Sun Three today of a quiet phase. Saravananathaswami and Sadhaka Dandapani reported on their multi-dimensional activities in the Ekadanta Kulam.

Swami has been working with the young men who were here on taskforce before, helping them with their conversion process into Hinduism. Several of them eagerly want to return to pursue monastic life. Joe Chikiar in Chicago is now Rajan Shankara.

Sadhaka Dandapani has been busy hosting guests and working on high-tech digitized Master Course materials, turning evaluation sheets into interactive PDFs that can be checked off in your computer and then returned here via e-mail.

They both are working on plans for Bodhinatha’s travels in the months ahead.

Did you ever think that Iraivan was a new temple? Perhaps, but keep in mind that the stones are millions of years old! This photo was taken at the quarry outside of Bengalulu (the new name for the city of Bangalore) where Iraivan stones are cut from the bedrock.

In our on-going experiments with media presentation models, we hope you enjoy today’s Banyan Slideshow (click to view in a new window)

Welcome back to the Spiritual Park of Mauritius… grand preparation is actually in process for the celebration of Lord Ganesha’s Divine Birthday: Ganesha Chaturthi on the coming September 16, a public holiday in the island.

A Sivachariya is being hired to perform the ceremony which is starting at 9.00 Am to end by 5.30 PM with ‘visarjana’, the ceremonious immersion of clay Ganesha murthis into the ocean. Thousands of devotees are being expected on that day.

Lord Palani inside our main building, served for meetings and classes supervises all our Guru’s works at the Park. Recently kulapaties met to plan for activities at the Sunday Ganapati Homa and Ganesha Chaturthi.

The Holy Vel inside a quarzt crystal reminds us of our origin from the Pleiades as explained by Gurudeva in the “Lemurian Scrolls”.

With the large number of devotees increasing at each Ganapati Homa, our stewards of the Spiritual Park are now thinking and planning ahead to better serve all visitors attending so that they leave the Spiritual Park for home they are happy and uplifted…

New works around the small Pancha Mukha Ganapati Shrine… Interlocking bricks will be placed all around to maintain cleanliness over the place…

Sishya Yudananda Munian has been looking for sponsors for the bricks. These will help keep the whole place neat with the thousands of devotees walking all over to offer ‘archanas’.

Kulapaties have now developed a roster system with members and students helping to attend to all activities during Sunday Homa…everyone will lovingy attend to his/her share of seva.

This year unlike the previous years, Ganesha Chaturthi will culminate with the ‘visarjana’ ceremony, that is the immersion of clay Ganeshas into the ocean. A procession will leave the Ganesha Mandapam to reach the La Pointe Waterfront…

A view of the waterfront…

The place is clean and provides enough space to cater for a large crowd on September 16…. Lord Muruga will overseer the whole ceremony from the Pavillion on the upper grounds….

Where the river meets the sea…. and where Gurudeva had a mystic vision of Lord Ganapati!

Families are invited to make small Ganesha murthis out of clay for this visarjana occasion.

A few sishyas led by Kulapati Kulagan responsible for religious and cultural activities, who is the main coordinator for the whole event have made a site visit last Sunday to look into all aspects of the festival. One area, other than the religious ceremony is the sponsorship and serving of food on Ganesha Chaturthi. Kulapati SK Moorghen is being assigned to coordinate this part working with sponsors from devotees coming regularly to the Park.

Many Hindu families came today which was a tour day at the Aadheenam.

Here is the the Mrunal Padmaja Patel family with daughter Pooja. They are reading the daily lesson out loud as a family, and are inspired to take Bodhinatha as their “living Satguru.” They have been here several times before.

Ramesh and Sujata Sachdeva family with their two children Siva and Simran and their nanny (young lady, right) from Wisconsin,

Both families are here for the third or fourth time and enjoy the Master Course study.

Satya and Amrika Reddy arrived from Trinidad and Tobago and are related to Ashwini Ranganathan who is a distributor for Hinduism Today in that region. Amrika is a High Court Judge in Trinidad.

