December began with our monthly Chitra Puja to Gurudeva on December 2nd. The major festival of the month was Ardra Darshanam, our grand homa and abhishekam to Lord Nataraja held on December 22nd. This coincides with the major festival of the year at Chidambaram Temple in Tamil Nadu, India, when the Nataraja murti is taken from the sanctum, placed on a chariot and paraded around the temple. As our puja is a large undertaking, all the monks participate in the preparations, the event itself and the cleanup afterwards. Especially charming is the offering of water from 108 coconuts that are passed along a line of monastics up to and out of the sanctum. After the abhishekam, the Nataraja murti is almost completely covered with garlands and flowers. When the curtain opens to present the traditional array of oil lamps to the Deity, it is truly a memorable sight. Kadavul Temple was packed with devotees, many of whom commented on how powerful the ceremony was. Our final festival for the month was the celebration of Pancha Ganapati, from December 21 to 25. As happens every year, the last two weeks of December brought many visitors. This is a favorite time for visitors to the Hawaiian islands. General contributions for December totaled $121,107 which is more than our minimum monthly goal of $70,000. Special project contributions totaled an additional $1,307. We are grateful to our global family of temple builders for your continued and generous support. Om Namasivaya,

Click here to see Bodhinatha's extended travel schedule. Bookmark the link and return for updates.

Founder of Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (Gurudeva), 1927–2001

Why do we sleep? The mental body, which we dream in, is within the astral body and functions through the astral brain of that body. Through certain hours of the day during the waking state, the astral body uses the physical body, and the mental body works through the astral-body brain and the brain of the physical body. There is also another body to be considered, and that is the soul body. This body is what we touch into at least once through the sleeping state, and that gives not only a release of the karmas, often karmas that have been concluded, but also a new flush of energy into the astral, mental and physical bodies. So, we touch into the Divine through sleep. We must remember that the astral body doesn’t need sleep; nor would the physical body need as much sleep if the Divine hookup were always perpetuating or flooding through the energy.… We do not usually remember our astral experiences, because the astral brain and the physical brain are of two different rates of vibration. Therefore, when we return to the physical body after being in the astral body during sleep, any knowledge that we have gained on the astral plane begins to seep through into the physical plane during a period of four days afterwards. This knowledge accumulates, and we call it an inner knowing. Ideas seem to come to us from within, but actually we did learn and discuss them previously on the astral plane.

Explore Gurudeva's Wisdom

• Study Gurudeva's Master Course, which is filled with philosophical, practical, soul-stirring information potent enough to inspire even a skeptic to change his ways of thinking about life and the ultimate goal of existence on this planet: HimalayanAcademy.com/study/mc/
• Read Gurudeva's books online at: https://www.himalayanacademy.com/looklisten/gurus-talks
• Listen to Gurudeva's inspired talks by visiting: https://himalayanacademy.com/talks/gurudeva
• Explore the teachings in the easy to use Sivasiva mobile app: https://himalayanacademy.com/apps/sivasiva

Sunset over Iraivan: Looking west where the evening sky is on fire.

The Eternal Dancer: Kadavul Temple’s six-foot bronze Nataraja Deity (depicted by artist Pieter Weltevrede) which we honored with lavish pujas on annual Maha Ardra day.

Satguru holds satsang in a California home.

Top to bottom: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami carries the holy kumbha around the Kadavul Temple kodimaram following the homa on Maha Ardra day; Dr. Karan Singh welcomed the two traveling swamis to his home in New Delhi. He received the Rudraksha mala the monks carried from Kauai for him;

Iraivan Temple Progress
The year-end fund-raising appeal sent out to our supporters in October brought a needed abundance, greater than expected! Our sincere thanks to everyone who donated to the temple project in 2018! In November the 5,000-kg bronze avudaiyar, the base for the crystal Sivalingam, was moved into the inner sanctum of Iraivan Temple. The section of the lotus hand railing that had not been installed, in order to accommodate the movement of the avudaiyar, was assembled by the silpi stone carvers during December. Likewise, the threshold stones at the entrance of the mukha mandapam and the inner sanctum were put into place. The top step of the Panchakshara stairway leading to the inner sanctum was completed and the remaining granite floor stones in front of the stairway were also installed.

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami’s Activities
During the month, Satguru met with dozens of devotees and continued his weekly commentary on the lessons of Path to Siva, a Catechism for Hindu Youth. At mid-month, he ceremoniously raised a new coral pink flag on the monastery flag pole to mark the beginning of Moksha Ritau—described by Gurudeva as a time of appreciation, of gratitude for all that life has given, and of honoring elders and those in the sannyasa stage of life. This is an excellent time for philosophical discussions. Satguru inaugurated our revised online Master Course Supervised Study, after working tirelessly for weeks to revitalize this core program for students. The basic course—designed to fit into the spiritual life of today’s busy seekers—requires only ten minutes a day. Supplemental videos, audios and apps are recommended for additional learning during one’s leisure time or while commuting. gurudeva.org/course

Publications and Other Activities
In December, we observed the annual Maha Ardra abhishekam of Lord Nataraja in our Kadavul Temple. The monks also observed Pancha Ganapati from December 21 through 25. This modern Hindu festivity for the Five-Faced (Pancha means “five”) Maha Ganapati was created by Gurudeva to bring joy into the lives of Hindu families while neighbors of other religious traditions are celebrating their holy days. Look up Pancha Ganapati on Wikipedia if this is new to you! At mid-month, the January-February-March 2019 (40th anniversary) issue of Hinduism Today magazine was placed online. In this issue’s Publisher’s Desk editorial, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami addresses how to separate your awareness from what you are aware of and enjoy the part of your mind that is always peaceful and all-pervasive. At mid-month, Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami and Arumuganathaswami, editors of Hinduism Today, flew to New Delhi for five days to attend India’s first Soft Power Conference, sponsored by the prestigious India Foundation. Soft power, in this context, refers to India’s cultural strengths and gifts to the world, such as ayurveda, yoga, art, cuisine, Bollywood, philosophy, tourism, music, dance and more. Paramacharya gave a 14-minute presentation at the gathering, which you can see here: . Between events, our swamis were approached by dozens of well-wishers and, importantly, young journalists we hope to engage for the magazine. They are in their 20s and 30s, eager and competent—basically, our future writers in India.

