IRAIVAN TEMPLE BRONZE PANELS

One of Gurudeva’s ideas for Iraivan temple was to place 35 bronze plaques along the outside wall covering a wide range of subjects so that pilgrims of the future will use them as a bronze illustrated library to understand the temple, how, why and by whom it was built. 

As you walk around the base of Iraivan Temple, you can explore the 35 bronze panels, which the founder called a library in bronze. They contain a timeline of the temple, from vision to consecration, and concisely capture the founder and architect, the simple technology used, the story of the holy svayambhu sphatika lingam, the monastery and its satguru and monks, the philosophy of Saiva Siddhanta represented by the temple, scriptural quotations and beliefs in multiple languages, and more.

It took many months to create the art and compose the text that would last a thousand years (no pressure, right?).  They also proved to be rather difficult to attach to their recessed panels but our local concrete coring company proved up to the task—after a bit of research and testing. 

It is expected pilgrims circumambulating the temple and reading each will get a complete education in the temple’s founder, sacred beginnings, construction, supporting philosophy and place within the grand tradition of Saivite Hinduism.

The 35 topics covered (in order, clockwise from the left side of the temple entry steps) include:

Namasivaya mantra; Siva’s primary forms; the three worlds; the nature of the Siva temple; Sadasiva; the Panchabrahma Mantra; Gurudeva’s three visions which created Iraivan; how the temple was built; the temple timeline through 2023, the “wonderments” (including the giant crystal, stone chains and more); the meaning of the carvings upon each of the temple’s 24 pillars; twelve Shum meditations; Gurudeva’s biography; his most memorable quotes; his seminal Self God talk (on two panels); the guru lineage; quotes from Satguru Yogaswami (1872-1964) and Chellappaswami (1840-1915); Kauai’s Hindu Monastery; San Marga, the Straight Path to God, of which the temple is part; the goals of the monastery; Saivism’s affirmation of faith in multiple languages; a Creed of the Saiva Siddhanta philosophy in English, Tamil and Sanskrit; a summary of Saiva Siddhanta; Gurudeva’s teachings on the Three Perfections of Siva; his teachings on Sadhana and Self Realization;  excerpts from the Tamil Devaram, Tiruvasagam, Tirumantiram, Tirukural and songs of Tayumanavar; and holy verses from the Vedas and Agamas.

Let’s view the Bronze Panels

Gurudeva exclaimed, “The Saivite Hindu religion brings to us one of the greatest gifts, the working together of the Three Worlds—worlds within one another where great Intelligent Beings live who have evolved through eons of time and are able to help mankind without themselves having to live in a physical body. These great Mahādevas, with their multitudes of devas, live and work constantly and tirelessly for the people of our religion, protecting and guiding them, opening doors and closing unused ones. The Hindu temple is the place to go to meet and contact the great Overlords of our religion. They live there.”

Śaiva temples, whether they be small village sanctuaries or towering citadels thousands of years old, are like no other place on Earth. Strict rules from the Āgamas are followed to create spaces where holiness, God, can reside. Over decades, the power becomes strong, forming an invisible, bubble- like shield around the temple which keeps out gross vibrations and allows the heaven worlds to be strongly present. As you approach God’s home, you can feel the spiritual energy, and as you go inside you are engulfed in peace. Here the devas and Gods can easily hear your prayers.

Here the ancient scriptures are chanted in Sanskrit by competent priests as they knowingly perform the traditional rites. Here joyous festivals are celebrated and arduous pilgrimages concluded. At the high point of pūjā, as bells ring loudly and conches blow, the Deity sends rays of blessings through the enshrined image, or mūrti, which is the God’s physical plane form. Flooding your aura, this energy can erase worries, clear confusion and relieve sadness. Devotees leaving the temple feel inspired and lightened of burdens.

Gurudeva explained, “Though the devotee rarely has the psychic vision of the Deity, he is aware of the God’s divine presence. He is aware through feeling, through sensing the divine presence within the temple. As he approaches the sanctum sanctorum, the Hindu is fully aware that an intelligent being, greater and more evolved than himself, is there. This God is intently aware of him, safeguarding him, fully knowing his inmost thought, fully capable of coping with any situation the devotee may mentally lay at His holy feet.”

Before dawn on February 15, 1975, as 48-year-old Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami lay resting in his monastic quarters, three visions of God Śiva unfolded before him. In his own words, “I saw Lord Śiva walking in the meadow near the Wailua River. Then I saw His face peering into mine. Then He was seated upon a great stone, His reddish golden hair flowing down His back. I was seated on His left side. This was the vision. It became more vivid as the years passed. Upon reentering Earthly consciousness, I felt certain that the great stone was somewhere on our monastery land and set about to find it.

Guided from within by my satguru, I hired a bulldozer and instructed the driver to follow me as I walked to the north edge of the property that was then a tangle of buffalo grass and wild guava. I hacked my way through the jungle southward as the bulldozer cut a path behind me. After almost half a mile, I sat down to rest near a small tree. Though there was no wind, suddenly the tree’s leaves shimmered as if in the excitement of communication. I said to the tree, ‘What is your message?’ In reply, my attention was directed to a spot just to the right of where I was sitting. When I pulled back the tall grass, there was a large rock—the self-created Liṅgam on which Lord Śiva had sat. A stunningly potent vibration was felt.

The bulldozer’s trail now led exactly to the sacred stone, surrounded by five smaller boulders. San Mārga, the ‘straight or pure path’ to God, had been created.” Gurudeva resolved to capture the spiritual power of that vision through constructing a traditional Agamic temple. Thus was born the Iraivan Temple. Iraivan, “He who is worshiped,” is one of the oldest words for God in the Tamil language.

The bulldozer’s trail now led exactly to the sacred stone, surrounded by five smaller boul Gurudeva, who lived to see the first course of stones of the vimanam set in place, shared, “As I look into the future, I see Iraivan, fully completed, as a center where devotees will come to find the center of themselves. We will preserve it and maintain it so that it is the way Rishikesh used to be, a proper, pure, quiet place where devotees can go within themselves through the practice of yoga. There are very few such places left on the Earth now. Kauai’s Hindu Monastery is one of them. I see Iraivan as a yoga citadel, a place of pilgrimage for the devout, sincere and dedicated. I see Iraivan as India’s message to the world. I see Iraivan as a fulfillment of our lineage, our scriptures and our monastery. This is a place where you do not have to invoke God, for God is here, for this is where heaven meets the Earth.”

Śiva’s front left hand is pointing toward His raised left foot, symbol of ­ revealing grace (anugraha), by which the soul comes to know its onene­ss with God. Śiva’s left earring is feminine; the right earring is masculine, reminding us that God embraces both male and female. Śiva is also Dakshiṇāmūrti, the silent guru spoken of in the Upanishads, and Bhairava, His fierce form. Other scriptures speak of Hari-Hara, half Śiva and half Vishṇu. This icon symbolizes the union and non-difference of the two major Gods of Hinduism. The Śaiva Āgamas give us Pañcha­ brahma, Śiva with five faces. The Triśūla, or trident, is also worshiped as Śiva. Its points represent love, action and wisdom. The Tirumantiram declares, “Everywhere is the Holy Form. Everywhere is Śiva-Śakti…. Everywhere is the Divine Dance.”

There are three worlds of ex­istence. The First World is the physical universe, the gross plane, called Bhūloka. This is the world we see with our eyes and touch with our hands. It is the material world, where we have our experiences, create karma and fulfill the desires and duties of life in a physical body. The Second World is the subtle or astral plane, the in-between realm called Antarloka. This world exists within the physical plane. As our thoughts and feelings are part of that inner world, we are functioning in the astral world even while we are awake. During sleep, we leave our physical body and are aware in that inner world fully.

The Antarloka has many levels, spanning the spectrum of consciousness from the hellish Naraka regions, where asuras, demonic beings, dwell, to the highest region of the Devaloka where abide devas, or angels. When our physical body dies, we live fully in the Antarloka in our subtle body. The Third World is the causal plane, the world of light and blessedness, called Śivaloka. This highest plane is the home of God Śiva and the Gods who assist Him, such as Lord Gaṇeśa and Lord Murugan. It is also the home of highly advanced souls who exist in their brilliant soul form. We experience the Śiva­ loka when we see the inner light or have a vision of the Deities.

The world, in all three of its dimensions, is God’s flawless creation. It is easy to see the many problems around us, but from the highest perspective everything is perfect. Since God is everywhere and in all things, there can be no place for evil, which is often looked upon as a force against God. But we know that all forces are God’s forces, even natural disasters and hateful or hurtful actions. This may be hard to understand when we see the pains and prob­ lems caused by people. Looking deeper, we see that what is called evil has its own purpose. Yes, bad things happen. Still, the wise never blame God, for they know such things are the return of our self-created kar­ mas, lessons that help us learn and mature.

The nature of the world is duality. It contains each thing and its opposite: joy and sorrow, goodness and evil, love and hate. Suffering is a natural part of human life that causes much spiritual growth for the soul. It offers the realization that true happiness and freedom cannot be found in the world, for earthly joy is bound to sorrow. We must not despise or fear the world. Life is meant to be lived joyously.

This five-faced form is among the most complex depictions of God Śiva, revealing the profound Hindu understanding of divinity and ­ cosmology. The Śaiva Āgamas tell us that when Parāśakti manifests through five śaktis, It is known as Sadāśiva. The Āgamic mūrtis of these five energies are enshrined in niches around the inner sanctum of Iraivan Temple, starting on the left as you face the sanctum doorway: Tatpurusha, Aghora, Sadyojāta, Vāmadeva and Īśāna. Four of these forms also reign on Iraivan’s uppermost tower, gracing the cardinal directions. From left to right in this panel’s bas-relief: Vāmadeva (“lovely, pleasing”) wields the power of preservation. His element is water, and His Pañchākshara syllable is Ma. Tatpurusha (“supreme soul”) wields the power of obscuration. His element is air, and His syllable is Vā. Īśāna (“ruler”) wields the power of revealment. His element is ether, and His syllable is Ya. Aghora (“nonterrifying”) wields the power of dissolution. His element is fire, and His syllable is Śi.

