Bodhinatha was busy today, talking to all the monks, making his last-minute preparations for a journey to San Antonio, Texas tonight. So many things to coordinate.

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END OF PHASE
Today is the last day of our phase.
This edition of TAKA will remain posted
over our coming two-day retreat,
until Dasami Tithi, Sun One, Saturday, May 6th.

Sadhaka Dandapani is helping with the arrangements.

Bodhinatha also held meetings on Hinduism Today, on future pans for articles and outreach, and more.

Some wonderful events are planned for Texas and he is taking a special talk on Lord Siva.

Computers were an important part of the day in the Ganapati Kulam.

Vicki Hamilton and Yogi Japendranatha look at the open Apple XServe. Visiting Apple Computer technician, Carmel Hawn, is changing out the logic board.

Yogi is responsible for the server, which is our central brain for the many projects that the monastery undertakes, so he is naturally curious how it is going.

Vicki and son took a tour of Iraivan Temple afterwards. Lots of progress since our mom’s last visit.

Meanwhile, out in the Sacred Rudraksha Forest, the only one in the Western world that we know of.

The forest is used by pilgrims, and is a sheltered corner of the San Marga Sanctuary, open daily from 6 to 6.

Bodhinatha wants to have a better barrier to soften the traffic on nearby Kuamoo Road.

So we are planting several hundred Mock Orange trees to make a thick hedge.

John Anderson brought his Bob Cat to dig a trench for the hedge.

Also new is the Arid or Desert Garden, not far from Rishi Valley.

Palaniswami and Satya Subramaniam are placing rocks and planting small arids.

When they mature, they will make for some spectacular viewing. This is an agave.

A “Frosted Cookie Cactus.”

A yucca up close.

And back at the Aadheenam, our renovated heated fresh water aquarium now has some amazing Diskus fish from the Amazon. A short video on our new companions.