On Taskforce in the Greenhouse
Jai Ganesha
Today our father-and-son taskforce team have been participating in some relaxing work at the greenhouse. Mayuran and Chandipati have been helping Yogi Dayanatha to plant out new channels of baby greens. Each day our monks enjoy the fruits (or veggies, rather) of these labors. A whole tub of greens are cooked down for our lunch greens, be they baby bok choy, swiss chard, red kale, mustard greens, beet green or any of the many others. Om.
Tirukural – Chapter 76
Chapter 76: The Ways of Acquiring Wealth
Verse 760
A wealthy man has gathered in the family puja room with his wife and son, all worshiping the Lord. Outside his servants wait with the carriage to take them on an afternoon picnic. Their good life has manifested security and comforts.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 751
There is nothing like wealth for lending consequence
to an inconsequential man.
Verse 752
Those who have nothing have everyone's contempt,
while the rich are exalted by one and all.
Verse 753
Wealth is an unfailing lamp whose light
reaches every imaginable land, dispelling darkness.
Verse 754
Riches acquired by mindful means, in a manner
that harms no one, will bring both piety and pleasure.
Verse 755
Wealth acquired without compassion and love
is to be cast off, not embraced.
Verse 756
Wealth with no owner, wealth of defeated foes, wealth from
tax and customs--these constitute the royal revenues.
Verse 757
Compassion, which is the child of Love,
requires for its care the bountiful nurse called Wealth.
Verse 758
Undertaking an enterprise with sufficient resources in hand
is like standing on a hilltop watching elephants fight below.
Verse 759
Make money--that is the sharpest scalpel
for paring down an enemy's pride.
Verse 760
Having acquired affluence, the acquisition of two
other treasures--duty and delight--is effortless.
February 2022 Chitra Puja
Jai Gurudeva!
Jai Kailasa Parampara!
Today we celebrate our monthly padapuja to Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. This morning, Satguru, the monks and our two taskforcers Mayuran and Chandipati Muttulingam, all gathered in Kadavul Temple for the puja. Yogi Dayanatha and Nirvani Tejadevanatha performed today's abhishekam.
"People speak of the light of understanding. Before the bright light of spiritual perception is experienced, the light of understanding must be laid as a foundation of philosophical training and appreciation learning to understand life, for instance, through action rather than reaction. The purified, integrated mind, so perfected in its own understanding, lives in close communion with the soul radiance so that light becomes the constant experience of the mind. It is this to which the yoga student aspires." - Gurudeva
Love is the Sum of the Law – Part 2
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 Sivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Siva. Here, Satguru discusses "Love is the Sum of the Law," a talk given in 1960
Sampling of Minimela Inventory, and Sunset Shots
Here's a small tour through some of the items kept in supply for the many visitors passing through our Minimela giftshop.
Kauai Aadheenam Flyover
A short aerial video over Kauai Aadheenam this morning, taken just after sunrise.
"When you realize God, the omnipresent, there is no consciousness of souls. It is all God and nothing else. The fingers of your hand may go through all kinds of actions, but the fingers remain unchanged even after these actions. It is all like a film show. All things are immersed in God. This realization cannot be described. Any attempt at description is a blemish and will only be a source of extraneous growth." Siva Yogaswami
Tirukural – Chapter 75
Chapter 75: Fortresses
Verse 749
A fortress sits at the top of the hill. Outside its walls the attacking army has been discouraged and defeated by the siege. Inside the fort all are well, for it is rich with fields, fruit groves and water wells—all needed to sustain life during a long siege.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 741
A fortress is a strategic asset both to aggressors
and to those in fear who seek defense.
Verse 742
An effective fort has crystal-clear water, arable lands,
a hill and lovely shaded woods.
Verse 743
The expert texts ordain four features for a fort's barricades:
that they be high, thick, solid and impregnable.
Verse 744
The ideal fortress is spacious, vulnerable in very few places
and, of itself, defies a determined foe's designs to storm it.
Verse 745
A good garrison is hard to assail, amply provisioned
and accommodates inmates well.
Verse 746
The most formidable fortress, stocked with all needed goods,
still needs men of good stock to fend off attack.
Verse 747
Whether by hurling artillery, tunneling beneath or encircling
to lay siege, it is impossible to capture a strong fort.
Verse 748
However forcefully assailants may press,
a secure fortress promises allies defense and foes defeat.
Verse 749
A fortress earns greatness by enabling courageous defenders
to gloriously defeat the enemy at the battle's very onset.
Verse 750
Whatever excellent qualities a fortress may possess,
it will be of no avail without men of excellent action.
Dharma Megha Samadhi
This masterpiece recently arrived from Kerala, the ninth in the series destined to illustrate Bodhinatha's book on the Yoga Sutras. This will without doubt be the most beautifully ornate of the hundreds of such commentaries published around the world. This canvas describes a little-known gem in Patanjali's text--the Dharma Cloud, and the samadhi associated with it. Our yogi in the artwork has reached this advanced state. The artist gives creative expression to the attainment of kaivalya, spiritual liberation, and to the all-pervasive presence of Dharma Megha, the Dharma Cloud which is the ever-flowing presence of Siva's grace and love surrounding the yogi. Patanjali speaks of the cloud as "a cloud of virtue raining goodness," shown as the various blessings from the devas--flowers, bilva leaves, light, music and water. Above, Siva as the fierce Bhairava with His vahana, a dog. Siva's dasanadigal, ten strands of hair, flail across the sky. On each is a devata showering goodness and blessings upon the scene below. In His hands Bhairava holds a trisula and a sword with which he just severed the yogi's bonds. Siva's hands are held apart, acknowledging the yogi's own gesture. Above Bhairava the radiant Central Sun blazes to represent Savikalpa Samadhi, and at the center is the Great Nothingness called Sunya, Parasiva beyond the beyond, the source and final destiny of all form. The yogi is seen to slowly merge toward this timeless, formless, causeless Self, propelled by the power of the Siva temples below, north and south, which are the powerhouses of Siva's Shakti.
Dharma Megha Samadhi arises when you have lost even the desire for enlightenment. It comes not by effort, but reveals itself when all effort has subsided. It is a divine gift from Siva. It brings perfect bliss as seen in the yogi's expression.
Recent Presentations
Five Gems of Wisdom from the Tirukural - Part 1
Five Gems of Wisdom from the Tirukural - Part 2
Hindu Tools for Success - Part 1
From Our Gurus' Teachings
Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.