Sadyojāta (“quickly birthing”) wields the power of creation. His element is earth and His syllable is Na. Four faces are said to have revealed the Vedas; the fifth (Īśāna) revealed the Āgamas. During the pūjā, the priest visualizes the form and limbs of the Deity, as he invokes the Divine presence into the Śivaliṅga. Īśāna corresponds to the head; Tatpurusha, the face; Aghora, the heart and chest; Vāmadeva, the hips and other lower regions; and Sadyojāta, the limbs, hands and feet.

Śiva with five faces, also known as Pañchabrahma, is described in the Ajita Āgama (20, 158-164a) in the following instructions to temple priests: “With steady mind and controlled senses, one should meditate on ­ Śiva’s body sitting in the lotus posture, shining with the color of pure crystal, endowed with five heads, serene, with smiling faces, having the brilliance of ten million suns, of new full-blown youth, with ten arms, brightened by a crest of tawny tresses rolled upwards, each face having three radiant eyes, or śaktis, with the crescent moon of wisdom in His hair, the Cause of all causes.”

The great Pañchabrahma Mantrāṇī describes Sadāśiva in five verses. It is found in the Kṛishṇa Yajurveda, Taittirīya Āraṇyaka 10.17-21. Here the verses are cited in reverse order (21 to 17), just as they are chanted during pūjā.

ईशाानस्सर्ववविद्याानं ईश्वरस्सर्ववभूूताानं
ब्रह्माििधपतिताब्रवणोोऽधिपतिताब्रवा
ह्मािशार्वो मेे अस्तुु सदााह्मािशार्वोम् ॥

īśānassarva̍vidyā̱nā̱ṁ īśvarassarva̍bhūtā̱nā̱ṁ brahmādhi̍pati̱r brahma̱ṇo’dhi̍pati̱r brahmā̍ śi̱vo me̍ astu sadāśi̱vom ||

May Īśāna, the Master of wisdom, Lord of all beings, protector of Vedic knowledge, commander of creation, the all-pervading Supreme Being, the eternally auspicious One, be benevolent to me. Om!

तत्पुुरु॑॑ षााय विर्व॒द्महे॑े॑ मेहे॑ादा॒ेर्वाय॑ धीमहि ।
तन्नो॑ो॑ रु॑द्रःः प्रचो॒॒दायात् ॥

tatpuru̍ṣāya vi̱dmahe̍ mahāde̱vāya̍ dhīmahi |
tanno̍ rudraḥ praco̱dayā̎t ||

May we know the Primal Soul, Tatpuruṣa, and meditate on that Great Divinity. O Rudra, guide and enlighten us.

अ॒घोरेभू्योऽथ॒ घोरेभू्यो॒ घोर॒घोर॑तरेभ्यः।
सर्वेभू्यस्सर्व॒ शर्वेभू्यो॒ नम॑स्ते अस्तु रु॒द्ररू॑पेभ्यः॥

a̱ghore̎bhyo’tha̱ ghore̎bhyo̱ ­ ghora̱ghora̍tarebhyaḥ |
sarve̎bhyassarva̱ śarve̎bhyo̱ nama̍ste astu ru̱drarū̍pebhyaḥ ||

To Aghora Śiva, whose countless forms are benign, frightful and even terrifying, to all Your forms, O Rudra, in every place, at every time, we offer salutations.

र्वामे॒दा॒ेर्वाय॒ नमेो ज्ये॒॒ष्ठााय॒ नमे॑श्श्रे॒॒ष्ठााय॒ नमेो॑ रु॒॑द्रःाय॒ नमे॒ कााला॑ा॑य॒ नमे॒ काला॑॑विर्वकारणोाय॒ नमेो बला॑॑विर्वकारणोाय॒ नमेो बला॑ा॑य॒ नमेो बला॑॑प्रमथनाय॒ नमे॒स्सर्वव ॑ भूूतादामेनाय॒ नमेो॑ मे॒नोन्म॑॑नाय॒ नमे॑ ॥

vā̱ma̱de̱vāya̱ namo̎ jye̱ṣṭhāya̱ nama̍ḥ ­ śre̱ṣṭhāya̱ namo̍ ru̱drāya̱ namaḥ̱ kālā̍ya̱namaḥ̱ kala̍vikaraṇāya̱ namo̱ bala̍vikaraṇāya̱ namo̱ balā̍ya̱ namo̱ bala̍pramathanāya̱ nama̱ssarva̍bhūtadamanāya̱ namo̍ ma̱nonma̍nāya̱ namaḥ̍ ||

Obeisance to Vāmadeva, the splendid God, the primordial, the unrivaled, the remover of suffering, time eternal, the root of weakness, the source of strength, strength itself, vanquisher of the strong, destroyer of all. Prostrations to the mind’s creator and confounder.

भूर्वे भूर्वेनातिताभूर्वे भूर्वस्वमें भूर्वोद्भर्वायनमेः॥
सद्याोजाातां प्रपद्याातिमे सद्याोजाातााय र्वै नमेो नमेः।

sa̱dyojā̱taṁ pra̍padyā̱mi̱ sa̱dyojā̱tāya̱
vai namo̱ namaḥ̍ | bha̱ve bha̍ve̱nāti̍bhave bhavasva̱mām
bha̱vodbha̍vāya̱namaḥ̍ ||

I take refuge in Sadyojāta, swift creator of the cosmos. Bowing again and again, I beseech You to free me from birth after birth to abide beyond sam.sāra. Obeisance to You, O cause of being!

February 5, 1970: Gurudeva founds Kauai’s Hindu Monastery on seven acres and a few years later purchases the large adjacent parcel for the San Mārga Sanctuary on which this temple was built.

February 15, 1975: Gurudeva has a three-part vision of Lord Śiva.

Mid-1970s: Gurudeva starts the San Mārga Building Fund to pay off the lands.

1980s: Master architect V. Ganapati Sthapati completes design drawings for Iraivan Temple in pure Chola style.

1984: Gurudeva plants America’s only sacred Rudrāksha Forest.

1987: Major landscaping, clearing and pond building takes place.

August 14, 1987: Earthkeeper Crystal, Iraivan’s Śivaliṅga, arrives from Arkansas and is kept in Kadavul Temple awaiting installation.

December 21, 1990: Gurudeva chips Iraivan’s first stone at Kailas Ashram in India.

1990-1992: An 11-acre worksite village is built in Bengaluru, India, for 75 stone carvers and their families.

1991: Path of the Śaiva Satgurus is created.

1991-2018: Millions of pounds of granite are quarried from the hills around Bengaluru. Craftsmen spend hundreds of man years sculpting stones by hand.

Hindu scriptures say that of all the icons permitted in a Śiva temple, none is more profound than the Śivaliṅga, or “mark of Lord Śiva,” for it represents the timeless, formless, spaceless, cause less Absolute Reality that is the core of all existence. And of all Śivaliṅgas, the greatest is the naturally formed crystal, called svayambhū sphaṭika in Sanskrit. Iraivan’s 700-pound, 39-inch tall, perfectly pointed and six-sided crystal looks and feels curiously smooth, like cool ice. Yet it was neither carved nor polished, but discovered in 1975 in Arkansas, USA, in a small cave 65 feet ­ below the surface of the Earth where it had been growing for 50 million years. The avudaiyar on which the svayambhū Liṅga sits is an 11,000-pound metal base, among the largest ever cast.

Master architect Thiru V. Ganapati Sthapati claimed Iraivan would be his finest masterpiece. He lamented how people have forgotten the old arts, opting for efficiency over art and for economy over beauty. To him, “This temple is not only a place where we worship. It is an object of our worship.” He termed its unique elements the “wonderments of Iraivan.” The remote ­ island setting is itself a wonderment, as are the tropical gardens here on the sacred river. Gurudeva decreed that the temple be carved entirely by hand—not permitting the use of power tools—to preserve and pass on the ancient skills to one more generation. Only the bamboo-handled hammer and sixty kinds of iron and carbide chisels were used. This may well be the last all-granite Hindu temple made in the traditional way.

When Gurudeva said only Śiva would be enshrined inside, the architect was thrilled, lamenting that it used to be that way in India, but in recent centuries all the Deities have been added in most temples. Here Lords Gaṇeśa and Murugan have their shrines on the San Mārga entry, but upon entering Iraivan, visitors only encounter Lord Śiva. “All is Śiva” is the message this holy abode proclaims. The two teak doors of the main sanctum are elaborately adorned with ten forms of God Śiva in bronze bas-relief: (left door, top to bottom) Naṭarāja, Ardhanārīśvara, Bhikshatana, Dakshiṇamūrti, Liṅgodbhava); (right door, top to bottom) Urdvatāṇḍava, Chandraśekhara, Kaṅkāla, Bhairava, Pañchamukha. The ­ Na-Ma-Śi-Vā-Ya steps leading to the sanctum are patterned after millennia-old steps at the Gangai­ kon­ da­ cholapuram Temple. Above the sanctum doors, Naṭarāja is carved along with the satgurus (left to right) Tirumular, ­ Rishi, Kadaitswami, Chellapa­swami, Yoga­swami and Subramuni­ya­swami.

Six of the pillars feature a lion with a sphere carved ­ inside its mouth. Pilgrims can reach in and turn the ball. Stone chains grace the temple and Nandi mandapam. A three-foot-tall stone bell near the Temple Builder’s Pavilion rings when struck by a wooden mallet. Twin time capsules are interred in the foundation near Nandi, one an ­ argon-gas, stainless steel canister and the other an old-style rock crypt holding large, etched copper plates packed in sand. To be opened in 1,000 years to inspire and inform generations yet to be born, these chambers will preserve the philosophy, people and culture that gave life to the temple.

This 180-foot-long, 35-foot-tall, 3.5-million-pound Chola-style temple was built according to divine architectural knowledge to focus the spiritual power of the crystal Śivaliṅga representing the Supreme God, Śiva. On December 12, 1982, Gurudeva commissioned India’s finest temple architect, V. Ganapati Sthapati, to oversee the task. Two eminent swamis—Sri Siva­ ratnapuri Maha­ swamigal and Sri Balagangadharanathaswami—came forward to assist, and in 1990 provided eleven acres of land outside Benga­ luru as a worksite. There Gurudeva had a village built for 75 silpis (stone carvers) and their families to undertake the decades-long project. He ordered that all the work be done by hand, in the old, traditional ways.

The quarrying was done by hand also, for the architect explained that molecular structure of rock when blasted out with dynamite is subtly shattered and loses its pure tone. Rock, he shared, is a living element, not inert, and the sound of the granite, which he called “its song,” is essential to the spiritual integrity of the temple. The stones contain a lyrical sound, “They sing their own praises to the Lord.” The silpis lived a disciplined life together, worshiping Śiva each morning. To them, this was the most important job on Earth. The task was massive.

