It is Sivaratri week… the vibration at the Aadheenam is very, very high… Subha Subha Sivaloka Days. And we are overjoyed to have a new monastic aspirant join us today from Brazil!

Here is Bodhinatha, answer questions from a spiritual group that visited us today.

Sun One morning, beginning of a the spiritually powerful days before Siva’s Great Holy Night.

The temple is charged with actinic force…

Sadhaka Jivananandanatha conducts the homa ceremony.

And here is our new Aspirant, Satya Subramanian from Sao Paulo, Brazil. He went on the 2004 India Innersearch and has working hard in Brazil to stay on the path, patiently overcoming all the karmic barriers and Lord Muruga watched over him at the airport where he was given a 3-year visa!

We know there are many avid viewers of TAKA in Brazil and we asked Satya to pen a short word in Portuguese:

“Aos amados brasileiros: As fotos lindas do TAKA n�o t�m como fazer justi�a. A vista espetacular; os monges amorosos e precisos; a vibra��o inacreditável. É melhor do que eu possa descrever. Aloha from Kaua’i!”

Saravananathaswami puts up new signs, indicating our tours are canceled temporarily while we make parking improvements for visitors.

This is the sign.

We visited the Pillaiyar Kulam, headed by Shanmuganathaswami.

Muruganathaswami was there, always cheerful.

Jothinatha was working on an exciting project, a TV documentary was being filmed at our Bangalore worksite that day by one of India’s major TV stations. We expect it to be aired in March, and we are getting a copy to hopefully share here on TAKA.

During the retreat Yoginathaswami shows our young task forcer from Malaysia, Nutanaya, how to pick just the right betel leaves, which will be used for the Homa ceremony.

These leaves are used for Hindu ceremonies and are also eaten. They are a rarity in this part of the world, costing up to $1 each. So having vines with tens of thousands of leaves is a kind of wealth.

A tropical storm came our way this retreat, and the river rose many feet. Here the falls are overflowing.

This happens once or twice each year. The river turns mocha brown and the roar is enough to drown out conversations.

Pilgrims are arriving for Sivaratri, which is just three days away now. Dasan Mahadevan is here from San Diego, and is helping in Siva’s Garden.

What a wonderful Sivathondu!

Today we had Satya Subramaniam arrive from Brazil to begin his life in the monastery.

He began by working on 20 rolls of old photographs we had digitized, putting the digital files on our server and storing the original negatives in special binders.

Satya called home to tell his grandmother and mother that he arrived safely after 26 hours of travel. They we so glad to hear his voice, and blessed his new life in the monastery.

Satya went to India on the 2004 Innersearch, then went home to Brazil to prepare himself for monastic life. He has been living there under simple vows for over a year. He is glad to be at his spiritual home, and we are delighted to have him among us.

Billy Topa Tate, of native American Indian heritage, brings a group of students to visit the monastery every year and today she had with her a group of 35 bright souls.

They attended the 9am Siva puja, which they really enjoyed, then went on a tour of the grounds.

After seeing Iraivan they enjoyed a talk by Bodhinatha followed by a deep question and answer session with him.

Here is Billy, the leader. She is a wonderful soul…

Billy has taught everyone the spirit of gratitude and each one comes forward to offer a small gift to Bodhinatha….

Billy at Iraivan

This is Billy’s daughter, Monique. She accompanies her mother on these educational trips and coordinates the entire program.

This is Jaime Little Wolf, Billy’s brother who visiting our monastery for the first time.

Hindu couple that dropped by today…

It was silpi outing this retreat…our current team is young and full of life!

A trip to the Princeville Five-Star Hotel….

Sitting in the incredibly luxurious lobby… it’s not something they would normally be able to do in India.

Chellaiya looks at some cards in one of the local hotel shops…

Then it is off to the beach for some fun.

The very strong Rajendran…

This crew loves the water…

Kabbadi on the sand!

An ancient “tag” game. For an explanation, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabaddi

Our monastic hosts for the silpis today: Sadhaka Dandapani and Sadhaka Jivananandanatha… taking a meditative break…

Sadhaka Jivananandanatha… another blissful day in paradise…