Childrens Corner

The Childrens' Corner Excerpts from MTNA Newsletter Sponsored by The Murugan Temple of North America 6300 PRINCESS GARDEN G ARDEN PARKWAY, PARKWAY, LANHAM, MARYLAND 20706, USA. PH: 301-552-4889 301-552-4889 FAX: (301)552-5043 Email: [email protected] info@murug antemple.org,, Internet: www.murugantemple.org www.muruga ntemple.org

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MTNA Newsletter,September - October 2003

My Friend Lord Ganesha Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami (Kauai's Hindu Monastery) gave this talk in early 2003. This was shared by his swamis with the children attending MTNA's Religion Classes (See above) Here we share an excerpt from this talk with those children who don't attend the classes. Adults, please pl ease share this with your children or read it to them. Ganesha as a Real Being

Many of the great saints and sages of Hinduism Hi nduism have had visions of Lord Ganesha and shared them with their devotees, thus strengthening the devotees' faith and understanding of these Divine Beings. In ancient times such great saints as Auvaiyar had visions of Ganesha and wrote of her experiences in her devotional poems such as in Vinayaga Ahaval where Auvaiyar says: "Desiring to make me yours this instant, you like a mother have appeared before me and cut the delusion of unending births." births." (Loving Ganesha, page 330). In modern times Gurudeva, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, has shared some of his mystical perspectives and experiences on Ganesha in his book Loving Ganesha: "There are a great many liberal Hindus and/or Western-influenced Hindus who don't think of Ganesha as a real being. To them He is a symbol, a superstition, a way of explaining philosophy to children and the uneducated. But this has not been my experience of our loving Lord. I have seen Him with my own eye. He has come to me in visions several times and convinced my lower mind of His reality." Though few living today have had such a vision, in the year 1995 Hindus saw first hand the milk

Second, Blesses Us thr ough o ugh the T em em pl e

Knowing that the Gods are real beings and that the purpose of going to the temple is to experience Their blessings is what transforms the temple from a cultural hall to a truly sacred place. The stone or metal Deity images are not mere symbols of the Gods; they are the form through which their love, power and blessings flood forth into this world. This is like our ability to communicate with others through the telephone. We do not talk to the telephone; rather we use a telephone as a means of communication with another person who is perhaps thousands of miles away. Without the telephone, we could not converse across such distances; and without the sanctified murthi in the temple or shrine we cannot easily commune with the Deity. His vibration and presence can be felt in the image, and He can use the image as a temporary physical-plane body or channel. As we progress in our worship, we begin to adore the image as the Deity's physical body, for we know that He is actually present and conscious in it during puja, aware of our thoughts and feelings and even sensing the pujari's gentle touch on the metal or stone. Ganesha as a Friend

Lord Ganesha is my friend because I spent time over the years getting to know Him including by conducting daily pujas in our temple in Hawaii. There is a common Hindu saying, Ganapathi Tunai, Ganesha is my support, and that is certainly how I feel, in that He influences everything in my life for the better. Ganesha can be your friend also if i f you take the time to get to know Him through Bhakti yoga, the practice of devotional disciplines, worship, worship , prayer, prayer, chanting and singing with the aim of awakening love in the heart and opening oneself to the Deity's grace. Bhakti, devotion to Ganesha, can be increased, or cultivated. Here are some specific suggestions:





(Continued) MTNA Newsletter,September - October 2003

3) Put as much time and prana into the offering as possible. Buying a garland at the store is good but making it yourself is even better. The prana in the offering is like touching the Deity and creates an even greater closeness. 4) Pay attention, don't let the mind wander. During the puja keep focused on the murthi and the priest's chant. When singing bhajan keep focused on the meaning of the words. 5) The blessings, the shakti of the Deity, is stronger on some days than others, so attending the temple on the strong days is helpful to attuning oneself to the shakti. For example, there is a stronger shakti on yearly festival days such as Ganesha Chaturthi. Chatur thi. Benefits our Life

In one of his statements about Ganesha, Gurudeva stressed how easily Ganesha is able to assist us in our day-to-day life: “Among all the wonderful Hindu Deities, Lord Ganesha is the closest to the material materi al plane of consciousness, most easily contacted and most able to assist us in our day-to-day life and concerns. Worship of Lord Ganesha leads the devotee most naturally to the other great Gods.” Recently we developed a list of eleven ways in which Ganesha can benefit our day-to-day life. It was written for youth, as that is the best time to develop a closeness with Ganesha, however the list l ist applies equally to adults. The Benefits of Worship ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

strengthen memory stimulate intelligence solve problems easier study well in school stabilize emotions improve our character experience good timing increase domestic harmony increase self control remove obstacles in our path