A single complex stone, such as Iraivan’s rajagopuram cupola, could take three men four years to carve. Stones, once complete (over 3,500 in all), were packed in wooden crates and shipped 8,000 miles to Hawaii, there to be assembled by a team of four to nine Indian silpis living two years at a time near the Rudrāksha Forest. Gurudeva directed that construction be engineered to last a thousand years. He set an original fundraising goal of $16 million. For over three decades, devotees in sixty countries joyously donated to the project. It was his intention to simultaneously endow Iraivan, so half of all funds raised were permanently set aside to maintain the temple far into the future.

In 1999 an ingenious foundation was built to prevent the smallest movement of the pillars and beams. Four feet of engineered compacted fill was placed below ground level. A monolithic concrete “raft” was poured four feet above it, using high-volume fly-ash technology. No steel was used in the foundation or the temple. The nearby Temple Builders’ Pavilion is a model workshop showing life- size bronzes of the sculptors using the simple chisels and hammers that built Iraivan.

Gurudeva decreed that the temple be “a library in stone,” and had 24 of the pillars carved with sacred and cultural symbols in bas-relief. Each pillar has three levels of sculpted panels. At the bottom are 24 of the traditional forms of God Śiva and twelve Shum meditations. The middle panels are predominantly themes from Śaivite philosophy, metaphysics, yoga and culture. The top of each pillar has sacred symbols and plants, half from India and half from Hawaii, some culinary, like ginger and breadfruit, others sacred, like bilva and banyan. There are ten pieces of art on each pillar, 240 images in all. Clockwise from the southwest entry pillar:

Pillar 1: (top) standing oil lamp, Sanskrit Aum, trident, Śiva’s drum; (middle) the stage of yoga, the stage of worship, the stage of service, the stage of wisdom; (bottom) Aum Namaḥ Śivāya in Sanskrit, Jāya Dvārapālaka.

Pillar 2: (top) trikonam, chakras, palmyra tree, camphor tree; (middle) ṛita dharma, varṇāśrama dharma, āśrama dharma, svādharma; (bottom) Harihara Śiva, Mahāyogī Śiva. earring, vibhuti; (bottom) Liṅgodbhava Śiva, Śivaṛishi.

Pillar 3: (top) chebulic, Nandi the bull, Īśāna, champaka; (middle) noose, monk’s vestments, monk’s

Pillar 4: (top) banana tree, bilva, Tatpurusha, cloves; (middle) Tirumular, Vyāgrapāda, Patañjali, Tiruvalluvar; (bottom) Nīlakaṇṭa Śiva, Bhikshatana Śiva.

Pillar 5: (top) garlic, nāga, Aghora, turmeric; (middle) Śaivism, Śaktism, Vaishṇavism, Smartism; (bottom) Paśupati Śiva, Nāgarāja Śiva.

Pillar 6: (top) ashoka tree, tripuṇḍra, Sadāśiva, hibiscus; (middle) Satguru, Liṅgam, Saṅgam, Valipadu; (bottom) Vamādeva Śiva, Gajāri Śiva.

Pillar 7: (top) pennywort, banyan, Sadyojāta Śiva, echinacea; (middle) satya yuga, tretā yuga, dvāpara yuga, kali yuga; (bottom) July Mamsani, Vīrabhadra Śiva.

Pillar 8: (top) arjun tree, guru’s sandals, bauhinia tree, parijatam; (middle) Bhūloka, Antarloka, Śivaloka, Narakaloka; (bottom) August Mamsani, Chandeśa Śiva.

To understand more about the pillars please click the button below and visit our webpage of “Pillars of Iraivan Temple”

Pillar 9: (top) plumeria, conch, Indian bedellium, durva grass; (middle) Samhitās, Āraṇyakas, Brāhmaṇas, Upanishads; (bottom) September Mamsani, October Mamsani.

Pillar 10: (top) black pepper, elephant, vāstu grid, breadfruit; (middle) iḍā nāḍī, piṅgala nāḍī, sushumṇā nāḍī, kuṇḍalinī; ­ (bottom) November Mamsani, December Mamsani.

Pillar 11: (top) cumin, svastika, cow, jak fruit; (middle) sañchita karma, prārabdha karma, kriyamānakarma, samāpta karma; (bottom) Śivaguru, Śukāsana Śiva.

Pillar 12: (top) coconut, rājagopuram, sun and moon, Himalayan Academy logo; (middle) San Mārgalogo, Saiva Siddhānta Church logo, Hinduism Today logo, Hindu Heritage Endowment logo; (bottom) Tyeif alphabet, Dakshiṇamūrti Śiva.

Pillar 13: (top) tamarind, chinmudrā, Śivaliṅga, rooster; (middle) veiling grace, karma, māyā, release from fetters; (bottom) Umāmaheśvara Śiva, Shum alphabet.

Pillar 14: (top) drumstick tree, henna bush, Hindu flag, pūjā bell; (middle) instinctive mind, intellectual mind, superconscious mind, Self beyond the mind; (bottom) Trimūrti Śiva, Lakulīśa Śiva.

Pillar 15: (top) maile-mokihana lei, coriander, dīpa, golden shower tree; (middle) pratyāhāra, dhyāna, dhāranā, samādhi; (bottom) January Mamsani, February Mamsani.

Pillar 16: (top) kolam design, taro plant, tulsi, homa fire; (middle) yamas, yoga āsanas, niyamas, prāṇāyāma; (bottom) March Mamsani, April Mamsani.

Pillar 17: (top) puakenikeni, jamun, amla, paisley; (middle) kāma, moksha, dharma, artha; (bottom) Chakradāna Śiva, May Mamsani.

Pillar 18: (top) aśoka tree, cinnamon, rice, kamandalu; (middle) manomaya kośa, prāṇamaya kośa, vijñānamaya kośa, ānandamaya kośa; (bottom) Kaṅkāla Śiva.

Pillar 19: (top) ginger root, sesame, neem, chakra; (middle) first-learning rite, sacred-thread rite, marriage rite, funeral rite; (bottom) Kirāta Śiva, Ekapāda Śiva.

Pillar 20: (top) bodhi tree, areca nut, sugar cane, rudrāksha beads; (middle) name-giving rite, first- feeding rite, ear-piercing rite, head-shaving rite; (bottom) Jalandharavadha Śiva, Tripurāntaka Śiva.

Pillar 21: (top) ti plant, lime, coconuts, lotus flower; (middle) top of satguru’s staff, satguru’s throne, satguru’s pendant, sat­ guru’s headdress; (bottom) Chandraśekhara Śiva.

Pillar 22: (top) sandalwood, betel leaf, shaṭkoṇa, peacock; (middle) flute and cymbals, tam būra, vīna, mṛidaṅga; (bottom) Śaiva Sannyāsin, Śiva Naṭarāja.

Pillar 23: (top) mango, saffron, jasmine, añjali mudrā; (middle) Ṛig Veda, Sāma Veda, Yajur Veda, Atharva Veda; (bottom) Mukhaliṅga Śiva, Kālāri Śiva.

Pillar 24: (top) Mahākāla, pūrṇa kumbha, kumbha, Aum in Tamil; (middle) Gurudeva holding triśula, Gurudeva writing his books, Gurudeva’s simhāsana; Gurudeva portrait; (bottom) Aum Namaḥ Śivāya in Tamil, Vijāya Dvārapālaka.

To understand more about the pillars please click the button below and visit our webpage of “Pillars of Iraivan Temple”

Gurudeva developed the Shum-Tyeif language in 1968 in order to accurately convey the inner states of consciousness he was experiencing in meditation. Three decades later, to share this central aspect of his teachings with future generations and ensure it would not be lost, he had twelve core meditations, called mamsani, carved in the Shum script on the lower panels of 12 pillars of this temple. Mamsani are maps drawn in Shum containing important meditation concepts to master. Each is associated with a month. In January, pilgrims meditate on the first one, and so on through the year. Pursued regularly, they aid the spiritual seeker in gaining control of awareness.

The first mamsani consists of just three words. At the top is tyemmuif, defined as “looking within with the eyes slightly open.” Next is balikana, “seeing light by looking out upon and through the fourth dimension of the mind,” and the third word is milinaka, meaning “balikana sustained over a long period of time.” The wavy vertical line indicates the Shum word niimf», “Awareness flowing through the mind, being singularly aware of one area and then another.” In the mystical perspective of the Shum language, all parts of the mind exist at the same time; it is awareness that moves from one to another, for example from sorrow to happiness, both of which always exist. The objective of this mamsani is to look within, find the light that always exists there and become aware of it continuously.

Here is a summary of the twelve mamsani in order, clock­ wise starting from pillar 15:

1) January Mansani (tyemmuif, balikana, milinaka): eyes half closed looking inward; seeing the light that illumines mental objects; sustained seeing of this light. 2) February Mamsani (Shum, kanif uu»makayf): the Shum language; contemplative lifestyle; path leading to Paraśiva; 3) March Mamsani (la, lam, laf, lamf): physical body; emotional/intellectual body; mental body (vijñānamaya kośa); soul body (ānandamaya kośa); 4) April Mamsani (kanif, shumtyeif, tyeshum): contemplative lifestyle; the Shum language; one’s handwritten Shum workbook; 5) May Mamsani (símshumbisi=, kaif»): feeling the pure life force within the spine; being aware only of awareness 6) June Mamsani (nifmasi, liunasi): sitting in lotus āsana; feeling the nerve cur­ rents of the body; 7) July Mamsani ­ (kalibasa, vumtyeudi, karehana, nikashum): prāṇāyāma; piṅgalā current; īḍā current; pratyāhara. 8) August Mamsani (shumif, mulif, símnif, dimfi): four perspectives of mind—meditative, philosophical, scientific and metaphysical/ theistic; 9) September Mamsani (aum, au­ sisium, im’° kaif»): aum; kuṇḍalinī; Self Realization; 10) October Mamsani (makayf», kaif», ii= kaif», im’° kaif»): path leading to Paraśiva; being aware only of awareness; hearing the inner “eee” sound; awareness drawing into itself and dissolving, realizing the Self, Paraśiva; 11) November Mamsani (míngbasida, nabalitye, ukanuhshum): harmony with the guru; spiritual striving; sādhana from one’s guru; 12) December Mamsani (anif, na­ shum­ if, nalif): sublime quietude; seeing the inner and outer worlds without judgment; meditative continuity.

