Worship

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      Siva Puja in California

      Siva Puja in Soquel, California at the land of medicine Buddha- June 2011 - Day 1 ...

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      03-20-RishikeshDay1.mov

      Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami visits Omkarananda Ashram's primary and second school as well as their school of business management, March 20, 2010. In the evening he attended their Navaratri worship. ...

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      Gurudeva Mahasamadhi Aratis, 2008

      Puja aratis (passing of the flame) during the annual October, 2008, observances in memory of the Mahasamadhi of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. Ceremonies performed by Kumar Gurukkal, a Sivacharya priest from ...

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      Making Your Home God's Home - Publisher's Desk

      Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads his editorial from the Oct/Nov/Dec 2011 edition of Hinduism Today magazine. Establish a formal shrine room as the family's place of communion with the Divine through ...

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      The Journey to Liberation

      Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads his editorial from the October/November/December 2015 edition of Hinduism Today magazine. "Though moksha may seem remote, there is wisdom in keeping this ultimate goal in mind as we live our day-to-day life." Bodhinatha explains how daily sadhana which includes worship, introspection, affirmation and study is a ...

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      God of Fear, God of Love

      Love is the basis of worship in all Hindu denominations, expressed through bhakti yoga toward one's chosen Deity irrespective of one's failings, bad deeds. God is nothing but love and ...

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      What Is True Success?

      Bodhinatha's presentation is based on the Oct/Nov/Dec 2004 Hinduism Today edition and is entitled "What is True Sucess?" Hinduism favors and furthers the pursuit of wealth, pleasure and happiness--all guided by dharma. Happiness ...

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      A 10-Minute Spiritual Workout - Publisher's Desk

      Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads his editorial from the Jan/Feb/Mar 2014 edition of Hinduism Today magazine. "An abbreviated daily regimen designed for those who find that today's busy life allows little or no time for introspection". This consists of four main activities namely worship (repeating mantra to chosen deity), ...

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      What is the Nature of Life for Saivites?

      "Stand strong for Saivism." The nature of life for Saivites is to turn work into worship, to turn the secular into the sacred. Each day give a little extra warmth, humanness and upliftment ...

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      How to Live Spiritually 24 Hours/Day

      During a seminar at the Hindu Association of West Texas in Midland, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami explains the paradigm shift required in order to look at our entire day as an ...

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      Practice Makes Perfect - Publisher's Desk

      Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads his editorial from the January/February/March 2011 edition of HInduism Today magazine. Five core disciplines for bringing our inner perfection into our intellectual, emotional and instinctive nature. ...

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      Loving Ganesha

      India's rich spirituality begins with Ganesha. Even the most austere yogi starts his inward journey by invoking the God who softens karma and guides dharma. He reigns over our beginnings, ...

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      Bodhinatha's June 2013 Mid-West Trip Part 5

      After Minnesota, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami traveled to Ontario, Canada, to visit the Hindu Temple of Windsor and the home of one of his formal sishyas. Windsor is just across the ...

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      Bodhinatha's June 2013 Mid-West Trip Part 6

      After Minnesota, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami traveled to Ontario, Canada, to visit the Hindu Temple of Windsor and the home of one of his formal sishyas. Windsor is just across the ...

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      A Ten Minute Spiritual Workout

      An abbreviated daily regimen designed for those who find that today's busy life allows little or no time for introspection. The ten minute spiritual workout devised by Satguru Bodhinatha consists ...

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      I Want To See God

      Some pertinent suggestions to sincere seekers on where and how to look for Divinity. Hinduism prescribes that belief in God is the first step towards the ultimate purpose of life, ...

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      Six Levels of Practice

      Bodhinatha's presentation is drawn from Gurudeva's teachings on daily practice and is entitled "Six Levels of Practice". In this presentation, Bodhinatha explores each of the six practices, namely (1) Making Dharma Your ...

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      Karma Management Part 2

      Review of part 1 plus... Fifth principle: create no negative karmas. Refrain from actions that will create negative karmas. Promise to. Sixth principle: Mitigate past karma. As long as we're ...

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      Cultivating Bhakti, or Devotion

      The beginning of Bhakti is our understanding of the temple and Deities and the three worlds. The goal is to become good friends with the Gods. You open up to ...

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      Moksha, Realizing God

      There is a misconception that one day we are experiencing zero percent God, then the next moment we are experiencing 100 percent God. Enlightenment doesn't just happen in an instant. ...

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      Controlling Anger part 2

      In part two of his talk on anger, Bodhinatha refers back to a trip Gurudeva made to Malaysia in June 2000. Before Gurudeva left he was thinking positively about the ...

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      Kamika Agama Uttara Pada

      Second section (through chapter 63) of the Kamika Agama, a principle Saiva Agama. Kamika is a primary source for details of personal worship, initiation, deity installation, temple construction, dedication and ...