The Namasivaya steps, exact replicas of thousand-year-old designs from Chola temples we visited in India, were completed this month; .

Visitor learning: New signage was designed and printed for the Banyan Mandapam, the gathering place where visitors learn about the history and philosophy of the monastery and Iraivan Temple. They are 4 feet by 8 feet, mounted on moveable frames.

Hindu Heritage Endowment

Estate Planning:
HHE Funds Are Attuned to Donors Interest, but There’s More...

The surging popularity of donor-advised funds, a charitable tool virtually non-existent 30 years ago, has recently caught the attention of the for-profit world. In the meantime, the Hindu Heritage Endowment (HHE) has been quietly offering a similar service since 1994.

These specialized funds provide donors with the tax benefits of a public charity while allowing them to decide which charities they wish to benefit and when. Donor-advised funds have some of the features of a private foundation, but without the high management costs, paperwork, less favorable tax treatment and the multi-million-dollar contributions private foundations often require. For as little as $5,000, a donor can quickly establish his or her fund under the tax umbrella of a public charity. But which public charity?

To the dismay of community foundations that had offered donor-advised funds for years, Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab and other big investment firms have set up charitable entities that give the same tax benefits offered at community foundations: an immediate income-tax deduction, bypass of capital gains tax on contributions of appreciated stock and estate tax avoidance.

A December 2007 article in the Business Section of the San Francisco Chronicle gave major space to donor-advised funds, pointing out their convenience, flexibility and popularity. The article noted that Fidelity Investments alone now has $4.7 billion in donor-advised funds under its management. It is estimated that more than 100,000 donor-advised funds exist in the United States, with a total value of $17.5 billion.

The breathless, end-of-year donor in search of a charitable deduction, but uncertain of whom to benefit, can reap the tax advantages quickly, and then calmly decide over time what charities should receive the income or principal from the fund. Some donors also like having a permanent fund in the family as a tool for passing the philanthropic torch to their children.

Community foundations argue that large investment firms, lacking knowledge of the local community, cannot assist donors to find charities attuned to their interests. The investment firms claim their clients are self-starters who don’t need such guidance and want to research charities on their own.

HHE believes it has found a niche that neither investment firms nor community foundations can fill. “Many of the donors want their contributions to help causes in India, Sri Lanka or other places overseas,” HHE administrator Shanmuganatha­swami explains. “The HHE staff knows how to make sure these contributions to Hindu causes will be fully tax-deductible. HHE donors simply name the cause they want to support when they create their fund, rather than give annual instructions.”

Gurudeva established the Hindu Heritage Endowment because he felt all Hindu causes should have the benefits of a steady income from a well-managed endowment. The monks have retained Halbert, Hargrove (HH) Investment Council to manage the endowment’s investments. HHE encourages Hindu temples and other charities to take advantage of HH’s investment expertise. Income from several HHE endowments now largely supports the Kauai monastery.

At formal quarterly meetings the monks review the investment performance of HHE funds with the concentrated attention they bring to meditation. “We claim no professional investment expertise, but we understand numbers and take our oversight responsibilities very seriously,” Shanmuganathaswami explains.Visit the website below to learn more about planned giving options to provide immediate tax and income benefits to you and your family, while also providing a future gift to the Temple.

For information on establishing a fund at Hindu Heritage Endowment, contact Shanmuganathaswami at 808-822-3012 ext. 6 or e-mail [email protected]

The Hindu Heritage Endowment wants you to succeed in your estate planning efforts and, through them, both care for your family and remember good causes like the Iraivan Temple Endowment. (For additional information contact Shanmuganathaswami at 808-822-3012, ext. 6, or e-mail [email protected]. To learn more about planned giving options to provide immediate tax and income benefits to you and your family, while also providing a future gift to HHE, please visit www.hheonline.org. Get the tool-kit (pdf)

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Thanks to Our December Temple Builders in 19 Different Countries

For the four months of September to December, our minimum monthly goal was $280,000. Excluding contributions directed toward special projects, we received actual contributions of $339,113.70.

Your support is deeply appreciated!

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Click here to see Bodhinatha's extended travel schedule.

Iraivan Temple is a punya tirtha, a sacred destination for devout pilgrims. The vision of Lord Siva on San Marga that Gurudeva was blessed with in 1975 is sustained and made manifest by the daily sadhanas of 19 resident monastics from five nations. Kadavul Hindu Temple and the many sacred areas of San Marga are available to Hindus for worship, meditation, japa and quiet reflection. It is best, if you are planning to come to visit us, to email us in advance to make sure the days of your visit coincide with our open times. And, if you want to have darshan with Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, to check if he is in residence and to make the necessary appointment. Please see our visitor information pages for more details.