They were present for the morning abhishekam in the Kadavul Temple. This was followed by a meeting with Paramacharya Palaniswami and a tour of the Iraivan Temple and grounds. Satya and Amrika thoroughly enjoyed their first visit here and plan to return.

A beautiful summer day!

Here is Vishwanatha and Gayathri Akella from Michigan and their two children Keshav (age 7) and Keerthana (age 8) who enjoyed a wonderful tour of the Iraivan Temple and the grounds, including the swayambhu lingam and lotus ponds.

Satya and Amrika high above the Nani Kaua pond and waterfall with the north fork of the Wailua River in the background.

Touring Iraivan, San Marga and the Narmada Lingam

Kulapati Easan Katir presents “What Is Hinduism” to 100 plus attendees of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh summer camp in Sacramento, California

The book is being hailed by all as a Godsend publication for teaching and learning Sanatana Dharma.

Sun One arrived after a 3-day retreat. Bodhinatha gave another inspiring discourse after this morning’s homa on Merging with Siva, coming to you later this phase.

Dora Kovak’s brother in Eastern Europe is an engineer who is trying art for the first time in his life. He is also studying Merging with Siva, so he chose Gurudeva as the subject of his first work, a charcoal drawing.

Today’s homa…

Bodhinatha read from “Merging with Siva,” lesson 132 from the chapter on Love of the Gods and gave his commentary.

Our two traveling swami’s have been away from the internet until just yesterday when they finally were able to send us some photos for TAKA.

“We stayed first at Kulapati Guhan Sivalingam’s home in Klang. Aravindraj, Gowri and Maruthu stopped by to discuss plans for fund-raising for Iraivan Temple’s floor. Bodhinatha gave the Malaysian congregation the mission of gathering sponsorships for all the floor stones.

Dr. Maruthu Pandyan Dharmalingam, despite 24-hour days on call, is like a tiger. He is doing a wonderful job of heading up the fund-raising committee and looking after every detail.

Aravindraj’s son, Jagdish, came with us to the Siva temple in Puchong. He’s a lot of fun to be around, and he loves to be around the Swamis. A very religious child, he does puja several times a day in the family home. He’s so much like a monk, but in a tiny body.

Here is the group at the Siva temple in Puchong, the second temple we visited on this trip. This is a very small, humble temple, but it is like an oasis. When you enter the gate into the compound, it’s like passing into the inner worlds. The group of about 60 was so attentive.

Most of the people who attend these village temples have never heard of Gurudeva, Bodhinatha or the Aadheenam before. Swami begins each talk with an introduction to us and our work. The main message of the yamas and niyamas, Hinduism’s code of conduct, the foundation for spiritual progress, is given in simple Tamil so that they can easily understand.

After each talk, the devotees come up to receive from the Swamis vibhuti prasadam, a small picture of Gurudeva and a flyer with descriptions of the yamas and niyamas in Tamil.

Yoginathaswami and Senthilnathaswami stand with the priests of the Siva temple in Puchong.

Next that night was the Puchong Maha Mariamman Temple. Kulapati Appasamy Kuppusamy gave a wonderful opening address.

There were 100 or more in attendance at this temple. It was Saturday night.

Once again, Yoginathaswami does an excellent job of conveying the teachings of the restraints and observances so necessary to making consistent progress on the spiritual path. It is a first for Saiva Siddhanta Church to send a Tamil-speaking Swami to Malaysia to give lectures. The people love him.

On Sunday we departed on a two-day journey up north to Perak state. On the way Swami gave his talk at a Maha Mariamman temple in Batang Berjuntai. Then we proceeded onward to Sitiawan. Here we are at the Sri Manjung Meenatchi Sockalingeswarar temple. This once-a-shack shrine is growing into a quite popular temple.

More than 100 attended the Sunday night talk here.