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      Kamika Agama Purva Pada

      First section of the Kamika Agama, a principle Saiva Agama. Kamika is a primary source for details of personal worship, temple construction, dedication and worship and many aspects of home ...

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      Approaching God

      Excerpts from Stephen P. Huylers Classic Work: Meeting God, Elements of Hindu Devotion ...

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      Home Puja

      A Simple, Traditional Worship Ceremony to Lord Ganesha that Anyone Can Perform?with English Translation, Illustrations And Internet Resources to Facilitate Learning the Chants ...

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      My Friend, Lord Ganesha

      In Hinduism, believing in God is only a first step toward an ever-deepening personal experience of God?s presence. In this regard many of the great saints and sages of Hinduism ...

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      The Home Shrine

      What is the center of your home? the kitchen, the workshop, the living room, the den? The ancients designated the crucial part of the home as a sacred sanctuary, a ...

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      Honoring the Spirit of Community

      Excerpts from Stephen P. Huyler's Classic work: Meeting God, Elements of Hindu Devotion ...

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      Siva Puja Sthavam (Sanskrit/Tamil)

      Fundamental points of Siva worship. ...

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      Mantra Pushpam

      Full Mantra Pushpam (Worship with Flowers) ...

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      ganesha-puja_color

      Click here for the black and white version which also has an introduction and additional instructions.

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      Ganesha Puja (PDF, Black and White)

      This version has an introduction and instructions. ...

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      Amoroso Ganesha

      La rica espiritualidad de la India comienza con Ganesha. Incluso el yogui ms austero comienza su viaje hacia el interior, invocando al Dios que suaviza el karma y que gua ...

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      Sri Sivapanchavarana Sthothram

      Explains the Atmartha Siva Puja. Contains visualisations of all the deities of the five enclosures surrounding Siva ...

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      Sthuthi Sangraha (Sanskrit)

      Collections of short hymns on different Deities for easy memorization. ...

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      Siva Puja Sthavam (Sanskrit/Tamil)

      Grantha Sanskrit verses with tamil commentary ...

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      Saiva Booshanam (Sanskrit/Tamil)

      An outline of the Saiva ritual system and its basics. ...

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      Siddantha Prakashika (Sanskrit/English)

      A treatise on all the major Indian philosophical systems accompanied by a portrayal of basics of Saiva Siddhanta. ...

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      God and Gods of Hinduism

      Devotion to God and the Gods of Hinduism is known as Bhakti. It is an entire realm of knowledge and practice unto itself, ranging from the childlike wonder of the ...

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      Visiting a Hindu Temple

      Be they luxurious palaces, rustic warehouses, simple halls or granite sanctuaries, Hindu temples are springing up all over the world, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Yet outside of India ...

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      What Are Our Five Core Practices?

      The pancha nitya karmas are spiritual practices for all Hindus: worship, holy days, pilgrimage, dharma and rites of passage. Three forms of worship: the temple, home shrine and on pilgrimage. ...

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      The Importance of Worshipping in the Home Shrine

      Bodhinatha explains the importance of having a physically well thought out home shrine. Equally important is regular worship at the shrine. Bodhinatha also discusses the importance of the worship of ...

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      Worshipping Lord Ganesha

      Bodhinatha explains the basis for the worship of Ganesha--that he is a real being who is closest to us on the earth plane and is thus the easiest to contact. ...

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      Standing in God's Presence

      In the normal process of prayer, sometimes, our thoughts are not that clear, concentrated or powerful. Written prayer is clear, easy to be received in the Inner Worlds. Benefits of ...

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      Esoterics of Worship and Psychic Exploration.

      Gurudeva was able to see the three worlds connecting in the temple. Puja and worship enables the beings in the inner worlds to send their blessings, help and support. Offerings ...

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      Hindu Culture and the Temple

      Bodhinatha speaks on Hindu culture, the theme of the Jivana Ritau, and begins with Gurudeva's central thoughts on culture which are captured in the five Living with Siva sutras on ...

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      Internalizing Worship

      Our tradition makes it easy and natural to first experience God in the temple then to experience God inside ourselves. Temple worship, puja, puts energies in the right place. Aptitudes ...

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      Niyama 5 - Ishvarapujana, Worship

      Bodhinatha speaks on the niyama of Ishvarapujana, worship of the Gods. Cultivate devotion by having a home shrine so that God and the Gods live with you all day long. ...

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      Niyama 7 - Mati, Cognition

      Bodhinatha speaks about the niyama mati, cognition. He urges seekers to develop a spiritual will and intellect with their guru's guidance. Part of mati involves cultivating and awakening our intuition, ...

