The Childrens' Corner

Excerpts from MTNA Newsletter

Sponsored by The Murugan Temple of North America
6300 PRINCESS GARDEN PARKWAY, LANHAM, MARYLAND 20706, USA.
PH: 301-552-4889 FAX: (301)552-5043 Email: info@murugantemple.org, Internet: www.murugantemple.org

PAGE 1
 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 share
this with your children or read it to them.
Ganesha as a Real Being
Many of the great saints and sages of Hinduism
have had visions of Lord Ganesha and shared them
with their devotees, thus strengthening the devo-
tees' 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." (Loving Ganesha,
page 330).
In modern times Gurudeva, Sivaya
Subramuniyaswami, has shared some of his mysti-
cal 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
miracle where in temples around the world devo-
tees offered milk to the murthi of Lord Ganesha
and it was drunk by Him. This surely increased the
faith of many in the reality of Lord Ganesha.
Second, Blesses Us thr ough the TTem
through em ple
emple
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 communi-
cate 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 tempo-
rary 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 actu-
ally 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 you take the
time to get to know Him through Bhakti yoga, the
practice of devotional disciplines, worship, 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:
1) Make the travel time to the temple be a religious
time, don't allow yourself to focus on problems at
home, work or school.
2) Bring an offering. The act of giving opens you to
the blessings of the Deity.
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 (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.
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 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
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
♦ be more successful in life
Let’s look in more detail at three of these areas:
Intellectual Control:
When you start each day’s study, or come upon a
difficult subject, pray for Ganesha’s clear mind. See
and feel a bright yellow light around your head.
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 every-
thing 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 under-
stand 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, 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
become happier, more successful and more cul-
tured Hindus who value the temple as an
indispensible part of our life. My Friend Lord
Ganesha.
PAGE 3
 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 it is judged by how a
person has evolved spiritually through many reincar-
nations.
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, every-
one 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
you to keep away from anger. Likewise, an impa-
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
the way you feel hurt when your mother says that you
are stupid and a stranger saying the same thing. So,
if your karma is to get hurt emotionally then you know
who will bring it back to you more effectively. If you
want to resolve your karma, Gurudeva advises not to
react to it by accepting responsibility; otherwise it
comes back to you again and again until you do. Say
it to yourself that this is all my past creation now
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
get rid of it now. For example, you wrote a nasty letter
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 children. Here we share with you a few lessons
we teach to the children at the Religious Classes.
Respect and listen to your parents, for they are
your first gurus. If they ask you to do something, don'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 follow-
ing way: When approaching Lord Ganesha, think of
Him as a real being. Don't think anything else except
Him. Give your love to Him and feel His love for you.
Cross your hands and knock on your temples gently
three times, then hold your right ear with your left
hand and your left ear with your right, and bob up and
down three times by bending your knees. Next, go
around His shrine three times clockwise while chanting
"Aum Namah Sivaya;" walk slowly. Finally, prostrate
in front of Him.
PAGE 4
 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 three- is because of our bad karma that is returning to us,
fold: sanchita, prarabdha and kriyamana." and it is not the nava-grahas who are doing anything
bad to us or punishing us for an unknown reason!
[The picture above depicts this basic classification.]
The soul attains liberation (moksha) from the cycle of
"[1] Sanchita karma: 'Accumulated actions.' This is
births and deaths once it has resolved whole of its
the sum total of all karmas of the present and past
sanchita karma. Satguru Bodhinatha has noted the
lives. [2] Prarabdha karma: 'Actions begun; set in
following
motion.' That portion of sanchita karma that is
bearing fruit and shaping the events and conditions "Ten Principles for Effective Karma Management:"
of the current life, including the nature of one's 1. Forego retaliation
bodies, personal tendencies and associations. [3] 2. Accept responsibility
Kriyamana karma: 'Being made.' The karma being 3. Forgive the offender
created and added to sanchita in this life by one's 4. Consider the consequences
thoughts, words and actions, or in the inner worlds 5. Create no new negative karmas
between lives. Kriyamana karma is also called 6. Divinely influenced karma
agami, 'coming, arriving,' and vartamana, 'current, 7. Mitigate past karma
revolving, set in motion.' While some kriyamana 8. Accelerate karma
karmas bear fruit in the current life, others are 9. Resolve dream karma
stored for future births." 10. Incinerate karma
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami (Kauai's Hindu
Monastery, USA) said, "Prarabdha karma determines Closely following these ten principles, one can most
the time of birth. The time of birth determines one's efficiently resolve the prarabdha karma, and also
astrology." Thus, astrology (mahadasas and bhukti) very effectively stop creating [new] kriyamana karma.
only reveals what is in the prarabdha karma --the Further, one can also totally or partially eliminate the
karma that one has to face in his present life. The remaining sanchita karma in the present birth.
nine planets (nava-grahas) are just Lord Siva's (Quotes from Merging with Siva reproduced with
workers, who deliver back to us the karmas that we permission of Himalayan Academy.)
have to face in this life. So, if we have a bad time, it