Mr. Lingam (left) is the brains and power behind the temple’s recent advancement. The retired Navy officer is a trustee of the temple from only 18 months ago. In that short time, he has overseen the restructuring of the finances and rising of the temple out of debt, setting up of a consistent schedule of ceremonies and founding of classes for both adults and children.

Here is the temple’s chariot, jury-rigged on top of a retired military gun cart.

Mr. Lingam also expanded the temple compound, building a new main shrine for the Sivalingam. He is now working on plans for a completely Agamic temple structure to be built in the same format as the great Meenakshi-Sundareswarar temple in Madurai, India. Every morning a small group of close devotees gets together in the temple for a puja and chanting of an affirmation. The affirmation is building the vibration for the fund-raising and building of the new temple.

Yoginathaswami and Senthilnathaswami stand with the temple’s priest. He is 21 years old and was trained by Pichai Gurukkal at Pillaiyarpatti in Tamil Nadu. He is so dedicated and sweet, an unusually content priest. He reflects Pichai Gurukkal’s successful teaching style so well.

(left to right) Balu Devado and Appasamy Kuppusamy, our companions on our trip up north; Senthilnathaswami; the temple priest; Yoginathaswami; veterinarian Dr. Murugaya, the temple’s vice president

As part of a whirlwind tour of five homes in Sitiawan, we visited Shanta Devi Muniandy’s home. Here we are out front with her auntie, mother, sister and niece, good friend Vinod, and our travel companions.

Here is a picture of Bodhinatha in Malaysia… meanwhile our “away team” Yoginathaswami and Senthilnathaswami are having a great time in Malaysia too. Senthilnathaswami is “texting” us today:

Morning three temples just worshiping in Klang with Guhan
Fun Q and A session with Barathy’s kids class
Two wonderful temples in Puchong last night
One Siva temple was so small but such a strong vibration, like another world. Welcoming pada puja for both of us.
Beautiful little community, excellent talk, Swami is very good at this and so well received. Then Mariamman temple, talk there also, prasadam, got back after 11pm
On our way now to Batang Berjuntai, then Manjong-Sitiawan and Telok Batik for the night

Senthilnathaswami

Suresh and Anusha Nair and daughter, Janini were among our Hindu guests. Joining them is Anusha’s brother, Arjunan. They are visiting us from Lancaster, California. They are readers of Hinduism Today and thoroughly enjoyed their visit here yesterday and today. Young Janini’s highlight was feeding the fish. She said this is her favorite temple.

Sadhaka Adinatha shares with us the state of our garden. With hot summer sun, irrigation and careful management, it is bursting with produce.

This young cabbage is a 36 inches wide, a record, for our garden!

These asparagus or yardlong beans from China are a vibrant red color and grow abundantly in our summer weather.

The hedge in the middle of the photo is a very tasty green from Malaysia. It grows with very little care or attention and can be cut and the leaves stripped for cooking. Within weeks it grows back to its original size.

Swiss Chard is one of our most beautiful and abundant greens with leaves often as along as 30 inches.

We grow our own ginger, shown here, as well as turmeric, cilantro, parsley, basil, oregano and other herbs.

Did you every wonder why they are called eggplants?

Red Russian Kale is a wonderful hardy plant that grows with minimal care and provides us with an abundance of nutritious, tasty greens. Thank you, Kale!

Each summer brings us an abundance of these large okra.

Local tree trimmers deliver large piles of wood and coconut tree chips which we use for mulch and compost. Once the piles decompose they make a valuable amendment for the tropical clay soil.

Fresh sun ripened cucumbers are a regular and welcome addition to our salads.

In the US, Amaranth is generally known as a plant from the Andes. It grows quite tall and produces large heads of seeds which can be used for flour. However in the orient, it is a popular and delicious green vegetable. This is one of the best varieties, with large red leaves. We generally have about seven different kinds of greens in the garden and a fresh green curry every day for lunch.

“Summertime” lettuce is a vigorous head lettuce that continues to produce throughout the hot summer weather, providing fresh salads throughout the year.