Scripture decrees that more precious than gold, and far more rare, is finding a satguru who can lead one to God Śiva within. The holy gurus, the scriptures and the sacred temples are revered as Hinduism’s three pillars of faith. Of these, the guru is paramount. One of the distinctive and potent features of Kauai’s Hindu Monastery is its noble lineage of self-realized masters who know God and hold Truth in the palm of their hand. That power is like a brilliant ray of spiritual energy. These masters trained other great souls and passed on their power to them.

It was through the spiritual authority of his master, Satguru Yogaswami of Sri Lanka, that Gurudeva established this monastery and set in motion its dynamic purpose. Yogaswami was an enlightened sage and preceptor of the succession of gurus known as the Kailāsa Paramparā, the lineage from Śiva’s Himalayan mountain, Kailas. It began thousands of years ago. The first master that history records is Maharishi Nandinatha (ca 250 bce). He passed his power to Rishi Tirumular, a sage who wrote a yoga text in Tamil called Tirumantiram.

After him, over 150 rishis carried the śakti of Śiva forward, their names now lost to history. In the 19th century, a nameless Himalayan ṛishi of this param parā traveled to Bengaluru in South India. There he passed the power to Kadaitswami (1804–1891) and sent him to Sri Lanka to strengthen Śaivism. Kadaitswami passed his power to Sage Chellappaswami (1840–1915) who in turn initiated Satguru Yogaswami (1872–1964). In May of 1949, at age 77 outside his thatched hut in Jaffna, Yogaswami ordained Gurudeva Sivaya Subramuniyaswami with a resounding slap on the back.

In 2001, Gurudeva initiated Bodhi­natha Veylan­ swami as his successor. The power from all previous gurus and the blessings of the devas that assist them abide in the current preceptor. As there have been countless gurus of this lineage in the past, so there will be many in the future who see God everywhere and light the way for seekers. Gurudeva declared, “The Nātha Sampradāya has revealed the search for the innermost divine Self, balanced by temple worship, fueled by kuṇḍalinī yoga, charted by monistic theism, illumined by a potent guru-śishya system, guided by soul-stirring scriptures and awakened by ­ sādhana and tapas.”

Selfless service to mankind makes you free in the world of mortals.

Listen for silence in noisy places; feel at peace in the midst of disturbance; awaken joy when there is no reason.

It’s very simple: the energy within our body is the same energy that pervades the universe, and it’s all emanating right out of Lord Śiva.

“Śiva’s will be done”—the first sādhana on the path. “Śiva’s will be done”—the last sādhana on the path, after all others have been perfected.

The worship of Śiva will give you wealth. The worship of Śiva will give you health. The worship of Śiva will give you knowledge. The worship of Śiva will fill your heart with love and compassion.

Karma is the law of cause and effect, action and reaction governing māyā. Āṇava is the individuating veil of duality, source of ignorance and finitude. Māyā is the classroom, karma the teacher, and āṇava the student’s ignorance.

Love is acceptance. Love is making somebody feel good about his experience, whether the experience is a good one or not. Accept your karma as your own, as a healing medicine and not a poison.

It is the wise man who recognizes the importance of controlling the forces of his mind. His life is a struggle to make his philosophy real, to gain control of the cycles of experience which have tied him to the wheel of karma.

Sitting in a state of real meditation, one must be more alive and alert than a tightrope walker suspended without a net on a taut cable three hundred feet above the Earth.

Holding the family together can be summed up in one word: love. Love is understanding.

The cosmos is perfect, you know. Its laws are divine, its timing flawless, its design unique.

Be free from the past; abide in the present; detach yourself from the future; and live in the eternal now.

All of the mysteries of life will unfold before your inner vision once the instinctive mind is mastered in your life.

A better word than death is transition, passing into a new form of life—life into life. It is similar to moving to a new country, having completed all of one’s tasks.

Death, like birth, has been repeated so many times that it is no mystery to the soul.

The body of the soul is constant radiance. Its mind is superconsciousness, containing all intelligence, and is constantly aware, does not sleep and is expanding awareness as the soul body matures.

Every belief creates certain attitudes. Attitudes govern our actions. Our actions can thus be traced to our inmost beliefs about ourself and the world around us.

Satguru Sivaya Subra­ mu­ ni­ ya­ swami (January 5, 1927, to November 12, 2001) was one of Hinduism’s foremost spiritual masters and thought pioneers. Born in Oakland, California, he became the premier danseur of the San Francisco Ballet company at age 19, only to renounce that calling for his spiritual pursuits. In 1947, he journeyed by ship to India and Sri Lanka and two years later was initiated into sannyāsa by the re­nowned siddha yogī and wor shiper of Śiva, Jnanaguru Yoga­ swami of Sri Lanka, regarded as one of the 20th century’s most remarkable mystics. For over five decades, Subramuniyaswami, affectionately known as Gurudeva, traveled extensively to communities around the globe. He encouraged and helped found 37 temples around the world and brought Śaiva Siddhānta to the West for the first time.

One of his mystical accomplishments was the creation of an entire language, called Shum-Tyeif, to guide seekers in their meditations. Known as one of the strictest gurus in the world, he was the 162nd successor of the Nandinātha Kailāsa lineage. In 1970 he founded Kauai Aadheenam, this temple-monastery complex on Kauai. His Saiva Siddhānta Church nurtures devotees on five continents, upholding a mission to protect, preserve and promote the Śaivite Hindu religion as expressed through three pillars: temples, satgurus and scripture.

In 1979 he launched Hinduism Today magazine as a public service of his monastic order to strengthen Hindus of all denominations. In 1986 he founded the Spiritual Park in Mauritius. That same year, New Delhi’s World Religious Parliament named him one of five modern-day jagadāchāryas, world teachers, for his international efforts in promoting a Hindu renaissance. In 1995, in Delhi, the Parliament bestowed on him the title of Dhar­ machakra. On August 25, 2000, he received the prestigious U Thant Peace Award at the United Nations in New York. He left a peerless legacy of writings, most notably his Master Course Trilogy: Dancing with Śiva, Living with Śiva and Merging with Śiva.

On October 9, 2001, learning that he had advanced cancer, he vowed to follow the yogic practice of prāyopaveśa, taking water only from that day on. In the first weeks of his fast, he transferred his duties to Bodhinatha Veylanswami, then 59, a disciple for 37 years. Gurudeva left his body peacefully on the 32nd day of his fast, at 11:54 pm on Nov­ ember 12, 2001.

The Self: you can’t explain it. You can sense its existence through the refined state of your senses, but you can’t explain it. To know it, you have to experience it. And the best you could say about it is that it is the depth of your Being, it’s the very core of you. It is you. ¶If you visualize above you nothing; below you nothing; to the right of you nothing; to the left of you nothing; in front of you nothing; in back of you nothing; and dissolve yourself into that nothingness, that would be the best way you could explain the realization of the Self. And yet that nothingness would not be the absence of something, like the nothingness inside an empty box, which would be like a void.

That nothingness is the fullness of everything: the power, the sustaining power, of the existence of what appears to be everything. ­ ¶But after you realize the Self, you see the mind for what it is—a self-created principle. That is the mind ever creating itself. The mind is form ever creating form, preserving form, creating new forms and destroying old forms. That is the mind, the illusion, the great unreality, the part of you that in your thinking mind you dare to think is real. What gives the mind that power? Does the mind have power if it is unreal? What difference whether it has power or hasn’t power, or the very words that I am saying when the Self exists because of itself? You could live in the dream and become disturbed by it. Or you can seek and desire with a burning desire to cognize Reality and be blissful because of it.

Man’s destiny leads him back to himself. Man’s destiny leads him into the cognition of his own Being; leads him further into the realization of his True Being. They say you must step onto the spiritual path to realize the Self. You only step on the spiritual path when you and you alone are ready, when what appears real to you loses its appearance of reality. Then and only then are you able to detach yourself enough to seek to find a new and permanent reality. ¶Have you ever noticed that something you think is permanent, you and you alone give permanence to that thing through your protection of it? Have you ever stopped to even think and get a clear intellectual concept that the Spirit within you is the only permanent thing? That everything else is changing? That everything else has a direct wire connecting it to the realms of joy and sorrow? That is the mind. ¶As the Self, your Effulgent Being, comes to life in you, joy and sorrow become a study to you. You do not have to think to tell yourself that each in its own place is unreal. 

You know from the inmost depth of your being that form itself is not real. The subtlety of the joys that you experience as you come into your Effulgent Being cannot be described. They can only be projected to you if you are refined enough to pick up the subtlety of vibration. If you are in harmony enough, you can sense the great joy, the subtlety of the bliss that you will feel as you come closer and closer to your real Self. ¶If you strive to find the Self by using your mind, you will strive and strive in vain, because the mind cannot give you Truth; a lie cannot give you the truth. A lie can only entangle you in a web of deceit. But if you sensitize yourself, awaken your true, fine, beautiful qualities that all of you have, then you become a channel, a chalice in which your Effulgent Being will begin to shine. You will first think that a light is shining within you. You will seek to find that light. You will seek to hold it, like you cherish and hold a beautiful gem.

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You will later find that the light that you found within you is in every pore, every cell of your being. You will later find that that light permeates every atom of the universe. And you will later find that you are that light and what it permeates is the unreal illusion created by the mind. ¶How strong you must be to find this Truth. You must become very, very strong. How do you become strong? Exercise. You must exercise every muscle and sinew of your nature by obeying the dictates of the law, of the spiritual laws. It will be very difficult. A weak muscle is very difficult to make strong, but if you exercise over a period of time and do what you should do, it will respond. Your nature will respond, too. But you must work at it. You must try. You must try. You must try very, very hard, very diligently. How often? Ten minutes a day? No. Two hours a day? No. Twenty-four hours a day! Every day! You must try very, very hard. ¶Preparing you for the realization of the Self is like tuning up a violin, tightening up each string so it harmonizes with every other string. 