PAGE 5
 CHILDREN'S CORNER SHOW-AND-
SHOW TELL GANESHA
AND-TELL
Lord Ganesha Aum, Cosmic Sound
Loving Ganesha is Aum. He is the A, the base sound of the universe; He is the U, the
This month, Sivathondan sound of the galaxies; and He is the M, the sound of the planets and the littlest stars.
created a beautiful lesson Bhagnadanta, Broken Tusk Shashikala, Crescent Moon
on Lord Ganesha as a As the story goes, Ganesha broke off His right tusk in a Loving Ganesha, like His father, Siva, wears the crescent
page in a coloring book. sacrificial act to use it as a stylus while taking Vyasa’s moon on His great head. It is a symbol of time’s passing,
dictation. Thus he teaches us that we must finish what we start. of auspicious moments and of the powers of the mind.
Get out your crayons or
colored pencils and use Ankusha, Goad Pasha, Noose
Loving Ganesha’s deliberate mind prods Loving Ganesha’s provident mind, like the
the captions to help your dullards on in their birth karmas whenever noose, draws close those He loves most
imagine and learn. they tarry. with His ankusha He goads dearly and reaches out to encircle and save
forward all souls that are moving too slowly. strayed ones in extraordinary ways.
Classes for Children
Yajnopavita, Sacred Thread Shunda, Elephant Trunk
Every Sunday from 10:30 Loving Ganesha wears across a massive Loving Ganesha has a versatile trunk, and
A.M. to 12 noon, we have shoulder the holy cord to remind us that we, makes it known that it is a symbol of His
too, can be twice born through His grace, that capacity to always love His devotees. With
Bhajan, Religion and none is low and none is high. it He reaches out to touch each of them.
Tamil classes for children
Nagapasha, Snake Cord Modakapatra, Bowl of Sweets
at the Murugan Temple; Loving Ganesha wears a snake around Him Loving Ganesha is said to have a sweet
each class is for half an to tell us all that we have to be like Him and tooth, or tusk. But the modaka ball is a
control our instinctive, animal mind. Yes, it is symbol of what He loves most, moksha,
hour. Bhajan is taught by possible through the grace of this God. liberation, the sweetest of all things sweet.
Ranjini Iyyar and Rathini
Dadima, Pomegranate Amra, Mango
Vijayavel, Religion by Loving Ganesha knows we may be led astray Loving Ganesha says of the mango: “It was
Nigel Siva and Geetha by ways of worldly people who eat meat. He given to Me from Lord Siva’s own hand
MTNA Newsletter, March - April 2004

Prabhukumar, and Tamil offers us red dadimas, as if saying: “Its many after performing My first wisdom act. It
pink seeds are so much better than flesh.” represents the highest spiritual fruition.”
by Ananthy Navaratnam
Phala, Fruits Lambodara, Big Belly
and Shobana Mohan. Loving Ganesha, dweller in the forest, enjoys Loving Ganesha has this world and all the
Students' parents take an all the Earth’s many life-sustaining fruits. He billions of galaxies in His abundant belly.
active role, especially wants parents and children alike to stay All known and unknown universes are
healthy by eating lots of energy–giving fruits. contained within His prodigious girth.
during the Tamil class.
Please direct your Narikela, Coconut Mushika, Mouse
Loving Ganesha holds the coconut, symbol Ganesha’s companion, a mouse, attests to
inquiries to Geetha of the ego, soft and sweet inside, hard and the all–pervasiveness of the elephant God.
Prabhukumar (703-757- rough outside. When we break a coconut to Mushika, the mount or vahana, carries Him
Him, we break the ego’s hold on us. into the mind's every nook and cranny.
0518) or Oliva Reginold
(301-552-4735). Aum sri ganesaya namah
Sivathondan This page is constructed using information found in Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami’s book “Loving Ganesha,” Chapter 6.