Soon a large “Panchamukha Ganapati” murthi will stand atop this square surrounded with flower and herb beds.

Mauritius pumpkin is another easy to grow plant here in Hawaii. In Mauritius they often use the tips of the vine as a nutritious green. Here we use it only for the pumpkin which has a hard thick shell and is rarely damaged by the fruit flies that destroy our attempts at growing squash.

Seedlings are started in the nursery and then transplanted out to the garden. The tomato plants are being kept under the tent where they receive less attention from fruit flies and less damage from heavy rains. It is all overseen by the small Ganesha in the back. Some small papaya trees are on the far right.

Lychees are a welcome addition to our diet. Three different varieties fruit consecutively so that we have a constant source of fruit throughout the summer.

Each year at this time, Palaniswami makes Aums and borders for Hinduism Today magazine. We thought today you would like to see how he does it.

This motif was found on a card in Mauritius in May and copied. Then this morning he reengineered it on the right.

In India he saw an Aum on top of a deity’s head, and photographed it in low res. Then retooled in a modern idiom.

In a New Delhi shop he and Yogi Jivanandanatha saw this T-shirt for sale, and asked the owner if it could be photographed. She allowed it, and the T-shirt is now an aum for the magazine.

Then on the wall of Exotic India in Mumbai they saw this wooden Aum and photographed it, to make the circular one on the right.

Finally, in another craft shop a lovely orange and red cloth was spotted, and captured. From the design, the multi-colored contemporary Pranava Aum (on top) was constructed in Illustrator CS3.

Maruti Ram and Geeta Vani Gudavalli, and along with their daughter Manisha are here on pilgrimage from Chicago. They’ve been attending the 9am Siva puja daily and today attended the Chitra padapuja for Gurudeva. They also had a wonderful meeting with Bodhinatha with some very well thought out questions written down in advance.

It was another beautiful day at the Aadheenam. Photos of the Chitra puja and flag raising for the new season speak for themselves. We will excerpt as usual the guidelines for the new season, from our Saiva Dharma Shastras:

117 The Second Season: Jivana Ritau

During Jivana Ritau, the rainy season, from mid-August to mid-December, Living with Siva: Hinduism s Contemporary Culture is the primary text. The key word of this season is work. The colors are rust, copper-maroon and all shades of red rust for earthy preservation, copper-maroon for fulfillment and red for physical energy. The Aadheenam’s 40-foot flag pole flies the rust-colored dhvaja, symbolizing environmental care. Copper-maroon and all shades of red adorn our smaller flags.

This is the season of honoring and showing appreciation for those in the vanaprastha ashrama, life s elder advisor stage. The focus is on preserving what has been created, manifesting goals and fulfilling plans made in the past. Inwardly the emphasis is on direct cognition and caring for the practical details of the external world. Practicality is a word much used this season.

In the monasteries and the missions, there is a big push on studying the sutras of Living with Siva and these Saiva Dharma Shastras. The format of the mission satsanga changes into one that in fact helps everyone live and breathe with Lord Siva through personal adjustment to the aphorisms of Living with Siva, which define tradition, culture and protocol. Gurukulams are established or renewed to teach the 64 kalas for boys and girls.

All work hard to perfect and strengthen Saivite culture in the life of each member. Kulamatas, grihinis and their daughters should think ahead and make plans to send talented children to dancing, singing and art schools for special courses, and ponder ways to make this possible through scholarships and special funds. It is a time of building and repairing and caring for what has been built, planted or created in any realm of life.

It is a physical time, of exercise and exertion in the Bhuloka, a magnetic time for action and willpower, of finishing all jobs started since the first ritau. On the farm, there is harvesting of the land’s fruits as we celebrate abundance. In the missions during Jivana Ritau, the shishyas can form tirukuttams, and thereby visit students’ homes, see how they live and meet their families.

119 Festivals, Realms of the Second Season

Krittika Dipa is a major festival of Jivana Ritau. This grand event, conducted by the family missions, is open to members, Academy students and to special guests by invitation, including honored dignitaries of the island, neighbors and friends of the Church. Ganesha Chaturthi and Skanda Shashthi are also conducted by shishyas on the Island.

