It's Sun 6 today, and the sun is shining above our island. We are grateful for that, and for many other gifts today. Feeling gratitude when we get little is the real spiritual challenge, and so today provides little challenge, for we have received some wonderful high-tech tools. Here are some photos of new G3 Powermac computers that arrived today. They are potent tools, and a generous gift from a supporter from the country of Sri Lanka. Thank you, mikka nandri, mahalo nui loa to our kind patrons around the world who make the far-reaching work of Kauai's Hindu Monastery possible. We thought you would like to share our little adventure in receiving and unpacking them today. If that is not all that exciting, skip below to more profound things!

That's the FedEx delivery van pulling up to the Information Center that is the entry to our property.

The local delivery kanaka had a great time unloading all the boxes. He seemed a little perplexed that such high-powered computers were going to....a temple????

The boxes were moved to the editorial offices a few hundred yards away.

Opening is always fun, especially for the younger mathavasis.

And of course as soon as you have an empty box, the kittens want to move in and begin the day-long task of exploring somehing new.

Tyagi Arumugaswami is delighting in the mere thought of 300 megahertz.

Inside these well-engineered machines is the real power, and they are made to get in to all the cards and chips without a screwdriver! Nice detail that.

Outside, 18-year-old Jivananda captured a nice view of the palms that surround our buildings, shot from below near the river.

As if all the above was not enough, we also took delivery of a TRV9 Sony video camera today. It's a James Bond camera, tiny, highly feature-rish (it's the world's smallest FireWire capable digital camera). This is important to visitors to this page, for now we will begin making occasional (not daily!) video clips. Stay tuned. That photo, by the way, is Jivananda taking a photo of Palaniswami taking a video of Jivananda (and if you look close you can see Jivananda in the tiny Sony display window!

SARAVANANNATHASWAMI REPORTS: Work is progressing well on the Iraivan issue of HT. We're working on an article about three artists, D.J. Khamus on Kauai, Sri Indra Sharma in Bombay and David Donnangelo on the East Coast of the USA, three talented souls selflessly gave their time and skill to depict Iraivan Temple and Gurudeva on canvas. You'll see their beautiful artwork in HT, in the December issue.

We end today with Gurudeva's second emphasis, for men to love and respect women. These are the ancient principles he learned in Sri Lanka in the late 1940s, and they are more needed today than ever!

Instructions for Men

Each of Siva's men followers shall speak to and associate with men. Conversations with women, especially the wives of other men, should not be prolonged, and then directing his gaze at the hairline, not into the eyes. Aum.

All Siva's male followers should go out of their way to express respect, bordering on reverence, for women. Thus, they forbid themselves to watch vulgar shows or to maintain relations with lustful or promiscuous women. Aum.

Siva's male followers should never enter into argument with women, nor antagonize or tease them in any way. They must always be protective, helpful and understanding, thus honoring the mother spirit within them. Aum.

Siva's male followers dress whenever possible in impeccable traditional Hindu attire, and always at home, in the temple and at religious or cultural events. Yea, their outer elegance is only equaled by their inner dignity. Aum.

Siva's male followers should, on arriving home from work, immediately bathe and enter their shrine for the blessings of Gods and guru to dispel worldly forces and regain the state of Siva consciousness.

We really end today with a great shot of the river, close up, showing the large boulders that define the water's path, and an invitation to all to receive a free literature package by e-mailing us at: lit.packs@hindu.org