During his first visit to Kauai Aadheenam, Sadasivom Sivacharyar poses with his father, Sambamurthy Sivachariyar, on the screen

We are pleased to announce that, after well over a year, the monastery’s front grounds are open from 9 AM to noon. The temple itself is open with limited capacity, by reservation, for the 9 AM puja or later morning visits. Email puja@hindu.org for a reservation.

Silpi Murugesan makes some crucial measurements during the installation of the Iraivan kodimaram. Inset is a sketch of the wooden, metal clad “flag” he is assembling.

Recently two truckloads of scaffolding arrived, along with a five-man team of workers from Honolulu, to prepare platforms for the gold leafing project of Iraivan Temple’s gopurams. The team of gold leafing artisans from Gilders Studio in Maryland will be here at the beginning of August to do this work. The silpis continued their work of detail carving and re-grouting the joints between the ceiling stones.

During the 2020 lockdown, Satguru would present a webinar, twice a week, to his close devotees using the Zoom platform. One was hosted by devotees in Northern California and the other by devotees in Singapore. Even though the COVID lockdowns are easing, Satguru has agreed to continue the Zoom satsangs, on the same schedule, at the request of the participants. You can see his nine-part webinar series “Climbing the Ladder of Consciousness” at our Kauai’s Hindu Monastery YouTube channel, as well as his webinars “Dance and the Spiritual Path” and “Experiencing Our Innate Divinity.”

Satguru's Publisher's Desk article from the latest issue of Hinduism Today

Hinduism Today’s July-August-September issue is now available online. (See page 4 of this newsletter) You can download our free Hinduism Today app and get the entire magazine in a mobile-friendly format for your device at here. The Hinduism Today production team swamis are now working on the October-November-December issue. This issue will contain more articles from our talented team of youth writers. Other articles are about the unusual temples of India, the 100th anniversary of Yogananda’s arrival in the US, yoga and human biology, and India’s unique relationship with water. Rajkumar Manickam came from Colorado for karma yoga. While here, he created a short documentary-style video about Kauai Aadheenam’s current group of silpi temple carvers and the monastery’s chef who are here from India, with interviews about their daily life and experiences while here. He also created two marvelous photo essays: “The Story of Our Bronze Hanuman Retold for Pilgrims” and an inside look at our media production team. Gurudeva’s newest books, Lion Sage, Merging with Siva for Kids and Seven Dimensions of the Mind: A Mystical Map of Existence and Consciousness are now on the web! You can download the books (pdf or ebook formats) for free at the Read & Learn section of our Gurudeva.Org website!

On our Himalayan Acres farm, the ambitious goal, set in 2004, of planting 100 acres with hardwood trees (as a future monastery endowment) has been reached. The last field was planted with 2,500 Koa seedlings, partially financed by two US government grants. These trees were mostly started from seed here at the monastery nursery. The first planting of Honduran Mahogany, done in 2004, will be ready for harvest in 2034. Our Wailua River Noni farm has begun producing organic noni powder, available in bulk and capsules.