The Aadheenam Realms of this period are: 1) San Marga, the straight path to God, with its rudraksha, neem, konrai and bilva forests, and Agni Mandapam. 2) The Wailua River, with its Nani Kaua Waterfall and Pond, Bali Hai Falls and Ganga Sadhana Ghats. 3) Pihanakalani Trail a legendary Hawaiian path toward the volcano, beginning at the Aadheenam and continuing past the Orchid Pavilion of Religions to the Teak Tree Turnaround at the edge of Rainbow Amphitheater.

400 Jivana Ritau Bhajana Satsanga

Jivana Satsanga is from mid-August to mid-December. This is the season when those in the vanaprastha ashrama are especially honored. All turn their attention to the special gifts of knowledge and experience that are the legacy of our elders in the community. We listen to their vision, their high-minded work in the broader community in guiding the dharma within the broader social and spiritual and political arenas. We encourage garlands to be brought to these satsangas, then offered with words of kindness and respect to those who have been through so much and who now have an awakening wisdom by which all within the Church can be guided along the right path by those among us who have grown naturally into the subtle duties of vanaprastha dharma.

Gudavalli’s worshipping at the Narmada Lingam

Mr. and Mrs. Ranganathan with daughter and grandson from Washington D.C. meeting with Bodhinatha. They are devotees of the Maryland Murugan Temple. Mrs. Ranganathan is very eager to teach Saiva Siddhanta to the younger generation and contributes articles to Murugan Temple newsletter.

Rangan and Lakshmi Padmanabhan from Texas were among our many guests today. It’s their 3rd visit to the island and our aadheenam and they were quite amazed by the progress on Iraivan Temple since their last visit here. They also had an opportunity to meet with Bodhinatha and share their thoughts with him.

It was tour day today. One of our guests makes a sketch of Iraivan

Another 100 visitors today….

Raji Sivaparan sends seven photos and captions from Bodhinatha visit to the Jeyendran home in Chicago.

Pada Puja is being performed to Satguru Bodhinatha
Veylanswami.

Theepa Aarathi is being performed

Satguru Bodhinatha is blessing a 1 month old Sumithra Luxmi Sivakadadsan.

Satguru Bodhinatha, Shanmuganathaswami and Dr. R.S. Jeyendran.

Satguru Bodhinatha gave a talk and answered questions.

Satguru Bodhinatha with the children.

Satguru Bodhinatha is blessing Kirthika Jeyendran and other devotees.

Our monthly August Ganesha Homa at the Spiritual Park of Mauritius was held on the first Sunday of the month. As usual it is a big religious event for thousands of devotees who unfailingly attend to recharge their spiritual batteries at the Holy Feet of Lord Pancha Mukha Ganapati.

The first devotees arrive at the small Pancha Mukha Ganapati Shrine where sishyas lovingly attend to their offerings…. At peak moments a huge crowd is seen around this shrine….

Meanwhile other devotees are seated inside the Mandapam ….

A little rain is falling outside, but the devotees stayed in their place…

Bhajans start to build up the devotional vibration…

After the homa, time for testimonies. Here is Venilla from Malaysia giving a testimony about an event related to her husband at the airport for which Lord Ganesha answered her prayers.

Kulapaties Manon, Koothan, Moorghen and Kulagan sit around the homa. Hundreds of notes are burnt into the fire…

Another lady talked about how Lord Ganesha helped her son to pass a tough examination with distinction at a medical college in UK. She came to the Park today with an offering to thank Lord Ganapati!

Kulapati Manon reading one of Bodhinatha’s Talk to the public….

Two enrolled Master Course students, Sanjay and Chaya. Sanjay is a University lecturer in Mauritius.

Bala and Poobarlene having some lunch after a busy time helping at the small Ganapati Shrine.

One of the busy food stations where food is sponsored by the public.