The more sensitive you are to tone, the better you can tune a violin, and the better the violin is tuned, the better the music. The stronger you are in your nature, the more you can bring through your real nature, the more you can enjoy the bliss of your true being. It is well worth working for. It is well worth craving for. It is well worth denying yourself many, many things for— to curb your nature. It is well worth struggling with your mind, to bring your mind under the dominion of your will. ¶Those of you who have experienced contemplation know the depth from which I am speaking. You have had a taste of your true Self. It has tasted like nothing that you have ever come in contact with before. It has filled and thrilled and permeated your whole being, even if you have only remained in that state of contemplation not longer than sixty seconds.

Out of it you have gained a great knowing, a knowing that you could refer back to, a knowing that will bear the fruit of wisdom if you relate future life experiences to that knowing, a knowing greater than you could acquire at any university or institute of higher learning. Can you only try to gain a clear intellectual concept of realizing this Self that you felt permeating through you and through all form in your state of contemplation? That is your next step. ¶Those of you who are wrestling with the mind in your many endeavors to try to concentrate the mind, to try to meditate, to try to become quiet, to try to relax, keep trying. 

Every positive effort that you make is not in vain. Every single brick added to a temple made of brick brings that temple closer to completion. So keep trying and one day, all of a sudden, you will pierce the lower realms of your mind and enter into contemplation. Then you will be able to say: “Yes, I know, I have seen. Now I know fully the path that I am on.” Keep trying. You have to start somewhere. ¶The Self you cannot speak of. You can only try to think about it, if you care to, in one way: feel your mind, body and emotions, and know that you are the Spirit permeating through mind, which is all form; body, which you inhabit; and emotions, which you either control or are controlled by. Think on that, ponder on that, and you will find you are the light within your eyes. You are the feel within your fingers. “You are more radiant than the sun, purer than the snow, more subtle than the ether.” Keep trying. Each time you try you are one step closer to your true Effulgent Being.

“The Self God” is an inspired talk given by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami in 1959

An affirmation of faith is a terse, concise statement summarizing a complex philosophical tradition. “God Śiva is Immanent Love and Transcendent Reality” is what we have when we take the milk from the sacred cow of Śaivism, separate out the cream, churn that cream to rich butter and boil that butter into a precious few drops of ghee. By repeating this affirmation, we assert that God is both manifest and unmanifest. He/She is present throughout the world as divine love, and also transcends it as Absolute Reality. We repeat “God Śiva is Immanent Love and Transcendent Reality” when going to sleep and again while awakening.

1. Śiva’s followers all believe that Lord Śiva is God, whose Absolute Being, Paraśiva, transcends time, form and space. The yogī silently exclaims, “It is not this. It is not that.” Yea, such an inscrutable God is God Śiva. Aum.

2. Śiva’s followers all believe that Lord Śiva is God, whose immanent nature of love, Parāśakti, is the substratum, primal substance or pure consciousness flowing through all form as energy, existence, knowledge and bliss. Aum.

3. Śiva’s followers all believe that Lord Śiva is God, whose immanent nature is the Primal Soul, Supreme Mahādeva, Parameśvara, author of Vedas and Āgamas, the creator, preserver and destroyer of all that exists. Aum.

4. Śiva’s followers all believe in the Mahādeva Lord Gaṇeśa, son of Śiva-Śakti, to whom they must first supplicate before beginning any worship or task. His rule is compassionate. His law is just. Justice is His mind. Aum.

5. Śiva’s followers all believe in the Mahādeva Karttikeya, son of Śiva-Śakti, whose Vel of grace dissolves the bondages of ignorance. The yogī, locked in lotus, venerates Murugan. Thus restrained, his mind becomes calm. Aum.

6. Śiva’s followers all believe that each soul is created by Lord Śiva and is identical to Him, and that this identity will be fully realized by all souls when the bondage of āṇava, karma and māyā is removed by His grace. Aum.

7. Śiva’s followers all believe in three worlds: the gross plane, where souls take on physical bodies; the subtle plane, where souls take on astral bodies; and the causal plane, where souls exist in their self-effulgent form. Aum.

8. Śiva’s followers all believe in the law of karma—that one must reap the effects of all actions he has caused—and that each soul continues to reincarnate until all karmas are resolved and moksha, liberation, is attained. Aum.

9. Śiva’s followers all believe that the performance of charyā, virtuous living, kriyā, temple worship, and yoga, leading to Paraśiva through the grace of the living satguru, is absolutely necessary to bring forth jñāna, wisdom. Aum.

10. Śiva’s followers all believe there is no intrinsic evil. Evil has no source, unless the source of evil’s seeming be ignorance itself. They are truly compassionate, knowing that ultimately there is no good or bad. All is Śiva’s will. Aum.

11. Śiva’s followers all believe that religion is the harmonious working together of the three worlds and that this har­ mony can be created through temple worship, where­ in the beings of all three worlds can communicate. Aum.

12. Śiva’s followers all believe in the Pañchākshara Mantra, the five sacred syllables “Na-Ma-Śi-Vā- Ya,” as Śaivism’s foremost and essential mantra. The secret of Namaḥ Śi­ vāya is to hear it from the right lips at the right time. Aum.

The whole world is in me. The whole world is traveling in me. The whole world is there—the sun is there; the moon is there. Everest is there. Everything is there.

Live unshaken in the realization that “all that I see is myself.”

If you are a king, will you have contentment? If you are a beggar, will you have contentment? Whatever your walk in life may be, you will only have contentment through knowing yourself by yourself.

The world is a training college. Some are in kindergarten. Some are in the B.A. class. Surely those in the B.A. class will never look down on those in kindergarten?

Just pronounce the name Śiva, and sit for a few minutes. You will find everything in your life falling into place and your prayers answered.

Of what use is it to remain deep in meditation? One must attain a state of permanent self-awareness at all times and in all places. You must live with everybody, in the midst of everybody, but never forget your true self.

Work is worship. Doing Śivathondu in this world is charyā. Doing Śivathondu in this world is kriyā. Doing Śivathondu in this world is yoga. Doing Śivathondu is having Śivajñāna.

There are no Gods without Lord Śiva. There is no soul without Lord Śiva. There is no body without Lord Śiva. I have seen Lord Śiva in my heart.

எப்பவோ முடிந்த காரியம்
Eppavo mudintha kariyam.
(It was all finished long ago.)

நாம் அறியோம்
Nam ariyom.
(We know not.)

முழுதும் உண்மை
Muluthum unmai.
(All is truth.)

 ஒரு பொல்லாப்பும் இல்லை
Oru pollapum illai.
(There is not one wrong thing.)

You are standing in the heart of Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, which covers many acres of gardens, groves, glens, paths, ponds and waterways. It is also called Kauai Aadheenam, the monastery-temple complex that is the secluded, cloistered home and theological seminary for dedicated monks who live and serve here full time, pursuing the dual goals of selfless service and self-transformation through the yogas of devotion and meditation. As you walk the grounds, you may feel the rarefied spiritual vibration created by the presence of the monastery founder and by his monks’ decades of collective meditation, worship, one-minded harmony and mystic experiences.

It was in 1970 that Guru­ deva founded this center. He had traveled the world over with his Innersearch Travel-Study programs, seeking the perfect place for his spiritual headquarters. In 1968 the group stayed for three weeks at the Tropical Inn resort, as this property was called then. He had found his ideal location, half way between his devotees in the East and the West, a yogic sanctuary of serenity and beauty. It has two temples, this one and the Kadavul Temple, which has Śiva Naṭarāja in the sanctum.

A typical day for the monks begins before dawn in the Kadavul Temple with pūjā. An hour-long yogic meditation follows, guided by the satguru. Anchored by this daily contemplative routine, the monks turn to their duties, which include running the temples, caring for their home and property, publishing, construction, growing their own food, hosting pilgrims and guiding the lives of seekers around the world.

Gurudeva wrote in 1995: “This is the site of the Kailāsa Pīṭham, the seat of spiritual authority for this ancient guru lineage, formerly located in northern Sri Lanka. Here we protect the purity of the faith and decide matters of education, publication, innovation, theology and Church law. Here young brahmachārīs are prepared to eventually take their holy orders of sannyāsa. From here the teachings radiate out … through Hinduism Today, our World Outreach Mission, and through our local missions….Further, in a broader way we—our monastic order and close family members and I working in one-mindedness—have played a crucial role in Hinduism’s transition from the agricultural era into the technological age and on into the age of information and the new age of space.”

With the discovery of the boulder in Gurudeva’s 1975 vision, San Mārga, the straight path to God, was created just west of Iraivan Temple. Worship of the sacred stone he found, known as a svayambhū Śivaliṅga, was commenced immediately at daily pūjā rites, and a master plan was unfolded from the devonic worlds.

Pilgrims to Iraivan begin their spiritual excursion to Iraivan in the Rudrāksha Forest, which Gurudeva planted in 1984. He wrote, “Being under the rudrāksha trees in this magical forest has hidden, sought-after healing ­ powers, the key to helping aching hearts, the salve to soothe broken hearts, yearning hearts, sad hearts and ailing hearts.” On a knoll near the Rudrāksha Forest stands Lord Hanumān. Gurudeva asked for a small Iraivan Temple to be placed in His left hand, held aloft. Just as Hanumān brought the healing Sañjīvi mountain from the Himālayas to Sri Lanka, so He carried Iraivan from India to Kauai.

Walking south from the forest, visitors proceed through a bamboo corridor along San Mārga, the lush and tropical straight path to God, composed of three sections denoting the three worlds. The first is overseen by Lord Gaṇeśa, ruler of beginnings. Farther down, Lord Murugan, in the form of a 12-foot-tall Vel, resides atop a small hillock, overlooking the second world. Ringing a bell, pilgrims enter the third world, Śiva’s realm. From this point on, no other Deities are seen. It is all Śiva, nothing but Śiva. Gurudeva made this path perfectly straight to stress that we should go directly to God, avoiding distractions, walking past diversions, pitfalls and fascinations, ever keeping our mind on our goal, on Śiva’s Feet.

The path leads to the svayambhū Śivaliṅga and beyond to the Wailua River and the entrance to Iraivan Temple. Gurudeva wrote, “When you begin the pilgrimage to Iraivan Temple, you drop off and dissolve the karmas of the past. Then, because of the direction the temple is facing, the temple gives a new start, a new impetus for a wonderful future. It is a boon-giving temple, a gift-giving temple, a life-giving temple, a wish-fulfilling temple.” Following San Mārga is both a sādhana and a metaphor of the inner path that leads to God.

