
May Earth on which men offer to the Gods the
sacrifice and decorous oblations, where dwells the human race on
nourishment proper to the requirements of its nature -- may this great
Earth assure us life and breath, permitting us to come to ripe old age.
Atharva Veda 12.1.22. VE

Temples and Priesthood
SUTRA 256: OUR HOLY GATHERING PLACES
My devotees revere Kauai Aadheenam's San Marga Iraivan Temple as their center of the universe, our Saiva dharmashalas as sites of learning and service, and mission houses as places of study, worship and assembly. Aum.
SUTRA 257: FOUR VEHICLES OF SERVICE
My devotees give full energy and dedication to Saiva Siddhanta Church, Himalayan Academy, HINDUISM TODAY and Hindu Heritage Endowment. These four form a mighty, unified force for Sanatana Dharma. Aum.
SUTRA 258: OUR SACRED PRIESTS
My Church honors our mathavasis as its official priesthood. For samskaras
and special festivals we may engage closely devoted Tamil priests, as
well as hereditary Sivacharyas, who preside at all temple
consecrations. Aum.
SUTRA 259: THE VEDIC SCIENCE OF TEMPLE BUILDING
My devotees perpetuate in our temples the architecture set forth in the Saiva Agamas and Vastu Shastras, and exemplified in the sanctuaries of South India, to create holy places where even the stones have sanctity. Aum.
SUTRA 260: APPROPRIATE PLACES OF WORSHIP
My devotees worship at their home shrines, dharmashalas,
Kauai Aadheenam and all Saivite temples. They do not attend temples of
other denominations except on pilgrimage or as required socially. Aum
Namah Sivaya.
Weekly Gatherings
SUTRA 261: THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY MISSIONS
My congregation is organized into local missions to
nurture religious life through shared worship, extended family
gatherings, sacraments and community service, in accordance with the Saiva Dharma Shastras. Aum.
SUTRA 262: CONNECTING WITH THE INNER WORLDS
My devotees rush to family gatherings for bhajana, havana satsanga and fellowship, to worship devoutly and sing loudly in praise of God, Gods and guru. They attend Saivite temples weekly and during festivals. Aum.
SUTRA 263: EXPRESSING DEVOTION WITH SONG
At gatherings among themselves, my devotees sing from our Saiva Church hymnal, primarily Sage Yogaswami's Natchintanai. When with devotees of other sects, they enthusiastically join in their devotional songs. Aum.
SUTRA 264: DECISION-MAKING BY CONSENSUS
My devotees abide by "consensualocracy." All involved in a decision must unanimously agree and obtain the guru's blessings before proceeding. No votes are taken based on the majority superceding the minority. Aum.
SUTRA 265: EDICTS FROM THE SEAT OF AUTHORITY
My devotees never apply the principle of unanimous
agreement to sovereign edicts issued from Kauai Aadheenam's seat of
power. Such proclamations are the uncontestable law of the satguru. Aum Namah Sivaya.
New Members
SUTRA 266: SHARING THE TEACHINGS WITH OTHERS
All my devotees reach out for new members by
enthusiastically printing and distributing Hindu literature and putting
sacred texts of our lineage into libraries, bookstores and educational
institutions worldwide. Aum.
SUTRA 267: AN ELITE AND STEADFAST ASSOCIATION
All within my Saiva Siddhanta Church are stalwart and
dedicated. Not one is half-hearted or equivocal. Each is a jewel,
important to me and to each other. Thus, strictness is necessary when
accepting new members. Aum.
SUTRA 268: EMBRACING NEWCOMERS
All within my Saiva Siddhanta Church accept newcomers as
part of their own family. They care for, teach, gently guide and
prepare these souls for their first initiation. Yea, they too were once
new members. Aum.
SUTRA 269: THE PROBATIONARY FIRST YEAR
All within my Saiva Church who sponsor new members are
responsible for their strengths and failures during the probationary
year, their study for initiation and their merger with others as milk
poured into milk. Aum.
SUTRA 270: THE QUEST FOR MONASTIC CANDIDATES
All my devotees search for souls ripe to enter the
monastery, realizing that the core of my Saiva Church is its Saiva
Siddhanta Yoga Order, and many old souls are being born to perpetuate
our lineage. Aum Namah Sivaya.