Hinduism Today’s latest issue has gone to press and is now available online free of charge at www.hinduismtoday.com. You can also download our free Hinduism Today app and get the entire magazine in a mobile-friendly format for your device here. Several of our articles reveal the impact of Covid-19 on the Hindus of the world. Our publisher, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, offers some keys to using the lockdown’s gift of time (no commutes) to develop plans for a better future. One of our youth writers describes her family’s digital wedding (it went surprisingly well). We dedicate our 16-page educational Insight to the little ones, publishing chapters from our most recent illustrated book for kids. Called Lion Sage, it is the story of a wise lion who becomes the guru of a curious, mystical mouse. Many profound doctrines are introduced in a series of fun tales.
Our correspondent in Bengaluru, Choodie Sivaram, takes us to one of the world’s richest temples, Padmanabhaswami in Kerala, where the management control has just been returned to the royal family following a long legal battle that ended up in the highest court. With assets worth billions of US dollars, this was a huge win for Hindu holy sites and a good precedent for freeing the thousands of temples that still suffer under government supervision.
Photographer and writer Dev Agarwal takes us down the Ganges River, the part below Haridwar that is seldom showcased. He follows the water for some 600 miles, all the way to Varanasi, visiting the people along the sacred river’s banks.
The folk art of Maitila is explored. It’s an art form that began with painted walls in Rajasthan, then morphed to canvas. Now a group of talented and savvy women in Nepal are changing it again, this time by building an art center and applying their ancestral graphic genius to create many items, including calendars, cards, dolls and saleable goodies. Their work is bringing the Maitili art form back to life. Our young writers were allowed to select their own subjects, and you will see their evolving craft in articles on building Shivaji forts in the US, and a surprising piece that explores the Hindu knowledge of John Adams, America’s second President who knew more about the shastras than you might think.
Other articles include an editorial on families studying the Gita online; interviews with knowledgeable Hindus on the tough issues the Hindu community in America faces today; our popular Quotes & Quips section with humor, cartoons and sagely sayings; Global Dharma with mini-stories from around the world; and Digital Dharma, which introduces our own Hinduism Today mobile app, so you can read years of features online while waiting for an Uber. It’s a rich issue, with something for everyone.

“To those whom much is given, much is expected.” (JFK)
In a hopeful sign for the future, 74% of Millennials and 66% of Gen Z donated money to charity during the coronavirus pandemic. This is striking. In the midst of chaos and economic uncertainty, when retreat and isolation may have felt more comfortable, these young populations leaned into the world, determined to make a difference. Young individuals are willing to support causes they care about and are frequently active, hands-on stewards of their donations. This same population is less frequently approached by charitable organizations, as they are assumed to be resource poor and building wealth. This is a mistake, as Millennials and Gen Z have a tremendous opportunity to begin building a legacy of giving.

Teaching children to give while they are young is an important life skill

There are several reasons for this.
First, giving conversations have a natural context as life events occur. When you sit down to write your first will, you are more likely to be open and willing to incorporate a charity. It is always mentally easier to set something up initially than revise it later. When you are setting up a life insurance policy for the first time, it is a natural moment to consider broadening it to include a charity.
Second, there are significant benefits to starting certain giving patterns at a younger age. For example, a life insurance policy may offer lower premiums upfront, have a greater potential return and allow the donor to take advantage of tax deductions. The benefits of this kind of policy are explained in detail in (bit.ly/HHE-SecurityGifts).
Third, as individuals begin families of their own, inspiration for donating is personal and present. Sharing values of giving, generosity and activism with children is important, and the best way to share such a value is to model it. We are all motivated and inspired by creating a better world for the next generation, and no one more so than a young parent.
Lastly, many young individuals may have received donations, perhaps through endowments or grants for travel. Experiencing that kind of gift first hand is a recent and strong emotional memory that can prompt an individual to give back in their turn. While economic difficulties may persist for Millennials, and Gen Z may still be too young to participate, there is no better time than the present to share and educate these young generations on valuable opportunities for giving. They have already shown themselves to be compassionate and active donors in a time of grave uncertainty and need.
One of the most powerful ways to teach children how to give is through teaching them gratitude. By helping children articulate the gifts they have through no merit of their own, you can help a child understand that they are deeply blessed. That sense of fortune can, in turn, prompt them toward compassion and generosity.
As an example, when a child encounters someone less fortunate in some regard, use the moment as an opportunity to ask the child about how they think that person’s life might be, what challenges they may face, and how they might benefit from help. Share stories from your life, or your family history, about moments of less fortune and the helping hands along the way.
When a child offers generous help, be sure to properly acknowledge the moment with praise. When a child receives help, expand on the gratitude that is felt so they recognize the power they have to help improve another person’s life.

For information on establishing a fund at Hindu Heritage Endowment, contact Shanmuganathaswami at 808-822-3012, ext. 6, or e-mail hhe@hindu.org.

