It is Sun Four Today and also Ashram Sadhana Day for this month. The monks have been cleaning all morning.

The Siddhidata Kulam shared news at lunch. Yoginathaswami says that the last pillar of Iraivan will be raised up in about 10 days. Preparations for setting the base have begun.

As we write TAKA today, Paramacharya Palaniswami and Yogi Jivanandanatha are in Shanghai talking with ShiWen about translations of Gurudeva’s trilogy into Chinese. We bring you a slide show from their stay in Mumbai.

A lovely Tamil family from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (r/l) Sharmini who just graduated from the University in NY; her father Kalandavelu Ilankovan and mother, Kala; their son Ashok who is attending college in Boston; Kala’s sister, Bakialakshmi and mother, Suseela.

All enjoyed a beautiful morning puja, a tour of the Iraivan Temple where they discussed various aspects of temple building with the Silpis, and a special audience with Bodhinatha. Happiness shining in her eyes, Kala stated “Oh what a wonderful morning it has been for us all! We are so very grateful.”

Also on tour was a biochemistry teacher from Holland, Laetitia Noordhuizen, who is very interested in Saivism, the Vedas and the Tamil culture. Many of her students are Tamil. Laetitia felt a “great appreciation for the interconnectedness of it all. . . So many questions were answered for me today” she said. “I feel very blessed.”

The Statewide 20th Convention of eleven of the Jodo Mission Temples was held on the Island of Kauai this year hosted by the Koloa and Kapaa Jodo Missions. Today eight Buddhist Priests arrived with forty women Fujinkai Buddhist devotees from the other Hawaiian Islands to visit the Iraivan Temple.

The eight priests pose near the temple entrance; Gensho Hara (Lahaina), Koji Ezaki (Haleiwa), Yubun Narashiba (Honolulu), Wajra Wanson (Kirtis Town), Junshin Miyazaki (Hawaii), Hiroki Maeda (Honolulu) Kosen Ishikawa (Koloa) and Kobun Yachi (Hilo).

All were amazed at the beautiful handcarved white granite temple and watched the silpis at work with great interest.

Following the tour everyone visited the Kadavul Siva Temple where many had questions regarding the deities, Lord Ganesha, God Siva, the Tandava poses, Vedic astrology, the homa, temple worship, Nandi and the Kodimaram. All appeared to feel quite at home in the temple with some discovering with delight Nada Budake, the Buddhist Deva, beside Lord Ganesha’s shrine.

Later in the afternoon we said our farewells to these delightful guests as they departed for other destinations.