Exploring Kauais Hindu Monastery, you will hear much about Gurudeva, the brilliant soul who established this sanctuary and enriched uncounted lives. He was a shining example of awakening and wisdom, recognized worldwide as one of Hinduisms foremost masters. His prodigious genius, flare and inspiration permeate this spiritual oasis and continue to guide the lives of the men he trained and initiated. Gurudeva was born in California and grew up near Lake Tahoe. Orphaned at age 11, he was raised by a family friend who had spent years in India and who brought him into the culture and beliefs of Hinduism. Trained in classical Eastern and Western dance and in the disciplines of yoga, he became the premier danseur of the San Francisco Ballet Company at age 19. Then, at the height of his career, he suddenly renounced the world and in 1947 sailed to India in quest of Absolute Truth. In a remote Sri Lankan cave, he fasted and meditated until he burst into enlightenment. Soon after, he met Siva Yogaswami, who gave him the name Subramuniya and initiated him into Hindu monasticism. From then on, the great truths flooded through him like a torrent. The nature of reality, metaphysical principles and methods for facing lifes challenges were obvious to him. What philosophers struggle to explain in complex theories, he articulated in simple language from his own experience. Ultimately, the cream of his inspired talks became the 3,000-page trilogy of Dancing, Living and Merging with Siva, the first cogent, comprehensive expression of monastic Saiva Siddhanta in the English language. A powerful purpose drove his every effort like the rhythm of a vigorous dance. He traveled widely to uplift Hindu communities on every continent, represented his religion at global conferences and helped establish 37 temples worldwide. An extraordinary mystic, Gurudeva had many visions of the Deities. He read clairvoyantly from inner plane scriptures and created his own language, Shum, to map for others the profound states he encountered in meditation. Gurudeva was loved by all who met him. Hindus, leaders of all lineages, island neighbors and ordinary folks adored him. He saw the Divine in every person and taught them to see the Divine in themselves. To devotees everywhere, the graceful, six-foot-two, white-haired guru was the embodiment of Lord Siva Himself. From the inner world, Gurudeva continues to guide, in magical ways, all who embrace his teachings. His light lives on in their spirit and their striving for Truth.

Hidden amongst the monastery's luxuriant greenery there dwells another world, a high-tech workshop that crafts the books, courses, videos, communications and websites. Its all scrunched into an unpretentious building beneath a sprawling mango tree, fifty yards from Kadavul Temple. The monks here are engaged in state-of-the-art computerized publishing. Visitors are charmed to see the monks dressed in hand-spun cotton robes, each sitting at his Macintosh with widescreen Cinema Display, writing, editing, designing. They also direct by e-mail a skilled international cadre of journalists, artists and photographers who help create the renowned magazine known as Hinduism Today. Publishing the quarterly journal is joyful, inspired works of labor of love appreciated by 100,000 readers around the globe. It is as much a forum of spiritual sustenance as a source of news as much a lifeline of dharma as a family album proudly chronicling 21st century expressions of the worlds oldest faith. Since 1979, Hinduism Today has provided a candid, sympathetic look into the Hindu way of life, at the same time articulating Hindu culture and philosophy in modern English. The magazine has been instrumental in dispelling myths and misinformation about Hinduism, while providing news about all sects and lineages to strengthen Hindu solidarity worldwide. Known for its aesthetic, full-color graphics and you-wont-find-this-anywhere-else features, Hinduism Today is also available as a free digital edition, replete with audio and video features that bring it all to life, including Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reading his Publisher's Desk column. The monks also broadcast a daily news feed called Hindu Press International, distributing a constant stream of timely, short stories about Hinduism that appear in the world press, supplementing the in-depth magazine articles. Many orders of Hindu monks run schools, hospitals or orphanages. Gurudeva ordained that his Saiva Siddhanta Yoga Order would support our faith through Hinduism Today, as a public service, not to tell our own story, but to cover the people, events, philosophy and traditions of the broader Hindu world.