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Satguru
Bodhinath Veylanswami
Kauai's Hindu
Monastery - Hawaii, USA
Satguru
Bodhinatha Veylanswami is the Guru Mahasannidhanam of
Kauai's Hindu Monastery, the 458-acre headquarters of
the Saiva Siddhanta Church. Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami
nurtures Church missions and membership internationally,
through courses of study culminating in traditional
sadhanas and initiations which result in long-lasting
spiritual progress. He guides his order of 20 monks
from five nations to serve, through their publications
and web sites, the broader community of Hindus throughout
the world. Bodhinatha is the publisher of the "Hinduism
Today" magazine and is currently guiding the completion
of the first all-granite, hand-carved Hindu temple in
America, the Iraivan Temple, being erected on the Garden
Island where he and the monks of the order live. He
serves as president of the Hindu Heritage Endowment,
a $6 million institution that strengthens Hindus and
Hinduism throughout the world. |
Diwali is the Hindu festival
of lights and is celebrated in the home and in special community
activities as well. The name “Diwali” means row
of lights and describes the practice of placing rows of small
lit oil lamps throughout the house. Important Diwali customs
include sending greeting cards, gift giving, particularly
of new clothes, feasting and fireworks. Diwali is considered
the greatest national festival of India and in several countries,
including Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Trinidad
and Tobago, is an interreligious event and a national holiday.
The inner significance of
Diwali is that it is a joyful celebration of the victory of
good over evil, of our spiritual qualities dominating our
basic instincts, intellect and ego. Light is a universal symbol
of spirituality. Thus bringing more light into our homes and
therefore our lives symbolizes each of us becoming a more
spiritual person.
The light of the soul
can transform our baser qualities of greed, distrust and hatred
into selfless giving, trust and helpfulness. It can inspire
us to be consistent in our efforts to progress on the path
of spiritual unfoldment. And it can reveal to us our true
identity as immortal souls living and growing in the great
school of earthly experience.
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