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      Putting Gurudeva's Teachings to the Best Use, Part 5

      Bodhinatha continues his Gurudeva mahasamadhi observances class with this part on how to explain the purpose of Hinduism to non-HindusHinduism teaches us how to become a better person, improve our ...

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      Gurudeva's Spiritual Visions, Intuition

      Innersearch Kauai 2010 class. Gurudeva's vision of God Siva, Swayambhu Lingam, San Marga: 0:5:2; Personal visions are possible. : 0:9:33; High points of puja.: 0:11:18; Experiencing the Deity as spiritual ...

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      Activating Kundalini; Patanjali's Kriya Yoga

      Unless kundalini is active, the deepest meditative states are not available to us. But to activate kundalini, Gurudeva tells us we must invoke the grace of Lord Ganesha and Lord ...

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      Uphold Behavior Twenty-Four Hours a Day

      Don't let down. Success comes with consistency of conduct. Improve and control our mind and behavior standards twenty-four hours a day. Monistic Theism, our tradition, is a dual approach. Worshiping ...

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      Bhakti, Devotion, the Key to Meditation

      It's easier to meditate after puja. If you try and practice meditation without devotional practice you can build up the ego and spiritual pride. External and internal worship. Give up ...

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      Resentment; Control of Speech; Responding Kindly

      "Realize That God Is Love." Resentment is a barrier in spiritual life. Accept the Hindu point of view, that whatever happens to us is our karma to experience even if we are mistreated. Resentment ...

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      ayudha puja, Work is worship

      ayudha Puja day. Blessing day for the tools of our work. Whenever our actions are in accordance with dharma it is worship. Motivation is the key: Am I doing this ...

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      The Importance of the Agamas. Willpower and Cognition.

      The Agamas focus on externals containing compelling, solid, scriptural reference for why the temple is so important. The other part to be stressed is the Yoga Pada, the meditative side ...

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      How Do We Use Our Home Shrine?

      We need to perfect Ishvarapujana, personal worship, before we can expect to do really well in meditation. "The idea of Ishvarapujana, worship, is to always be living with God, living in Siva in God's house..." Learn the spirit of the puja, learn the spirit of devotion, get ...

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      Patanjali's Yoga Sutras - False Knowledge

      Bodhinatha comments on Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Verses 1.5 through 1.12. The restraint of the mental activities of correct knowledge, erroneous knowledge, fantasy, sleep and memory is achieved through practice and ...

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      Face and Accept Karma; Three Ways to Mitigate Karma

      Human nature is very strange in that we tend to blame others when things go poorly. Avoid that. Accept whatever happens as our own creation. Karma can be mitigated or ...

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      Nine Ways to Merge with Siva, Part 2

      Bodhinatha urged us not to put off our efforts to merge, but begin striving today, not waiting until you think you are ready or worthy. He asked all to make ...

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      Muruga, The God of Yoga and the Spiritual Path, Part 2

      Part 2 of 3. Next in his talk on Lord Murugan, Bodhinatha spoke about how the worship of Lord Murugan can give success in advanced yoga practices and gave suggestions ...

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      Bodhinatha Speaks at Goodlands Temple - the importance of temple worship

      A talk given by Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami at the Goodlands Temple during the 2014 Mauritius Innersearch. He discusses the importance of temple worship and the power of the home shirne. ...

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      How Do We Visit the Temple?

      Be close to God by going to the temple. By shifting our minds to our religion the flow of positive karma is intensified. Being open and receptive receive the blessings ...

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      No Divisions in Life, Live Spiritually Every Day, Hour, Minute

      Following a path of religion that involves theism or worship, not relying too much on philosophy alone, we can avoid the abysses of intellectual arrogance and doubt. Religious practice should ...

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      To Benefit from Darshan, Open Your Eyes, Look at the Deity

      Because you're sitting in the temple doesn't mean you actually receive the blessings of the Deity. Be not just physically present but mentally present as well. The idea of darshan: ...

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      Jnana Many Lives Humility

      The practice of yoga, well performed, produces the jnani. Believe in future lives but just be sure to achieve in this life. We carry forward, like a prolonged nalif, our ...

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      What Is Our Form of Prayer?

      Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads from Lesson 63 of the Himalayan Academy publication Path To Siva, discussing Hindu prayer. ...

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      How Do We Strengthen Our Temple?

      Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads from Lesson 62 of the Himalayan Academy publication Path To Siva, discussing our ability to strengthen our Hindu temples by how we approach them ...

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      Moderate Consistent Practice

      Sustain consistent daily practice. "A Ten Minute Daily Religious Workout," includes: Worship, introspection, affirmation and study. Worship leads us closer to the Deity. Introspection moves energy up into the higher chakras. Affirmations remold the subconscious ...