Entrance Handrails: On either side of the nine entrance steps are two massive single-stone sculptures nine feet long and four feet tall in the form of yallis, a mythical creature composed of several animal species. While serving as handrails, they are in reality works of art that pilgrims experience while climbing up the steps to the Nandi Mandapam. The undulating form issuing from the yalli’s mouth is not just a design. It is his roar, the fearsome sound he makes to protect the temple from intruders. Sponsorship for each of the two yallis is $51,000.

Bronze Panels Telling Iraivan’s Story:There are 35 bronze panels, 14” by 47,” embedded in the perimeter wall, with text and illustrative sculptures. They tell the story of Iraivan: its founding (and founder), how it was designed and carved, the timeline of its creation, the philosophy of Saiva Siddhanta, our guru paramparai, Saiva holy texts and more. These panels will inform visitors for generations to come. Sponsorship is $2,500 for each panel.

Building Fund Donations | AUSTRALIA; Mario Sivadas Annamalay: US$108.00; Marie & R. Bhanugopan: 108.00; Nagaratnam Jeyasreedharan: 20.00; D. Karthigesu Family: 100.00; Rama Krishnan: 30.00; Vimala Muniandy: 32.00; Luckshmi & Logan Siva ; Nirmalananda: 35.00; Gunavinthan Siva Thirumalai: 100.00; Thanavinthan Siva T. Thirumalai : 100.00; Chandran & Mathini Wigneswaran: 108.00 | BELARUS; Tatsiana Mezhennaya: 50.00 | BRAZIL; Leonidas Coutinho: 108.00 | CANADA; Serge Bilan: 50.00; Bill Brown: 33.00; Peter Christian: 25.00; Frederik Jan Elbers: 1,008.00; Raji Kajan: 51.00; Rathinappillai Logeswaran: 50.00; Ioana-Gabriela Manoliu: 33.00; Tilak Mehan: 201.00; Changam & Kamachi Naidu: 50.00; Vanesh Naidu: 27.00; Mr. & Mrs. Pranavan: 25.00; Vijaya & Thiru Satkunendran: 25.00; Dharmalingam & Mangai Selvarajah: 51.00; Sivakumaran Sivalingam: 21.00; Saravanamuthu Somasundram: 50.00; Riorita Tkatchenko: 100.00; Kohila Vivegananthan: 51.00; Anonymous: 141.24 | GERMANY; Tharsika Chelvarajah Vasanthan: 20.00; Jeeva Velusaami: 21.00 | GREECE; Artemis Bimpiza: 20.00; Giorgos Michailidis: 20.00 | INDIA; Lakshmanan Nellaiappan: 10.00; Maragatham Nellaiappan: 10.00; Sankula Prasad: 5.00; Kanmani & Jiva Rajasankara: 30.00 | INDONESIA; Mahadevan Gengadaram: 100.00 | ITALY; Cristina Ma Puja Canducci: 20.00 | MALAYSIA; Klinik And Surgeri BD: 24.00; Arulmani Devi Arumugam: 142.41; Devinasree Balasegaran: 12.00; Om Krittik Balasegaran: 12.00; P. Barathi Balasegaran: 12.00; Balamurali Balasupramaniam: 12.00; Hemakheshaa Naatha Batumallah: 12.00; Mekaladeva Batumallah: 12.00; Rathidevi & Veerasamy Batumallah: 24.00; Arulmani Chandra Kumar & Sujith Arulmani: 47.47; Theevhiyaa Chandrasekaram: 24.00; Umaabati Chandrasekaram: 