Guru Poornima, Shiva and Rahu/Ketu Yagyas
($65 for all ten days; July 12 - 21)

Guru Poornima Yagya
This yagya honors and celebrates the special role that a teacher or guru plays in the development of consciousness and guiding our progress towards enlightenment. Some people experience the manifestation of this principle in the form of a guru whose teaching leads us on our path. Some are receptive to the educating role that the universe can play if we are sufficiently sensitive and open to it. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita "All come to me", meaning that the path to enlightenment is open to all.

Participation in this yagya strengthens our relationship with this universal principle of nature. If you have a personal guru, then you add to his/her strength and ability to guide you to enlightenment. The guru can also be an inner force or presence, not necessarily in human form, which guides and propels us on our inner search for Truth and Enlightenment. A good guru is the result of good karma. This yagya directly adds to our good karma so that we attract the best and most qualified guide on our spiritual path.

These yagyas will utilize mantras for Shiva in the form of Dakshinamurti; (the first teacher who passes along knowledge and gives enlightenment in silence). Additional mantras are used for Veda Vyasa, the rishi who organized the Vedas, the ultimate source of spiritual knowledge.

The Rajamundri Temple
Our priests will be performing the entire 10 day program at a beautiful Shiva temple in Andra Pradesh called Rajamundri. The temple features a 2 story tall Shiva lingam made from a single crystal as seen above.

Rahu/Ketu Yagya
Also on the grounds of the temple is an area dedicated to Rahu/Ketu where the yagyas dedicated to Rahu/Ketu will be performed. Planetary yagyas like these are exceptionally powerful because when a planet is changing signs it is considered to be more "receptive" to remedial measures such as yagyas.

The Varanasi Program
Varanasi is home to one of the few temple for Vyasa, the first Guru, organizer of the Vedas, and author of the Maha Bharata, among other works. So, we are fortunate to have a yagya performed there.

We also take this opportunity to honor the work and presence of the community of sanyasi in the area by offering them a special meal. They are the living embodiment of dedication to spiritual enlightenment and to honor them is also to empower our own desire to reach enlightenment in this lifetime. By helping them, we help ourselves.

The Pune Program
Our priests and pundits in Pune will be performing their own traditional ritual for Shiva and Vyasa on Guru Poornima.