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      Bhakti, Giving Prana to the Deity

      During puja the pujari, the devotion and worship of the devotees and the auspiciousness of the day combine to help the Deity manifest and bless everyone. The prana we give ...

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      Yagna and Puja

      Today Gurudeva explains the difference between yajna and puja, and then answers a question about how a Westerner can find a guru. He advises that one should first make a ...

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      Placement of Deities in Shrine

      Today Gurudeva answers a question about which Deities should be present in the home shrine room and whether it is appropriate to have pictures of relatives who have passed on ...

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      Why Should We Learn a Cultural Art?

      Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads from Lesson 66 of the Himalayan Academy publication Path To Siva, discussing the importance of Hindu Art and Culture ...

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      2019 Innersearch Sri Lanka

      A compilation video of our Innersearch 2019 Sri Lanka travel-study program. Fifty participants traveled with Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and four of his monks to Negombo, Jaffna and Trincomalee. They had ...

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      Homa at Home

      A question from Klang, Malaysia comes in about whether or not a homa should be performed at home. Gurudeva answers that he is just leaving now, on his way to ...

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      Loving Ganesha, A Chathurti Blessing

      To celebrate Gurudeva's being in Malaysia this very moment, we present a talk he gave recently for Malaysia's Siddhi Vinayaka temple. He gave the talk for Kanesh Ramanathan while he ...

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      Who is the Doer after Realization?

      When the soul is young and just beginning, it thinks that it is the doer of all its deeds. After the realization of the Self, do we still feel that ...

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      Siva Lingam Worship

      An e-devotee in Finland asks for instructions on how to worship the Siva Lingam. Gurudeva explains that to understand the Siva Lingam, you must first understand yourself, your inner self, ...

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      Parents approval for conversion, Invoking Hanuman, Choosing a deity

      A cyberspace devotee in Singapore wonders if he has to get his parents approval to convert to Hinduism. Gurudeva says that if he is under 21 years old then he ...

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      Fire Worship; Lotus of the Heart

      Gurudeva briefly answers two questions today, one about fire worship and the other about the lotus of the heart described in Merging with Siva. ...

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      Where to do Puja

      A devotee read about doing temple puja in the ancient Tirumantiram yoga text and wonders if he should be doing more than his home puja. Gurudeva explains that the temple ...

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      Placement of Deities in Shrine

      Today Gurudeva answers a question about which Deities should be present in the home shrine room and whether it is appropriate to have pictures of relatives who have passed on ...

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      Sacred leaves for pada puja; Should one have a Guru who is alive?

      A cyber cadet in Malaysia wonders if it is ok to use sacred leaves for a pada puja. Gurudeva says that it is fine and that he is creating a ...

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      Sacred leaves for pada puja , Should one have a Guru who is alive?, Is everything that happens good?

      A cyber cadet in Malaysia wonders if it is ok to use sacred leaves for a pada puja. Gurudeva says that it is fine and that he is creating a ...

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      Holy Ash. Do we really have free will? Burn the good memories?

      A cybercadet in Canada wonders what to do with the excess holy ash accumulated from daily puja. Cybercadet Rolando from Virginia asks if we really have free will. ...

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      Joining Gurudeva's Mission, Approaching Hindu Gods

      A cyberspace cadet in Dubai wonders if she can join Gurudeva's mission. Gurudeva explains that his mission is a mission of giving and that she already is a part of ...

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      Anger and Worship

      In response to a question about the Agnihotra, Hindu fire ceremony, Gurudeva discusses the principle of not performing serious ritualistic worship after one has become angry. A 31-day cooling-off period ...

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      Understanding the Gods

      A cyberspace devotee wants to know if he has a preference for Lord Siva will the other Gods get jealous. Gurudeva says that such concepts of Gods getting jealous are ...

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      Worshipping the Gods

      A cyberspace devotee wants to know if he should worship all the Gods equally or is there a particular God that he should worship first. Gurudeva explains that Hinduism has ...

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      Let Go of Attachments, Part 2

      Achieve the maximum possibilities we can attain in this life inwardly and outwardly. Attachments, regrets about the past, clinging to people and possessions, burden us and prevent us from moving ...

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      Importance of Associations; Hinduism In the Technological Era

      Part 1 of Bodhinatha's Karma Management Course preliminary to a presentation to be given in Singapore including questions and answers from pilgrims/devotees during the 10th Annual Gurudeva Mahasamadhi Celebration. ...

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      Preparations for True Yoga

      Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads from lesson five of Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's book, Merging with Siva, discussing the value of theism practiced in tandem with our advaitist, meditative practices. ...

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      The Kriya, Wonderful Worship

      "Kriya is joyous and regular worship, both internal and external, in the home and temple." When the shrine room at home is a separate room, with regular worship, it builds up a strong force field. Turn the whole home into a temple like vibration. ...