12.00; Gunasegaran Chitravelloo: 11.64; Sasikumar Darmalingam: 12.00; Sai Aaditya Deva, Sai Janany, Sai ; Hamsiny, Sai Shreeny, Chandran Ramamurthy & Kalpana Devasagayam: 142.41; Omaya Devasagayam: 23.73; Leena Lakshmi Devasagayam & ; Anand Kumar Letchumana: 95.00; Annapoorani Ganesan: 47.47; Yoga Rubini & Chandra ; Ganth Family: 12.00; R. Jayakumar & Yoga ; Bhavani Family: 24.00; Uma Dewi & Dinesh Kumar ; Jayaram: 7.10; Muthukumar Jeyapalan: 2,500.00; M. Shanmuganathan & A. Kamalambikai: 24.00; Anbu Kandasamy: 28.00; Amaraysh, Kumutha & Jarry Lai: 23.73; Nameegri Marimuthu: 47.47; Malaysia Mission: 51.00; Logadasan Murugesu: 12.00; Puvana Murugesu: 23.73; Gowri Nadason: 47.47; Kamalaharan Nadason: 47.47; Ponnamah Nadason & Family: 23.73; Rasiah Vallipuram & Pathumanithi Nagalingam: 47.47; M. Suranthiran Naidu: 85.51; Mohanavilashiny Murugesu & Navukarasu: 11.87; Yehanthini, Sivatarnee & Dhevashri Navukarasu: 11.87; Nalakini Niranjana: 47.47; Palanisamy & Vasande: 12.00; A. Paranthaman: 4.69; Jayaram Rajaletchumi: 11.64; Mogan Raju: 69.00; Sai Ram: 23.73; Supramaniam Ramoo & In Memory ; of Neelavathy Thangavelu : 47.47; Raagini Ravindren & Senthil Ravindren: 47.47; Jayaraj Kantharaj & Saranraj S-O Jayabalathilagam: 28.50; Sanjana Saravan: 23.73; Lachmi Savoo: 23.73; Doraisami & Mohanasundari ; Selvaraj: 24.00; Parimala Selvaraj: 30.00; Ambikabathi Shanmugam Pillay: 24.00; Raja Singam Raja Ratnam & ; Shreema Rasiah: 47.47; Dhasan Sivananda: 24.03; Saraswathy & Ramesh Sivanathan: 12.05; Mohana Sundari & Sivasekaran: 47.47; Girish Skanda: 24.00; A. Sockalingam & Chandrasekari: 47.47; Devi & the late Selvadurai Subramaniam: 23.73; Vasanta Tanggavelu: 36.00; Thanabalasingam & Manimala: 12.00; Remalah & A. Thinathayalan, ; Yagesan & Durgeswary: 23.73; Saroja Vasudevan: 12.00; Vikneswaran A. Vinsent: 47.50; Yuvanes Waran: 20.00; Darrshan Letchumanan & Yuvan Letchumanan: 47.47; Anonymous: 170.00 | MAURITIUS; Soondiren Arnasalon: 11.76; Gunavadee Caremben: 8.26; Moorghen Caremben: 8.26; Ragini Caremben: 8.26; Somasoundarum Caremben: 8.26; Sukanta Caremben: 8.26; Jegadessa Chenganna: 11.76; Shree Saroja Devi Doorgiat: 9.41; Rohit Jogessur: 2.35; Mooneenagen Koothan: 18.82; Poospawadee Koothan: 9.41; Amravadee Kownden: 44.71; Kulagan Moonesawmy: 2.35; Seedha Lutchmee Moonesawmy: 2.35; Revathi Mootoosamy: 1.18; Siven Barlen Mootoosamy: 2.35; Vimaley Chellen Mootoosamy: 2.35; Naden Seeneevasen Pillay: 1.18; Kannen Valaydon: 70.59; Anonymous: 47.25 | NETHERLANDS; Prekash & Sabita Baladien: 15.00 | NORWAY; Anil Ananda Badhwar: 60.00; Anuradha Badhwar: 10.00; Meetu Badhwar-Hansen: 10.00 | RUSSIA; Inna Aleshina: 10.00; Oksana Kitaeva: 10.00 | SINGAPORE; Singapore Mission: 22.00; Padmini Pareatumbee: 10.00; Kala