The Tirumantiram states, “My peerless satguru, Nandinatha of Śaivam honored high, showed us a holy path for soul’s redemption. It is Śiva’s divine path, San Mārga, for all the world to tread and forever be free.”

The purpose of Saiva Siddhānta Church can be summarized as follows.

1. To protect, preserve and promote Śaivite Hinduism, especially the enlightened monistic Saiva Siddhānta philosophy, Advaita Īśvaravāda, of the Nandinātha Sampradāya’s Kailāsa Paramparā.

2. To live and share with others the spiritual teachings of our lineage as capsulized in Dancing with Śiva; to share with mankind the path which leads souls through service, worship, sādhana and yoga toward God Realization.

3. To nurture among members a rich, rewarding and spiritually fulfilling extended family life based on the traditions and culture of Śaivite Hinduism, strengthening family love, inspiring security within the home and encouraging regular religious study and daily sādhana.

4. To foster Śaivite monasticism, training and caring for those who have dedicated their lives in selfless service to others and to God, Gods and guru, encouraging all monastics to follow and exemplify the strict ideals and disciplines found in their vows.

5. To support and strengthen Śaivism by maintaining Kauai Aadheenam, with its San Mārga Iraivan Temple and Kadavul Koyil, as a citadel of orthodox Śaivism, developing a worldwide membership with strong fam­ ily missions.

6. To assemble and translate into modern English and other languages the sacred scriptures of Śaivism and to produce and publish as needed religious books, texts, audio and video recordings, newspapers and literature.

7. To raise the awareness and commitment of all Hindus toward their religion, educating them in the depth and beauty of the planet’s oldest faith through sharing of knowledge and resources among Hindus of all sects.

8. To generate international interest and support, through the Hindu Heritage Endowment, for Hinduism’s diverse institutions, such as temples, societies, schools and the Church’s own missions, so that these institutions and the religion they protect will continue to flourish.

9. To develop services and leadership among local communities by fostering family ministry, Śaivite monasticism and the Śaivite priesthoods.

10. To foster international alliances with organizations of all sects of Hinduism based on the doctrine of Hindu solidarity, providing a firm foundation for the Sanātana Dharma to persist in the future with the same potency which has made it the world’s spiritual leader and guide for thousands of years.

1. இறைவனின் வெளிப்படாத மெய்மை

சிவபெருமானின பக்தர்கள் யாவரும் அவரே கடவுள்என்றும், அவரது சுத்த முழுமையான பராசிவா, காலத்திற்கும் உருவத்திற்கும் இடைவெளிக்கும்அப்பாற்ப்பட்டது என்றும் நம்புகிறார்கள். முனிவர்அமைதியாக பகறுகின்றார் “அல்ல,அல்ல” இதுஅல்ல, அது அல்ல” ஆம், இவ்வாறு புரிந்துகொள்ளமுடியாத இறைவன்தான் சிவபெருமான். ஓம்.

2. இறைவனின் வெளிப்படையான இயல்பு,
அவரது எல்லாவற்றிலும் பரவும் அன்பு

சிவபெருமானின் பக்தர்கள் யாவரும் அவரே கடவுள் என்றும், அவரது இயல்பு உள்ளார்ந்த அன்பு, பராசக்தி, அடித்தளத்தில்உள்ளது, மூலதத்துவம் அல்லதுசக்தியாக எல்லாவற்றிலும்ஓடும் தூய உணர்வு, வாழ்க்கை, அறிவு மற்றும் மகிழ்ச்சி என்றும்நம்புகிறார்கள். ஓம்.

3. இறைவன் தனிப்பட்ட ஆண்டவரும்,

யாவையும் படைத்தவரும்

சிவபெருமானின் பக்தர்கள் யாவரும் அவரே கடவுள் என்றும், அவருடைய உள்ளார்ந்த இயல்பு மூல ஆத்மா என்றும் மற்றும்அவர் மேன்மையான மகாதேவன், பரமேஸ்வரன், வேதங்கள்மற்றும் ஆகமங்களின் மூலவர் என்றும், எல்லாவற்றையும்ஆக்கல், காத்தல், அழித்தல் செய்பவர் என்றும்நம்புகிறார்கள். ஓம்.

4. யானை முக தெய்வம்

சிவபெருமானின் பக்தர்கள் யாவரும் கணேச பெருமானை நம்புகிறார்கள். அவர் சிவாசிக்தியின் மகன் என்றும், எல்லா செயலையும் வழிப்பாட்டையும் செய்யும் முன் அவரை முதலில் வணங்க வேண்டும் என்றும் நம்புகிறார்கள். அவருடைய ஆட்சி இரக்கமுடையது. அவருடைய சட்டம் நியாயமானது. நியாயம் அவரது மனம். ஓம்.

5. தெய்வம் கார்த்திகேயன்

சிவபெருமானின் பக்தர்கள் யாவரும் முருகப்பெருமானை நம்புகிறார்கள். அவர் சிவாசிக்தியின் மகன் என்றும் அவருடைய அருள் நிறைந்த வேல் அறியாமை என்ற கட்டை உருக்கும் என்றும் நம்புகிறார்கள். முனிவர் தாமரை ஆசனத்தில் அமர்ந்து முருகனை வணங்குகின்றார். இவ்வாறு கட்டுப்பட்டதால்அவருடைய மனது அமைதி அடைகின்றது. ஓம்.

6. சிருஷ்டியும், ஆண்டவனுடன்
அதனின் முற்றொருமையும்

சிவபெருமானின் பக்தர்கள் யாவரும் ஒவ்வொரு ஆத்மாவும் சிவபெருமானால் தோற்றுவிக்கப்பட்டது என்றும், அது அவரை ஒத்து இருப்பதாகவும், இந்த முற்றொருமையை ஆன்மாக்கள், ஆணவம், கர்மம், மாயை என்ற பிணைப்புகள் அவரது அருளால் விலகியதும் உணரமுடியும் என்று நம்புகிறார்கள்.ஓம்.

7. வெளிப்படையான,
நுட்பமான, காரண, இருப்பு பகுதிகள்

சிவபெருமானின் பக்தர்கள் யாவரும் மூன்று உலகங்கள் உள்ளன என்று நம்புகிறார்கள் ஆத்மாக்கள் பூத உடலைப்பெறும் பூலோகம், ஆத்மாக்கள் ஆவி உடலைப்பெறும் அந்தரலோகம், மற்றும் காரண உலகமான சிவலோகம். அங்கு ஆத்மாக்கள் பேரொளியோடு திகழ்கின்றன. ஓம்.

8. கர்மா,சம்சாரம்,
மறுபிறவியிலிருந்து விடுதலை

சிவபெருமானின் பக்தர்கள் யாவரும் கர்ம சட்டங்களைநம்புகின்றனர். ஒவ்வொருவரும் தன் செயல் வினையின்பயனை அடைவர் என்றும் ஒவ்வொரு ஆத்மாவும் எல்லாகர்மங்களையும் தீர்மானித்து, மோட்சமும் விடுதலையும் பலபிறவிகள் மூலம் அடையும் என்றும் நம்புகிறார்கள். ஓம்

9. நான்கு மார்க்கங்கள்,
உள்நிலைகளின் முன்னேற்றம்

சிவபெருமானின் பக்தர்கள் யாவரும் நல்ல நடத்தை, கோவில்வழிபாடு, யோகம், வாழும் சத்குரு அருள் மூலம் பரமசிவத்தைஅடைவது ஆகிய யாவும் ஞானம், மெய்யறிவு பெற தேவைஎன்று நம்புகின்றனர். ஓம்.

10. யாவும் நன்றே

சிவபெருமானின் பக்தர்கள் யாவரும் இயல்பான தீமை கிடையாது என்று நம்புகிறார்கள். தீமைக்கு மூலம் கிடையாது, அறியாமையைத் தவிர. சைவ இந்துக்கள் உண்மையிலேயே கருணை உள்ளவர்கள். முடிவில் நன்மை, தீமை என்பது இல்லை என்று அறிவார்கள். எல்லாம் சிவபெருமானின் விருப்பம். ஓம்.

11. கோயில் வழிப்பாட்டின்
பிரத்யேக நோக்கம்

சிவபெருமானின் பக்தர்கள் யாவரும் மதம்தான் மூன்று உலகங்களிலும் இணக்கமாக செயல்பட காரணம் என்றும், இந்த இணக்கத்தை கோவில் வழிப்பாடு முலமாக தோற்றுவிக்க முடியும் என்று நம்புகிறார்கள். எனெனில் அங்குதான் மூன்று உலகங்களில் உள்ளவர்கள் பங்கு கொள்வார்கள். ஓம்.

12. ஐந்து எழுத்துகள்- பஞ்சாக்ஷரம்

சிவபெருமானின் பக்தர்கள் யாவரும் சைவ மதத்தின் மேன்மையான, தேவையான மந்திரம் ஐந்து புனித ஒலிகள் கொண்ட பஞ்சாக்ஷர மந்திரமான நமசிவாய என்று நம்புகிறார்கள். அதன்ரகசியம் சரியான காலத்தில், சரியான உதடுகளிலிருந்து கேட்க வேண்டும். ஓம்.

