Jai Ganesha!
Here are some of our newest Instagram posts, showcasing teachings from Path to Siva and Gurudeva’s Spiritual Toolbox. We’ve been putting extra care into crafting these carousels and visuals to make the wisdom more accessible, engaging, and visually inspiring. Below are the links to these recent creations—we hope you enjoy exploring them and find them uplifting.
Our Instagram Contents Read More »
Today was our monthly Gurudeva Chitra Padapuja. Here is a random selection from Gurudeva’s audio archive–
A few days ago one of our local Master Course students, Katrina St Marie, took the Dasama Bhaga Vrata, or tithing vow. Text of the vow–
Oh! Divine Beings of all three worlds, let us bring our minds to rest in the darsana of Him who has one tusk, let us meditate upon Him who has the form of an elephant with a curved trunk, May He guide us always along the right path.
Vrata: I believe in You, the one Supreme God, Lord Siva, and the Gods of our Saivite faith, and in the Saiva Dharma. In love and trust I recognize Your goodness in providing for my every material and spiritual need. I accept the principle of Dasamamsha (giving one tenth of my gross income) as the method by which I may acknowledge my gratitude to you, Lord Sva, and share in helping You fulfill and perpetuate Your work on earth. As an act of dedication, I am resolved this day to begin (or continue) the regular practice of tithing.
We have a small booklet of fourteen lessons called Know thy Self. We finally ran out of copies and, following our new pattern of book publication, have set it up to be print-on-demand by Amazon KDP. In the process, we have shifted from the unusual horizontal layout to a typical vertical layout.
Guru Puja, Vow Taking, Booklet Reprint Read More »
Jai Ganesha!
Last week, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Sannyasin Yoginathaswami took a short trip to San Ramon, in the Bay Area of California. They were there to attend the Maha Kumbhabhishekam of the Sri Karpaga Ganapathi Temple. The event was conducted on November 10th, 2025, and was preceded by four days of preliminary pujas and prayers. Satguru was the chief guest of honor. The temple was founded by Sivasri Suresh Viswanathan Sivacharyar, whom we have known for many years. Sivacharyar has strong local community support and was very happy to have been able to start this temple. The Ganesha murti was gifted by Bodhinatha, following Gurudeva’s long-standing tradition to give a Ganesha whenever a community starts a temple.
The powerful puja was done successfully and was accompanied by a 3.8 earthquake. The chief priest was Sivasri Swaminatha Sivacharyar from Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, and he was assisted by Sivasri Karthikeya Sivacharyar and Sivasri Balu Gurukkal. Aum.
This video includes a San Ramon local TV interview of Satguru (interview starts at 2m 15s)
Sri Karpaga Ganapathi Temple Maha Kumbhabhishekam Read More »
Jai Ganesha!
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.
San Marga: THE STRAIGHT PATH TO GOD Read More »
Like everything in life, our point of view shapes our experience. Here at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, we’re all familiar with the monks’ ground-level photos—bright baskets of vegetables, blossoms unfolding, quiet temple pujas, and those small daily miracles that make monastery life so rich.
But the photo above gives us something entirely different. It lifts us into the sky and turns us toward a direction we’ve never seen before. Suddenly the whole monastery reveals itself in a new light. Footpaths we walk every day connect into larger patterns. Buildings become part of a serene landscape design we didn’t know we were living inside. It’s a gentle reminder of how perspective changes everything.
As Marcel Proust wrote, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
To help everyone orient themselves in this rare bird’s-eye view, we’ve labeled the main areas. Enjoy this fresh glimpse of our spiritual home—and may it inspire a renewed appreciation for this sacred land that holds our daily worship, work and service.
Rare Views of the Monastery Read More »
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.
“Devotion in Hinduism is known as bhakti. It is an entire realm of knowledge and practice unto itself, ranging from the child-like wonder of the unknown and the mysterious to the deep reverence which comes with understanding of the esoteric interworkings of the three worlds. Hinduism views existence as composed of three worlds. The First World is the physical universe, the Second World is the subtle astral or mental plane of existence in which the devas, or angels, and spirits live, and the Third World is the spiritual sphere of the Mahādevas, the Deities, the Gods. Hinduism is the harmonious working together of these three worlds. Religion blossoms for the Hindu as he awakens to the existence of the Second and Third Worlds. These inner worlds naturally inspire in man responses of love and devotion and even awe. They are that wonderful. “
Love of the Gods, Part One Read More »
