Today at Kauai Aadheenam

Before and After Iraivan

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This before and after aerial photo of Iraivan tells a tale of progress. The BEFORE shot is from 2020 and the AFTER is from 10 days back.

For decades the monks cleared the land, built ponds and waterfalls, planted tens of thousands of plants, trees and flowering bushes. So, by 2020 the Sacred Garden was almost mature. To the first-time visitor it looked complete. Of course, under Siva’s care it has become ever so much more in the last six years.

And for decades Gurudeva, Bodhinatha and the monks worked with skilled teams of Indian silpis to hand-carve and erect the temple, which was completed in 2023 .

But there still remained a no-man’s land between them, a 50-foot-swath of dirt and mud. It has to be so, since it was still a construction site with trucks coming and going constantly.

Now, with the temple completed, we could begin healing, planting and landscaping that surrounding band of raw earth. That has been a focus for the last few years, and continues to be. But it is nearing completion (in August and September a team will clad the new concrete Garden Path that surrounds Iraivan Temple with quartzite which is now on a ship from Brasil).

The effect has been profound. The finished garden is being united with the finished temple, making them a single holy sanctuary. As a Japanese landscape designer once told the monks: “What you have created here is amazing. The temple is Indian granite. It is hard, rigid, strong, structured and commanding. It is masculine. Around it lies the garden which is soft, pliant, graceful, organic and nurturing. It is feminine. You have created the perfect balance of Siva and Shakti.”

“The perfect balance of Siva and Shakti.”

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The Path of Egoity, Part One

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Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Satguru Śivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Śiva.

“Much has been said of the path toward merger with Śiva, and much remains to be said. But the truth is this: most people on this Earth are following another path for the moment, the path of self-indulgence and self-interest and selfishness. No doubt, it is the most popular path, and it has its own pandits and masters, who teach how to perfect the path of the external ego, how to perfect worldliness, how to perfect the trinity of I, me and mine, how to perfect self-indulgence. But that is not the ultimate path, which is followed by the few, by mature souls. It is important for aspirants to know that the real path leading toward merger with Śiva has many detours, pitfalls and sidetracks that beckon unwary travelers. It is important for him or her to know about these side paths, to be warned, as I am doing now, to be wary of them, to be cautious, to be extremely careful. “

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Keeping Up with Falling Rudrakshas

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  • Naavalan
    Naavalan
  • Chandipati in foreground
    Chandipati in foreground

Rudraksha bracelets and malas have been moving quickly in the Minimela, and it’s challenging to keep up with the demand. We are taking advantage of extra taskforcers in the summer by asking Chandipati and Naavalan to help the Wailua Mission with this project as the focus of their volunteer seva this year for a couple weeks.

Deva Seyon has taught them the multiple stages of rudraksha preparation, from harvesting, soaking and cleaning to drilling and making bracelets. This morning, with kindly weather, they are focusing on harvesting freshly fallen beads (with the fruit still on) from the main public grove. Naavalan said that many years ago, his father was in the grove and a fresh bead/fruit landed on his head. The fruit was shaped like a crescent and the bead inside turned out to have 21 faces!

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The New Induction Oven in Place

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  • Our new shiny induction oven!
    Our new shiny induction oven!
  • It's a bright day at the aadheenam
    It’s a bright day at the aadheenam
  • Inside the kitchen this afternoon we find some activity
    Inside the kitchen this afternoon we find some activity
  • Mani in happy to see the new oven in place
    Mani in happy to see the new oven in place
  • It's not fully installed yet, since there's some electrical work to finish
    It’s not fully installed yet, since there’s some electrical work to finish
  • Yoginathaswami and Mayilnathaswami discuss options for adding some more space around it
    Yoginathaswami and Mayilnathaswami discuss options for adding some more space around it
  • New induction oven and our new griddle.
    New induction oven and our new griddle.

Jai Ganesha!

With great fanfare, our new induction oven and electric griddle have arrived at the Aadheenam’s kitchen! As mentioned yesterday, the old gas stove had served us well over the years, but its numerous issues made it an ideal candidate for replacement. Our Chef Mani will particularly enjoy the new electric griddle, which will take center stage for dosa-making.

