A short aerial video showcasing the recently completed gold leafing of the capstones on Iraivan Hindu Temple in Kauai, along with its kodimaram (temple flagpole) and the re-gilded kodimaram of Kadavul Temple.

A variety of unique specimens from the Aadheenam's jungle gardens.

"Siva's devotees bask contentedly in Siva consciousness, seeing the pure life energy in every person, animal, bird, reptile, fish, insect, plant, tree and even microscopic intelligence as Supreme God Siva Himself. Aum." Gurudeva

Over the last year Sadasivanathaswami has been documenting the growth of a large foxtail palm tree that is growing outside of the Media Studio. This palm is also known as Wodyetia bifurcata, named after the Australian aborigine who introduced the plant to cultivators. After taking a photo every few days and stringing them together we now have a nice timelapse for all our plant-minded viewers to enjoy! In this short clip you can see the palm tree bud, flower, fruit, and shed its old fronds. Aum.

Jai Ganesha!

Today we announce the initial release of a digital edition of Gurudeva's Merging With Siva in the Tamil Language.
The translation was done Ram Prasad Lakshmana Rao in Chennai. It was begun in September of 2020 and completed in July, 2021. Shanthi Suresh from Los Angeles proof read the work. As a close shishya of our parampara, she expressed that Ram did very well in rendering Gurudeva's teachings into Tamil. Currently you can download a PDF or EPUB (without images) here: himalayanacademy.com/view/merging-with-siva-tamil_ta and in the near future a web view version will be also be made available.
Aum Namah Sivaya

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami continues the story of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's first meeting with his guru, Siva Yogaswami in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

Aum Namah Sivaya

Today, with the gold gilding complete, the tarps which had been covering the remainder of Iraivan Temple's capstones were removed. The temple's new gold can now gleam brightly in our tropical sun.

Aum Namah Sivaya

These last few weeks the monastery has had the pleasure of hosting Gaurav and Ripla Malhotra who are here on pilgrimage from Chicago along with their two children. Their son Aran has been performing seva with the monks of the Siddhidatta Kulam, and the whole family has been doing some seva related to the Mini Mela. They are also enjoying the temple and sacred gardens while they absorb the darshan of the Kauai Aadheenam. Aum.

Jai Ganesha!

Today is the first full day of our new season, the Jivana Ritau. Early yesterday morning, the monastics gathered in Kadavul Temple for a homa, a Vedic fire ceremony, and then proceeded out the the aadheenam's flagpole to fly the dvaja for the new season.

Excerpts from Saiva Dharma Shastras about the this time of year:
"Beginning with Hindu New Year in mid-April, three seasons of the year divide our activities into three great needs of humankind the learning of scripture in the first season, Nartana Ritau; the living of culture in the second season, Jivana Ritau; and the meditating on Siva in the third season, Moksha Ritau. Thus we are constantly reminded that our life is Siva's life and our path to Him is through study, sadhana and realization. In ritau one, we teach the philosophy; in ritau two, we teach the culture; and in ritau three, we teach meditation.

During Jivana Ritau, the rainy season, from mid-August to mid-December, Living with Siva: Hinduism's Contemporary Culture is the primary text. The key word of this season is work. The colors are rust, copper-maroon and all shades of red rust for earthy preservation, copper-maroon for fulfillment and red for physical energy. The Aadheenam's flag pole flies the rust-colored dhvaja, symbolizing environmental care. Copper-maroon and all shades of red adorn our smaller flags. This is the season of honoring and showing appreciation for those in the vanaprastha ashrama, life's elder advisor stage. The focus is on preserving what has been created, manifesting goals and fulfilling plans made in the past. Inwardly the emphasis is on direct cognition and caring for the practical details of the external world. Practicality is a word much used this season."

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads the story of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's first meeting with his guru, Siva Yogaswami in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.