PAGE 6
 MTNA Newsletter, May-June 2004 -- Note: This is the complete article from which excerpts were published.

THREE WORLDS AND THE HINDU TEMPLE 8. Do a lot of Sivathondu at the Temple, like making garlands,
Sivathondan sweeping the floor, cleaning and polishing the oil lamps,
picking up litter from floor, etc.
In His book “Merging with Siva,” Satguru Sivaya
9. Sit in front of Lord Muruga and perform japa.
Subramuniyaswami explained the following:
Aum Sharavanabhava Aum, Aum Sharavanabhava Aum,
First World: Bhuloka, the physical universe (physical plane) of Aum Sharavanabhava Aum, …
gross or material substance in which phenomena are perceived
10. During puja, concentrate on the puja. Learn the meaning of
by the five senses. (The world where we live when we are in
what the priest is doing.
our physical body.)
Second World: Antarloka, the astral or subtle plane (astral
plane). Here the soul continues its activities in the astral body
during sleep and after the physical body dies. It is the in–
between world which includes the Devaloka and the
Narakaloka. The Second world exists “within” the First World
or physical plane.
Third World: Sivaloka, “realm of Siva,” or Karanaloka. The
spiritual realm (causal plane) of existence wherein Mahadevas
and highly evolved souls live in their own self–effulgent forms
(soul body).
1. Don’t wear or bring shoes inside the Temple.
Three worlds: The three worlds of existence, triloka, are the
primary hierarchical divisions of the cosmos. (1) Bhuloka: 2. Don’t run or play inside the Temple.
“Earth world,” the physical plane. (2) Antarloka: “Inner” or 3. Don’t walk fast when you walk around (pradakshina,
“in–between world,” the subtle or astral plane. (3) Sivaloka: circumambulation) the Gods.
“World of Siva,” and of the Gods and highly evolved souls; 4. Don’t do any “fast prayers,” that is, doing fast pradakshina,
the causal plane, also called Karanaloka. fast singing of religious hymns, etc. Even if you sing one
Temple: An edifice in a consecrated place dedicated to the song, learn its meaning and sing it with love. Lord Siva is the
worship of God or Gods. Hindus revere their temples as God of love, nothing but love.
sacred, magical places in which the three worlds most 5. Don’t perform japa quickly like a marathon, sometimes
consciously commune (structures especially built and called “machine gun japa,” because it brings little benefit. If
consecrated to channel the subtle spiritual energies of inner– you don’t have time to do japa, don’t do it at all. It should
world beings). The temple’s psychic atmosphere is maintained not be a meaningless ritual. It should be a very meaningful
through regular worship ceremonies (puja) invoking the Deity, experience.
who uses His installed image (murti) as a temporary body to
6. Don’t talk loudly with others inside the Temple (avoid
bless those living on the earth plane. In Hinduism, the temple
talking is best).
is the hub of virtually all aspects of social and religious life. It
may be referred to by the Sanskrit terms mandira, devalaya 7. Don’t come to the Temple to socialize with others.
(or Sivalaya, a Siva temple), as well as by vernacular terms 8. Don’t litter inside the Temple.
such as 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
temple.

DO’S AND DONT’S IN A HINDU TEMPLE

1. Take a bath and wear clean clothes when coming to the
Temple (preferably traditional Hindu clothes, or simply dress
conservatively. You are not going to a party or socialize with
others at the Temple).
2. Go to the Temple with love in your heart, and think that Lord
Siva is within each and everyone of us.
3. Bring a small gift (a flower, a fruit, or even a leaf) to offer to
the Gods, always.
4. Leave your shoes outside the Temple.
5. Walk slowly and softly inside the Temple. Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami (left) and Sannyasin
6. Always pray to Lord Ganesha first. Shanmuganathaswami, both from the Kauai’s Hindu Monastery,
7. Tell your problems to the Gods, and leave them at their feet are going to be at the Murugan Temple during our
when you go home. Kumbabishakem Anniversary 30 May and also on 31 May,
2004.