1. आविदाभूगर्वान् ह्मािशार्वोऽस्ति | यस्य
परसद्भार्वः परह्मािशार्वः कााला॑दाेशरूपाताीताः |
नेति नेताीति ताूष्णींं प्रब्रर्वीति योगी |
एर्वमेचिन्त्यपरमेेश्वरः ह्मािशार्वः |
इति मन्यताे सर्ववशाैर्वैः || ॐ

2. आविदाभूगर्वान् ह्मािशार्वोऽस्ति | यस्य सर्ववव्यााविपनी प्रेमस्वरूपा परशक्तिःः | एषााऽऽधारा र्वाऽव्याा र्वा संविर्वन्म॑ात्राा
र्वाऽऽस्रवति सर्ववरु॑पेषाु प्राणसचिच्चदाानन्दभूूताा | इति मन्यताे सर्ववशाैर्वैः || ॐ

3. आविदाभूगर्वान् ह्मािशार्वोऽस्ति | यस्य सर्ववव्यापी स्वरूपोऽविदापुरु॑षाः श्रे॒ेष्ठामेहे॑ादाेर्वः परमेेश्वरो र्वेदाागमेका ृ त्सर्ववभूूतासृक्तिःस्थि
तिताला॑यकाताा |
इति मन्यताे सर्ववशाैर्वैः || ॐ

5. मेहे॑ादाेर्वः कााधिवका े यः ह्मािशार्वशाक्तिःपुत्राः | यस्य अनुग्रहस्वरूपो र्वेल् अविर्वद्याबन्दान् विर्वला॑ाययति | मेुरु॑गाणम्
पद्मासनबद्धोो योगी वन्दताे |
ताथा विनयतास्तुस्य मेनः शन्तंं भूर्वति |
इति मन्यताे सर्ववशाैर्वैः || ॐ

6. प्रत्येेकाात्माा ह्मािशार्वेन सृज्ये॒ताे ताेन च समेोऽस्तिस्तु |
यदाा च आणोर्वकामेवमेायानं पाशाः ह्मािशार्वस्य
प्रसादाेन अपनीयताे तदाा सर्वात्माधिभूस्तुत् सामेान्यं साक्षाात्करिष्यताे पयाप्तम् |
इति मन्यताे सर्ववशाैर्वैः || ॐ

7. तित्राला॑ोकााः सन्ति | यत्रााऽत्माानः ूला॑शारीराह्मािणो
गृह्णन्ति | एष भूूला॑ोकाः | यत्रााऽत्माानः
सुक्ष्मशारीराह्मािणो गृह्णन्ति | एष भूुर्वला॑ोकाः |
यत्रााऽत्माानः स्वयं स्वप्रकााशरूपे भूर्वन्ति |
एष स्वला॑ोकाः | इति मन्यताे सर्ववशाैर्वैः || ॐ

8. कामेास्ति | येन काारिरताणोाम् सर्ववकामेवणोाम् फला॑ं
स हे॑थात् प्रतिताला॑भूताे | यावत् सर्ववकामेाह्मािणो
समेाप्येेरन् च मेोक्षाः प्राप्येेत च ताावत् प्रत्येेकाात्माा प्रतिजाायताे | इति मन्यताे सर्ववशाैर्वैः || ॐ

9. चो॒यवस्य धातिमेवकाजाीर्वकास्य वियाया
मन्दिरपूजााया योगस्य च विर्वधानम्
नयत् परह्मािशार्वं प्रसादाेन जाीवसद्गुुरोः |
हठाादाावश्यकम् संजनतियताुम् ज्ञाानम् |
इति मन्यताे सर्ववशाैर्वैः || ॐ

10. स्वाभूाविर्वका ं पापं नास्ति |
पापस्य न मेूला॑ं यविदा र्वा पापस्य
तिमेथ्यााभूोमेूवला॑मेविर्वद्यां स्वयम् |
खलु कारु॑णोर्वन्तंस्तुे जाानन्तंः
अन्तंताो न पुण्यंं पापं र्वा | सर्वं ह्मािशार्वेच्छाा |
इति मन्यताे सर्ववशाैर्वैः || ॐ

11. धमेवः साम्मनस्यात् संहे॑त्येकाारी त्राैला॑ोक्यस्यास्ति | एतच्च साम्मनस्यम् अलम् स्र ु म् मन्दिरपूजाया |
यत्रा त्राैला॑ोक्यस्य भूूताा अलम् आभूातिषाताुम् |
इति मन्यताे सर्ववशाैर्वैः || ॐ

12. नमेः ह्मािशार्वाय इति पञ्चााक्षारो मन्त्रःः |
शाैवस्य प्रधानो विनदाानर्वंश्च मन्त्रःः |
पञ्चााक्षारस्य रहे॑स्यः श्रे॒ोताुम् प्राप्तौष्ठााभ्यााम्
प्राप्तकाालम् | इति मन्यताे सर्ववशाैर्वैः || ॐ

Śaivism is the world’s oldest religion. Worshiping God Śiva, the compassionate One, it stresses potent disciplines, high philosophy, the guru’s centrality and the path of bhakti and rāja yoga, leading to oneness with Śiva within. Śaivism is ancient, truly ageless, for it has no beginning. It is the precursor of the many-faceted religion now termed Hinduism.

In addition to the Vedas, the Śaiva Āgamas are the primary scriptures of Śaivism, which holds these fundamental doctrines: 1) the five powers of Śiva (creation, preservation, destruction, concealing and revealing grace); 2) the three primary elements of existence, Pati, paśu and pāśa (God, souls and bonds); 3) the three bonds, or malas (āṇava, karma and māyā); 4) the threefold energy of Śiva—ichcha, kriyā and jñāna śakti (love, action and wisdom); ­ 5) the thirty-six tattvas, or categories of existence; 6) the need for a satguru and initiation; 7) the power of mantra; 8) the four pādas, or stages of spirituality: charyā, kriyā, yoga and jñāna (service, devotion, meditation and illumination); and 9) the centrality of guru, Liṅgam, saṅgam and worship.

Today Śaiva Siddhānta is strongest within the Tamil traditions of South India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the Diaspora. Historically, there have been a number of schools of Śaiva Siddhānta. Ours is called called Śuddha Śaiva Siddhānta, in the lineage of Rishi Tirumular. It is a form of monistic theism, stressing the ultimate oneness of man and God and equally exalting heart-melting tem­ ple worship (theism) and mind-transcending yogic revelation (monism). It teaches that God is both within us and outside of us, the Creator and the creation, immanent and transcendent.

In our theistic practices, we worship God and the Gods in the spirit of devotion and humble submission. In our monistic practices, we meditate deeply to experience the essence of our soul, which is identical with God Śiva’s essence, which is present throughout the universe. The most complete and perfect path requires both monism and theism. The opposite of monism is dualism, which teaches that God and creation are separate realities. Dualists believe that God, like a potter, creates the universe (a pot) from “clay,” cosmic matter, which has always existed and is not part of Him. In Śaiva monism, Śiva is all and in all: the potter, the clay and the resulting pot.

Devoid of beginning, duration and ending, by nature immaculate, powerful, omniscient, supremelyperfect—thus is Siva spoken of i Saiva tradition.

Ajita Āgama 2.2618.1

Individuals who become, by the grace of Śiva, eager to extricate themselves from worldly fetters, obtain initiation from a competent preceptor into the path that leads to Śivasāyujya.

Svāyambhuva Sūtra 105

Unequalled, free from pain, subtle, all-pervading, unending, unchanging, incapable of decay, sovereign—such is the essence of Śiva, Lord of the summit of all paths.

Svāyambhuva Āgama 4.3

The birth of the world, its maintenance, its destruction, the soul’s obscuration and liberation are the five acts of His dance.

Mṛigendra Āgama 2.A3

For the purpose of protection of all, a Liṅga is variously caused to be built in villages by Gods, by seers and by ordinary men.

Kāraṇa Āgama 10

That disciple is considered to be pure, capable and eligible for receiving the Śiva initiation who never feels unhappy or annoyed, who is nonviolent, merciful, ever vigilant, egoless, wise, devoid of jealousy, sweet-tongued, simple-hearted, soft-spoken, pious, modest, decisive, neat and clean, humble, righteous and devoted to Śiva.

Chandrajñāna Āgama, Kriyāpāda, 2.78-81

The bodily form of the Almighty, being constituted of powers, is not comparable to ours. Most conspicuous is the absence of āṇava. His bodily form, having a head, etc., is composed of five mantras, corresponding each to the five activities—Īśa, Tatpurusha, Aghora, Vāma and Sadyojāta.

Mṛigendra Āgama, jñāna Pāda 3.A.8A-9A

Offerings of perfumed substances, flowers, incense, lamps and fresh fruits—these are the five elements of the traditional pūjā, which culminates with the offering of the lamps.

Kāmika Āgama 4.374

Never does a man attain moksha by his own skill; by no means other than the grace of Śiva, the dispeller of evil, is such an attainment possible.

Paushkara Āgama

Realize the Self always to be neither above nor below, nor on either side, not without nor within, but to be eternal and shining beyond the sublime world.

Sarvajñānottara Āgama, Ātma Sākshātkāra 29

All these visibles and invisibles, movables and immovables, are pervaded by Me. All the worlds existing in the tattvas from Śakti to pṛithivi exist in Me. Whatever is heard or seen, internally or externally, is pervaded by Me.

Sarvajñānottara Āgama 2.9-11

Pure consciousness, taking form as knowledge and action, is present in the soul everywhere and always, for the soul is universal in its unfettered state.

Mṛigendra Āgama, Jñāna Pāda 2.A.5.

All this universe is in the glory of God, of Śiva, the God of love. The heads and faces of men are His own, and He is in the hearts of all. He is the never-created creator of all: He knows all. He is pure consciousness, the creator of time, all-powerful, all-knowing. He is the Lord of the soul and of nature and of the three conditions of nature. From Him comes the transmigration of life and liberation, bondage in time and freedom in eternity.

Svetas. Upan. 3.11; 6,16

He, the Self, is not this, not this. He is ungraspable, for He is not grasped. He is indestructible, for He cannot be destroyed. He is unattached, for He does not cling to anything. He is unbound, He does not suffer, nor is He injured.

Br. Upan. 4.5.15

He who knows God as the Life of life, the Eye of the eye, the Ear of the ear, the Mind of the mind, he indeed comprehends fully the Cause of all causes.

Br. Upan. 4.4.18

He is the God of forms infinite in whose glory all things are—smaller than the smallest atom, and yet the Creator of all, ever living in the mystery of His creation. In the vision of this God of love there is everlasting peace. He is the Lord of all who, hidden in the heart of things, watches over the world of time. The Gods and seers of Brahman are one with Him, and when a man knows Him, he cuts the bonds of death.

Svetas. Upan. 4.14-15

He is Brahmā, He is Śiva, He is Indra, He is the Imperishable, the supreme Majesty. He is Vishṇu, He is life, He is time, He is fire, and also the moon. He is all, what has been and what shall be, eternal. Having realized Him, one overcomes death. No other path leads to liberation.

Kaivalya Upan. 8-9

He is the Supreme Brahman, the Self of all, the chief foundation of this world, subtler than the subtle, eternal. That thou art; thou art That.

Kaivalya Upan. 16

Find a quiet retreat for the practice of yoga, sheltered from the wind, level and clean, free from rubbish, smoldering fires and ugliness, and where the sound of waters and the beauty of the place help thought and contemplation.

Svetas.Upan. 2.10

Self-resplendent, form­ less, un ori­ gin ated and pure, that all-pervading being is both with­ in and without. He transcends even the transcendent, unman­ifest, causal state of the universe.