Coming Home to Saivism
SUTRA 271: REACHING OUT TO ShaivITE SOULS
My ardent devotees relentlessly search for Saivite souls, finding them, drawing them to Siva and their satguru and, when necessary, helping them convert to Saivism from the faiths or philosophies they have rejected. Aum.
SUTRA 272: SPECIAL ATTENTION TO ARDHA-HINDUS
My ardent devotees reach out to seekers who,
half-converted, bear a Hindu first name. Gently they assist them
through a full and ethical conversion from any and all former faiths,
then accept them wholeheartedly. Aum.
SUTRA 273: SEVERING FORMER RELIGIOUS TIES
My ardent devotees of other religions or lineages who
seek to enter my Saiva Church must, with authorized guidance, formally
sever all loyalties by talking with former preceptors and gaining a
written release. Aum.
SUTRA 274: CONVERSION FROM OTHER HINDU SECTS
My ardent devotees affirm that even seekers from within
the Hindu fold must convert to enter our strict Saiva Church. All
former commitments and memberships must be dissolved before new ones
can be made. Aum.
SUTRA 275: THE TRANSFORMATION CALLED CONVERSION
My ardent devotees well know that conversion means
a change of one belief structure into another and is never without some
degree of fire and pain. Counseling is necessary in this soul-searching
time. Aum Namah Sivaya.
Detractors and Adversaries
SUTRA 276: SHUNNING ENEMIES
My devotees abide by the custom of shunning those who
oppose, criticize or attack their lineage. By not interacting with
detractors, they forestall conflict and thus protect their lineage as
well as themselves. Aum.
SUTRA 277: THE MEANING OF SHUNNING
My devotees realize that shunning means tactful
avoidance, exclusion, ignoring and ostracizing. Thus a firm, protective
wall of silence is built between our lineage and its detractors,
whether individuals or groups. Aum.
SUTRA 278: WHEN TO STOP SHUNNING
My devotees who refuse to shun those who should be
shunned should themselves be shunned. But none shall shun those who
have reconciled with the preceptor and been publicly welcomed back into
association. Aum.
SUTRA 279: WELCOMING BACK THOSE WHO RECONCILE
My devotees extend every effort to welcome and bring
back into the lineage those seeking to reenter its fold, having
formerly left, provided they show grief, remorse and repentance, and
reconcile with the satguru. Aum.
SUTRA 280: WITHDRAWING FROM ERRANT MONASTICS
My devotees know that any monastic who abandons his
sacred vows and leaves the monastery or is dismissed should be shunned
and treated as an outsider until he rights himself with his preceptor.
Aum Namah Sivaya.
Raising Sons for the Monastery
SUTRA 281: CONCEIVING SONS FOR THE MONASTERY
Each Saiva Siddhanta Church family prays to birth a son for the monastery. Prior to conception, parents mix with the swamis and beseech the Gods to bring through a divine soul destined to perpetuate our lineage. Aum.
SUTRA 282: NURTURING MONASTIC INCLINATIONS
My devotees with sons inclined toward monastic life
wholeheartedly encourage these noble aspirations. Fathers and young
sons live as monastery guests periodically to nurture monastic patterns
and tendencies. Aum.
SUTRA 283: SATGURU GUIDES THE LIFE OF DEDICATED SONS
My devotees regard any son destined for the monastery not as their own child, but as the satguru's progeny in their trusted care. All details of his upbringing, training and education are to be guided by the preceptor. Aum.
SUTRA 284: PARENTS OF MONASTICS EXPECT NO PRIVILEGES
My devotees with a monastic son never claim special
access or privileges based on blood ties. They dissociate from him and
do not involve themselves in his life or seek to influence our Saiva
Church through him. Aum.
SUTRA 285: SERVING TWO YEARS IN THE MONASTERY
My family devotees raise their sons to be worthy of
entering my monastery for two years to serve, study and grow in
character as they live the monk's selfless life. This is the ideal for
all young men. Aum Namah Sivaya.
