan temple we used to run in Concord. Raghu's grandfather took most of the photos of Sri Ramana Maharishi

Rajesh Bali and his wife Sanjana visited Kauai for the first time from Edmonton, Canada. They run the Shiv Shakti Mandir in Edmonton for the Fijian community. They have known us for many years and organized a visit by Satguru Bodhinatha to their temple when he came for an event at the Mahaganapati Temple nearby. Here is a note from Rajesh Following their visit:

Thank you so much for showing us around the temple, it is so beautiful, I am glad we made it. My children were on Oahu and they will come to the temple next time we are around. The walk around the temple had great impact on both of us and thanks again for taking the time, all the discussions we had during our walk around were very informative and I am thinking through and trying to reason out a lot that is going on in our lives. I now realize the sacrifice the monks make for the betterment of the society, may Shiva's grace be with you. We take a lot of things for granted and complain about small mishaps that we face, it is nothing in comparison to the sacrifice made by the monks. This two day trip has definitely opened up my eyes to the reality, I am so thankful to all the swami's and Satguru's of our beautiful temple. As soon as I got to the hotel, I started writing my personal journey of being a Hindu and what profound impact the monks of Kauai Shiva temple had in our lives. The walk around the temple is something that will remain active in my heart forever. I think I have a better understanding of my purpose in life, thank you for sharing some of the thoughts. I will make it a point to try and visit the temple as many times as possible and for sure be there for the official opening. Please convey my pranaam to all the swami's and his holiness Satguru Bodhinataha when he gets back to the temple.

Satguru Bodhinatha and Shanmuganathaswami depart from the Kauai Airport. Their journey will take them to Maryland for a Ganesha homa at the Murugan temple of North America in Lanham, then to Dubai for satsang with devotees, and finally to Mauritius for the Aloha Dinner and diksha ceremonies at the Spiritual Park. Wishing them a wonderful trip.

People raise funds for Iraivan Temple construction in many ways. For example, Kartikeya Katir (23) of Davis, California has made Ganeshas, four and eight inches tall, out of clay, for Ganesha Chaturthi (coming up on September 8th) and is selling them for five and ten dollars. He donates proceeds to Iraivan Temple. Sponsors can decorate their Ganesha at home or at a "painting party." It's a perfect activity for kids. Would you like to sponsor a Ganesha this year for yourself or others? A clay Ganesha can be shipped to you if you live in the USA. To order go to ganeshaforvisarjana.com

The Ilankai Nalluran Kathirkakam Kanthan Festival will be held in Lanham, Maryland, August 9, 10. Come and join Bodhinatha for the uplifting sacred rites!

This week Holly Young Visited the Monastery to take a mold of the Silpi forge for one of the seven bronze statues which will be displayed next to Iraivan temple. The statues depict Gurudeva's Inspiration for Iraivan temple, becoming a reality through the patience and precision of the skilled stone carvers.