It's a bright fall day on the island. Pilgrims are here from California, and the young residents had a blissful hour on the Wailua River as the sun was coming up. Ananta Palani stood beside the giant bronze cauldron in the Orchid Mandapam, engaged in the sadhana of writing down past memories and burning them each day, thus demagnitizing all matters of the past, clearing the subconscious and preparing for a clear, positive future.

All the resident guests sevakas were seen on boulders in the river early in the morning, listening to the pranava aum in the rushing waters of this sacrfed Hawaiian river that flows through the monastery.

At the Publisher's Desk editorial meeting this morning (there we are gathered around the desk as Gurudeva guides our work for the magazine) Gurudeva had us phone our ace correspondent Rajiv Malick in New Delhi. Each of our team of ten said a few words to Rajiv and heard from him that the Kumbhamela edition of Hinduism Today is being widely and gratefully received in India. Rajiv thanked Gurudeva for taking the time and care to phone him like this, and remembered with affection the days he spent with Gurudeva in Rishikesh in 1995.

We heard from our travelers in India today. Paramacharya Bodhinatha is meeting with lots of people, and had an inspiring session with our hard-working artist Manivelu who is busy today painting some special canvases on Iraivan temple for the next issue of Hinduism Today. Meanwhile, Markendeya Sendan and Nilakantha Veylan toured the amazing exihibition hall of the Tirukural. It's a neat place, designed by our own Ganapathi Stapathi who is architect for Iraivan Temple, with a central stone chariot on which all 1330 verses of the Kural are carved and illustrated.

Yogi Yuganatha is happy that his cheese making is going so well. Yogi got inspired a few weeks to take advantage of all the milk our new cow is giving each day, and is learning how to make cheeses. Hard and soft, instant and aged, plain and herbal. It's a wonderful addition to our self-sufficiency, and to our menu too! That's the Wailua River passing through the monastery this morning, fed by the fresh tropical rains of the last few days in the mountains above us. Here, by the way is the little natural path leading down to the Sadhana area on the river.

Author Harish Johari sent to us today a fabulous collection of artwork he has just completed. It's amazing. He must have taken years to do it, about 40 original paintings all about Siva and the river Ganges. He is getting ready to publish a book called "The Birth of the Ganga." Hinduism Today is doing a review of the work, and you will see some of Harish's artistic and stylish masterpieces in a future issue. He's amazing, by the way. Artist, ayurveda expert, astrologer, mystic who publishes teachings on many aspects of Indian healing, pranayama, meditation, numerology, gemology, japa, chakras and auras. Everything he touches is magical, authentic, useful, and full of the great Indian traditions.

We say aloha for the day and wish you a most blessed day, guided by Lord Ganesha, and a final photo of Gurudeva as he and Shanmuganathaswami walked toward the Orchid Mandapam for a morning review of the day's membership needs around the world.