PAGE 7
 CHILDREN’S CORNER SHOW–AND–TELL MURUGAN

In this month’s Children’s Corner, Sivathondan adds his beautiful and spontaneous
drawing of Lord Murugan to an excerpt from Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami’s
Dancing With Siva.
What Is the Nature of Lord Karttikeya?
SHLOKA 24: Lord Karttikeya, Murugan, first guru and Pleiadean master of kundalini
yoga, was born of God Siva’s mind. His dynamic power awakens spiritual cognition to
propel souls onward in their evolution to Siva’s feet. Aum.
BHASHYA: Lord Karttikeya flies through the mind’s vast substance from planet to
planet. He could well be called the Emancipator, ever available to the call of those in
distress. Lord Karttikeya, God of will, direct cognition and the purest, child–like divine
love, propels us onward on the righteous way through religion, His Father’s law.
Majestically seated on the manipura chakra, this scarlet–hued God blesses mankind and
strengthens our will when we lift to the inner sky through sadhana and yoga. The yoga
pada begins with the worship of Him. The yogi, locked in meditation, venerates
Karttikeya, Skanda, as his mind becomes as calm as Sharavana, the lake of Divine
Essence. The kundalini force within everyone is held and controlled by this powerful
God, first among renunciates, dear to all sannyasins. Revered as Murugan in the South,
He is commander in chief of the great devonic army, a fine, dynamic soldier of the
within, a fearless defender of righteousness. He is Divinity emulated in form. The Vedas
say, “To such a one who has his stains wiped away, the venerable Sanatkumara shows the
further shore of darkness. Him they call Skanda.” Aum Namah Sivaya.
What Does Lord Karttikeya’s Vel Signify?
SHLOKA 25: The lancelike vel wielded by Lord Karttikeya, or Skanda, embodies
discrimination and spiritual insight. Its blade is wide, long and keen, just as our
knowledge must be broad, deep and penetrating. Aum Namah Sivaya.
BHASHYA: The shakti power of the vel, the eminent, intricate power of righteousness
over wrongdoing, conquers confusion within the realms below. The holy vel, that when
MTNA Newsletter, July - August 2004

thrown always hits its mark and of itself returns to Karttikeya’s mighty hand, rewards us
when righteousness prevails and becomes the kundalini serpent’s unleashed power
thwarting our every effort with punishing remorse when we transgress dharma’s law.
Thus, the holy vel is our release from ignorance into knowledge, our release from vanity
into modesty, our release from sinfulness into purity through tapas. When we perform
penance and beseech His blessing, this merciful God hurls His vel into the astral plane,
piercing discordant sounds, colors and shapes, removing the mind’s darkness. He is the
King of kings, the power in their scepters. Standing behind the temporal majesty, He
advises and authorizes. His vel empowering the ruler, justice prevails, wisdom enriches
the minds of citizens, rain is abundant, crops flourish and plenty fills the larders. The
Tirumurai says, “In the gloom of fear, His six-fold face gleams. In perils unbounded, His
vel betokens, ‘Fear not.’” Aum Namah Sivaya.
From “Dancing with Siva” by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Sivathondan