Ramasamy: 50.00; Easan, Lavanya & Sivakumar ; Saravan: 400.00; Kavitha Darshini & Amitpal Singh: 74.00; Kamala Devi Vaiyapuri: 50.00; Vaasant Krishnan & Hannah Van Galen: 40.00; Anonymous: 100.00 | SINT MAARTEN; Gary & Radica Asha Yee-Fong: 25.00 | UAE; Anil Kumar: 28.00 | UNITED KINGDOM; Punitha Ganeshwaran: 30.00; Georgiana Lukshmi Dorothy Barnes &Theeba Ragunathan: 100.00; Clive & Puvaneswary Roberts: 175.00; Sharavanan Selvadurai: 100.00; The late Shree Vishna Rasiah & ; Sharmila Harry: 47.47; Anonymous: 11.00 | USA; Benevity: 6,067.00; Arman Joerg Adams: 251.00; Asha Alahan: 25.00; Isani Alahan: 100.00; Kanda Alahan: 150.00; Vel & Valli Alahan: 25.00; Yohini & Arumugam Alvappillai: 51.00; Shekhar & Gauri Ambe: 100.00; Palani K. Aravazhi: 51.00; In memory of Mrs. M. Sangarapillai: 100.00; Daina Beck: 50.00; Chandra Sekhar Bodapati: 142.00; Sudhakar & Annapurna Chakrala: 51.00; Asha Chaku: 70.00; Ajay & Jamuna Chalasani: 101.00; Uma & Kumar Chandrasekaran: 251.00; Naren Chelian: 51.00; Sharath Chigurupati: 123.00; Govinda Chinnadurai: 100.00; Charles Close: 108.00; Shyamadeva & Peshanidevi Dandapani: 54.00; Janakbhai R. Dave: 50.00; Paul DeSantis: 54.00; Chellappa Deva: 25.00; B. Devadas: 51.00; Amarnath & Latha Devarmanai: 112.00; Venkat Devraj: 111.00; Tulsi & Hansa Dhanani: 151.00; Gayathri Dhanasegaran: 25.00; Purushottam Dixit: 101.00; Aiyasawmy Dorairajan: 25.00; Harshad & Kalpana Doshi: 105.00; Gaju Dubal: 25.00; Bharath Durga: 101.00; Ramya Subramani & Rajesh Ekambaram: 211.00; Suketu & Mita Gandhi: 51.00; Panshula Ganeshan: 25.00; Anjana Ganeshappa: 101.00; Ajit V. Gokhale: 108.00; Hiranya & Saraswathi Devi ; Gowda: 21,000.00; Toshadeva & Kamala Guhan: 18.00; Kriya & Sharyn Haran: 125.00; Usharani Iswaran Magaña: 25.00; David Jaffe: 108.00; Chandrashekhar Jairaman: 51.00; Vijay Joglekar: 216.00; Aravind & Ramya Kailas: 25.00; Erika Kalig: 100.00; Haran Kandadas: 51.00; Srinivas & Shanthi Karri: 90.00; Sundari Katir: 20.00; Kavya Kaza: 25.00; Richard Kennedy: 10.00; Andrzej Kraja: 100.00; Krishnan-Shah Family ; Foundation: 5,000.00; Chitra Saraswathy Kumar: 5.00; Gregg Lien: 50.00; Abha Lokhande: 32.00; Yulia Machalaba: 54.00; Srinivas R. Madaboosi: 100.00; Mallikarjuna Rao Mamidipaka: 25.00; Sridevi Boyapati & Krishna Manoharan: 250.00; Laura Devi Marks: 108.00; Udayappan Meyyappan: 51.00; P. Koneti & Dasarathi Minjur: 25.00; Inder & Aileen Mirchandani: 108.00; Wailua Mission: 13,229.00; Palani & Selvarany Nadarajah: 15.00; Nitya & Becky Nadesan: 150.00; Manish M. Naidu: 11.11; Nandhini Nandakumar: 159.00; Sanjaya K. Nath: 11.00; Aruna & D. Natraj: 108.00; Sachin Navare: 251.00; Emma & Narendra Nemivant: 25.00; Rajinder & Neelam Oberoi: 50.00; Neela Oza: 75.00; Cassan Pancham: 