Feel smart. Strongly desire to understand. When you have a problem in life, at school, home or work, Lord Ganesha will help you. Ganesha knows everything about you and everybody you know, from the past into the future. But you must ask for His help. See Ganesha's majestic face and with mental force ask for help and explain the problem. Lord Ganesha will send you ideas and thought power, introduce you to new attitudes, help you to understand other people, help you use wisdom and not emotions to face life’s many experiences. (Story about passing exams) Emotional Control: Through the worship of Lord Ganesha, we feel better about life, rising above the lower emotions of insecurity, fear, fear, anger and jealousy and instead experience peace and contentment. Tuning in to His shakti and being, through atttending puja at the temple or even just visualizing Him in your mind, helps raise you up into the muladhara chakra and therefore out of anger and fear into a calm state of mind. In fact, you can slowly seal off these lower states of mind and keep awareness permanently lifted above the animal instincts of fear and anger through the regular worship of Lord Ganesha. Good Timing: Lord Ganesha’s worship can enable us to tune in to the natural flow of events that allows us to be in the right place at the right time. Have you noticed that some days our timing is excellent and yet other days everyone we go to see has just left, the store just closed, we missed our bus by one minute. The worship of Ganesha can help us change a day of bad timing to one of good timing. Conclusion In conclusion, the worship of Lord Ganesha can benefit our life in many ways provided we have developed a closeness with Him to the point where He is our friend. Ganesha is then able to help us





MTNA Newsletter, November - December 2003

Everything is Good By Sivathondan Let us start this article with an acknowledgment. Gurudeva (Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, Kauai's Hindu Monastery, Hawaii, USA) had written many books on Hinduism in English for those of us living in the West (www.gurudeva.org). We use many of His books in the Religion Classes for children at the Murugan Temple every Sunday. Thank you Gurudeva. A Hindu believes in karma and reincarnation. Accordingly, we are the sum total of all of our previous lives. There are young souls and there are old souls. For example, you may have the great opportunity of growing up with a relative of yours (or a neighbor) from childhood. Now, try to recall that person's life up to the present. That person may be old now with a feeble physical body, but he may be as stubborn as, and as angry as when he was young many years ago. This is a good example of a young soul (now in an old body). Then, you may also have witnessed a young kid showing love and patience with his fellow playmates while they were all restless. This is an example of an old soul (now in a young body). Old and young are not gauged by the earthly age of a person's physical body; rather rather it is judged by how a person has evolved spiritually through many reincarnations. Attachments and desire are the two shackles that hold a soul in the physical body, but they are the necessary catalysts to create and resolve karma, thereby assisting the soul to gain experience and to evolve as a spiritual being. As Gurudeva said, everyone teaches you a worthy lesson; you learn what to do by observing some, and you also learn what not to do by observing many others. If you were blessed with looking at the face of an angry person, then you know that you don't want to look like him. That tells youu to ke yo away ay frfrom om an ange ge r. Li Like kewi wise se,, an im impa pa-keep ep aw tience person teaches you the virtues of patience. That is why Siva Yogaswami said, "Everyone is doing Sivathondu," (everyone is serving Lord Siva). The young souls are in the process of creating new karma for themselves by delivering back the karma to the old souls, who are now in the state of receiving and resolving their past karma. Karma comes through other people, especially the ones you are closely associated with daily (parents, children, brothers and sisters, friends, teachers, spouse, in laws, etc.). There is a difference between

