It is Sun One again of our second phase of Sadhu Paksha. Bodhinatha is off for a five day trip to Toronto with Sannyasin Yoginathaswami. Here he presents his passport as part of our long-standing mandatory last minute check for “all documents on board?” before departure.

A short video of the departure follows.

It’s Sadhu Paksha at the monastery, and the morning routine is quite different.

Monks rise early and individually find a place for their early sadhanas, a cave or tree, a stream or waterfall.

Among the temple gardens lie many opportunities.

One monk took a journey to Muruga Hill, passing the special observation glasses that allow many visitors to see Iraivan from a distance.

Along the trails.

Past the Guru Peedam where we normally meditate before dawn.

A bromeliad greets us.

Then out past Iraivan Temple.

Down the Straight Path to God, San Marga.

And finally to the base of Muruga Hill.

It is covered with bamboo, since Lord Muruga loves bamboos.

And on top is a 12-foot Shakti Vel.

It’s made of black granite and sits in a low lava rock shrine.

Here one can sit in bliss, at the feet of the Lord of Yoga.

Someone has tied a sacred cloth around the shaft.

The blade represents three things: Muruga’s three shaktis, love, action and wisdom.

Bamboo nearby provides shade for the pilgrims.

And other plants offer beauty. A golden sansevera.

From atop the hill, you can see the pastures where our cows graze each day.

Looking the other way, toward Iraivan, you see the forests.

By 7am our meditations and japa yoga and such are done and we gather in the temple. Today we said good bye to Bodhinatha and Yoginathaswami, who are traveling to Toronto today.

Bodhinatha blesses each one for the day.

At 11:30 we went off to say aloha to them both. You can watch the video and see Paramacharya Ceyonswami offering naivediam to the bali peedam and see Bodhinatha depart for the airport as the monks wish him well on this short journey. Just four nights.

A Peppermint anthurium shows its Siva-Shakti colors.

The sun is shining again today. Here is a short video of the bali peetham arati which is the last rite of the daily morning nitya siva puja.

Then later in the morning monks gather to see Bodhianatha off to Toronto.

Have a wonderful trip! See you all again in five days.

Meanwhile dropping into the Banyan Mandapam on the way back to the monastery we are looking at newly renovated displays prepared by Sadhaka Dandapani. He has been putting in time on retreats to prepare beautiful wooden frames for laminated posters. It is a much needed upgrade for this area which hosts 100’s of visitors each week who pass through.

Many of you have downloaded the new Hinduism Today Digital Edition. Of course, the magazine content has been developed by our team here with the help of many around the world and the prototype for remote client architecture as well. But the “under the hood” programming that makes this modern-day remote internet “iTunes For Your Hinduism Today PDFs” application work was done by a brilliant young man in Niteroi Brasil who was have been working with for over a year… his name is Andre Alves Garzia. To thank him for all his excellent and hard work we did a remote catering job, by having gourmet vegetarian Indian dinner sent to his home from the Natraj Restaurant in Rio DeJaniero. Here is Andre at the dinner table.

Though Andre is not a Hindu, Brasil is a very multi-cultural place and he is learning more about Hinduism as he works with the monks on IT projects.

Long ago Lord Ganesha came to him somehow, before we even met him and Andre keeps Ganesha by his bed.

On the left if Guilda Antao, who is an Indian lady from Goa who went to Brasil years ago and started the Natraj restaurant. When she got a phone call all the way from Hawaii requesting a meal be send to the Garzia family she was amazed! She personally took responsibility to deliver the meal with one of her helpers, driving 1.5 hours from Rio to Niteroi, which is a small town across the bay. Here she is at the stove with her assistant Lucia in the stripped green shirt, Andre’s mother in the orange dress and another Lucia on the right who helps the Garzia household.

It looks like a gourmet meal from Natraj restaurant.

This is Andre’s mother Alves, with a copy of “Monks Cookbook” in her hands and his father Clovis who just had a birthday two days ago but was away on business in another part of Brasil on duty for the National Brasilian Oil Company. He came home this evening, just in time for a this surprise dinner. Happy birthday Clovis!

It’s an interesting fulfillment of Gurudeva’s vision of “hands across the world,” and a magical coincidence that food from Natraj, was delivered to a home where Lord Ganesha lives and served by an Indian Amma from Goa in honor of a young man far away who is helping with Hinduism Today. How magical is that?

Thanks to Andre for the excellent job on the Digital Edition of Hinduism Today, and to his mother and father for raising such a fine young man and letting him help us!