One of Bodhinatha’s students, Adisankara giving a musical performance at MGI auditorium during which were officially released his own books, DVD and CD.

Those items were released on that day… Kulapati Manon officially launched the DVD show which was recorded in Chennai.

Back to our Ganesha Mandapam at the Park. A quiet atmosphere prevailing…

Our youth are there for their Saivite Hindu Religion class. Today’s lesson was on “Truthfulness”… from one of Satguru Bodhinatha’s Talk.

Sadhu Paksha Continues

Bodhinatha is back. Today Shanmuganathaswami shared news of their trip. He felt one of the most significant things was meeting so many wonderful people in the satsangs that were held in different homes. Getting to know and be with the Hindu community, face-to-face has so many benefits for all.

At home today the monks spent their morning cleaning as this was the monthly Ashram Sadhana day.

Yoginathaswami at the air port, departing with Senthilnathaswami for a satsang-with-devotees sojourn in Malaysia and then on to India for some key meetings for the work on Iraivan Temple, and finally, to come home on September 3rd or so, with all our silpi crew.

They left early this morning at 5 AM… and they are in transit Honolulu, Tokyo, Taipei arriving in Kuala Lumpur late tomorrow evening.

We want to thank those who have emailed or called us expressing their concern for our welfare in the face of a possible hurricane.

The good news is that Flossie has dissipated considerably and is now classed as a Tropical Storm. She is still far south of the islands and will pass beneath Kauai tonight.

There is little chance that we will be at all affected. In fact the anticipated heavy winds and much needed rain have not manifested. Perhaps we will get some tonight. But we are, and expect to remain, all safe and sound.

Bodhinatha and Shanmuganathaswami arrived home late this afternoon after a very successful mission.

Meanwhile, What Is Hinduism book is making waves out there in the big wide world. Here is recent review:

Rakesh Bhandari, anesthesiologist in London, Canada who teaches medical students and is very passionate about proper pain control in medicine. He said many doctors don’t provide proper pain control. He loved the medical ethics section, especially on pain management. He said excitedly, “I now have support from my roots for what I do every day.”

“I ordered six books and I would like to order 100 more. Fantastic Book. It’s helped me explain my roots to myself and to people who are interested in the mother of all civilizations–Hinduism. It’s the best book I have seen in last 30 years on this topic. And it is contemporary and people can relate to all that is in the book. I have given it to my kids, I have given it to some of my friends and to everyone I meet I like to give this book. The book is so wonderful you can just pick anywhere and read.”

Ganesh bell at the beginning of Tiruneri…

All the monks go to greet our returning team.

Shama hosted a group of seniors today at Iraivan, she writes:

Kuule (far right) organized a special first-time visit for eighteen members of the Kekaha Senior Center. A very bright and happy group with a deep appreciation for their tour of the Iraivan Temple today. This was also true of the botanical gardens filled with plants and trees from all over the world and lotus ponds brimming with koi fish and beautiful lotus flowers.

Some of our Kekaha guests on the ‘people-mover.’

Today Bodhinatha, flew to Chicago for an evening Satsang at the home of Dr. Jeyendran. He gave a talk and answer questions.

Yesterday, Bodhinatha joined over 200 executives from 97 temples and Hindu Organizations from 25 states of US, Canada and the Caribbean converged in Edison, New Jersey, for the Hindu Mandir Executives Conference (HMEC) – 2007.

Bodhinatha was one of the guest speakers. He gave a 55 minute presentation on mixed religious marriage and Hindu pride. It was well received.

In the concluding session of the Conference, the delegates agreed on a series of action items and passed the following resolutions unanimously for consideration of their temple’s boards.

Resolution 1
We, the Hindu Mandirs of America: Commend the US Congress in general and Senator Harry Reid in particular for taking the courageous act of inviting Shri Rajen Zed to perform the invocation for Senate session with a Hindu Prayer. We will work together, and work with public institutions to enhance the presence of Hindu traditions in public sphere.