returning back to me; if it is not in my karma then it is not going to happen to me, and pray to Lord Ganesha to give you the means to resolve it. Try it, it will never repeat again. You may have seen people avoiding situations, then in a different place and at a different time meeting the same situation in disguise, for one simply cannot dodge his karma. Resolve and gett riridd of it no ge now. w. Fo Forr ex exam ampl ple,e, yo youu wr wrot otee a na nast styy le tt er to yourself and mailed it to yourself, and forgot about it. A few weeks later the mailman brought it back to you. You opened and read it and got angry with the mailman. How come? That is why everything is perfect in Lord Siva's universe, and everything is the will of Lord Siva. We are all spiritual beings; the only purpose in life is to evolve ourselves towards realizing the Self and to merge with Lord Siva; that is why we are all here. A time will inevitably arrive in everyone's life to make him realize this; so everyone must be patient and show tolerance to everyone else. You cannot teach calculus to a three year old; be patient until he grows up. We are all growing up spiritually, but we can accelerate the growth. How? That is why we need spiritual lessons. A tall building requires a strong foundation. This is true when it comes to raise good go od ch chilildr dren en . He Here re we sh shar aree wi with th yo youu a fe feww le ss sson onss we teach to the children at the Religious Classes. Respect and listen to your parents, for they are your yo ur fifirs rstt gu guru rus.s. If th they ey as askk yo youu to do so some meth th ining,g, do don'n' t ask why. Pray to Lord Ganesha always, especially in the morning and before going to bed. Say "Aum Sri Ganesaya Namah" for good education. Don't get angry. If you do, then pray to Lord Ganesha, or close your eyes and at least think of Him until your anger disappears. Karma comes through other people, particularly through those of your family members and close friends. If it is not in your karma, then it is not going to happen to you. So, don't get angry with the person who delivers your karma back to you. You can create karma in three ways: physically (hitting someone), emotionally (insulting someone by calling names) or mentally (thinking hurtful things about someone). So, watch out what you do, say and think. Speak that is true, kind, helpful and necessary. Avoid gossiping. At the temple, pray to Lord Ganesha in the following way: When approaching Lord Ganesha, think of Him as a real being. Don't think anything else except





MTNA Newsletter, January - February 2004

CHILDRENS' CORNER Make Friends with Your Karma by Sivathondan

In His book Merging with Siva, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami described karma as: "'Action, deed.' This is one of the most important principles in Hindu thought; karma refers to (a) any act or deed; (b) the principle of cause and effect; (c) a consequence or 'fruit of action' (karmaphala) or 'after effect' (uttaraphala), which sooner or later returns upon the doer. What we sow, we shall reap in this or future lives. Selfish, hateful acts (papakarma or kukarma) will bring suffering. Benevolent actions (punyakarma or sukarma) will bring loving reactions. Karma is threefold: sanchita, prarabdha and kriyamana." [The picture above depicts this basic classification.] "[1] Sanchita karma: 'Accumulated actions.' This is the sum total of all karmas of the present and past lives. [2] Prarabdha karma: 'Actions begun; set in motion.' That portion of sanchita karma that is bearing fruit and shaping the events and conditions of the current life, including the nature of one's bodies, personal tendencies and associations. [3] Kriyamana karma: 'Being made.' The karma being created and added to sanchita in this life by one's thoughts, words and actions, or in the inner worlds between lives. Kriyamana karma is also called agami, 'coming, arriving,' and vartamana, 'current, revolving, set in motion.' While some kriyamana karmas bear fruit in the current life, others are stored for future births." Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami (Kauai's Hindu

is because of our bad karma that is returning to us, and it is not the nava-grahas who are doing anything bad to us or punishing us for an unknown reason! The soul attains liberation (moksha) from the cycle of births and deaths once it has resolved whole of its sanchita karma. Satguru Bodhinatha has noted the following "Ten Principles for Effective Karma Management:" 1. Forego retaliation 2. Accept responsibility 3. Forgive the offender 4. Consider the consequences 5. Create no new negative karmas 6. Divinely influenced karma 7. Mitigate past karma 8. Accelerate karma 9. Resolve dream karma 10. Incinerate karma











complete e article from which excerpts were published. MTNA Newsletter, May-June 2004 -- Note: This is the complet THREE WORLDS AND THE HINDU TEMPLE

Sivathondan Siva,” In His book “ Merging with Siva,” Subramuniyaswami explained the following:

Satguru

Sivaya

First World: Bhuloka, the physical universe (physical plane) of gross or material substance in which phenomena are perceived by the t he five senses. (The world where we live when we are in our physical physical body.) body.)

8. Do a lot of Sivathondu of Sivathondu at the Temple, like making garlands, sweeping the floor, cleaning and polishing the oil lamps, picking up litter from floor, etc. 9. Sit in front of Lord Muruga and perform japa perform japa.. Aum Sharavanabhava Aum, Aum, Aum Sharavanabhava Aum, Aum, Aum Sharavanabhava Aum, Aum, … 10. During puja During puja,, concentrate on the puja. puja. Learn the meaning o what the priest is doing.

Second World: Antarloka, the astral or subtle plane (astral plane). Here the soul continues its activities i n the astral body during sleep and after the physical body dies. It is the in– between world which includes the Devaloka and the Narakaloka. Narakaloka. The Second world exists “within” the First World or physical plane.