Today, our monks simply did a test fit of the units in the space, since there is further electrical work to wrap up before fully installing them. Induction ovens and cooktops use electromagnetic fields to directly heat the cookware, rather than heating the stove surface. This makes them highly desired for their lightning-fast boiling times, precise temperature control, improved kitchen air quality, safety, and unmatched ease of cleaning compared to gas ones.

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New Stove for the Monastery

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Jai Ganesha!

Today, the Mathavasi of Siddhidata Kulam removed the old stove that has faithfully served us for the past 20 years. It has been an essential part of our monastery kitchen, supporting countless meals prepared with dedication and care over the years. Very soon, Eswaran Param and his team will arrive at the monastery to install the new induction stove. We are all eagerly looking forward to its installation and are excited to see how quickly and efficiently it performs. This modern upgrade is expected to make cooking easier, faster and more efficient. Our Chef Mani is especially excited to begin using the new stove and the monks are equally eager to experience the improvements it will bring to our daily kitchen activities. We are grateful for this much needed upgrade and look forward to many years of service from our new induction stove.

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Sages in Sri Lanka

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  • Rare aerial of the Sri Subramuniya Temple in Alaveddy
  • Inside the lingam is surrounded by the four satgurus in the story
  • The story begins with Kadaitswami who lived in a simple kutir, always carrying an umbrella
  • Then speaks of his disciple, Chellappaswami
  • Chellappaswami’s bronze murti is worshipped daily
  • He lived in the temple chariot storage building.
  • It is here at Nallur Temple
  • Next we move to Yogaswami whose hut was simple then but now is much upgraded
  • Inside the satgurus are all honored
  • The woman who cared for Yogaswami still looks after his hut.
  • This is exactly where he sat to give darshan to visitors
  • The story ends with Gurudeva and the temple that now holds his murti.

One of our Hinduism Today advertisers surprised us majorly today, sending a 14-minute video he made during a visit to Sri Lanka. It’s an homage to our parampara of satgurus, a “my encounters with the gurus” story. You can see the 17-minute film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O9rnd_6DDw

The documentary “The Historic Lineage of Sri Lanka’s Three Grand Sages” follows the sacred thread of the Nandinatha Sampradaya through northern Sri Lanka, showing how three realized Saivite masters sustained the Tamil Hindu tradition amid colonial pressure and social upheaval. His story begins at Neeraviady, before the shrine of Kadaitswami, a South Indian high-court judge who renounced worldly status and came to Jaffna. Through uncompromising spiritual power, fearless defense of Saivism (the Portuguese were working hard to convert all Sri Lankan Hindus) and striking acts that became part of local memory, he awakened devotion and protected a people whose religious inheritance was under attack. The film recalls his transmission of spiritual authority to Chellappaswami in Jaffna’s Grand Bazaar.

At Nallur Kandaswami Temple, the story turns to Chellappaswami, the eccentric sage who concealed supreme realization beneath the appearance of a destitute wanderer, some would say a madman. Living in the Nallur thatched chariot house (his images are of the newly built one, not the woven palm leaves original), he taught through paradox, rebuke, silence and the insistence that the Divine is not distant from the seeker. His life brought forth a disciple whose influence would reach well beyond Jaffna: Siva Yogaswami.

The journey continues to Columbuthurai, where Yogaswami lived and guided devotees for some fifty years. Revered across religious communities, he urged aspirants to know themselves, transcend the pairs of opposites and discover Siva within. His presence and deep Tamil songs renewed confidence in the spiritual heart of Saivism.

The final stop is Alaveddy and the restored Sri Subramuniya Temple and Ashram. There the film recognizes the 1949 initiation of Gurudeva, the famed “slap on the back.” The documentary closes by tracing history through Gurudeva’s worldwide mission and the present guidance of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami. It seems to us an apt tale as we near January 5, 2027, Gurudeva’s 100th birthday anniversary.

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