Resolution 2
We, the Hindu Mandirs of America: Will work together and with US Governmental agencies to ensure that the upcoming eligibility criteria for issuance of R1 Visa by US authorities Hindu “religious workers” does not adversely impact the operations and effectiveness of Hindu Mandirs.

Resolution 3
We, the Hindu Mandirs of America: Agree to adopt and promote within the US school system the Hindu Dharma supplement published by Hinduism Today. An action committee shall be constituted to enhance the dissemination and sustenance of this effort.

He returns to Kauai tomorrow afternoon.

The base for the Maha Sphatika Lingam of Iraivan will be cast at the end of this month, about two weeks from today. We have this news from India from Selvanathan Sthapati.

“I am very happy to write that the Maha avudaiyar is forming to a divine beauty with the wax mould. It is getting ready for the metal casting process.”

I have attached a few pictures taken during my inspection visit to Swamimalai.

The casting process will be started with the kandam part, that is the middle part of the avudaiyar.

The mahapadmam (lotus design) of the base with other embellishments will be carved after the casting process. But I have shown it with chalk piece to have a better view for Rev Swami.

Sadhu Paksha continues for three more days…

~~~~~~~~~~~
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 Prathama Tithi, Sun One, Monday, August 13th.

Bodhinatha and Shanmuganathaswami send this brief summary of their visit to Phoenix, Arizona. Their visit to this Southwest corner of the USA was to meet with Chellappa and Banu Deva, Rajendra and Subhashini Poonjolai, Vignesh and Darshini Sukumaran, Munnu and Rajni Bajpai, Chowdary and Radhikadevi Koripella and other members of the Hindu community of greater Phoenix.

Their visit include an evening at the Deva’s residence in Mesa where the priest of the Maha Ganapati temple and Chellappa performed a pada puja for Bodhinatha. Bodhinatha gave an inspired talk followed by a question and answer session.

Bodhinatha and the group visited the Ekta Bharathiya Mandir, now in construction, and then proceeded on an inner outing to the New Age community of Sedona Arizona where they enjoyed the beauty and peace of these sacred lands of the Southwest, USA. They were impressed with the change in the flora and landscape along the way as the scenery changed from Barrel and Saguaro cactus to red rock formations to pine trees and bubbling streams. This is an area which is conducive to reflecting on the sacredness of life and a land which has been in the highest esteem of the native American Indian tribes of this region. Gurudeva, Bodhinatha and all the monks have always been close to our brother Hopi, Apache, Pima, Comanche and other tribes.

Our small band of pilgrims visited the home of Jai Seecharran and his wife chandran who immigrated from Guyana many years ago. Jai was instrumental in building a temple in Des Moines, Iowa, and when he moved to Phoenix to be near his family, he collaborated with other like-minded Hindus in the area to build the Ekta Bharathiya Mandir. While visiting the Seecharran home various topics were discussed such as vegetarianism and the four denominations of Hinduism.

The video below also includes our first evening in Maryland, Satsang at the home of Nigel Siva Subramaniam along with other devotees of the Murugan temple in the area.

Shanmuganathaswami sends this series of uncaptioned photos.

A shot from yesterday’s quarterly meeting of the Ganapati Kulam where they strategize the future of publications and media development.

Yogi Jivananandanatha informs us that you can eat virtually all parts of the lotus, so what is a feast for the eyes will be come a feast for the table in the years to come when they are out of control and need to be thinned out.

Puna K. Dawson (center/back) is Resident Services Manager of the Mutual Housing Association of Hawaii. She is well-known to the Swamis for her wonderful charitable work. Today she arrived with thirty-five other selfless souls who have given of their free-time to help build affordable housing for two thousand five hundred needy people on Kauai and Oahu.

Our guests enjoyed a special tour of the Iraivan Temple and nearby lotus ponds filled with beautiful yellow and pink, larger than life, lotus flowers. A quiet moment in Kadavul Temple and then off to a meeting for their next charitable project.