Sacred Scriptures
SUTRA 286: OUR SCRIPTURAL BEDROCK, VEDAS AND aGAMAS
All my devotees recognize that the primary scriptural authority of our Nandinatha lineage derives from the Saiva Agamas and the four noble Vedas, which include the Upanishads. Ours is a Vedic-Agamic tradition. Aum.
SUTRA 287: OUR ShaivITE HINDU BIBLE
All my devotees revere as scripture The Holy Bible of the Saivite Hindu Religion -- which includes excerpts from the Vedas, the Agamas, Tirumantiram, Tirumurai and Tirukural -- and guide their lives by its wisdom. Aum.
SUTRA 288: THE TEACHINGS OF PRISTINE TAMIL SAINTS
My Hindu Church decrees as true Tamil Saiva saints the great ones who upheld dharma, ahimsa and monistic Saiva Siddhanta through the ages. We revere their words as scripture and bestow our heartfelt pranamas. Aum.
SUTRA 289: SAGE YOGASWAMI'S PROFOUND HYMNS
All my devotees revere as sacred scripture the songs and sayings of Satguru Siva Yogaswami, called Natchintanai, which embody the teachings of our lineage, commanding one and all to "Know thy Self by thy self." Aum.
SUTRA 290: MY TRILOGY AND OTHER LEGACY WORKS
All my devotees revere as sacred scripture Dancing with Siva, Living with Siva, Merging with Siva, Lemurian Scrolls and my other authorized texts and discourses, including Saiva Dharma Shastras. Aum Namah Sivaya.
Temple Worship
SUTRA 291: THE DEDICATED HOME SHRINE ROOM
All my devotees must have an absolutely breathtaking
home shrine, used solely for meditation and worship of Sivalinga,
Nataraja, Murugan, Ganesha and the satguru's tiruvadi. This is the home's most beautiful room. Aum.
SUTRA 292: AUTHORIZATION TO PERFORM WORSHIP RITES
My initiated devotees perform the Saiva atmartha puja,
but only in home shrines, not in temples. Unless formally,
traditionally authorized, they are prohibited to learn, teach or
perform the parartha temple puja. Aum.
SUTRA 293: LIVING NEAR ShaivA TEMPLES
My devotees wisely settle in areas where Ganesha,
Murugan or Siva temples exist for their frequent pilgrimage, worship
and spiritual security. None should live farther than a day's journey
from such sacred sanctuaries. Aum.
SUTRA 294: PILGRIMAGE TO Shiva'S SPECIAL ABODES
My devotees hold as most sacred and pilgrimage to each
at least once: Siva's San Marga Iraivan Temple on Kauai, His Himalayan
and Gangetic abodes, His five elemental temples and the Madurai
Meenakshi citadel. Aum.
SUTRA 295: VISITING SHRINES TO GODS AND GURUS
My devotees all revere and pilgrimage to Nallur and
Murugan's six South Indian temples, Ganesha's many temples and shrines,
especially Kumbhalavalai, and the samadhi shrines of our lineage. Aum Namah Sivaya.
Symbols, Mantras and Names
SUTRA 296: WEARING THE EMBLEMS OF SAIVSM
All Siva's devotees, men and women, boys and girls, wear
holy ash and the proper forehead mark for religious events and in
public when appropriate. They wear a single rudraksha bead on the neck at all times. Aum.
SUTRA 297: BENEDICTIONS FOR GREETING AND PARTING
All my devotees greet others by saying Aum Namah Sivaya, Aum Sivaya or the more general benedictions vanakkam, namaste or namaskara. These, or the sweet expression Aum, Aum, also serve when parting. Aum.
SUTRA 298: Shaivism'S AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
Just before sleep, all my devotees utter: "Anbe
Sivamayam Satyame Parasivam," while pondering the great depths of this
affirmation. Upon awakening, their first words are "Anbe Sivamayam
Satyame Parasivam." Aum.
SUTRA 299: SACRED MANTRAS FOR MEALS AND GATHERINGS
All my devotees chant the Bhojana Mantra before each meal, offering thankful praise to God, Gods and guru. They chant the Vedic Shanti Mantra to begin and end all meetings, invoking peace and one-mindedness. Aum.
SUTRA 300: PROUDLY USING ONE'S SAIVITE NAME
All my devotees bear and legally register their Saivite
Hindu name, first and last, and use it proudly each day in all
circumstances, never concealing or altering it to adjust to non-Hindu
cultures. Aum Namah Sivaya.
