Twin Teak Elephants from Thailand

Back in 1972 Gurudeva was leading an Innersearch to India that stopped over in Thailand. While walking through Bangkok, he and a few of us were exploring a shop specializing in carved wood items. There, near the entry, stood two marvelous teak elephants, about 40" tall. They were carved from a single tree. If you know teak, you know it is slow growing and seldom reaches such a size, since it is so valuable they are harvested early in their life. Gurudeva loved this pair. One of the Innersearchers heard him admiring it, and offered to get them as a gift for the new aadheenam on Kauai. They arrived a year later and for many years have stood as sentinels in the brick-floored courtyard where the monks have lunch each day. The years passed along with their pristine look. Recently our young Taskforcer Arunesh was inspired to clean and refurbish them with a concoction of bees wax and orange oil. Like magic, the wood turned radiant, like the day Gurudeva first saw them. Thank you, Arunesh...

Here you see the weathered teak, turned cloudy and faded by the tropical sun.

Tusks and toenails are also made of wood, another kind.

This is the look after the cleaning and oiling by Arunesh, who also did a lot of other wood work in the Media Studio. Toggle back and forth for the full effect.

Now Bodhinatha presides at lunch with his refurbished Thai jungle guards.

}

];