It’s Sun One following a 3-day retreat and Bodhinatha gave a wonderful talk this morning following the homa. He is continuing to articulate the very important message that we need teach the Agamic perspective that Siva and Vishnu are the same being, not two different Gods, and not perpetuate the misconceptions of the Puranic literature that Vishnu is the Preserver and Siva is the Destroyer.

Writing prayers…

Monks in meditation… the temple was full of power this morning.

Yogi Japendranatha performing the homa…

We’re happy to have Kanda Alahan, Deva Rajan and Nitya Nadesan from the mainland with us today…

Deva Ceyon shares something with Bodhinatha

Silpis greet Bodhinatha ….

OK, your TAKA caption writer got initiated into the new camera this morning and went to take pictures for a Hinduism Today article and took a detour… Here is Sadhaka Adinatha, watering the mung bean sprouts which he does twice a day…

He has mastered the logistics with a sterile container, pumping to provide on site water…

These sprouts provide an integral part of our diet.

Sadhaka has also been work with orchids and tree planting, he said “I have story for you… spring is here and all our orchids are starting to form buds”

like this one here…

“But the first one of them all to actually blossom was right over Ganesha”

“Of course! It’s only right that the first one bloom over Lord Ganesha, because the orchid family must have decided to follow the Hindu tradition and worship Lord Ganesha first!”

note: [story slightly embellished…smile…]

Sadhaka Adinatha also took a team to Himalayan Acre over the retreat… Mahogany trees are ready for planting and hydrogel has been prepared in barrels…

Yogi Japendranatha took a break for his high tech world of computer administration and went along

About 700 trees, half of which got planted on this day.

This row is inset from the outer row of ironwood trees (off screen on the right) which will be the wind break. it has been tilled and plastic mulch layed in. The first step is to poke a hole through the plastic with an iron bar and make an opening into the soft dirt for the tree.

Sadhaka Haranandinatha, Yogi Japendranatha, Natarajnathaswami, Arumugaswami, Sadhaka Jothinatha and Sadhaka Adinatha planted 350 trees in one morning!

Back at the Aadheenam this morning here is Sadhaka Nilakantha on the tractor…

He’s one of our highly competent Siddhidata team that keeps some many things running. Sadhaka is the lead man on the food growing area…

Today he was rototilling a new bed for tumeric.

Tumeric “grows like crazy” on Kauai but periodically you have to move the beds to a new location as the mass of old roots that form over a few years begin to decay under the soil. So, you dig them up and place them in a new bed.

Back at the Ekadanta Kulam where we will drop off the camera to our official photographer, we find him wired to the phone working on event coordination. The July open house is one of his big projects… and planning an event for the expected 700 island guests is a big job.

Meanwhile Sannyasin Saravananathaswami is reviewing correspondence, invitations from temples and plans for Bodhinatha’s future travels. See the Guru Travels page for a picture of Bodhinatha’s busy schedule.

The work on the n
ext Chinna Gopuram is going well and it’s time for the gold-leafing again. Deva Rajan, Tandu Sivanathan and Kanda Alahan get started today. Earlier this morning they applied “sizing” (a kind of special sticky varnish) to the stone… and are back to begin….

After a few hours, the sizing dries to just the perfect “tackiness” and it is time to apply the gold leaf..

Tandu has one already down…

Deva Rajan demonstrates technique to Kanda… this is Kanda’s first time, but Kanda is a craftsmen, fine woodwork and cabinetry expert and he will no doubt have a good touch…

Doing large flat surface is easy…

You lay the paper sheet with gold backing on the stone and pull it off… the gold sticks on and then you lightly burnish it down with a brush.

Tandu puts on a second layer for thorough coverage.

Tamping lightly from the back with the brush, pull back and the gold stays on the stone.

Ok, finally… the *real* reason for this photo shoot… Sivakatirswami is working on a story for Hinduism Today on neem.

You will be happy to know that India has won it’s ten-year long battle to void the US granted patent on an anti-fungal product, Neemix, made by multinational WR Grace.

India’s 2000-year-old knowledge of neem and its properties will remain free and open to the world! Read about it in HPI