2,016.00; Smitha & Satish Panchumarty: 122.00; Pankayatselvan Family: 25.00; Easvan & Devi Param: 101.00; Janaka & Bhavani Param: 10.00; Jothi Param: 51.00; Ajesh & Priti Patel: 101.00; Anuj Patel: 101.00; Arun & Rita Patel: 101.00; Hari Ohm Patel: 25.00; Kishor D. Patel: 251.00; Prasan Patel: 35.00; Roshan & Tejal Patel: 101.00; Varsha Patel: 101.00; Salik & Sanjia Pathak: 51.00; Vidyadhar Phalke: 101.00; Venkat Pichairaman: 11.00; Jonathan, Sabina, Brendan & Kai Pieslak: 126.50; Indrathan Pillay: 100.00; Venugopal Rao Polasani: 1,001.00; Tara Prabhu: 100.00; Rita Puri: 202.00; Ravi & Srivani Putluru: 2,500.00; Sreeram Pydah: 500.00; Parthasarathy Rajagopalan: 50.00; Deva & Gayatri Rajan: 1,001.00; Mohan Deepak Ram: 11.00; Raja & Latha Ram: 51.00; Janevi Ramaji: 101.00; Jeyashree & Venkat Ramakrishnan: 50.00; Varalakshmi Ramamoorthy: 216.00; Ashley Raman: 11.00; Eswar Raman: 40.00; Rajesh & Yatra Raman: 11.00; Jothi Nadarajah & Ramesh Ramanathan: 501.00; Kasi Ramanathan: 102.00; Ranagasamy Ramanathan: 101.00; Shashikala Ramchander: 101.00; Sudharsaniam Rathinam: 101.00; Padmaja & Sreenivasa Ravuri: 251.00; Cliff & Kathy Runge: 50.00; Chamundi Sabanathan: 689.00; Aran Sambandar: 36.00; Aran & Valli Sendan: 25.00; Deva & Amala Seyon: 51.00; Apurva Sheth: 101.00; Salil Shibad: 21.00; Thiru & Nalajini Siva: 25.00; Iraja & Nilani Sivadas: 108.00; Nirthika Sivakumar: 101.00; Homa, Hotri, Hridaya & Tejasinha Sivalingam: 31.00; Jnana Sivananda: 100.00; Lakshana Chetana Sivananda: 51.00; Tandu & Uma Sivanathan: 100.00; B. Sivaraja: 15.00; Kandiah Sivarajah: 51.00; Keith Sorlie: 20.00; Srikanth Sridharan: 251.00; Srikanth & Sujatha Sridharan: 101.00; Adi Srikantha: 51.00; Kiran Srinivasan: 20.00; Padmapriya Srinivasan: 25.00; Raja & Anita Srivastava: 15.00; Yasotha & Thevarajah Subarajan: 51.00; Nandi Deva Sundaram: 50.00; Savithri Sundaresan: 54.00; Phani Kumar Sureddi: 7.00; Karthik Suresh: 108.00; Shanthi Suresh: 101.00; Rajender Tella: 101.00; Dilip & Sneha Thakar: 500.00; Ajay Thakur: 101.00; Nalin & Kamal Tolia: 5,000.00; Amarneethi & Ranjan Vamadevan: 100.00; Rama Vangala: 21.00; Vayudeva Varadan: 51.00; Sundari & Velayudhan Velu: 108.00; Mahesh Viswanathan: 25.00; Ramaa Narayanan & Narayanan Viswanathan: 250.00; Michael Wasylkiw: 108.00; Richard Bosworth & Kerri Watts: 202.00; Sundeep Yalamanchi: 116.00; Anonymous: 4,113.66 | Total Building Fund: $84,462.00 | Iraivan Temple Endowment; Frank Burkhardt : 10.00; Ram Kumar: 108.00; Terrill Silke: 100.00; Anonymous: 126.80 | Total Endowment Funds: $344.80 | Special Project Donations; Valliammah Kandasamy: 23.73; Gowri Nadason: 142.41; Sivakumaran & Kavita Mardemootoo: 1,008.00 | Total Special Project Donations: $1,174.14 | Grand Total: $85,980.94