It took 13 years, a thousand (really!) emails, hundreds of conversations, sketches and new sketches and revised sketches, hundreds of chisels, journeys to India, changes even after completion, crating and shipping across the globe, and now it is (almost) done. The arrival and permanent placement of the eight major Satgurus of the noble Nandanatha Parampara.

Two months back eight concrete pads were poured, to be the locations on the 1,350-foot path which winds around the Aadheenam's lotus and water lily ponds, ready to receive our eight hand-carved Satguru statues. In order, walking clockwise, you now encounter: Nandinatha, Tirumular, Rishi from the Himalayas, Kadaitswami, Chellappaswami, Yogaswami, Gurudeva and Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami. Each has a precious and unique darshan, yet each is also the same One Illumined Soul.

Over the last few days, and with the help of master machine operator Dennis Wong, the monks, lead by Sadasivanathaswami, moved the eight Satgurus from their temporary locations around the Swayambhu Lingam to their new permanent homes in the Narmada Velley. Now when one walks the path around the ponds, they are greeted by the great sages of our lineage, each in a unique and sacred spot. Currently only four have their peedams completed, so they were placed permanently while the other four were placed just next to where they will finally reside. In December the final four bases will arrive and will be placed in Siva's Sacred Garden. Pilgrims of the future have some sweet moments awaiting them. We share some insights from Gurudeva:

"Hindu temples sustain Hinduism around the world. Scriptures keep us always reminded of the path we are on and the path we are supposed to be on, but only from the satguru can you get the spirit, the sakti, the sustaining spirit, to make it all come to life in you, to make the temple meaningful and to complement the scriptures with your own sight, your own third-eye sight. Otherwise, it’s just words. Nathas are not on the path of words. The Rishi wandered down from the Himalayas to Bangalore. What did he say? Nobody knows. Whom did he talk to? Nobody knows. Did he influence crowds of people? Perhaps, but he only had to influence one individual, Kadaitswami, to speak out to the world. Kadaitswami caught the spirit of the Rishi, who had caught the spirit of the previous rishi, the previous rishi and all the ones that preceded him. It is that spirit of sampradaya that makes the traditional teachings meaningful, that gives you the power to discriminate between what is real within those teachings and what is superfluous or just plain nonsense, that gives you the power to blend Siddhanta with Vedanta, Vedas with Agamas. The irreversible spirit of the guru carries through all of the sishyas. It is basically the only gift a guru can give—that sustaining spirit. He doesn’t have to give knowledge, because that has already been written down. He doesn’t have to build temples, because there are more than enough temples for everyone. The rare and precious gift that he can convey is the inner spirit of his religious heritage. That is his unique gift to the world.."

Its Aloha Friday here on Kauai and that means its time to enjoy the beautiful landscape. Aloha Friday is a time for the Hawaiian Islands to take it easy and look forward to the weekend. The tradition officially began in 1966 when Wilson P. Cannon Jr., a Maui boy who was president of the Bank of Hawai‘i, started wearing tropical flower shirts to the office. The monks have one more day before our time out of the office but sometimes the island vibration permeates into our walls! Ke Akua pu a hui hou

Yesterday we harvested this betel leaf from one of our vines. It's the biggest any of us have every seen, roughly two or three times the average size.

On their recent pilgrimage to Kauai Aadheenam, the Ragade family had a chance to help in our sacred gardens. Anusha and Shreya had a fun time potting a variety plants. Many of these plants are being grown for Iraivan Temple's surrounding landscape.

Molly Leon, a professional photographer, poet and blogger was one of our visitors recently and shared these beautiful photos with us. Please check her out at mollyleonstudios.com

As many temple goers know, there are always two bonsai trees kept at the corners of the Kadavul temple tank. What many don't know is that these trees are the selfless work of Tandu Sivanathan, who has been a student of the ancient bonsai art for many years. Several days ago Tandu came by to swap the previous pair of trees for some new ones.

"What we're trying for is not perfection, but improvement." Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami

"See everything you see as Siva. Do everything you do as Sivathondu. Give up this 'I' and 'mine'."
Siva Yogaswami

Recently, the monks finished the roof of Lord Ganesha's shrine in the vegetable garden. The structure has been in the works for some time and thanks to efforts of the Siddhidatta Kulam and particularly Nirvani Adinatha, it is finally complete, with the exception of the roof's ridge piece. The roof sheeting is done in copper, making for a very beautiful finish.

A few days ago, Martin, his wife Alex, Dante and his wife Ashley all arrived on Kauai. Both Martin and Dante will be here for the next three months as they work on the next phase of the landscaping project around Iraivan temple. As many of you know, they have been tasked with designing the temple's surrounding gardens in such a way that they will feel just as sacred as the temple itself. At this point the team will begin moving the giant boulders that have been acquired. Each one will be carefully placed and will be the main points from which the rest of the garden will be formed, "like the first brush strokes of a painting," as Martin says.