Cultural Accomplishments
SUTRA 301: DEVELOPING A USEFUL CRAFT
All my devotees are encouraged to learn a skill
requiring the use of their hands, such as pottery, sewing, weaving,
painting, gardening, baking or the building arts, to manifest creative
benefits for family and community. Aum.
SUTRA 302: MUSIC, ART, DRAMA AND THE DANCE
All my devotees are encouraged to perfect a cultural
accomplishment, be it a form of art, singing, drama, dance or a musical
instrument of Siva's ensemble -- vina, mridangam, tambura, cymbals and bamboo flute. Aum.
SUTRA 303: USING OUR MYSTICAL LANGUAGES
All my devotees are encouraged to embrace Sanskrit as
their language of ritual worship, Shum Tyeif as their language of
meditation and the Tyeif script for offering prayers to the devas through the sacred homa fire. Aum.
SUTRA 304: HINDUISM'S SACRED CALENDAR
All my devotees are encouraged to use the South Indian
lunar calendar as a daily guide to auspicious planning for travel,
business, innovation, ceremony and major life events. Our year begins
with the month of Aries. Aum.
SUTRA 305: LIVING THE SUBLIME TAMIL ShaivA CULTURE
All my devotees are encouraged to adopt the gestures,
attitudes, customs, ways of worship, dress and refinements of Tamil
Saiva protocol. They learn by living and studying with traditional
Saivites. Aum Namah Sivaya.
Spiritual Study
SUTRA 306: THE MASTER COURSE AS DAILY GUIDE
My devotees avidly study The Master Course as their lifetime sadhana, allowing
its mystical and practical teachings to light their inner path. In
these profound lessons they discover the meaning of life's many
lessons. Aum.
SUTRA 307: SELF-MASTERY THROUGH INTROSPECTION
My devotees study the five states of mind: conscious,
subconscious, sub-subconscious, subsuperconscious and superconscious.
They let go of negative attachments and become master of mind, body and
emotions. Aum.
SUTRA 308: REMOLDING THE SUBCONSCIOUS
My devotees succeed by remolding subconscious magnetic forces. They purge the dross through vasana daha tantra -- writing and burning past transgressions and current problems -- then use positive affirmations. Aum.
SUTRA 309: RaJA YOGA, THE ROYAL PATH TO REALIZATION
My devotees learn and perfect the five steps to enlightenment: attention, concentration, meditation, contemplation and finally samadhi, wherein they realize the unspeakable Truth known only by the knower. Aum.
SUTRA 310: FATHOMING OUR SUBTLE NATURE
My devotees study these three to discover the mysteries
of being: the subtle bodies of man, the aura, which is a rainbow of
thought and feeling, and the twenty-one chakras, or centers of consciousness. Aum Namah Sivaya.
Occultism
SUTRA 311: AVOIDING THE ADVICE OF PSYCHICS
My devotees do not counsel with trance mediums,
clairvoyants, past- and future-life readers or psychic mentors. Nor do
they consult astrologers or palmists other than those approved by their
preceptor. Aum.
SUTRA 312: CAUTION AGAINST DABBLING IN THE OCCULT
My devotees may spontaneously experience but do not
practice clairvoyance, clairaudience, astral projection, lucid
dreaming, trance mediumship, mind-reading, fortunetelling, magic or
other distracting occult arts. Aum.
SUTRA 313: SHIELDING FROM ASTRAL FORCES
My devotees are under the satguru's psychic
protection and remain untouched by negative occult forces. Those who
are as yet susceptible to such afflictions should seek relief through puja, prayer and penance. Aum.
SUTRA 314: DREAMS ARE TO BE FORGOTTEN
My devotees do not indulge in remembrance or interpretation of dreams, unless as a special discipline from their guru. They intentionally forget their dreams and positively concern themselves with waking life. Aum.
SUTRA 315: SENDING PRAYERS TO THE INNER WORLDS
My devotees practice the ancient rite of sending prayers to the devas
and Gods through the sacred fire, but only during auspicious times at
Church missions and temples designated by the preceptor. Aum Namah
Sivaya.
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