Sivaloka, “realm of Siva,” or Karanaloka or Karanaloka.. The Third World: Sivaloka, spiritual realm (causal plane) of existence wherein Mahadevas and highly evolved souls live in their own self–effulgent forms ( soul body). body). Three worlds: The three worlds of existence, triloka, are the primary hierarchical divisions of the cosmos. (1) Bhuloka: Bhuloka: “Earth world,” the physical plane. (2) Antarloka: Antarloka: “Inner” or “in–between world,” the subtle or astral plane. (3) Sivaloka: Sivaloka: “World of Siva,” and of the Gods and highly evolved souls; the causal plane, also called Karanaloka called Karanaloka.. Temple: An edifice in a consecrated place dedicated to the worship of God or Gods. Hindus revere their temples as sacred, magical places in which the three worlds most consciously commune (structures especially built and consecrated to channel the subtle spiritual energies of inner– world beings). The temple’s psychic atmosphere is maintained through regular worship ceremonies ( puja ( puja)) invoking the Deity, who uses His installed image (murti (murti)) as a temporary body to bless those living on the t he earth plane. In Hinduism, the temple is the hub of virtually all aspects of social and religious life. It may be referred to by the Sanskrit terms mandira, devalaya (or Sivalaya, a Siva temple), as well as by vernacular terms such as koyil (Tamil). koyil (Tamil).

A Hindu temple is therefore a special place, where one communicates with the Gods easily. Here we present a few helpful suggestions on how we conduct ourselves inside a Hindu

1. Don’t wear or bring shoes inside the T emple. 2. Don’t run or play inside the Temple. 3. Don’t walk fast when you walk around ( pradakshina, pradakshina, circumambulation) the Gods. 4. Don’t do any “fast prayers,” that is, doing fast pradakshina, fast singing of religious hymns, etc. Even if you sing one song, learn its meaning and sing it with love. Lord Siva is the God of love, nothing but love. 5. Don’t perform japa quickly like a marathon, sometimes called “machine gun japa gun japa,” ,” because it brings little benefit. I you don’t have time to do japa, japa, don’t do it at all. It should not be a meaningless ritual. It should be a very meaningful experience. 6. Don’t talk loudly with others inside the Temple (avoid talking is best). 7. Don’t come to the Temple to socialize with others. 8. Don’t litter inside the Temple.









MTNA Newsletter, September - October 2004

CHILDREN’S CORNER THE NALLUR MURUGAN TEMPLE

Sivathondan We don’t know when the Nallur Murugan Temple in northern Sri Lanka was established. The Temple was shifted from place to place in the Nallur area for unknown reason. Historians say “ Jalpana Vaipava Maalai” is the only Tamil literature to mention the origin of the Temple. Although originally built in 948 A.D. in the Kurukkal Valavu, Valavu, the Temple had to be reconstructed number of times in different places because of foreign invasions. The fourth and present Temple was constructed in 1749 by Krishna Subiyar and Ragunatha Maapaana Mudaliyar in the original Temple premises of the Kurukkal Valavu. The Temple was built using bricks and stones and had a cadjaned roof. The original shrine had only two main halls without any Clock Towers, surrounding courtyard, enclosing wall, or ornately carved towers ( gopuram). gopuram).

closest to India. From the port, devotees pulled anything. Yogaswami told him to do anka– the chariot to its intended destination, the Sivan pradakshina around the Nallur Murugan Temple. Temple, on a route that passed the Nallur The man said, “Swami, I am very weak.” Swami Murugan Temple. Temple. When the chariot arrived arrived at replied, “At least do it from the chariot shed to the Nallur Temple, it suddenly stopped and the gopura – vasal vasal (the front entrance of the refused to move. Everyone was surprised, and the Temple).” The man obeyed to Swami’s advice. architect of the chariot was sad and slept at its Upon arriving at the gopura–vassal, completing wheels for the night. Lord Murugan came to the this short anka– pradakshina, he threw up a lot, architect in a dream and told him that He wanted and suddenly became hungry for the first time in the chariot for His Temple. That was how the a very long time. He went to a tea shop near by Nallur Murugan Temple got the beautiful chariot, and enjoyed a good meal of string–hoppers, and to this day, the Vaitheeswaran Sivan Temple completely cured of his illness. When I read this is without any such type of chariot. Dear Lord incident, I also wanted do anka– pradakshina Siva gave it to His beloved Son! It was here at around the Nallur Murugan Temple, but I had to the iron gates of the chariot’s shed that Siva wait until I was physically old enough. I finally Yogaswami met his guru Chellappaswami. performed this penance this penance in 1982 before coming to USA. When I am writing this, I can feel the love of Lord Murugan even now the same way I felt so many years ago.