PAGE 8

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, the Temple had to be re-
constructed 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).
The first Clock Tower was erected in 1899,
and the main Hall where the vel appears was re-
furbished 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). The surrounding inner-yard has
Temples namely for Lords 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
share with you here.
The present chariot or temple car (the first
picture) used in the festival is an exact duplicate
of an old one that was ruined by termites in the
1960’s. I had seen the original one, which was
very beautiful and had three stages. The bottom
stage had a lot of wood carvings depicting stories
of Lord Murugan, and was stained wood tone and
varnished. The middle stage had beautiful ornate
columns, had a pedestal at the center to place the
idol of Lord Murugan, and painted with several
vivid colors. The top stage was similar to a
traditional Hindu temple tower. This chariot was
originally made for the Vaitheeswaran Sivan
Temple in Vannar Ponnai, a city in the heart of
Jaffna, Sri Lanka. -- I grew up on the street
directly north of this Sivan Temple (the street is
actually called Sivan Temple North). I saw
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami for the first
time at the Vaitheeswaran Sivan Temple on
Friday January 7th 1983.-- This chariot was made
in South India, and brought to Kankesanthurai
harbor, the northern most port of Sri Lanka
MTNA Newsletter, September - October 2004
closest to India. From the port, devotees pulled
the chariot to its intended destination, the Sivan
Temple, on a route that passed the Nallur
Murugan Temple. When the chariot arrived at
the Nallur Temple, it suddenly stopped and
refused to move. Everyone was surprised, and the
architect of the chariot was sad and slept at its
wheels for the night. Lord Murugan came to the
architect in a dream and told him that He wanted
the chariot for His Temple. That was how the
Nallur Murugan Temple got the beautiful chariot,
and to this day, the Vaitheeswaran Sivan Temple
is without any such type of chariot. Dear Lord
Siva gave it to His beloved Son! It was here at
the iron gates of the chariot’s shed that Siva
Yogaswami met his guru Chellappaswami.
Day 23 of the annual 26–day festival is the
saparam festival. Saparam is a cart with a very
tall tower decorated with colorful fabrics and
fresh flowers (the second picture). The mula–
moorthy of the Nallur Murugan Temple is a small
vel which is taken around the Temple most of the
time during festivals. One time during the
saparam festival, when the Temple owner just
thought “This is a huge saparam for a very small
vel …” Immediately, he saw the vel shining well
above the tower of the saparam. When Satguru
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami went to the Nallur
Temple for the first time, He saw His guru’s face
(Satguru Siva Yogaswami) hovering over this vel
at the Sanctum Sanctorium, even before He had
met Him in person.
During festival times my grandmother and
I went to the Nallur Murugan Temple very early
in the mornings. They spread beach sand around
the temple and big tractor–trailers went around to
wet it, so that the devotees who walked around
the Temple or did anka–pradakshina
(circumambulation by rolling the body around the
Temple) would experience the love of Lord
Murugan. During Siva Yogaswami’s Maha
Samadhi in 1964, I read many stories about Him.
I will share with you the one that is close to my
heart. There was a man, who was very sick; he
threw up what he ate, and was unable to eat
anything. Yogaswami told him to do anka–
pradakshina around the Nallur Murugan Temple.
The man said, “Swami, I am very weak.” Swami
replied, “At least do it from the chariot shed to
the gopura–vasal (the front entrance of the
Temple).” The man obeyed to Swami’s advice.
Upon arriving at the gopura–vassal, completing
this short anka–pradakshina, he threw up a lot,
and suddenly became hungry for the first time in
a very long time. He went to a tea shop near by
and enjoyed a good meal of string–hoppers,
completely cured of his illness. When I read this
incident, I also wanted do anka–pradakshina
around the Nallur Murugan Temple, but I had to
wait until I was physically old enough. I finally
performed 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.
One time during my teen years, I was in
front of the Arumugaswami shrine (Lord
Murugan with six faces) in the Nallur Temple
praying with my father. Suddenly relentless
thoughts came and disturbed me. Like most
teens, I had thoughts like “This is just a statue,
this is not Murugan, there is no God …” I felt
empty and scared. I concentrated persistently and
prayed to Lord Murugan while standing in front
of that shrine to get rid of those thoughts forever.
You just ask the idol, and it turns into God, the
divine power of Nallur. This may be why it is in
the cross roads of many Satgurus!
A favorite even for children is the
Thandayuthapaani Ceremony (the mango
festival), on day 22. This reenacts two events:
Lord Ganesha winning the mango from Lord
Siva by circumambulating Him and Parvathi, and
Lord Murugan leaving them as Lord Palani
Andavar (Thandayuthapaani). The Palani
Andarvar shrine adjacent to the Temple’s holy
pond is my favorite place at the Nallur Temple
from childhood. As with all Murugan devotees,
Lord Murugan in the Palani Andavar form is the
ultimate―the Satguru form to all seekers; one
can experience the same in our Murugan Temple
of North America.
Pictures and historical data were taken from www.nallur.org
PAGE 9
 MTNA Newsletter, November - December 2004

