Sun Five Today. The Ganapati Kulam gave its report for this phase. It was simple: All eyes and hands focused on completion of the July issue of Hinduism Today, plus some projects including reprinting of Loving Ganesha and Lemurian Scrolls in Malaysia, digital edition details, archiving Gurudeva’s thousands of inspired talks, our newest book, “What Is Hinduism?” and more

As Gurudeva would so often say with a wry smile, “Ho, hum, another day in paradise.”

It’s Sun 5 and Palaniswami and Yoginathaswami drive out for the weekly review of work that is underway at the Iraivan temple.

Climbing the ladders to the roof where the team is focused lately.

They are installing stones along the roofline.

Great view from here. A view no one will have again when the temple is completed.

With small bars, they move the 500-pound stones into place with great precision.

Here you get a glimpse of the “snake course,” which surrounds the temple at the roof level. This snake represents the kundalini of man, his mystical spiritual force.

Lots of care to assure the stones are perfectly level.

If one stone is wrong, it multiplies the problem of fitting every other stone down the line.

Vellaiasamy takes a close look.

Nearby the first of six crocodile rain spouts is secured. Rains on the roof will exit through his mouth.

Yoginathaswami shows the inside of the crock, where the water will enter a channel leading to his mouth.

Carefully designed so it can be easily cleared should leaves clog the opening.

Two stones being brought together.

Karuppiah poses for our camerman.

A giant wooden mallot, about 18 inches long at the head, serves to nudge stones without chipping them.

The small wedges serve to level the stones during the fitting process.

This morning our amma, Vicki Hamilton, arrived for a ten-day stay on Kauai. She and son Yogi Japendranatha enjoyed some green tea in the Mango Mandapam.

Welcome, Vicki. We’ve been looking forward to your arrival.

We showcase today an intricate colored pencil artwork by Natarajnathaswami, of Ganesha, Lord of the Muladhara chakra, seen below with its four petals. The three worlds are here, and on the left a great rishi is ascending in his body of light to the Siva Loka where the mahadevas await his arrival.

A detailed close-up of the lower corner showing the intricacy of this art.

A small note from our Bangalore village where Iraivan is being carved.

Our site manager, Jiva Rajasankara, has lived at the Iraivan village in Bangalore for 13 years. Each day, without fail, he guides the complicated tasks of the quarrymen, the carvers, the shippers and architects. He also teaches from Gurudeva’s trilogy, so the families have a spiritual dimension to their hard-working lives. Each morning Jiva brings all the sculptors together for a 6:30am puja and some bhajan singing.

Jiva was inspired today to feed the monks of Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, in honor of his father who has passed away. It is a tradition in the East to feed the monks to bring blessings to the family.

Jiva’s wife, Kanmani, is a stalwart strength to the Iraivan project and her family. One of her loves is animals, which she raises in the family home at the site. Her dog, Mushika, is seen above with Jiva on the bench and also at the morning satsang. And here she is with the family parrot and two little squirrels.