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Archive for December, 2006
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Peace on Christmas Day….
It was warm and sunny and peaceful on Christmas so I went for a walk on the beach in Malibu. -
On Christmas Eve
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Rumi
Although not Vedic or even Hindu for that matter, Rumi remains a favorite for me. There is a way that he manages to capture the essence of spirituality. -
Varadaraja Temple in the rain
After being in the smoke filled Navaratri Yagya room for 10 days, it was great to get out and do a little temple visiting. This is the Varadaraja temple which is directly across the street from our yagya stala (house). Right out the front door you can see the huge thick stone walls that surround […] -
Ingredients
Here in the US a typical yagya event will use fruit, flowers, coconuts, ghee, almonds, and maybe some havan samagri, an herbal mixture that makes the yagya smoke smell really nice. But in India, you have access to all the traditional ingredients and for a major yagya like we performed for Navaratri, there can be […] -
A vedic flower
One of the nicest features of the vedic tradition is the presence of flowers in every important ritual. -
The lentil factory
During Navaratri, I spent a lot of time in a room that was comparatively smoke-free because I just couldn’t breathe in the yagya hall (see image below). Sitting in the open window, I could see the huge Varadaraja Temple across the street, the 2nd largest Vishnu temple in India, as well as the usual sights […] -
The mysterious kitchens of India.
This is a snap of the kitchen in our Kanchipuram yagya facility. In all my trips to India I have always traveled and stayed with priests, so I know this is typcial of a Brahmin priest’s home; a couple countertops, some shelving, and a two burner gas stove. No sink in the kitchen, no fridge, […] -
Be careful who you give flowers to…
This is a photo of one of the great temples in south India (note the elephant). It is called Tiruchendur and is located almost all the way down the east coast of Tamil Nadu just north of Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India. It is a temple primarily for Subramanyam (also known as Murugan), the […] -
Elephants
Most of the larger temples have their own elephant. In this case the elephant is quite young and works at the Saturn Temple at Tirunallar in south Tamil Nadu. The tradition is that you buy some food for the elephant (a special variety of grass) and offer it to him. He takes it very delicately […]