"I studied English as a language, too, you know. A split infinity is when you are standing looking forward into an endless future, and you turn around and see back into a beginningless past."

GURUDEVA

It's Sun 4 on Kauai, and we all gathered wit h Gurudeva to make a long phone call to our four monks in Mauritius, two who are there permanently and two who will be leaving in a few days to return to Kauai. They are meeting with all our dedicated members all over that island, who have set such a fine example of Saivite living and culture and inner striving. Not only that, they built a magnificent pavilion for Lord Ganapati, the first of its kind in the little nation, of which you will hear more later. This is Gurudeva walking on the beach near Kapaa.

Nice ferns, Jivananda! These are growing on the path that leads down to the river's edge.

These Rudraksha malas are being made from our own seeds, grown on the monastery grounds. We have about 200 trees. Local ladies clean and string them for us. The top mala is interspersed with puka shells, a famous shell in this part of the world, used a lot for necklaces and bracelets.

Gurudeva gave another upadesha for today, about drugs and about the end of the world and the laws of karma. Click the Satguru Speaks button above to hear his entire talk. If you know anyone who has become involved in drugs, this would be a wonderful message to share with them.

THINGS TO PONDER TODAY

Story of Three Carpenters and How They Improved Hell

(This is a story from a TAKA visitor which he thought you would all enjoy. It's about builders and architects. We ran this yesterday, but again today since we had the wrong title and you may have missed a neat and funny story)

Three fine souls worked together for many years, a developer, an architect and a contractor. They built out many beautiful projects that provided wonderful housing and a new look for their communities. Driving out to the mountains one week-end, their car went off a cliff and they were all killed and instantly found themselves in the Devaloka. Looking around, they noticed that some of the buildings were a little worn and out-dated. So they set to work and in "no-time", some beautiful structures emerged and a new, sleek modern look came to grace their community. One day, Ganesha's Ganas were touring the area and in astonishment asked, "What's going on? Where are your permits and approved plans?" The three heroes shrugged in their usual feinted embarrassment. "Up to your old tricks again, eh?", the Ganas admonished. The three fallen saints drew meaningless designs in the sand with their toes. "You're all going to have to spend some time in the Narakaloka for this," the Ganas said. The guilty three instantly found themselves in a dirty, dark and awful place. In their usual way, they set to work and in "no-time," some beautiful structures emerged and a new, sleek modern look came to grace the (not-so-dark-anymore) Narakaloka. Some Asuras were touring the area and said, "Wow, these improvements were a long time coming, they're great and we're moving in. No permit fees, CC&Rs or transfer taxes either. Let's have a party." The developer, architect and contractor exchanged knowing looks, "Have we been here before?" they pondered. Looking down through the fog, Ganesha's Ganas discovered what was going on with the three fallen heroes and informed the Asuras, "These three have learned their lesson and now we want them back. Besides, they left some unfinished work up here (as usual) and we've sort of grown to like the 'new look' of their sleek, modern buildings." "Nothing doing," said the Asuras, "Can't have them back. We like the changes here too and we know how to make these boys feel at home." "No, no, no," said the Ganas, "They rightfully came to us first and if you don't surrender them, we'll sue you." "Is that so," replied the Asuras, "Where are you going to find any attorneys?" (This is really a story about attorneys.)