(rptftrk;) in Sanskrit, and one day he had re-

Children's Corner cited it to Yogaswami. After listening to this wonder-
ful Sivakavasam, Yogaswami had asked him to say
Siv athondu ((rptbj
Sivathondu rptbj hz:: L )
hz
rptbjhz
it everyday for the benefit of all the souls. I had seen
By Sivathondan that person religiously repeating it everyday, all the
time (not simply once a day, but continuously). That
In His book “Merging with Siva,” Sivaya is Sivathondu¯praying to Lord Siva for the benefit
Subramuniyaswami (Gurudeva) said, “Japa ($gk;) of all the souls. Selfless service leads to Self realiza-
is the prelude to raja yoga (uh$ nafk;). Japa links tion.
Siddhanta (rpj; j he ; j k ; ) with Vedanta
(ntjhe;jk;) through the repetition of the mantra Ganesha Mantras for Sivathondou and Japa
Aum N amah Siv
Namah aya ((Xk
Siva Xk
Xk;; ekrpt ha)) , or Aum
ha
ekrptha
Doing Sivathondu at the Temple fills your heart
Sharavanabhava ((Xk; Xk; rutzgt ) for the
with devotion. Then, you can sit in front of a deity
uninitiated. To meditate (jpahdk; bra;a), one
and do japa, then a little meditation (jpahdk;). You
must be free from anger, jealousy and contention.
can get a boost of energy and inspiration by repeat-
Karma yoga (fh;k nafk;) should be practiced by
ing the following mantras (ke;jpu':fs:) as you
the devotee prior to this to smooth out all character
travel to the Temple, as you do your Sivathondou,
flaws. Sivathondu which is another word for karma
and as you sit quietly after your Sivathondou.
yoga - service to Siva (rptd:), is the platform for
japa yoga.” You can read more on this in Chapter 23 Aum shri ganeshaya namah
at
Xk
Xk;; _ fnzrha ek&
fnzrha
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/books/mws/
mws_table_of_contents.html “This [Aum shri ganeshaya namah] mantra
(ke;jpuk;) is usually taught to children for their good
Sivathondu is the basis for everything. It is an es- education. It increases their memory power, and they
sential foundation for japa. Japa leads to raja yoga, become successful in their examinations. Of course,
which leads to enlightenment. Now, what is people of any age may use this mantra when taking
Sivathondu? It is selfless service to mankind, for courses in a school or university, and for success in
Lord Siva is in everyone and in everything. Helping attaining their degree” (from Loving Ganesha, 1996,
others without expecting anything in return is First Edition, pp.172 - 173).
Sivathondu. Treating everyone the same with kind-
ness is Sivathondu. Singing devotional songs is Another important mantra is
Sivathondu. Forgiving those who have hurt you is Aum namo bhagavate gajananaya namah
Sivathondu. Doing work in and around the Temple,
as simple as picking up a piece of trash on the Xk
Xk;; enkh g&tnj f$hde
enkh ha ek&
f$hdeha
Temple floor and throwing it out in the trash can, is
“This [Aum namo bhagavate gajananaya namah]
Sivathondu. [Please don’t think that others are mess-
is a devotional mantra personifying the all–pervad-
ing up the place. If that thought comes, simply thank
ing consciousness of Ganesha. This mantra is very
them for giving you the opportunity to do Sivathondu
efficacious to have the darshana (juprdk; ) of
at the Temple. Young souls are creating karma
Ganesha or to feel His immediate presence as a per-
(fh;kh) for themselves, while old souls are resolv-
son” (from Loving Ganesha, 1996, First Edition only,
ing theirs.] Thinking about God while doing
p. 172).
Sivathondu gives you abundance of energy to do
more, which in turn melts your heart with devotion These mantra japa (ke;jpu $gk;) must be per-
(bhakti–gf;;jp). formed slowly, while thinking of Lord Ganesha (or
looking at Him), with a lot of love in your heart. The
I know a person very closely, who was a disciple
effects are wonderful.
of Siva Yogaswami from his childhood in Jaffna (Sri
Lanka). He had memorized Sivakavasam

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