The Universal Shaiva Fellowship is happy to announce the 2008 Birthday Celebration of our beloved Gurudev Swami Lakshmanjoo, who attained Mahasamadhi (final liberation) in September 1991. Each year we joyously celebrate and remember Swamiji’s birthday. This year’s celebration will begin at 10 am on Friday, the 9th of May. We will start with Puja (Worship) and the singing of sacred Shaivite hymns, which were dearly loved by Swamiji. The day will culminate with the taking of prashad (holy food blessed by the master) consisting of a very tasty traditional Kashmiri vegetarian meal, followed by the singing of bhajans (devotional songs), entertainment and tea.

It is a blessing for us to share this wonderful day with others, so please come. As you can imagine, there is a lot of preparation involved for this auspicious event. If you would like to help please call Denise Hughes at

(310) 837-0402 (Toll free 877-594-2516).

RETREAT
On the Saturday following the Birthday (May 10th), the Fellowship will begin a four-day retreat, during which time we will have the opportunity to examine and study a number of important teachings on Kashmir Shaivism.

Each day we will be studying the original audio and video recordings of Swamiji’s revelations and commentaries of the following texts:

• Bhagavad Gita beginning with Chapter 7 (video): This profound and precious teaching known as the Song of God was imparted by Krishna to his disciple Arjuna. We are using the unique Kashmir Shaivite rendition by the illustrious Shaiva master Abhinavagupta as revealed by Swamiji.

• Shiva Stotravali: bathe in the devotional bliss engendered by Swamiji’s revelation of Utpaladeva’s masterpiece.

• Tantraloka Chapter 2: dealing with the elevated, esoteric, and elusive subject of anupaya (literally = no means).

• Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta Chapter 3 : This chapter of the direct revelation of Lord Shiva as revealed to the sage Vasugupta, deals with the spiritual means known as anava upaya. This means, this method, although suited to the limited individual, is capable of carrying one to supreme realization.

Dates: Saturday, May 10th through Tuesday, May 13th.

Location: Universal Shaiva Fellowship Center, 10925 Stever Street, Culver City, CA 90230 – (310) 837-0402. Our Center is within 15 minutes of LAX (Los Angeles International Airport).

Attendance: The retreat will last four full days and begin each day at 9 am. Although attending the entire retreat is ideal, you can schedule to attend for any number of days (from one to four). Those coming for the full retreat should plan to stay until Tuesday evening.

Retreat sundries: Attendees will be asked to donate a minimum of $60 per day or $240 for the full retreat to cover the cost of meals and other additional expenses.

Register, Prepay & Save: If you register and prepay for the retreat before April 10th, the cost of each day will be $55 or $220 for the full four days. Payment may be made by Credit Card or Check payable to the Universal Shaiva Fellowship.

Meals: Lunch and tea will be provided by the Fellowship and is included in the minimum donation.

Lodging: Lodging is available in the local area. Please contact us for information.

We look forward to seeing you at the Birthday Celebration, Friday, May 9th, and hope that you will also be able to attend the retreat. This celebration and retreat is always a memorable experience. If you are interested in attending please contact us at:
retreatmay08@universalshaivafellowship.org
or phone: (877) 594-2516 (toll free) or (310) 837-0402 to register and arrange for payment. When contacting us please leave your full name, phone number and email address

We are looking forward to hearing from you.