Ending the Phase

Today is the 5th sun of our lunar week, so tomorrow the monks will be heading into a two-day retreat. This afternoon we all gather in Kadavul Temple for our monthly puja to Gurudeva's Paduka durning the hours of the Chitra nakshatra.

This was a full week for the monks. They banded together to clean the monastery for a day. They conducted round-the-clock temple pujas as is the norm. They digitized their archives. They worked to steer Iraivan Temple construction on its steady course. They cared for our cows, and the aadheenam's vast wildlife. They did the important work of finances, shipping and publication sales. They worked to create another issue of Hinduism Today magazine. They made repairs and did upkeep around the monastery. They harvested fresh grown vegetables; they meditated upon the Absolute.

But for all this, there is the feeling that nothing is happening. All this movement is as natural as the rains that patter upon the taro leaves or the trees that ever so slowly reach for the sunlight above. It is all Siva's dance.

\"Those who find the highest Reality here and now follow a path which never comes back to this world.\"- kural 356

\"One day in the distant future, it was revealed to me in psychic vision, Kadavul will stand alone as a colorfully painted Agamic temple with a tall vimanam and rajagopura entrance. In the vision, the Aadheenam was relocated closer to Iraivan.\" - Gurudeva

\"Siva\

s monastics lead a joyous, contented, steadfast, humble life. Their purpose is contemplation upon and love of Siva, to maintain Siva consciousness, realize the Self and uplift others while serving their satguru. Aum.\" - Nandinath Sutra 316'

\"We\

re not trying to explain the unexplainable. Just trying to help those who are sincere figure out where to go to experience it.\" -Bodhinatha'

\"A day will dawn when you will laugh at your past efforts. What you realize on the day you laugh is also here and now\" - Ramana Maharshi

\"These days my sole desire is that our lives should be simple and straightforward, that all around us there should be peace and cheerfulness, that our way of life should be unostentatious and full of bounty, that our needs should be small and our aims high and our efforts unselfish and our work for others more important than our work for ourselves.\" Rabindranath Tagore

The Siddhidatta Kulam\

s upgraded fish tank'

These little fish await their new home

BAPS sadhu\

s meet with Satguru'

And attend a meeting with the Ganapati Kulam

They then go on a tour of the grounds and Iraivan Temple

Some if the many small and ornate stones for the Nandi Mandapam

The Siddhidatta kulam built this scaffolding for the shiplis

This way they can easily work on the higher levels of the mandapam

The front steps being installed

As of today, two of three are complete

Sannyasin Yoginathaswami works hard to keep the project moving forward

Swami is currently working on the planning for the Kodimaram installation.

The Kodimaram has to be at the perfect length before being inserted into the stone.

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