The fifth shakti of Lord Ganesha is the combination of the first and the third in vibration, and it extends into the wonderful feelings obtained by the outpouring of love of this God. Loving Lord Ganesha with all your heart and soul is the combined merging of these five shaktis. This gives the added boon of being able to be charitable; for those who love God perform charity, build shrines and temples and participate in the overflowing generosity from their resources, earning abundant punya, fine merit, accrued for this life and passed on to the next. We can see that harmony within the immediate family and harmony extended to all business associates creates the spiritual dynamic within the individual and the group to burst forth into loving this benign God and receiving His material, emotional, intellectual and spiritual abundance.

The Hindu soul who is immersed in the love of the Lord of Obstacles knows he is not the giver, but only the channel for the giving. He is intuitively aware of the maya of his existence, yet acutely aware of the necessity of sharing his natural, blissful state of having become one with this Lord through the first five shaktis. Such a devotee is the pillar of the temple, the protector of the sadhaka, the respecter of the priesthood and the obedient servant to the holy scriptures, and is seen by all as the compassionate one. Being free in mind, emotion and body, the family that lives basking in the five shaktis of Ganesha performs daily puja and yearly pilgrimage while upholding the five obligations, the pancha nitya karmas,of the Hindu with joyous ease.

Click here for report and photos of Himalayan Academy's Saivite Study Session for Master Course students and Orientation for newcomers

Our December 21st tour day brought over 100 people.

In addition to celebrating Panchaganapati at home each day from Dec 21-25, some of our sishyas also gather with relatives and friends to celebrate as a group and enjoy the festive atmosphere.

Click here for photos, Part One     Click here for photos, Part Two

The fourth shakti is an outpouring from having held fast to the first three. It is a combination of the first two shaktis, stabilized by the third. The fourth shakti of Lord Ganesha brings through the creative-intuitive mind -- the love of culture and all that it brings, religious formalities and the respect and appreciation of discipline. Here we find the vibration of religion, which brings as a boon creativity in music, art, drama and the dance. It is through these refining rays that religious life is adhered to and congested forces are braided together in a harmonious pattern for a glorious future. It is through the fourth shakti that religious practices are performed consistently and the refinements of the past are carried into the future. It also extends to devotion toward one's ancestors and all forms of positive community participation.

Mr. Suthaker, President of the Maha Ganapathi Temple of Edmonton Canada, came to visit Shanmuganathaswami in the PK this morning. They spoke on the value of Hindu Heritage Endowment in the long term growth and stability of Hindu Temples.

On the weekend of December 22-23, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Sannyasin Senthilnathaswami attended the inauguration of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, near Los Angeles, California.

Saturday we toured the mandir and conducted a series of interviews for an article in Hinduism Today about the temple, followed by attending the first part of the Vishwa Shanti Maha Yagna. Finally, we met with Pujya Bhaktipriya Swami, known affectionately as Kotari Swami, one of six revered satgurus (the equivalent of the acharyas in our swami order) of the BAPS fellowship. Meeting with the BAPS swamis is always a special moment of satsang among brothers.

Sunday morning we arrived at the temple early to participate in the official inauguration, opening of the doors and then the Prana Pratishtha of the murtis inside. After the arati we were taken downstairs for abhishekam of Nilkanth Varni, the golden murti of Bhagwan Swaminarayan as a young boy traveling barefoot in the forests of India, then to the giant tent set up as an assembly hall for speeches, video presentations and cultural performances. There, several swamis of the BAPS order spoke, and Bodhinatha gave a wonderful speech, which we hope to post to YouTube soon. The whole of the morning's events was webcast live, and an edited version should be available soon at www.baps.org.

Jai Swaminarayan! Aum Namah Sivaya!