The first Clock Tower was erected in 1899, and the main Hall where the vel appears vel appears was refurbished in 1902. The first enclosing wall was erected in 1909. The Temple has been gradually renovated from time to time with the Lord's grace and the contributions of the general public. In 1964, the Vasantha Mandapam was renovated into the grand temple we see today. The Nallur Kanthaswami (Murugan) Temple has its main entrance in the east. The main entrance has an ornately carved five-storied tower ( gopuram). gopuram). The surrounding inner-yard has Temples namely for Lords Ganesha, Ganesha, Vairavar , Sun, and Sandana Gobalar . The holy pond and Thandayuthapaani Temple can be seen in the southern part of this Temple, while a large holy garden is located on the northern side. Personal Experiences

When I was a small boy growing up in Jaffna, the largest metropolitan city in northern Sri Lanka, my grandmother told me two stories about the Nallur Murugan Temple which I will

Day 23 of the annual 26–day festival is the saparam festival. Saparam is a cart with a very One time during my teen years, I was in tall tower decorated with colorful fabrics and front of the Arumugaswami shrine (Lord fresh flowers (the second picture). The mula– Murugan with six faces) in the Nallur Temple moorthy of the Nallur Murugan Temple is a small praying with my father. Suddenly relentless vel which vel which is taken around the Temple most of the thoughts came and disturbed me. Like most





MTNA Newsletter, November - December 2004

Children's Corner Si v athondu (rptbj Siv hz : L ) rptbjhz By Sivathondan

In His book “ Merging with Siva , ” Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (Gurudeva) said, “ Japa ($gk;) is the prelude to raja ); . Japa links nafk ). raja yoga yoga (uh$ nafk; ( rpj; j he; j k; ) with Vedanta Siddhanta (ntjhe;jk; jk;) through the repetition of the mantra ( Xk ; ek rp tha ) , or A A um N amah Siv a ya Xk um Aum Aum r pt ptha Xk Sharavanabhava ( X X k ; r u t z g t ) for the uninitiated. To meditate (jpahdk; bra;a), one must be free from anger, jealousy and contention. Karma yoga Karma yoga (fh; k nafk;) should be practiced by the devotee prior to this to smooth out all character flaws. Sivathondu which is another word for karma ), is the platform for yoga - service to Siva (rptd:), You can read more on this in Chapter 23 japa yoga japa yoga.” You at http://www.himalayanacademy.com/books/mws/ mws_table_of_contents.html Sivathondu is the basis for everything. It is an essential foundation for japa. Japa leads to raja raja yoga yoga,

which leads to enlightenment. Now, what is Sivathondu? It is selfless service to mankind, for Lord Siva is in everyone and in everything. Helping others without expecting anything in return is Sivathondu. Treating everyone the same with kindness is Sivathondu. Singing devotional songs is Sivathondu. Forgiving those who have hurt you is Sivathondu. Doing work in and around the Temple,

(rptftrk;) in Sanskrit, and one day he had recited it to Yog Yogaswami. aswami. After listening l istening to this wonderful Sivakavasam, Yogaswami had asked him to say it everyday for the benefit of all the souls. I had seen that person religiously repeating it everyday, all the time (not simply once a day, day, but continuously). That is Sivathondu¯praying to Lord Siva for the benefit of all the souls. Selfless service leads to Self realization. Ganesha Mantras for Sivathondou and Japa Doing Sivathondu at the Temple fills your heart with devotion. Then, you can sit in front of a deity and do japa, then a little meditation (jpahdk;). ). You can get a boost of energy and inspiration by repeating the following mantras ( ke; ke; jpu': jpu': fs: fs: ) as you travel to the Temple, as you do your Sivathondou, and as you sit quietly after your Sivathondou. Au m sh ri ga ne sh ay a na ma h

Xk ; _ fnz fnzr zr rha ek& fn zrha Aum um s hr i ga ne s ha ya na ma h ] mantra “This [ A (ke; jpuk; ke; jpuk;) is usually taught to children for their good education. It increases their memory memor y power, and they they become successful in their examinations examinations.. Of course, people of any age may use this mantra when taking courses in a school or university, and for success in attaining their degree” (from Loving Ganesha, 1996, First Edition, pp.1 pp.172 72 - 173).

Another important mantra is Au m na mo bh ag av at e ga ja na na Aum A um j an an ayya a na ma h

Childrens Corner

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