Mundāka Upan. 2.1.2

The unholy town where no temple stands, the town where men do not wear the holy ash, the town which does not resound with sacred song, the town which is not resplendent with many shrines, the town where the white conch is not reverently blown, the town where festive canopies and white flags are not seen, the town where devotees do not gather flowers for the worship rite, that town is no town. It is a mere wilderness.

Appar

It is Yourself You gave to me, and received from me but myself. O Śaṅkara, who is the cleverer one? I received unending bliss; what did You receive from me? My Lord, who has taken my thought for Your shrine! O Śiva, abiding at sacred Perunturai! O my Father and my Master! You abide in my body; how can I repay You for this?

Manikkavasagar

With body as temple, with mind ever subject to Him, with truthfulness as purity, with the light of the mind as His Liṅga, with love as melted butter and milk mixed with the holy water, let us offer sacrifice to the Lord.

Appar

Sacred ash is in the Vedas. Sacred ash cures great sorrows. Sacred ash grants wisdom. Sacred ash removes feelings of lowliness. Sacred ash is suitable for learning. Sacred ash is truth itself. Sacred is the ash of Śiva, the Lord of Madurai surrounded by cool springs.

Sambandar

You became the flesh! You became the life! You became the awareness within it! You became everything else. He is Himself He. He also becomes me.

Appar

Before your senses are dulled and your hearing fails, before cataracts dim the eye, before grey hair and wrinkles appear, before the advent of old age, worship Tiruthunganaimadam Temple, with its ancient river, the abode of the Lord who shines like gold and has the river in His matted red hair.

Sambandar

What though the sky falls, what though the earth quakes, what though the mountains slip and slide, what though the cold sea be drained and the great lights fall? What matters all this to the noble souls who serve Śiva, the one God who stands unblemished, having devoured the ocean’s poison?

Appar

Linked to naught else in life, my mind thinks only of Your holy feet. I’m born anew. From this moment forth I pass the way of birth no more. In Koḍumuḍi, austere Lord, where wise men greet You with praises, should I forget You, my own tongue will cry out adoringly, “Hail Śiva!”

Sundarar

Sādhana is spiritual effort, yoga practice and striving. Pūjā, japa, singing, chanting, pilgrimage, scriptural study, haṭha yoga and meditation are forms of sādhana, ideally performed as a daily vigil. During this quiet time alone, we focus on life’s inner purpose, to evolve and grow in consciousness. Sādhana builds confidence, willpower and faith in God, Gods and guru. Gurudeva decreed our path as the Sādhana Mārga, observing: “Sādhana is practiced in the home, in the forest, by a flowing river, under a favorite tree, in the temple, in gurukulas or wherever a pure, serene atmosphere can be found. … Sādhana al­ lows us to live in the refined and cultured soul nature, rather than in the outer, in­stinctive or intellectual spheres. For consistent progress, sādhana should be performed regularly, without fail, at the same time each day, preferably in the early hours ­ before dawn. The most important sādhanas are the chal­lenges and practices given by one’s guru.”

Sādhana’s ultimate purpose is to bring the soul to God realization, a goal reached by old souls ardently following a spiritual path. Just as only the most highly disciplined climbers reach the summit of Mount Everest each year, only a few souls reach life’s highest peak in this life—older souls, who have matured over many lifetimes, who are thus kind, generous, understanding and truthful, free of anger, fear and jealousy. Having enjoyed life’s pleasures, suffered the many sorrows and faced countless challenges, they have become strong, like seasoned mountaineers, ready for the final ascent. Ultimately, through a life of rāja yoga sādhana, they experience the highest goal—the realization of the Self, God. After Self Realization, we no longer see ourself as a someone from someplace. ­ Instead, when we look inward, we see Śiva. When we look at other people, we see Śiva.

Gurudeva taught, “The realization of the Self, Paraśiva, is the destiny of each soul, attainable through renunciation, sustained medi­ tation and frying the seeds of karmas yet to germinate. It is the gateway to moksha, liberation from re­ birth. The Self lies be­ yond the thinking mind, beyond the feeling na­ ture, beyond action or any movement of even the highest state of consciousness. The Self God is more solid than a neutron star, more elusive than empty space, more intimate than thought and feeling. It is ul­timate reality itself, the innermost Truth all seekers seek.”

1: “A” is the first and source of all the letters. Even so is God Primordial the first and source of all the world

11: It is the unfailing fall of rain that sustains the world. Therefore, look upon rain as the nectar of life.

30: Pious men are called the priestly ones, for they are clothed in robes of compassion for all life.

78: Life without love in the heart is like a sapless tree in a barren desert.

158: Let a man conquer by forbearance those who in their arrogance have wronged him.

304: Anger kills the face’s smile and the heart’s joy. Does there exist a greater enemy than one’s own anger?

331: There is no baser folly than the infatuation that looks upon the ephemeral as if it were everlasting.

341: Whatsoever a man has renounced,from the sorrow born of that he has freed himself.

381: He is lion among kings who is well endowed with these six: army, citizens, wealth, ministers, allies and fortresses.

540: It is easy to get what you think of, if you can get yourself to think of it.

649: Unaware of the artful use of a few flawless words, men become enamored with excessive verbiage.

751: There is nothing like wealth for lending consequence to an inconsequential man.

833: To be shameless, uninquisitive, loveless and uncaring are four failings common among all fools.

946: The pleasures of health abide in the man who eats moderately. The pains of disease dwell with him who eats excessively.

1027: As on a battlefield the burden falls upon the brave, in the community weight is carried by the most competent.

1031: Wherever it may wander, the world follows the farmer’s plow. Thus despite all its hardships , farming is the foremost occupation.

When is the day to be that I realize the three worlds and all the rest of the universe are but the pervasive Siva, Who is Satchidänanda? When is the day to be that I consider all forms are forms of my Lord’s Perfection and so take refuge in that form? When is the day to be that I consider all that I think of is Siva’s Perfection and so bow, praise and adore? When is the day to be that I reach the yoga state wherein the Earth and heaven glow as one flame of divine knowledge? When is the day to be that, beyond sanas and images, my desire turns to adore the pervasive Siva? When is the day to be that I stand deep in thought of the Being behind the five-lettered mantra?

45.15.8-13

He is of the rich matted locks, He is of hue golden. Unattached He is, yet immanent in all He is. He is omnipresent, birthless, the Holy God. Unintermittent He stands in all seven worlds. Sentience He is, life He is, union He is, senses He is, continuity beyond thought He is, within the fragrance of the flower He is. Water, earth, sky, fire and wind, the spark of light within the body—all these He is; He is Paraparam. He is Śiva, our Lord. He is the walking jīva here below. Deathless He is.

3034-3035; 3045

Let all your thoughts be thoughts of Śiva, and the Lord by His grace will reveal all. If your thoughts are Śiva-saturated, He will abide ever so closely in you.

1582

The blemishless jñānī is king of the entire realm of wisdom. He is the sun whose beams illumine the massive lore of Vedānta-Siddhānta. He remains immortal, ever devoted to the Śuddha Śaiva way.

1428

Śuddha Śaivas meditate on these as their religious path: Oneself, Absolute Reality and the Primal Soul; the categories three: God, soul and bonds; immaculate liberation and all that fetters the soul.

1432

Pati, God, is the blessed Śivaliṅga. Paśu, the soul, is the mighty bull standing in front. Pāśa, the soul’s bonds, is the altar behind the bull. Thus, in the temple, the Lord stands for those who, searching, see.

2411

The golden emblems of Śiva and the smear of holy ashes are apt insignia of the Śaiva path. This path of jñāna is San Mārga, which no evil can obstruct. It is the beloved way of Śuddha Śaivam.

1427

He taught me humility, infused in me the light of devotion, granted me the grace of His feet. After holy interrogation, testing me entirely, He revealed to me the Real, the unreal and real-unreal. Undoubtedly, the Śiva guru is Iraivan, the worshipful Lord Himself.

1573

The ignorant prate that love and Śiva are two, but none of them knows that love alone is Śiva. When men know that love and Śiva are the same, love as Śiva they ever remain.

270

Gather flowers and carry pure water; bathe Him and lay the flowers at His radiant Feet; stand and pray and adore Him in unfailing piety. Forever prosperous you shall be.

1840

Gurudeva wrote, “We know Śiva in His three perfections, two of form and one formless. First, we worship His manifest form as Pure Love and Consciousness, called Satchidānanda in Sanskrit. Second, we worship Him as our Personal Lord, Maheśvara, the Primal Soul who tenderly loves and cares for His devotees—a Being whose resplendent body may be seen in mystic vision. In our daily lives we love, honor, worship and serve God in these manifest perfections. Ultimately, in perfectly simple, yet awesomely austere nirvikalpa samādhi, we realize Him as the formless Paraśiva, sought for and known only by yogīs and jñānis….

“For the sake of understanding the mysteries of the soul, we distinguish between the soul body and its essence. As a soul body, we are individual and unique, different from all others. Our soul is a self-effulgent body of light which evolves and matures through an evolutionary process. This soul body is of the nature of God Śiva, but is different from Him in that it is less resplendent than the Primal Soul and still evolving, while He is unevolutionary Perfection….Even when God Realization is attained, the soul body continues to evolve in this and other worlds until it merges with the Primal Soul, as a drop of water merges with its source, the ocean. This is the destiny of all souls without exception.

“At the core of the subtle soul body is Satchidānanda, or immanent Love, and at the core of that is Paraśiva, or transcendent Reality. At this depth of our being there exists no separate identity or difference—all are one. Thus, deep within our soul we are identical with God this very moment, for within us are the unmanifest Paraśiva and the manifest Satchidānanda. These are not aspects of the evolving soul, but the nucleus of the soul, which does not change or evolve. They are eternally perfect and one with God Śiva. From an absolute perspective, our soul is already in nondual union with God in His two perfections of Satchidānanda and Paraśiva, but to be realized to be known.

Satchidānanda is the superconscious mind of the soul— the mind of God Śiva. Paraśiva is the inmost core of the soul. We are That. We do not become That. There exists no relation between Satchidānanda, which is pure form and consciousness, and Paraśiva, which is without form. Paramaguru Śiva Yoga­ swami taught us, ‘You are Śiva. I am Śiva. All are Śiva. Even as Śiva is immortal, so too are we.’ ”