Fitting Iraivan Temple’s Sanctum Doors
Jai Ganesha!
Recently the monks of the Siddhidatta Kulam and the siplis worked together at Iraivan Temple to fit the sanctum door into place for the first time. This allowed them to properly measure and align everything for the eventual, final installation. It also provided us with an inspiring preview of things to come. Aum.
From Merging With Siva – The River of Life – Part 3
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai's Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part three of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Sivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Siva. Here, Satguru discusses "The River of Life," a talk given in 1957.
Tirukural – Chapter 54
Chapter 54: Avoiding Unmindfulness
Verse 537
A sculptor of great skill has undertaken a difficult project, but will succeed because he is pursuing it with great mindfulness.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 531
Excessive anger's harm is exceeded
by excessive merriment's mindless mishaps.
Verse 532
Just as perpetual poverty slowly nullifies one's knowledge,
so frequent forgetfulness destroys one's prestige.
Verse 533
Unmindful men will never know renown.
This is the verdict of every virtuous text in the world.
Verse 534
Nothing will provide defense for the cowardly,
and nothing will secure good for the unmindful.
Verse 535
The forgetful man who fails to take precautions
against impending perils will regret his negligence afterwards.
Verse 536
Nothing can compare to watchfulness
extended unfailingly to all people at all times.
Verse 537
There is nothing too difficult for the man who
consciously conceives and carefully executes his work.
Verse 538
One should do that which men extol as praiseworthy.
Forgetfully failing to do so brings deprivation lasting seven births.
Verse 539
Whenever the mind is engrossed in pleasant infatuations,
one should remember men who were ruined by forgetfulness.
Verse 540
It is easy to get what you think of
if you can get yourself to think of it.
Path of the Saiva Satgurus
Aum Namah Sivaya
Recently Rajkumar Manickam in Colorado has put the finishing touches on this wondrous, photo-rich presentation of the Path of the Saiva Satgurus. This path is a visual history of our lineage of gurus which extends back 2,200 years, and beyond, to Maharishi Nandinatha and his eight disciples—Sanatkumara, Sanakar, Sanadanar, Sananthanar, Sivayogamuni, Patanjali, Vyaghrapada and Tirumular. After Tirumular, the first known satguru of this lineage in recent history was the Rishi from the Himalayas (ca 1770-1840). From him the power was passed to Siddha Kadaitswami of Bangalore (1804-1891), then to Satguru Chellappaswami (1840-1915), then to Siva Yogaswami (1872-1964), then to Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), who ordained Bodhinatha Veylanswami to carry forth his mission.
Jai to the Kailasa Parampara!
View it at this link or click below.
A New San Marga Ganesha Shrine
Jai Ganesha!
Today, two very exciting events took place at Iraivan Temple and along San Marga. For a while now, the monastery has had several stone works that have been waiting to be installed in their final locations. One being the granite Ganesha Shrine which pilgrims will be met with along San Marga. The others being the granite elephants that will adorn the future, longer, entry steps leading up the hill to Iraivan Temple. Today Larry Conklin and his masterful crane operating skills were put to the test as we moved one of the stone elephants from the Iraivan Temple foundation over to it's location along the soon-to-be staircase. The monks of the Siddhidatta Kulam, the siplis, and Larry then proceeded out to San Marga with the Ganesha Shrine and installed the new shrine in its new home. Aum.
A Beginner’s Guide to Sanskrit Chanting!
Jai Ganesha!
Today we are pleased to announce the initial release of Himalayan Academy's Sanskrit Chanting Guide!
This new website, sanskritguide.com, is a free course "to help aspirants learn correct pronunciation of Sanskrit, with particular focus on reciting mantras with ease and confidence. With time and practice, the phonetic perfection of Sanskrit will reveal itself. The exercises contained within this manual are designed to facilitate discovery of the perfect form of articulation within the mouth so that the Sanskrit sounds and mantras come to life, taking shape within the various meters of verse. This is the study of śikṣā and uccaraṇa."
"Śikṣā (from the root śikṣ meaning to impart) refers to the transmission of a mantra’s potency from guru to disciple, planting the seeds of perfect pronunciation, understanding and intention. Uccaraṇa (from ut, meaning uplifting, and caraṇa, meaning with movement) refers to the applied effort of the disciple in nurturing that seed into a sturdy tree that produces spiritual fruits. In this way, the fruits of Sanskrit propagate from generation to generation through the oral tradition, preserving the majesty of thought discovered by the Vedic culture so long ago."
The course was created by Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and co-written by Sanskrit scholar Adaityananda Sarasvati (Adam Welch), with contributions from Ekatmananda Sarasvati (Robert Rogers)
Future updates will include newly recorded chanting audio to listen to and learn from.
Aum.
From Merging With Siva – The River of Life – Part 2
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai's Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part two of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Sivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Siva. Here, Satguru discusses "The River of Life," a talk given in 1957.
Tirukural – Chapter 53
Chapter 53: Fellowship of Kindred
Verse 523
A man is standing in front of a pond that has broken its banks and flooded into his compound, where his family is enjoying themselves without his presence.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 521
Should a man's wealth disappear, only his kinsmen
will maintain their customary kindness.
Verse 522
If a man's kindred cling to him with unfailing love,
his fortunes will never fail to flourish.
Verse 523
Pursuing a happy life without mixing with one's clan
is like flooding a pond that has flimsy banks.
Verse 524
The real profit gained by gaining riches
is that one may then live surrounded by relatives.
Verse 525
Scores of kin will crowd around the kindly man
who gives generously and speaks sweetly.
Verse 526
In this wide world none enjoys a more faithful family
than he who hands out large gifts and holds back all anger.
Verse 527
The crow does not conceal his food, but calls his kind to share it;
prosperity will remain with men of such a nature.
Verse 528
The multitudes thrive when they observe their monarch
observing each one's merits, not seeing mere sameness in all.
Verse 529
Close kinsmen who have become estranged
will come back when the cause of disagreement goes away.
Verse 530
When one who left him returns with justifying reason,
the ruler may, after careful reflection, accept him back.
September 2021 Chitra Puja
Jai Gurudeva!
This month, our celebration of Ganesha Chaturti and the September observance of our Chitra pada puja to Gurudeva fell on the same day. In the early morning, a puja and abhishekam for Gurudeva took place in Kadavul Temple, performed by Sannyasin Tillainathaswami and Nirvani Tejadevanatha. A wonderful way to begin a most auspicious day! Aum Namah Sivaya.
"Gratitude and appreciation are the key virtues for a better life. They are the spell that is cast to dissolve hatred, hurt and sadness, the medicine which heals subjective states of mind, restoring self-respect, confidence and security." Gurudeva
Happy Ganesha Chaturthi from Mauritius!
Location: SSC Spiritual Park of Mauritius (La Pointe des Lascars)
TOFA(Temple of Fine Arts) Music Students -
Singers: Ajitha K Murday & Students
Music: Anil Nallan Chakravarthy
Ghatam/Kanjeera: Laya Kalavipanchi - Sri GhatamUmashankar
Flute : Krishen Manaroo
Video credits: Yoven Chinasamban/Kooghen Vyapooree & Team
From Our Gurus' Teachings
Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.
